Scaffolding for Success: EAL/D Strategies That Empower Learn

Name: Scaffolding for Success: EAL/D Strategies That Empower Learn
Start: 2026-01-22T09:00:00+09:30
End: 2026-01-22T09:00:00+09:30
Location: CDU's Danala Campus

About

Session 1: This session will be presented by members of the ATESOL NT committee and will guide participants through the process of levelling a picture book and identifying links to ACARA learning areas (HASS, Science, The Arts, Health & PE, and the ILC) from Foundation to Year 12. A curated selection of rich texts—including titles suited to Early Years, primary, and secondary students—will be available for hands-on exploration. Participants will also learn how AI can support text selection, curriculum alignment, and integrated unit planning.

Session 2: Supporting Reading Growth for Multilingual Learners (Hetal Ascher)
Hetal presents practical strategies to strengthen multilingual learners’ reading comprehension through oral language, vocabulary development and responsive teaching practices. The session highlights ways to build on students’ cultural and linguistic assets and shows how intentional talk, scaffolding and explicit instruction can support sustained reading growth across year levels.

Session 3: Why Teach EAL/D Students to Speak English? The Impact of Rich Literature on Oral Language (Fran Murray)
Fran examines the vital relationship between spoken language, thought and sociocultural understanding for EAL/D learners. The session explains why explicit spoken-English instruction is essential, and how rich literature provides the cultural knowledge students need for comprehension and fluency. Participants will explore practical oral-language activities and strategies from the Walking Talking Texts pedagogy that build confidence, meaning-making and effective classroom communication.

Session 4: Using AI to Plan, Model and Scaffold EAL/D Students’ Information Report Writing (Liz Easton)
Liz demonstrates how AI can be used to create and adapt model information reports for EAL/D learners, and unpacks the text structure, socio-cultural understandings, grammar, and vocabulary demands students need in order to comprehend and produce their own reports. The session shows how AI can be used to differentiate texts and tasks across EAL/D levels, and how these models can support oral language rehearsal, vocabulary development, joint construction, and scaffolded reading and writing. Participants will gain insight into how to use AI to streamline planning and resource creation, along with practical strategies to support students to read and write their own information reports.