The Language of Learning: Unlocking Disciplinary Talk for Multilingual Learners
Gemma Donovan
Educational Leader | Consultant | EAL/Multilingualism Specialist ????| MA TESOL | Advocate for inclusive education and linguistic empowerment.
Why Disciplinary Talk Matters for Multilingual Learners
Engaging in disciplinary talk, that is, the subject-specific language used in academic discourse, is essential for deep learning and academic success. Whether in science, history or mathematics, the ability to articulate complex ideas using precise terminology builds both conceptual understanding and language proficiency. However,?disciplinary talk can present unique challenges even for our more experienced multilingual students. The structures, vocabulary and discourse patterns differ from everyday conversation, making it crucial we provide?scaffolds and intentional practice opportunities.?
As multilingual learners progress in their language acquisition, they must move beyond social language (Tier 1) and master academic language (Tier 2 and Tier 3) to access and fully engage with content. This shift is foundational for their success in an academic setting, especially when learning subject-specific vocabulary and complex language structures.
From Social to Academic Discourse-
For our multilingual learners, disciplinary talk offers a powerful way to engage with content and develop academic language skills. Here are some practical strategies that can help:
领英推荐
Building a Culture of Academic Talk:
Scaffolding disciplinary talk isn’t just about strategies—it’s about?creating a culture where language is seen as a tool for learning across all subjects.?When students feel empowered to use academic language with confidence, they not only improve their?content mastery but also develop?critical thinking and communication skills that extend beyond the classroom.
What strategies have worked for you in supporting multilingual learners with disciplinary talk?
Teacher and teacher trainer in Spain
2 天前PS To answer your question at the end, I like palpable material: real objects used as representations (toothpaste tube for oesophagus- idea from Scholastic's "Blood and Guts"- and balloon for stomach or toy sheep, ball of wool and wooly sock for materials, etc), Hoola Hoops and realia for physical Venn diagrams and learner-generated visuals that can be manipulated with clever, but not tooo fussy, papercraft. My colleagues and I need to develop more of this.
Teacher and teacher trainer in Spain
2 天前Excellent piece, Gemma. This information is also extremely useful for those of us working in CLIL/Plurilingual Education. In Spain and Portugal, so much of the content is presented through the written text, even in Early Primary. Through guided discussion, visuals and hands-on experience (a break from screen and page), our learners can approach these texts more confidently and later produce their own.
Learning Consultant at Pearson, MEA
3 周So pertinent as always and prompting us all to reflect on those bigger questions, while providing us with useful tools and strategies to work with. Thank you so much ??????
Literacy & EYFS Specialist | Coach & Mentor | Passionate Educator I Open University TRG Leader
3 周Great article Gemma, lots of good tips and ideas. I personally love using speaking frames with my students, lots of talk, lots of practice and I have found they really help to strengthen students responses not only verbally but in their written responses too. :)
International Business Development Manager @OxEd and Assessment
3 周Great information and useful tools for teachers, back in the day I used Quizlet with my Early Years students. Things have definitely moved on since then!