Setting EAL/D students up for success at school: A diamond view

Schools play a pivotal role in ensuring a successful future for students who are learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). EAL/D students are a diverse group who enrich the classroom in multiple ways through their linguistic and cultural contributions. With increasing numbers of EAL/D students in both metropolitan and regional classrooms in Australia, addressing their varied language and literacy learning needs can be challenging for teachers. In this paper, academics, practitioners and parents of EAL/D students consider the challenges and opportunities that arise for teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse classes. Evidence based teaching practices which support EAL/D students are reviewed from multiple perspectives and presented here as a multifaceted 'diamond view'.