Teaching Young Children English in Multilingual Contexts (TYCEMC)

Some Testimonials

‘Thoroughly enjoyed this course and learnt so much! Very practical ideas and strategies that can easily be applied to my year level. Definitely one of the best PD’s I have ever attended. I feel so much more confident in my ability as a teacher of Literacy and have already noticed excellent growth in my students’ learning as a result of what I have been able to implement so far. Margaret was an excellent presenter and facilitator. Her high level of experience and knowledge was obvious. She was engaging to listen to, went above and beyond in answering questions and provided so much support. The workshops were well balanced and practical. I understood the content better as she used practical examples. (Emily- Eastwood Primary School, Ringwood East. Foundation teacher. 2019)

‘I have truly felt so much professional growth by participating in this course and would recommend all teachers to do it! I was able to implement the very practical strategies for all students into my classroom straight away, including my non EAL students. My engagement has been really high and I have been excited to do the BMA’s because I can see the very clear links to teaching practice-It is practical!!!’ (Andrea- Sacred Heart, St Albans. Yr.1/2 teacher. 2017)

‘I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It has had the biggest impact on my teaching and coaching skills out of all the PD’s and personal research I have done. I am now able to confidently scaffold students at the three levels. I can confidently plan a teaching and learning cycle which supports every child in my classes. This is therefore invaluable to my students. I am now supportive of the teachers in planning teaching and learning cycles which benefits the whole school I have already recommended this course to several other people. Margaret was an excellent presenter. She is clear, passionate and encouraged my need to continually connect my new learning to what I was already implementing. She also made the course fun! Thank you, Margaret, for making such a positive impact on my teaching.’ (Jess- Carlisle Primary School, Cranbourne. Foundation Literacy Coach and Mentor, EAL and literacy support. 2019)

‘I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the course. Participating in the course has had a much bigger impact on my teaching in EAL than I expected. The content was extremely well thought out. It was easy to understand and practical. There have been many aspects of the content that I have been able to apply to my planning and teaching. The things I have learnt will allow me to address the specific language needs of my students with greater confidence. Margaret has been the key component to my enjoyment and learning in the course. She bought extensive EAL knowledge and experience to each module. The thing I appreciated the most were her thoughtful and relevant comments on my Between Module Activities. I have been inspired by Margaret to pursue post graduate study in EAL.’ (Susan- Craigieburn Primary School. Yr. 3-6 EAL teacher. 2019)

‘I enjoyed the course and as one of my goals was to involve myself in further education with a view to further study it was a good taste. It also made an impact on my teaching, familiarised me with the Teaching and Learning Cycle and the structure of writing. A lasting impact!  (Meg- Christ the Priest, Caroline Springs. Year 4 teacher. 2018)

‘Very enjoyable. This course was relevant to my every need in teaching EAL students in small groups. The content was amazing. The Teaching and Learning Cycle put a name and structure to some of the things I was already doing. The number of real-life teaching examples provided by the course and Margaret were so valuable. My students are already seeing the benefit with a procedure unit completed, with great success. Having taught EAL for two years and feeling a little lost this course really assisted me to modify the approach to get better results from the students and for the school.’ (Cathy- Kurunjang Primary School, Melton. Yr. 3-6 EAL teacher. 2019)

‘One of the best, most practical courses I have completed. It has made me re-evaluate some of the ways I teach and to improve my planning and delivery. An in-depth course that gives lots of background and practical ideas to enhance/improve teaching of the 3 genres (procedural, narrative and explanation texts). Great balance between resources given and developing our own. Margaret was engaging, experienced, enthusiastic and gives great feedback. I’d love to do more courses like this.’ (Clare- Roxburgh Homestead Primary School, Roxburgh Park. EAL teacher. 2019)

‘All of the content in this course was highly valuable and the professional learning I have gained will have a lasting effect on the way in which I approach my EAL planning and teaching of EAL students. The time I spent attending the sessions and completing the BMA’s has been extremely valuable. I believe my teaching skills have advanced greatly and I expect that this will improve the learning outcomes of my EAL students. Given the opportunity to provide professional learning to the staff, I believe that my attendance at the course will also prove valuable for the school.’ (Fiona- Eastwood Primary School, Ringwood East. Yr. 3-6 EAL teacher. 2019)

‘I absolutely loved this course. I needed to improve my own knowledge and understanding and I feel I have successfully achieved that. I now plan my lessons differently and much more effectively. I have already implemented many of the concepts covered while trialling lessons with my EAL students. These new approaches will greatly assist my students. The between module activities were great as they allowed us to further explore the concepts covered in the modules and then apply them in our classroom. Margaret’s delivery was excellent. She provided amazing and detailed feedback. Her sessions were very informative and she was very approachable, particularly via email between sessions.’ (Brooke- The Knox School, Wantirna. Foundation-Yr. 6 EAL teacher. 2019)