Inclusive ESL teaching practice benefits everyone

When I first started teaching I knew close to nothing about learning difficulties, special needs, or anything else related to this. Then, between classroom experience, open conversations with learners, and quite some research, I noticed one important thing: inclusive measures help everyone, not just those we have identified might need it. And as we very often might not be aware of learners’ needs, either because they themselves are not aware, or because they don’t disclose them due to an internalised stigma, adapting lessons, and making it part of our everyday practice, will help all learners, making the classroom a better place for learning, where everyone is considered, and no one is left behind.

Instructions

Delivering instructions is something that, especially at the beginning of a teacher’s career, is a thorny subject. We’re told to keep them short and to the point, though this not always happens, and we might end up blabbing. By making sure we deliver clear, short, and broken down instructions, we are helping SEN learners who, in case of ADHD and dyslexia for example, might have issues with working memory. On this note, writing them down also helps, so learners may refer back to it. This also helps in general, as you might have some distracted learners.

Setting time limits

Imagine I tell you to write a short poem. So you get to thinking, because obviously you start with a bit of good old brainstorming. Then, you get your…