As language use remains such an integral part of individuals’ daily lives, emotional and psychological factors will affect learning more often than intensive study or natural aptitude. It is for this reason that the American linguist and researcher Stephen Krashen posited his affective filter theory, which argues that students who feel comfortable, safe, and confident are more likely to regularly use and acquire the target language than those who feel otherwise. Language teachers would thus do well to maintain a classroom environment that is not only safe, but also inclusive, such that students feel as if the target language and culture also include identities similar to their own. With that in mind, here are five subtle strategies that language teachers can implement in order to deliver inclusive course content:
(1) Include images that reflect the target language culture’s immigration history. This should be fairly simple for teachers who already regularly teach culture in their world language courses. For instructors who enjoy showing students slides that contain images during class, make sure that the slides regularly include people of color and/or those whose background reflects the target culture’s immigration history. For example, a stack of slides made for a German classroom about German teenagers and their hobbies should also include images of Turkish and Muslim adolescents in order to remain both inclusive and historically accurate.
(2) The names in handouts and reading exercises should also reflect the target language and culture’s immigration history. A Moroccan student who has chosen to study French while hoping to one day communicate with their parents in one of their native languages may feel demotivated over time when all of the names on written assignments represent white European nomenclature. Instead of providing students with written language samples in which all the names are Pierre, Jacques, Marie and Louis, French teachers, for example, would do well to also include names such as Mohamed, Aïcha, Moussaka, and Souleymane. This will not only allow all students to feel included, but will also accurately represent France’s current population while remaining a subtle way to teach students the target culture at the same time.
(3) Seek opportunities to avoid heteronormative examples. Any unit which focuses on the family, relationship, and marriage provides an opportunity for language teachers to remain inclusive while still helping students reach proficiency. When teaching students the members of the family in the target language, not every example family has to contain a husband and a wife, nor a mother coupled with a father. In the United States, two-father and two-mother households have long since become common since the late 1970s and are commonplace in Europe despite consistent battles with archaic legislation regarding equality for same-sex partners. When teaching students thematic units about dating and relationships, written assignments, drills, and even authentic texts and resources remain further opportunities to seek out content that is not dominated by heteronormative examples.
(4) Include examples and images that subvert archaic gender stereotypes. When language textbooks introduce vocabulary about jobs and careers, why is every doctor male and every nurse female? Those reading this article may have noticed that the auto mechanics, and most of the blue-collar professions mentioned in the textbook, are male and the hairstylists and retail workers are female. Language teachers have a rare and powerful opportunity to subvert these stereotypes by including more images that show women in positions of power, professionally, and more images that display men in the role of compassionate caretakers. Historically, the hobbies units in language textbooks have been no different! The boys are playing soccer and video games while the girls are jumping rope and playing with dolls. Language teachers can and should make certain that their images and written examples are appropriate and include a range of hobbies and interests that can apply to both genders.
(5) Include activities that do not assume socioeconomic equality. While many teachers will often, with only the best of intentions, include activities such as describing one’s house, describing one’s dream vacation, and/or describing what gifts one received for the holidays in the target languages, these activities can be very triggering for a number of students. What about students who feel embarrassed that they live in an apartment instead of in a house? What about students whose families do not regularly take vacations or who cannot afford to buy them what they want for birthdays and holiday celebrations? Activities such as these, namely those that can be broken down into how much money a student’s family has spent, can be modified such that they are less likely to be triggering or shame-inducing for economically disadvantaged students. Assignments such as these can be repackaged by asking students to describe their dream home or their dream vacation, which in many cases can allow disadvantaged students to outshine their peers by using their imagination.
Clearly the strategies above do not include an exhaustive list of how to practice inclusivity in language education. While social justice has always been and continues to remain an important component in all school subjects, language teachers have a unique opportunity to include these principles in their course content. Please comment or reach out to us regarding how you incorporate inclusivity and social justice principles into your classroom!
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