With approximately 200,000 students in NSW public schools learning English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) the challenges faced by EAL/D students when learning from home need to be carefully considered.

Students who are learning English as an additional language or dialect need to earn English, learn the curriculum content through English and learn about English simultaneously. This presents challenges for students who need to be engaged in learning English and learning content that is equivalent to their English speaking peers. When learning from home, this is even more challenging.

The needs of EAL/D learners vary. Students will be at different phases of English language proficiency, will have different curriculum content learning needs and will be enrolled in different stages of schooling.

Interpreting and translation support

On demand and pre-booked telephone interpreting services are available through a national provider.

Department links

• Learning from home – main website
• Learning from home – professional learning
• What technology is available and how can I use it?
  
• Supporting student learning and wellbeing when learning from home

Learning from home packages

• Primary (staff only)
• Secondary (staff only).

Evidence-based practice

A research review of distance education reveals several important themes for consideration when creating and delivering lessons for students to learn from home:

• strong social presence for learners to stay in touch
• support student persistence
• understanding contextual factors, such as the role of gender
• considering the learner's perspective
• balancing synchronous and asynchronous activities.