Part III

Creating inclusive education systems implies accepting the idea that learners follow diverse learning pathways, and if necessary, introducing some adjustments that may be needed to provide various students with the same access to the curriculum. An important step in removing barriers to learning is the identification and naming of difficulties, challenges or obstacles that pupils may encounter. The following text sheds light on several areas in which learners and teachers may encounter possible barriers to learning. Read through all the sections and solve the accompanying tasks.

Read through all the sections and solve the accompanying tasks.

Language and culture:
Since language is the primary medium of instruction and a tool for communication in the classroom used to convey information, explain concepts, and facilitate discussions, it plays a pivotal role in education. Culture is intertwined with language and influences how messages are interpreted. Idioms, metaphors, and expressions may differ across cultures, affecting clarity and understanding (Clyne & Sharifian, 2021). Therefore, students learning in a second language may face additional challenges in understanding subject matter on a linguistic and/or cultural level.

Teachers need to be aware of these differences to avoid misunderstandings and to ensure that communication is effective and inclusive. A practical approach that mediates the understanding of the impact of languages and cultures on what happens in the classroom is the notion of translanguaging (García & Lin, 2021). Translanguaging is understood as a dynamic process where multilingual individuals utilize their entire linguistic repertoire to make meaning, communicate, and learn. The concept originates from bilingual education practices and emphasizes the fluid and flexible use of languages, moving away from traditional views that separate languages into distinct systems. Translanguaging challenges traditional cognitive theories of language learning that treat languages as separate, proposing instead that multilinguals operate a unified linguistic system.