The TEFLer - Inclusivity, a call to action.

Inclusivity is arguably, now more than ever, the biggest single issue in education. How can we help each and every student we work with to flourish and achieve their potential? We can do so much ourselves within our own spaces; we can make accommodations in our classrooms, we can work within an inclusive framework and we can encourage others to do the same. We can also look outside; we can also advocate for change, we can become activists and we can add our name to calls for change. Read more about what we can do and specifically sign Peter J Fullagar (he/him) 's open letter to our profession.

The TEFLer is a fortnightly companion for language teachers and is written by Simon Pearlman and brought to you by Active Language Teacher Training. Subscribe on LinkedIn or here to get your copy directly to your inbox.

Peter is an experienced ELT writer and editor as well as being an LGBTQIA+ equity champion working to help the ELT profession understand why and how to represent and work positively with intersectional LGBTQIA+ identities. In the letter Peter calls on ELT institutions, associations and colleagues to act. We are all colleagues, we can, and perhaps should, all act. Signing and sharing the letter is an act of solidarity and activism. He asks us to listen to and employ LGBTQ+ voices, to represent identities in publications, materials and social media, to be transparent and public about our support and allyship. This is important for so many of our students and our colleagues. You can read and add your signature to a growing list of English language teaching professionals at https://iamnotataboo.com/open-letter/?

What else can we do outside the classroom? How can we be better allies?

As teachers, we are powerful communicators, how can we add our voices to the call for inclusivity? How can we be the change we want to see in the world?

We can turn up. We can be present and vocal in demonstrations. We can join and participate in local groups.

We can engage with our communities and look for opportunities to use our skills. We can participate in community events; we could partner with local organisations that support diverse groups to host and participate in inclusive events, they could be in community centres, in libraries or in local businesses.

We can use social media for good. We can share stories and examples of inclusive practices on our platforms. We can create educational content, such as videos or infographics, to raise awareness about inclusivity. We can join groups of like-minded people, for example Lottie Galpin 's group “Reflecting Realities” on Facebook.?

We can make it part of our conversations, part of our narratives. Look for opportunities to talk about inclusivity with friends and family, we can learn a lot and teach a lot too in conversation with others.

There’s so much we can do. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Whatever we do, there are a few things to bear in mind; cultural sensitivity, accessibility and collaboration. Let’s do our best to make sure our efforts are culturally sensitive and respectful of diverse perspectives. Accessibility in a huge issue in inclusion, what can you do to make events and materials accessible to people with disabilities. And finally collaboration; working in collaboration with others, with other teachers, administrators, and community members to maximize the impact and help us be part of supportive communities.

Please do share your ideas, thoughts or questions here in the comments, send us direct messages or email us at [email protected]?

The greatest challenge of inclusivity?

Perhaps our greatest challenge in inclusivity is engaging with people who don’t agree. If we are inclusivists, we need to listen to and respect a wide range of view, we need to try to include everyone even if we don’t agree. Challenging indeed.

There is backlash against DEI led by the current US administration and echoed by many heavy-weight businesses. We can be part of the resistance, just like the shareholders at Apple who roundly rejected a possible roll back of DEI policy.?

Instead of using terms like DEI, we can name them; “Diversity”, “Equity” and “Inclusivity” and ask people which is it that they object to and why. Often when we actually get into respectful and connecting conversations, people can see that so often their anti-DEI, anti-woke agenda is based on very little.

I need help, what can I do?

So often it’s hard for us to find help when we need. Perhaps we have students we’re worried about or inclusivity situations we want help with. At Active Language Teacher Training we have an Inclusivity in ELT Hotline, you can write to us at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you with questions around inclusivity in and outside the classroom. We can’t necessarily solve all your problems, if only we had a magic wand, but we will engage with you on the issue and do our best to help you. It’s part of our commitment to being an inclusive training centre and language school and being part of the change we want to see in the world. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

The TEFLer is brought to you by Active Language Teacher Training, providers of Trinity CertTESOL, DipTESOL and Teaching Younger Learners courses. For information about all available courses, please visit www.activelanguage.net?