For example, a Year 10 Science ESOL student will have different learning needs to a high-flying academic student who has a good grasp of the English language. The ESOL student will need help identifying key words and finding the best sources to learn the subject-specific definitions. The high-flyer will need encouragement to stretch them self and ensure they are not just completing the work as fast as they can (which generally results in a lower than usual standard).
These strategies help move each student forward in their learning.
As these pieces of advice are reinforced and become more instinctive, I can move onto the next level of improvement. This will also depend on the student and their individual needs, as determined best from a one to one conversation or support with work.
For the ESOL student it may be that they need support in areas of grammar and sentence construction, moving on to more content focused goals (language and basic communication is obviously more important a foundational aspect). For the academic student it may be that they are already getting the most out of the lesson and they need to be given a side-project to maintain interest and develop more laterally.
