English as an Additional Language: Integrating School-Aged Learners into Mainstream Curriculum

Abstract

The concept of integrating English as an additional language (EAL) (also referred to as English as a second language) for learners into the mainstream curriculum has been the subject of debate among educationalists and policy-makers in many parts of the English-speaking world. The issues concerning the integration of EAL students into the mainstream curriculum are multidimensional – the label of EAL itself appears to be part linguistic, part educational, part social, and part political. The main purpose of this chapter is to give an account of the multidimensionality of EAL curriculum and practice. The developments in EAL curriculum and pedagogy within the mainstream education system will be looked at first. The influences of wider concerns such as social integration and rights and entitlements to equal opportunity in public provision will be discussed next; recent experiences in California and England will be drawn on to illustrate the multidimensional nature of EAL policy and practice. The central assumption throughout this chapter is that EAL in mainstream schooling can only be understood properly if we pay attention to its unique position at the crossroads of educational, social, and ideological movements.