Diversity in the Foreign Language Classroom

Abstract

This chapter aims to give insight into the collaborative project “CoTeach – Connected Teacher Education” at the University of Wuerzburg. After describing different facets of diversity and the importance of differentiated English teaching, this chapter discusses how to deal with heterogeneous learning groups in the English classroom. For this purpose, the principles of differentiated English teaching are explained, and the concepts of individualisation and inclusive teaching are presented. The focus will be on possibilities of how teachers can deal with mixed-intelligence, mixed-ability classes, and how the relationship between motivation and individual differentiation among learner groups can be promoted in the foreign language classroom. In a second step, the results of two seminars will be presented, where TEFL students designed activities in SVR that focus on cultural diversity, specifically fostering empathy and the ability to adopt a different perspective for understanding, tolerance, and embrace of diversity.