Innovations in English language teaching for migrants and refugees

Whilst having the information beforehand is an advantage it should also be noted
that it needs to be accurate, which relies on the special or additional learning needs
department of the school, and that the teacher has to take the time to read it.
Leaving aside the differences in record keeping, what seems to be the greatest
challenge to young refugee and migrant students is the higher occurrence of
alienation and bullying. A recent study conducted by the Refugee Council in
secondary schools in the UK showed that the most common complaint made by
refugee pupils and their families was of bullying and discrimination, to the point that
many pupils were afraid to reveal their background or talk about their past (Refugee
Council, 2008). Given this, it may be that the most immediate concerns for refugee
and migrant children, is ‘fitting in’ and any emotional difficulty they are facing could
be related to this, rather than events which have occurred in their country of origin.
Finally, as revealed in one of the interviews in the aforementioned study, it may be that
concern about emotional distress in the family should not be solely limited to the pupil:
One young lady’s Mum cried on my shoulder at parents’ evening, consultation day,
saying she didn’t see what was the point of getting up in the morning … has terrible
depression according to the daughter. And I invited the Mum to come and take part
in projects in school. She didn’t come. And that’s where that situation is now. I feel
I haven’t catered for that Mum. She’s a young Mum, late twenties, in a new culture,
new place, in need. And I ask myself, who is catering for her needs? (Refugee
Council 2008: 27)
Despite bullying and discrimination, attending school provides some purpose and
structure in the pupil’s life that may not be present in their parents’ or carer’s. So it
may be the case that there is a greater degree of emotional distress with the pupil’s
parents or carers than with the pupils themselves, which in turn could provide further
distress for the pupil. As is clear from the above quotation, this is certainly not an
easy situation for a teacher to deal with. However, it does not change the fact that
being aware of all the factors which may be causing a student emotional distress is
vital in providing the best possible support, even if some of the issues are beyond
our control or influence.
Exemplary practice in providing support
Researching this chapter has brought me into contact with other teachers as
well as mental healthcare professionals. Some of these educators have been
extremely innovative in their approach to supporting their learners’ emotional needs.
There is one example which I believe should be shared with a wider audience.
This initiative took place in a further education college in London. As well as
academic teachers, who are responsible for teaching English, the college has group
tutors for all students who are 16- to 19-years old. The group tutors are responsible
for monitoring attendance, organising excursions and looking after the students’
emotional wellbeing. Whilst checking the attendance of four students from different
classes who were having similar behaviour and attendance issues, one of the group
tutors noticed two striking similarities in their backgrounds. The first was that they
all came from the same region of the same country and spoke the same dialect.
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