EMTAS Moodle

By EMTAS Specialist Teacher Advisor Lynne Chinnery

Teaching today sometimes feels like conducting an orchestra while the instruments keep multiplying. One moment you're guiding learning in the classroom, the next you're trying to catch up on all the other tasks you have to do.  

The central problem is not a lack of commitment or professionalism, it's time: government surveys of teachers’ working lives (Department for Education, 2023–2025) consistently highlight workload and long working hours as major challenges for teachers in England.  

Because we work closely with teachers on a regular basis, we at EMTAS understand that finding the time to read through theories and strategies can be difficult at the end of a long day, no matter how concise we try to make our posts and aides-memoire. With this in mind, we decided to create some bite-sized videos to see if this might be a more accessible way of sharing relevant information and guidance on teaching and supporting learners of EAL.

We are pleased to share that the first set of this new series of bite-sized training videos is now available on the EMTAS Moodle. These videos form part of a wider project to overhaul our free Guidance Library, making it easier for school staff to access information quickly, build skills in manageable steps and revisit key guidance whenever needed.

Three main sections of the Guidance Library have already been updated:

·         Supporting New Arrivals

·         Use of First and Other Languages

·         EAL and SEND

The videos cover a range of practical themes designed to support everyday work with pupils and families, and can be accessed at any time. More topics will be added over the coming months.

We hope these quick and accessible resources, none of which lasts more than 5 minutes, make it easier to fit professional learning into a busy day. Videos can be shared during staff briefings, used for in-house CPD, woven into induction for new staff or, watched individually when you've managed to steal a few minutes to yourself.

Explore our new bitesize videos in the Guidance Library. We would love to hear your feedback and any suggestions about areas of support for learners of EAL and Travellers that you would like to explore next. Feel free to email us here: EMTAS@hants.gov.uk.