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This Guest Post, by Susan Good, explores how classmates can support non-native English speakers in class. Be sure to check out Ms. Good’s website at retiredteacher.org for more insightful articles about teaching and writing!
Language shouldn’t be a barrier to belonging. Yet for many students whose first language isn’t English, the classroom can feel like a maze of missed cues, fast conversations, and social isolation. English-speaking students hold quiet power here—an opportunity to reshape that experience with small, consistent actions. By recognizing common challenges and shifting how they listen, speak, and collaborate, students can build classrooms where every voice holds weight.
Recognize the Real Frictions Multilingual Students Face
Non-native English speakers face more than just vocabulary gaps. Classroom environments often move at speeds that assume fluency, skipping over the moments of processing that matter most. Rapid-fire group discussions, unspoken slang, or laughter tied to subtle wordplay can become daily reminders of exclusion. Simple participation becomes a minefield when you’re decoding not just language but culture. Many students internalize silence—not because they have nothing to say, but because the format doesn’t fit them. Recognizing how these linguistically inclusive classroom practices reduce invisible friction is the first step toward designing better group habits.
Walk Toward Empathy, Not Pity
Understanding someone’s struggle is different from minimizing it or offering shallow sympathy. The most grounded way to build empathy is to feel a version of that stretch yourself. Students who attempt to learn even a few phrases in another language often experience a small but powerful humility—the stumbles, the delays, the mental load. That doesn’t just create appreciation; it softens judgment. As language learning researchers have shown, empathy is not an abstract benefit—it changes how learners perceive effort, missteps, and resilience in others. That mindset can directly influence how English speakers interpret pauses, pronunciations, or silence in their multilingual peers.
Try Language Learning Yourself
The fastest way to understand a multilingual classmate’s experience? Step into it. Even basic practice in another language can rewire how English-speaking students perceive uncertainty, courage, and cultural nuance. That’s why some choose to explore language skills in online Spanish courses. These immersive, affordable platforms offer practical, flexible access to live conversation with real tutors—human-led sessions that build confidence quickly and efficiently. While they’re a great way to learn, their deeper value lies in what they teach about respect: that progress often comes from vulnerability, and that language is not just grammar—it’s identity.
Don’t Help — Co-Build
Too often, the urge to “help” non-native speakers ends up centering the fluent student—oversimplifying things or taking over. But real inclusion means building the space together, where everyone’s ideas have room to grow. In group work, that might mean using shared notes, switching who summarizes, or adding visuals to support understanding. What educators call multilingual education strategies, students can practice as everyday collaboration. The goal isn’t speed—it’s shared clarity. Give your peers the time and structure they need to contribute fully, not just keep up.
Expand the Tools, Not Just the Talk
Words matter, but they aren’t the only way students express ideas. Think about integrating drawings, diagrams, timelines, or labeled charts into everyday presentations and conversations. Even the use of emoji or translated captions in shared digital docs can increase clarity. These aren’t just accessibility hacks—they’re ways of inviting others in. Teachers working with multilingual learners often rely on inclusive classroom strategies like these because they reduce the cognitive burden of constant translation. When students adopt the same thinking, it sends a signal: this is a classroom that adapts to its people, not the other way around.
Make the Structure Carry the Weight
One of the biggest barriers to inclusion is the assumption that everyone knows the unspoken rules. Native English speakers often navigate assignments, group roles, or participation cues without realizing how much implicit knowledge they’re using. That’s where clear structures can level the field. Built-in reflection time, written check-ins, and consistent project outlines make classrooms less reliant on fast processing or improvisation. These are some of the universal instructional design principles that help create predictability—not rigidity—and let students focus on ideas, not guesswork.
Fix the Culture, Not Just the Content
Even well-meaning students can unknowingly slip into patterns that alienate their peers. Laughing when someone mispronounces a word, interrupting to correct, or speaking slower in a patronizing tone all contribute to a classroom culture where mistakes feel unsafe. Inclusion is a mood that builds across weeks. Addressing microaggressions tied to language isn’t about policing speech—it’s about tuning into how people feel around you. It means replacing quick corrections with genuine questions, swapping out dismissive jokes for encouraging rephrasing, and building peer norms around curiosity instead of critique.
Inclusion isn’t about doing favors—it’s about shaping a classroom culture where everyone brings their full self without shrinking. English-speaking students have the opportunity to set this tone. With intentionality and humility, they can shift from passive allies to active co-creators of spaces where diverse voices are not just heard but deeply valued. The work isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s in a pause, a gesture, a structure, a decision to listen just a little longer. But those small moves add up. They tell the room: this is a place where language may vary, but belonging does not.
FAQ: Supporting Multilingual Classmates
Q: What are some simple ways I can support a classmate who’s still learning English?
A: Slow down your speech a bit, use simple sentence structures, write things down when needed, and give space for them to respond without rushing. Invite them into group conversations and be patient.
Q: Is it okay to correct someone’s English if they make a mistake?
A: Only if they ask or if you’re in a peer-editing setting. Otherwise, let ideas take priority over form. Correcting someone mid-sentence can shut them down.
Q: Do I need to learn a new language to be inclusive?
A: No, but even trying a few lessons can build empathy. It helps you understand the mental load of translating and the vulnerability of speaking up in a second language.
Q: How can I make group work more inclusive?
A: Use shared documents, visuals, and clear timelines. Rotate leadership roles. Give your multilingual peers time to prepare—don’t expect off-the-cuff fluency.
Q: What if I mess up while trying to be more inclusive?
A: That’s part of learning. Be open to feedback, apologize if needed, and adjust. Intent matters, but impact is what people remember. Keep growing.
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