Secondary Plus C1

1.One area that Tracey believes is a difficulty for students when it comes to academic language is that it can often be quite intimidating for people and they don't feel like they should be speaking or writing in these formal ways.

2.Tracey suggests approaching the use of academic language in the classroom by encouraging people to feel comfortable with that language and building on the language that students come into the classroom with, rather than saying that their language is wrong and needs to be replaced.

3. There is a binary or tension often between academic language and general language that is often unnecessary. She suggests understanding where students are coming from in terms of their language use and how people within different disciplines or subject areas are talking about these things, and that this type of language is a choice.

4.Tracey believes it is important to understand where students are coming from in terms of their language use in order to build on that and help them feel comfortable with academic language, rather than making them feel like their language is not good enough or appropriate.

5.Tracey suggests approaching the task of using academic language in terms of assessment or external requirements by making adjustments and understanding the language requirements of the task at hand, rather than trying to replace the students' language with academic language.