During our CE Programme, we strive to push the boundaries of a monolingual classroom. This is not only because our program is highly international, but also because we are passionate about making education more accessible to all. The purpose of this guide is to inspire and share best practices for creating a multilingual and language-friendly classroom.
By implementing these practices, we can enhance the quality of teaching in our classroom and serve as ambassadors for good educational practices. We can set an example for others to follow in the future and lead the way in making education more inclusive and effective for all learners.
It is important to establish a culture open to questions based on language, comprehension and misunderstanding. At the beginning of a course, emphasize that it is appreciated if someone interrupts the classroom due to misunderstandings of the English language. If possible, you may want to include examples in your own career of times when you needed clarification of a concept in another language.
Be clear about what the expectations for the course are - what are the policies for attendance, assessment, and make-ups? How are grades determined?
Presentation software offers an easy accessible and well functioning subtitle functions. Using PowerPoint and a microphone in the classroom can create subtitles for every spoken word and provide support to all learners, including those who may have trouble with auditory processing.
N.B.: These functions occasionally struggle with accented speech, but remain a powerful tool for accessibility.
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One easy way to make the classroom more language inclusive is to allow other languages in assignments. Modern translation software, such as DeepL, ChatGPT and Crowdin can help to facilitate the understanding of the teacher and the student. While many assignments in the course should be completed in formal academic English, reflective pieces, especially tasks like learning diaries, are more effective and allow students to feel a deeper connection to their own learning process if performed in their preferred language. Additionally, this gives students practice in communicating academic ideas learned at the university in ways that their home communities are better equipped to understand.
Language learners have different strengths across reading, writing, speaking and listening. Try to offer different methods throughout your class which are addressing different skills. Individuals’ skill levels also change as a function of the setting: a student who is comfortable in a one-on-one conversation may be discouraged by the stress of speaking in front of the entire class.
Here are some ways to include more students: