Motion vs Action: Reflecting on Term 1 and Planning for Term 2 in EAL and Multilingualism

As teachers, we are masters of multitasking. We juggle planning lessons, meeting deadlines, and navigating a steady stream of professional development. It’s no wonder that, at times, we find ourselves caught in motion—learning, strategising, and preparing—but not always transitioning into action. This concept, drawn from James Clear’s Atomic Habits, is a powerful reminder for us as educators: while motion is vital for grounding ourselves in new ideas, it is action that drives meaningful outcomes.

In the realm of EAL and multilingual education, this distinction is especially relevant. Reflecting on Term 1, many of us have likely been in motion—researching inclusive strategies, attending CPD sessions, or discussing curriculum adaptations. These activities are essential, but as we approach Term 2, the question becomes: What actions will we take to ensure progress for our multilingual learners?

Why Balance Motion with Action?

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) offers a practical framework for effective implementation that scaffolds this gap between motion and action. Their guide emphasises that impactful change requires both thoughtful preparation and deliberate execution. Let’s break this down with concrete examples specifically linked to EAL and multilingualism.

The full guidance available on the EEF's website can be found here, along with helpful visual tools and resources: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation

1. Adopt Behaviours that Drive Effective Implementation

• Engage colleagues to shape the process:

  • Motion: Hosting a CPD session on effective strategies for multilingual learners.

  • Action: Following up by co-planning a lesson with staff that incorporates sentence scaffolds or academic keywords.

• Unite staff around the 'what,' 'how,' and 'why':

  • Motion: Sharing research on the importance of using home languages in the classroom.

  • Action: Creating a simple resource bank of dual-language books for each department to use, accompanied by a briefing on how to integrate them effectively into lessons.

• Reflect, monitor, and adapt to improve outcomes:

  • Motion: Discussing barriers and challenges for multilingual learners during department meetings.

  • Action: Setting up a quick feedback system—such as a Google Form—for teachers to report how strategies are working in practice, then using this data to refine approaches.

2. Attend to Contextual Factors

• Ensure strategies are evidence-informed and context-appropriate:

  • Motion: Reviewing case studies on embedding multilingualism in schools.

  • Action: Selecting one manageable strategy—like using collaborative group work—and piloting it with a specific cohort, adjusting based on their responses and outcomes.

• Develop systems and structures to support implementation:

  • Motion: Discussing how to allocate time for planning EAL support lessons.

  • Action: Blocking out a dedicated weekly slot in the timetable for EAL and class teachers to collaborate or plan targeted intervention sessions.

• Build the capacity of those enabling change:

  • Motion: Identifying a team member to lead on EAL or a whole-school approach to inclusion.

  • Action: Supporting that colleague with coaching or mentoring and ensuring they have time and resources to carry out their role effectively.

    
    

3. Use a Structured but Flexible Process

• Follow the phases of implementation:

  • Explore:

    • Motion: Reviewing the needs of multilingual learners using assessment data.

    • Action: Using this data to prioritise one area for immediate focus, such as developing speaking and listening skills.

  • Prepare:

    • Motion: Planning how to introduce a multilingualism policy.

    • Action: Scheduling a staff meeting to roll out the policy with concrete examples of implementation, such as displaying multilingual welcome posters and creating opportunities for home-language use during parent events.

  • Deliver:

    • Motion: Preparing to use visuals alongside academic keywords.

    • Action: Actively using visuals in lessons and observing how students respond, then refining the approach based on feedback.

  • Sustain:

    • Motion: Discussing how to sustain new practices.

    • Action: Embedding successful strategies in staff handbooks or CPD schedules to ensure long-term impact.

Reflecting on Term 1

Think about the work you’ve done this term. Have you:

• Attended CPD sessions or read about strategies to better support multilingual learners?

• Held discussions about adapting the curriculum to reflect a more inclusive ethos?

• Collaborated with colleagues to identify barriers for EAL learners in your context?

• Begun exploring ways to integrate home languages into classroom practice?

These activities represent critical motion—laying the groundwork for informed and intentional action.

Planning for Term 2: Moving from Motion to Action

As you plan for Term 2, consider how you can take action on the foundations you’ve built. For example:

• Action Step: Implementing Strategies in the Classroom

  • Introduce sentence starters and scaffolds for writing tasks in lessons next term.

  • Create visual guides for key academic terms and distribute them to learners in advance.

• Action Step: Embedding a Whole-School Approach

  • Plan and deliver a parent workshop that demonstrates how home languages can be used to support learning at home.

  • Start a weekly drop-in session or open door week for staff to share what’s working in their classrooms for multilingual learners.

• Action Step: Monitoring and Reflecting on Progress

  • Use a simple tracking system to log student progress with newly implemented strategies.

  • Schedule a mid-term meeting to evaluate the effectiveness of your actions and adapt as needed.

A Professional Pause for the Holidays

Being honest, I know how challenging it can be to strike the right balance between motion and action (I find myself questioning where I am on this continuum every day!) As teachers, we’re constantly moving from one lesson or meeting to the next, always prioritising our learners and responding to their immediate needs. It’s hard to step back and shift from being reactive to being proactive (after all, our ability to do this is kind of informed by our teaching or responsibility-load). That’s why, if we can, taking a quick critical review at the end of a term is such a valuable opportunity—it allows us to pause, reflect on what’s worked, and identify where we can move from motion to meaningful action.

Furthermore, the upcoming school break is a chance to rest and recharge. By identifying clear actions for Term 2 now, you can step away from school feeling confident that you’ve laid the groundwork for success. This balance between motion and action is the key to sustained progress—not only for your multilingual learners but also for you as a reflective practitioner.

Together, let’s ensure that the work we do in motion during Term 1 transforms into purposeful action in Term 2. Every step forward strengthens our ability to create inclusive, impactful learning environments for all students.