OER 2 Using all languages for learning

2.2 School leaders – Activity 2

Practical steps to support inclusion

1. Organise a staff meeting to discuss languages in the classroom. Talk about your listening observations, what you heard that was positive, and how it helped student learning and participation.

Choose questions, or a focus for the discussion, based on what is permitted in your context.

2. To begin, you can read together the examples (writing and images) in the Introduction to this OER. You can also read together this Open Educational Resource from India.

1. Invite teachers to identify how and why they use different languages in their classrooms, and how it helps students.
2. Ask teachers to think about whether they could ask students themselves to use their languages in lessons.
3. If it is permitted in your context, you can emphasise to teachers that it is good practice for students to use all their available languages to learn.
4. Depending on what is permitted in your context, you can encourage teachers to:
• repeat and rephrase in different languages
• write on the board in different languages
• ask students to rephrase in their language and then in the language of instruction
• allow students to discuss or makes notes in the language they know best
• allow students who share the same language to work together
• allow students to use their languages to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.

Discussion