Unlocking the Linguistic Potential of Teachers

Arguing that all teachers are necessarily language teachers in increasingly diverse settings, this book explores how language shapes learning across subjects to support inclusive teaching. It helps teachers develop the skills needed to teach inclusively and redefines multilingualism beyond “foreign” language proficiency to include social language, professional language and subject literacies in response to globalisation and cultural and linguistic diversity in educational settings.

Featuring the voices of novice and expert teachers and teacher educators across a range of disciplines and contexts, the volume demonstrates the importance of social skills such as empathy, cultural awareness and open-mindedness within these diverse educational settings. Chapters combine international perspectives with practical strategies and real-world case studies, as well as reflection points and opportunities for action planning; specifically designed “language challenges” aimed at inspiring teachers to develop language curious classrooms are interwoven through the book. Ultimately, the volume is designed to help recognise and unlock the full linguistic repertoire of teachers, students and mentors to develop high-quality and inclusive pedagogies that target linguistic and emotional barriers to closing existing attainment gaps.

The book will be valuable reading for pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher educators, as well as language and linguistics students and teachers specifically. Undergraduate students working in inclusive and multicultural education will also benefit from the volume.