English Language Support for University Preparation: Helping Students Build Confidence and Academic Success
English language support gives international and domestic students key tools to enhance their learning at Canning College and improve their preparation for university.
At Canning College, students can improve their English language through:
- an intensive English program, which focuses on improving language capability before students transition into standard academic programs
- language-focused subject learning as part of the program they are studying – such as in English Language and Australian Cultural Studies (ELACS) or English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD)
- literacy support, which is delivered either to small groups or individuals who need additional assistance to help them meet curriculum standards
While the intensive English program and individual subject learning offer a formally structured classroom approach, literacy support gives students the flexibility to seek additional language learning.
For Alison Franke, who leads the intensive English program and also delivers literacy support, English development is about giving students the confidence and tools to succeed in every subject.
“I say to the students they should think of English as the car that’s going to take them through everything,” she said.
“If it’s got flat tyres, it can’t move. Sometimes students don’t quite see it that way. Some of them think of maths or science as being more important but English is the tool that will carry them through all their studies.”
Practical English Support That Makes a Difference
Literacy support is available to students who are either referred by a teacher or who personally seek assistance with specific challenges. A literacy support timetable indicates the availability of literacy support teachers, such as Alison and Patrick Chakko, and students make individual appointments.
Additional to this, some Year 11 students take part in small-group support sessions which allow for targeted attention that complements classroom teaching. Identified by the English teacher as needing extra support, students are directed to Alison for specific English language support.
“These small groups allow me to really focus on exactly what the classroom teacher needs the students to improve,” Alison said. “It might be punctuation, sentence structure, basic grammar or any other aspect of English.”
The focus for Year 12 students is more strategic with the aim of helping them improve areas that will best assist in exam situations.
“I ask them to think of it like a formula,” she said. “If you can read the question properly and pick out the key ideas that already tells you what your paragraphs are going to be. Then it becomes manageable. It’s not this huge, overwhelming thing anymore.”
Each literacy support session is designed to be practical and achievable.
“When students complete a session, I want them to have at least three clear things they can focus on, something they can actually apply,” Alison said of the small steps that can lead to significant improvements. “When they have success with essays, for example, I make a point of telling them it is a result of the work they’re putting in. I can guide them, but they have to do the work to improve their English.”
English literacy support at Canning College continues to evolve, with new approaches helping reach more students across the College.
Supporting Students with Different Language Backgrounds
Students at Canning College come from a wide range of backgrounds with almost 40 different nationalities on campus, and around 60% international students. Many students arrive from overseas with an established level of English, while others are local students who have only recently started studying in English.
There are also students who have spent their entire lives in English-speaking environments and typically have strong language skills. However, even these students can benefit from additional English language support, particularly when it comes to areas such as writing structure, grammar and the more complex aspects of academic language.
English teacher Patrick Chakko said literacy support at Canning College was important in understanding student academic abilities.
“They’re intelligent students who sometimes haven’t had that exposure to English,” he said. “They may not be presenting the most capable version of themselves simply because of the challenges they face with English language. Once we understand that, it makes a big difference, and literacy support helps them speed up their language acquisition.”
Canning College’s English literacy support is essential in helping students bridge the gap between what they know and how they express it.
