Avoiding the deficit model of teaching: Students who have EAL/EAL and learning difficulties

Abstract

Without a carefully designed plan for the provision of students with English as an additional language (EAL), educators may feel overwhelmed by the complexities of teaching such students. Educators may attribute poorer academic outcomes of some students with EAL to learning difficulties without first considering how they might adapt their teaching to better support these students' needs. This paper provides insight into the challenges teachers confront in differentiating between the educational needs of students who have EAL and potentially those students who have EAL and also a learning difficulty. A range of strategies are proposed that may assist educators in establishing an environment in which students who have EAL are given opportunities for achieving successful academic outcomes.