19/07/2023
In a post-pandemic world, with many new ways of delivering English language learning and assessment, inclusive education is more important than ever, writes Dr Hisham AlSaghbini from Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
At Cambridge we have a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion when it comes to English language learning and assessment. I recently led a discussion on this topic at Cambridge’s online Academic English Conference and I’d like to share a few thoughts on what inclusive education means to me, why it’s so important and what we’re doing in Cambridge to support learners in this area.
What does accessible education look like?
In a typical learning environment, particularly post-pandemic, there are many factors that can affect accessibility when it comes to English language education. If we put the spotlight on the classroom, students can feel excluded for several reasons due to language barriers, social or behavioural patterns or perhaps a learning difficulty. A typical classroom is made up of learners with varying skill levels, which is another factor that can make some students feel like English language education isn’t accessible. This is something I came across when I was an English teacher, as my classes were made up of students with different levels and backgrounds. For me, the key driver for teachers is to ask: how can I make the content more relevant and more inclusive?
What about special arrangements?
Our aim is to make assessment and learning accessible to everyone, and it’s something we take very seriously. Historically, this has been achieved for exams with the contingency approach where special arrangements are put in place depending on the individual accessibility challenge. For example, if a candidate had a hearing impairment, we would focus on the extra support they need such as allowing the use of hearing aids, a wireless system, or a candidate can ask for a Hearing-impaired (lip-reading) version of a Listening test. Other measures for increased accessibility could include extra time, extra space, modified large print or braille question papers, or the use of assistive technology. Ultimately all candidates should get access to a fair and equal assessment.
Alternative approaches to inclusion
We are looking into finding alternative approaches to inclusion. We need to move to a more inclusive culture and it’s an area that we’re working on in Cambridge in many contexts. For example, the alternative approach could be in the form of the design of the course or assessment and how the assessment is used in the classroom as a learning tool, empowering the student and promoting a discovery-model of Learning, or supporting the teacher with the resources and skills they need. Let’s look at what can be done at classroom level.
Supporting inclusion at classroom level
The starting point for supporting learners in the classroom is to accept the fact that differences do exist and then you can work towards overcoming these challenges. We see fantastic examples of how the mindset is shifting. One area that is close to my heart are the challenges associated with dyslexia. I first became interested in this 10 years back when my niece was diagnosed with dyslexia at school. Dyslexia is particularly significant in the context of language learning as it can impact reading, spelling and pronunciation. For example, it is not unusual for English learners with dyslexia to score C1 in listening but not so well in reading.
In the past, classroom resources were quite scarce in this area, and this can create a lot of pressure on dyslexic students and make them feel excluded. Today, I’m happy to say this is not the case as learners are very well supported by teachers which is really encouraging.
How Cambridge can help
A lot of progress can be made to overcome barriers in the classroom if teachers ensure that activities are relevant in terms of individual levels. We’re seeing a trend that is moving to a more standardised form of formative assessment that can be used to measure learning on an ongoing basis. This will help promote accessibility as it allows the teachers to create a record of achievement and understand more about their learners’ progress and individual needs on a regular basis. In this context our online test Linguaskill can be really useful as it is an ‘adaptive test’ which means students can be tested according to their levels and needs.
Teachers can also make use of the CEFR, the international framework for measuring language ability, to ensure tasks assigned and classroom activities are at the right level. I’d also recommend teachers take a look at Write and Improve, an AI powered tool we’ve developed which gives instant feedback on writing and can be used to ensure classroom materials are relevant for students.
What’s next for inclusion?
There is not one rule when it comes to inclusive education, but essentially it is about understanding learners and making sure we have the right support for them. In the future we want assessment and learning that will serve all learners regardless of the barriers they need to overcome. We’ve made so much progress in this area but of course there is still lots of work to do.
About the author
Dr AlSaghbini is an assessment specialist and the author of many research papers in the areas of inclusion and Inclusive digital learning. His doctorate research focused on the Bridging the (Under)achievement Gap in Higher Education.
Find out more
Dr AlSaghbini’s talk on Innovating online assessment: creating an inclusive assessment for all, was part of the packed programme at this year’s Academic English conference 2023. The online conference is organised by Cambridge University Press & Assessment and attracted over 15,000 registrations from around the world. The three day event was hosted by experts in academic English to discuss the latest trends and insights. To access and watch the recordings, simply complete the form.