WELC Report

Message from the WELC Coordinator - Ms. Carmela Santucci

Westall English Language Centre held its Parent/Teacher interviews on Tuesday 22nd May.  The evening was well attended by parents and students. Students are always encouraged to attend the interviews and be part of the discussion about their learning and progress. Students  appreciate the feedback from their teachers, and the parents find that the inclusive nature of the meeting supports the family’s understanding of learning and expectations in the Language Centre.

Ms. Carmela Santucci 

News from the Curriculum Coordinator - Ms.  Anna Kotsiou

Teachers at Westall ELC have been attending workshops on EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction), and are implementing strategies learnt in these workshops in their lessons. One strategy includes the use of the mini whiteboards to check for understanding of new concepts, vocabulary and grammar structures. Another strategy that is being applied in order to verify students are learning while they’re being taught, is TAPPLE (Teach First, Ask a Question, Pause, Pair-Share, Pick a Non-Volunteer, Listen to the Response, Effective Feedback).

Teachers have enthusiastically incorporated the use of the mini whiteboards and have found them to be a great resource, as it is not only used to check for understanding, but, it is a fun way to learn and involve all members of the class, including those who are less likely to take risks with volunteering answers.

Pictured above, are Group 2 students using the mini whiteboards to revise the learning from previous lessons.

Ms. Anna Kotsiou

WELC Curriculum Coordinator

Maths in WELC

WELC students study 3 lessons of Maths every week.  The focus is on understanding Maths terms, and being able to explain Maths thinking and working in English.

Recently, Group 1 students have been studying measurement of 2D and 3D shapes. Students were explicitly taught the names of the shapes and practised orally describing shapes based on their characteristics.  They have also participated in a variety of activities in order to explore concepts, including making 3D shapes from their nets, and experimenting with different wrapping techniques on presents to see which technique uses the least paper.  These collaborative and communicative activities have provided students with many opportunities to talk about Maths, and it has been wonderful to see students using English to communicate their ideas.

Ms. Debby Morgan

WELC Teacher