Addressing linguistic diversity is crucial in educational settings, especially from my own experience, when teaching subjects like Education Sciences in English to students for whom English is a foreign language, and whose native languages are Kazakh or Russian.

Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope's Pedagogy of Multiliteracies offers effective strategies to navigate this complexity by embracing multiple modes of communication and cultural contexts.

Figure 1 Multilitiracies Framework

Key Strategies:

Situated Practice: Connect learning to students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In Kazakhstan, this could involve discussing educational theories in the context of local traditions, allowing students to relate new information to their existing knowledge base.

Overt Instruction: Provide explicit teaching of language structures and subject-specific terminology. For instance, when introducing new English terms, offer definitions in both Kazakh and Russian, and demonstrate their use within academic discourse. This approach helps bridge language gaps and reinforces understanding.

Critical Framing: Encourage students to analyze and question content from multiple perspectives. Facilitate discussions that allow them to compare educational paradigms from English-speaking contexts with those in Kazakhstan, fostering critical thinking and deeper engagement.

Transformed Practice: Empower students to apply their learning creatively. Assignments could include projects where students design educational models that integrate Kazakhstani cultural elements, promoting the practical application of theoretical concepts.

Practical Application:

Multilingual Resources: Develop course materials that incorporate all three languages. This might include glossaries of key terms and summaries of complex concepts in Kazakh and Russian, aiding comprehension and retention.

Collaborative Learning: Organize group activities where students collaborate to solve problems, allowing them to use their native languages alongside English. This practice not only reinforces content understanding but also builds confidence in using English in academic settings.

Technology Integration: Utilize digital platforms that support multilingual content, enabling students to access information in their preferred language and gradually transition to English. This approach aligns with Kalantzis and Cope's emphasis on multimodal learning environments.

Implementing these strategies acknowledges the linguistic diversity of students and leverages it as a resource for learning. By creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment, educators can enhance student engagement and facilitate mastery of complex subjects, even when taught in a non-native language.