Building capacity for the inclusion of students’ diverse language practices in Australian classrooms

The article written by Robyn Moloney for 'Literacy Learning: The Middle Years' presents ideas that will appear in a forthcoming book: 'Teaching for Linguistic Diversity in Schools: Wellbeing and Achievement' (Moloney et al., 2024). These ideas include examples of linguistically and culturally responsive teaching in domains such as languages and literacies, mathematics, sciences, and the arts. In the article, Moloney invites teachers to think critically about their own assumptions and to avoid stereotyping, to consider the knowledge of students and their families, and to look for spaces in curriculum content that are conducive to the inclusion of linguistic diversity. She argues that this diversity should be embedded in the curriculum, and that this will enhance student learning. Whilst acknowledging the inclusion of linguistic discomfort in teaching and learning can be challenging, she suggests that teachers can engage with this discomfort in a productive way.