WHY TEACH LANGUAGES TO LEARNERS OF ALL ABILITIES?
Much of the material on this site deals with HOW to teach foreign languages to learners with various learning needs, but equally important is WHY? You hear many reasons why alternative courses should be provided:
“He can’t use his own language properly yet, so why should he waste time trying to learn another?”
“She hasn’t time; there are more important things for her to learn.”
“They’ll never use it anyway.”
So what ARE the benefits of language learning for learners for whom the purpose of such study is not always evident to themselves, to their parents, and sometimes, even, to their teachers? What is the rationale? What benefits are we claiming to offer? What expectations do we have of learners? And are there any benefits for teachers? The aim of this site is to help you to answer some of these questions.
Inclusive Practice in Language Learning 