Page 108 - Diversity in Action

Natascha J. Taslimi, Ursula Maurič, and Karin Steiner

face with the language(s) of schooling, the model aims to reduce disparities
in educational outcomes. It advocates for a comprehensive approach that
integrates linguistic, cognitive, and social dimensions of language learning,
ensuring that all children have fair access to quality education regardless of
their backgrounds.
Together, these principles form a dynamic and interconnected framework
that guides educators in creating supportive, inclusive, and effective lan-
guage learning environments. The model’s emphasis on diversity, multilin-
gualism,priorknowledge,reflectivelearning,andequityoffersarobustfoun-
dation for fostering language literacy in a way that respects and builds upon
the rich linguistic and cultural resources that learners bring with them. Ulti-
mately, the model advocates for a holistic, inclusive approach to language
education that values all languages, supports cognitive and emotional de-
velopment, and strengthens children’s ability to participate fully in society
(Allgäuer-Hackl et al., 2018).

Approaches to Language Sensitive Learning and Teaching
Indiverseclassrooms,linguisticallyandsocio-culturallysensitivelearningap-
proaches play a vital role in recognising and valuing the unique backgrounds
of all learners. These approaches help support every child’s learning process
in a positive and inclusive way.
A key responsibility of initial teacher education, as well as ongoing pro-
fessional development, is to prepare teachers to understand the needs of
a diverse learner population. Teachers need to be equipped with strategies
to adopt a strengths-based perspective on children’s language learning and
to support their linguistic development effectively (Carnevale & Wojnesitz,
2014). Some of the key aspects of language-sensitive learning and teaching
are the following:

• Identify and remove linguistic barriers. Regularly examine daily educa-
tional activities to spot potential language challenges. Plan and organ-
ise lessons using scaffolding techniques that ensure all children can fol-
low and engage, regardless of their language background.
• Use the full linguistic repertoire. Actively incorporate children’s first and
family languages as tools for understanding and learning, starting as
early as nursery school. Research shows that allowing children to ini-
tially use their home language before transitioning to the language of
instruction (e.g., English) improves learning outcomes, especially in ar-
eas like scientific literacy (Webb, 2009).

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