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Karen Cebalo (Browns Bay School) and Chris Mashlan (Campbells Bay School) are both Across School Leaders in the Mid Bays Community of Learning on Auckland's North Shore.
Three years ago, primary school principals in the area were mindful of the fact that now at least one third of the students at their school were ELLs. Teachers across the Kāhui Ako grappled with supporting the growing numbers of ELLs in their classes and were asking for help.
Two new roles were created to support culturally responsive pedagogy, one with a Māori-Pasifika focus and one for ELLs. Karen was appointed to the ELL role.
Karen said:
"Underpinning everything is 'What can we do better together?' The ESOL specialists in our Kāhui Ako had been supporting teachers in their own ways but we realised that by working collaboratively as a Kāhui Ako ESOL specialist team we could often share the load."
"Teachers generally have little training to prepare them for supporting ELLs/English language acquisition and we were planning to upskill all of the teachers in our schools."
Chris, also an experienced ESOL teacher, was more recently appointed to an additional ASL role in the Kāhui Ako.
The ESOL specialists in the Kāhui Ako worked through a process called GROW with Future Learning Solutions experts from the Centre for Languages at the University of Auckland. GROW is a year-long series of workshops designed to support teachers to develop measurable capability in the effective teaching of languages and foster strong inter-school support networks. It was adapted for ESOL and implemented with ESOL teachers across the Kāhui Ako in 2019.
Chris commented:
"Several factors all came together at the right time. Just as teachers were asking 'How can we meet the needs of ELLs when we are no longer able to withdraw them all?' the Kāhui Ako decided to make ESOL a focus and we were encouraged through GROW to think about our hunches."
Chris capitalised on these factors and introduced a cycle of professional development for teachers, finding that it was teachers who were more proactive in looking for strategies and support who were initially engaged. One of the APs prioritised this PD in their team, so this was the first full team to work through the cycle. All teachers have now had a cycle of PD. With team leaders involved, a shared vision is very important. "The feedback is amazing – particularly around specific activities, such as vocab jumbles, and how easy they are to incorporate."
Karen, after trialling Chris's approach with different teams, has also concluded that this is very strong PD.
"I teach, the class teacher observes. We meet together and look at the ELLP data for their students, including the ELLP Pathway, and plan a lesson in a way which is more inclusive of ELLs. The teacher then teaches that lesson and I observe. We build up a folder for teams and teachers in the shared drive."
"Teachers can see how all learners can be engaged through having an inclusive approach. They are also becoming more aware of the need to be explicit about grammar. Priority 3 students are supported as part of our ESOL programme in weekly workshops over 3-5 weeks on aspects of language structures/grammar from the ELLP Pathway. Children may end up taking part in just one workshop series a year or several – it depends on need."
All of the schools in the Kāhui Ako applied for the teacher release time recently offered by the Ministry to work through ESOL resources, and the schools will all work with Karen and Chris on the use of the ELLP Pathway.
This year, the principals from the Kāhui Ako spent a day together exploring challenges across the Kāhui Ako schools. Supporting teachers with ELLs was right at the top.
"There are real advantages for us in having the full backing of our principals, especially in allocating ASL roles, and for us to be able to work collaboratively as an ESOL specialist group across our Kāhui Ako to lead change."
It starts at the top. Principal Cindy Walsh's sentiment is echoed by her staff.
"It doesn't matter if children are with us for three weeks or three years. We give them the best possible start in our school – and we are pleased if other schools benefit."
This positive approach is particularly relevant in Freemans Bay School in central Auckland. Over half of the 434 students are ESOL-funded. A relatively high number of transient students, including some from refugee backgrounds, come from nearby apartments. The school has given a wonderful start to children from many countries, including Syria and Afghanistan.
There is an explicit focus on building strong relationships from the beginning, and the enrolment process has been designed to ensure the school learns as much as possible about new learners and their families. The senior leadership team meet with families and complete initial supplementary interview forms. This information is shared with whānau teams and the school's two ESOL teachers.
The ruma reo at the centre of the school is a collaborative space where language-rich small group sessions support the identified language needs and interests of the learners.
A corner at the entrance is set up as a cosy reading nook. This photo was taken during Matariki – a map of Matariki stars is on display.
Children learn about New Zealand while they are also encouraged to celebrate their own cultural heritage.
ESOL teachers Trina Saxon and Troy Lunn work with children with the highest language learning needs – often newly-arrived to the country. They work closely with class teachers and make a real effort to get to know each learner. Trina said, "We really try to give all new children a genuine sense of belonging."
"The reality is that all of our teachers are ESOL teachers here, with around 75% of children in most classes having some level of ESOL need."
A number of learning assistants, many of whom are bi-lingual or multi-lingual, support learning in classes.
PLD is critical, and staff within the school lead ongoing professional learning related to provision of support for English language acquisition. Erin McKechnie (Tools4Teachers) also worked with teachers for the whole of 2020 and with learning assistants in 2021 to ensure that all staff are skilled in providing support for ELLs.
ESOL programmes are based on initial testing, classroom assessment and the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP). Support for new children also includes making sure they have a buddy, touching base to see how they are going and finding out about each learner's cultural and language background.
Tucked away in a corner of the room where the ESOL teachers keep many of their resources, the seven ESOL principles are displayed on the wall as a constant reminder of the fundamental principles underpinning ESOL support.
Getting to know whānau is key, says Trina.
"I choose to be at the gate regularly, even on busy days, to greet and farewell children and their families. This morning the weather was bad and I was tempted not to go, but I ended up having two great conversations with new parents under an umbrella."
Making links with families is valued across the school, and Cultural Competency Leaders Caitlin O'Brien and Ching Liu assist with upskilling staff and ensuring that all cultures are embraced and celebrated. The school is currently looking into establishing a new space for whānau to meet and connect.
A Year 6 student said:
"In Syria we didn't have ESOL, sports or assembly or equipment like balls, and no playgrounds and clear space and no toys, like everything was boring, nothing cheers you up to learn but here at FBS you feel like you are important and enjoy learning. Over there (Syria) you feel like squished up and you can't breathe but here in FBS you feel free."
The strong sense of inclusion and welcome at Freemans Bay School is impossible to miss. He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
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