Learning, teaching, Experiencing and Reflecting on Inclusion (LERI): Peer learning in language friendly school networks

<< Background >>With increasing mobility, European schools are becoming more multilingual and culturally diverse. Almost 10% of European students speak a different language at home than the school language. Education systems are slow to react to this new reality. Multilingualism is viewed as an obstacle that needs to be overcome, rather than a source of inspiration to enrich the classroom and as an effective way to engage students of all backgrounds.LERI brought together two school networks: the Language Friendly School (LFS), a global network run by the Rutu Foundation in the Netherlands; and voXmi in Austria, managed by the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (PH Wien) and associated partners. Our common aim is to counter inequality and linguistic exclusion in education. When students’ languages and cultures are valued and when schools, students and families can better collaborate, we strongly believe that this will eventually lead to better school results of all students. LFS and voXmi schools indicated a need for professional development of their teams. In particular, support was requested for subject teachers in secondary school. By collaborating we hoped to address this need while strengthening our networks.<< Objectives >>The main aim of LERI was to help build more linguistically and culturally inclusive schools in Europe.The project objectives were to: (1) to strengthen and expand language friendly school networks in Europe; (2) increase the professional expertise of teachers in language friendly pedagogies and (3) improve the digital competence of partners and teachers in blended and digital learning.<< Implementation >>We organized 15 (online) partner meetings to share expertise, prepare and reflect on the teacher workshops and school visits in each other’s cities. We facilitated 4 (online) Board meetings to build our mutual network and receive input on strategy and common challenges from our global multilingual experts.We organized 3 teacher workshops (1 online and 2 in-person) including visits to our respective schools in Amsterdam and Vienna, providing professional development for 16 teachers from 4 countries who created language friendly lessons, sharing them with their colleagues and critical friends for peer review. We translated and subtitled all 13 lessons and associated materials and videos into German, English and Dutch. We designed a virtual LERI Platform where all the lessons, materials and videos were made available.We monitored the impact of the project using questionnaires, self-awareness checklists and interviews.We organized 3 online webinars, where the lessons were presented by the teachers to a wider audience. Results were also disseminated with our school networks, at international conferences and via social media. << Results >>The project outcomes exceeded our expectations. The primary output is the LERI Platform: a free digital platform with 13 Language Friendly Lessons including materials and explanatory videos, available in Dutch, German and English. The second outcome, perhaps even more significant, involves the dissemination of Language Friendly best practices. LFS and voXmi increased the number of linguistically inclusive schools from 65 at the start of LERI to 95 schools in 9 different countries. By sharing best practices, they have set precedents for other institutions: that quality education for migrant and minority learners implies not just integration but celebrating students’ linguistic and cultural diversity. The project also enhanced the professional competence of 1) the participant teachers who gained a deeper understanding of the importance of integrating linguistic diversity into their practice (“why”); enhanced their knowledge on language friendly pedagogies (‘how’) and became experts in digital/blended teaching; 2) student teachers in Austria and Canada who tried out the lessons and (3) teachers worldwide who now have access to the LERI Platform and may gain a better understanding of why, when and how to integrate students’ languages.