“We must all be teachers of language”
“We are all teachers of language.” This is said very casually during workshops, staff meetings, and collaborations with language development specialists. It’s as if we can magically weave the sentiment behind it into our daily practice; as if we can effortlessly meet the needs of all learners and seamlessly incorporate language into every single lesson.
But simply saying something—no matter how desirable—does not make it so.
Achieving these goals requires us to adopt new mindsets and develop new skill sets. Is it challenging? Sometimes. Is it possible? I believe it is. Is it worth it? Yes!
In a world that’s changing faster than ever—and where the future is all but certain—it is imperative that the needs of multilingual learners (MLLs) be met in every classroom. We must devote ourselves to helping students achieve success by equipping them to fully engage & collaborate with peers and teachers as academic language learners (ALLs).
To do this, we must all be teachers of language. Let’s work together to turn that simple statement into a beautifully rich reality.
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ALL in Education 