Theme: Yet to be confirmed
Speaker: Dr Gabrielle Flockton
Biography: Dr Gabrielle Flockton is an Applied Linguist whose research focuses on multilingual learners, EAL provision, and teacher education. Drawing on her doctoral research into Initial Teacher Education in England, she explores how teachers are prepared to work in linguistically diverse classrooms and the factors that shape classroom practice.
Multilingual classrooms are now a routine feature of education in England, yet many teachers continue to report feeling underprepared to support pupils who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). This presentation draws on findings from a doctoral study exploring how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes prepare trainee teachers for linguistically diverse classrooms.
Combining curriculum analysis with teacher educator and trainee teacher perspectives, the session examines what is currently included within ITE provision, what trainees identify as the most valuable forms of preparation, and how understandings of EAL develop throughout training. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between theory and practice, the role of school placements, and the challenge of moving beyond broad notions of inclusion towards more explicit attention to language development. The presentation concludes by considering implications for teacher educators seeking to strengthen preparation for multilingual classrooms.