Introducing reflection on your language experiences, practice, and context

As teachers and educators, we have an important role to play in supporting the language learning pathways of the children in our classroom or setting. We can do this by reflecting on the language or languages we know, our attitudes towards languages, the role of languages in our education setting and our pedagogical approaches. Languages play an important role in and for learning. 

Our societies are increasingly diverse and multilingual – we, as well as the children we work with, may speak languages other than the language(s) of the education system. It is important that we create and promote a language-rich environment where we acknowledge, value, and support the linguistic and cultural diversity of all the children we work with. As educators we can support diverse language learning pathways by creating safe and inclusive learning environments where children are encouraged to embrace their linguistic and cultural identity and develop their language skills through activities that promote learning and that encourage active engagement.