The critical importance of language

Almost all social, cognitive, and literacy-based tasks that take place at school are connected to language and thus, language is at the heart of learning. In this chapter, we focus on the centrality of language in the enactment of inclusive education, drawing on our experience with two groups of learners often labelled as “diverse”, and who are entitled to full participation and success in inclusive education. These learners are: students from language backgrounds other than English (sometimes known as English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) and students with language and/or attention disorders. In this chapter, we aim to (i) help teachers understand students from language backgrounds other than English, and students with language and/or attention disorders, (ii) assist teachers to make decisions that avoid stereotypes and stigmatisation, and (iii) support teachers to enact high quality, nourishing language-related pedagogy to enhance inclusive education practices for these students.