Teach Secondary - Issue 14.6

For classroom teachers, unlocking the world of learning for children with English as an additional language is an essential task, but one that can be extremely labour intensive. The secondary version of FlashAcademy®, however, could make a real difference. FlashAcademy® is an online teaching programme that comes with a comprehensive range of online lessons for pupils with EAL. Its potential uses extend far beyond that, though, to encompass many helpful resources and tools for daily use in the classroom. FlashAcademy’s app interface is easy to navigate and designed in an age-appropriate way for secondary-age users – not something you can always say of EAL resources. The extensive package of lessons and videos provides early acquisition learners with all the language and skills development they’ll need throughout their secondary school journey. Helpfully, users can also access the materials found in the programme’s primary version, enabling teachers to dip into an even more extensive range of curriculum-aligned language resources and ensure smoother rates of progress for students. The learning journey students take is clearly mapped out via programmes intended for groups or individual learners. The inclusion of assorted learning challenges and games, complete with live leaderboards, will help keep pupils motivated and engaged, and we’re told that a custom lesson builder will be added in later down the line. Powerful packages like this can sometimes be hindered by the design of their teacher dashboards, but that’s not the case here. FlashAcademy’s user-friendly dashboard interface makes all vital admin and information controls readily accessible, so that busy staff can easily use it to prepare lessons, assign tasks and set homework. The programme’s assessment functions are especially insightful, with the ability to baseline pupils before monitoring their subsequent progress across different proficiency bands. AI-powered marking features can provide teachers with highly detailed breakdowns of pupils’ strengths and next steps for development, while also tailoring assessments to your particular setting’s needs and cohorts. The grading systems provided are clear and precise, and could potentially serve as a valuable tools for tracking progress. Then there’s the extensive array of high quality training videos and materials intended to help teachers make the best possible use of the system, as well as the translated print documentation for parents and printable resource sheets for classroom use. One particular highlight are the ‘learner profiles’ spanning a huge spectrum of home languages. Each learner profile includes background information regarding the learner’s home country and any notable A comprehensive online teaching programme and pupil-facing app to enhance your EAL support provision A T A G L ANCE E A L • An online EAL skills programme with curriculum-linked vocabulary adapted for secondary users • Suitable for use in school and at home • The teacher dashboard stores all assessment data and reporting • Beyond the app, there is a wealth of CPD packages and practical resources available For more information, visit flashacademy.com Easy to access and use Specifically designed to enable cur- riculum-aligned language acquisition for EAL learners Presents teachers with a wealth of CPD and support materials Ideal for tracking progress both in school and at home ...you want a programme for EAL learners that does everything you could ever need, all in one place. V E RD I C T UPGRADE I F . . . REVIEWED BY: RUTH ASTLEY FlashAcademy® Secondary cultural differences; key language language distinctions between a pupil’s first language and English; any specific difficulties there might be in learning English linked to the home language, and more besides. FlashAcademy® is definitely worth investigating, as it could well fulfil many of your pupils’ needs and give their learning of English a real boost. R E V I E W teachwire.net/secondary 94