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On April 4, we held a dynamic one-day workshop in Lalitpur, Nepal as part of our ELTRA 2024 project, focused on Empowering Teachers to Adopt Multilingual Pedagogies. The workshop brought together 12 dedicated teachers, local researchers (Dr. Prem Poudel and Prof. Ganga Gautam), and online contributions from Dr. Taehee Choi, Dr. Siham Rouabah and Dr. Shuling Wang. The day featured teacher-led reflections on their experiences so far, collaborative lesson planning by subject groups, and guided sessions on integrating translanguaging strategies into classroom practice. Teachers discussed sample lesson plans and co-developed practical activities and content for a forthcoming multilingual teacher guide.

Highlights included peer feedback on lesson plans, sharing of good practices, and hands-on sessions on writing effective reflections on lesson plans—critical for enhancing participation and inclusivity across gender, ethnicity, and language background.

This was just the beginning. We are excited to continue this work during our upcoming two-day in-person workshop…

We are proud to share that our local collaborators, Prem Poudel and Ganga Ram Gautam, made significant contributions at the 29th NELTA International Conference in Kathmandu (27-29th February), one of the largest gatherings of ELT professionals in Nepal.

• Panel Discussion on Multilingualism in ELT: Prem Poudel was invited as a panelist in the discussion on “Rethinking ELT in the Nepalese Context: Multilingual Management of Nepal’s Linguistic Diversity”. The session, moderated by Dr. Bhim Lal Gautam (Vice-President of NELTA), featured leading experts, including Dr. Lava Deo Awasthi (former Chairperson of the Language Commission Nepal) and Associate Professor Motikala Subba Dewan. With 800+ participants from Nepal and 22 countries, the discussion highlighted the importance of multilingual education in Nepal’s ELT landscape. The session was broadcast live via Radio Sardul, amassing 9K views online and gaining national media attention.

• Keynote Speech: Ganga Ram Gautam delivered a keynote speech alongside Prof. Laxman Gnawali on "Navigating EL Teacher Education Frontiers through Duo-ethnographic…

Our dedicated local collaborators, Prof. Ganga and Prof. Prem, are conducting regular school visits to mentor teachers implementing translanguaging pedagogy in their classrooms. These visits provide a space for: small group mentoring, addressing teachers' individual challenges in integrating multilingual strategies, collaborative problem-solving, discussing practical solutions to enhance translanguaging practices, and empowering teachers, by strengthening their confidence to lead and support their peers in implementing inclusive multilingual education.

Through these ongoing interactions, we ensure that translanguaging is not just a concept but a sustainable, lived practice in Nepalese classrooms.

#ELTRAProject #TeacherMentorship #TranslanguagingInAction #InclusiveEducation

Our latest ELTRA Project Teachers’ Meeting focused on refining translanguaging practices in English, Science, and Math lessons. Teachers actively explored new strategies to enhance multilingual learning, including: Multilingual glossary creation, multilingual sharing & learning, and Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) for Science and Math to reinforce comprehension. Our teachers also had interactive pair activities of mentorship which allowed subject teachers to analyze and enhance their sample lesson plans, integrating translanguaging more effectively, based on feedback from the teachers of English and the research team.

Next Steps: Teachers will refine lesson plans with cross-subject collaboration and tackle challenges in implementing multilingual strategies.

On 27th December 2024, we had a productive and inspiring meeting with teachers of English to explore innovative translanguaging strategies and refine lesson plans. The session was a collaborative effort to stress the power of multilingualism in classrooms, focusing on creating more inclusive and engaging learning environments for students through different translanguaging activities. We also collaboratively analyzed several lesson plans, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Emphasis was placed on integrating translanguaging practices across different stages of the lesson, encouraging both genders to participate, and expanding the reflection parts to highlight successes and challenges.

These videos and pictures showcase incredible student projects that highlight the beauty of linguistic diversity. Students brought together Nepali, Hindi, and Bhojpuri—reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the school’s community in Kathmandu.

These projects emerged in a learning environment where language is celebrated as a resource. Hindi, though not officially recognized as a national language in Nepal, was naturally incorporated as many students come from migrant families who speak it at home. Similarly, Bhojpuri, spoken in districts in the southern part of Nepal, was embraced by students from these regions who have migrated to Kathmandu. Guided by a teacher whose native language is Newar, students were encouraged to use their own languages alongside Nepali. This multilingual approach fostered inclusivity, strengthened students’ confidence, and allowed them to express ideas in ways most meaningful to them.

Language diversity is not a barrier; it is a bridge to learning, belonging, and…

On 29 November 2024, the research team met with teachers to reflect on their experiences implementing multilingualism in their classrooms. The discussion was rich with insights, highlighting successes, challenges, and innovative strategies to further support the project’s goals.

Some key observations:

1. Motivating Students to Use Their Home Languages:

• Many students, especially those from minority ethnic backgrounds, have limited active use of their home languages and only receptive skills, making engagement challenging.

• Teachers observed that modelling language use in Nepali encouraged students to mirror this in their ethnic languages, demonstrating the potential of teacher-led strategies.

1. Integrating Home Languages Beyond the Classroom:

Empowering English language teachers to adopt multilingual pedagogy: The case of Multilingual Nepal

The ELTRA Project (Funded by the British Council) empowers English language teachers to adopt multilingual pedagogy, focusing on the case of Multilingual Nepal. Our team develops locally appropriate translanguaging pedagogy models, enabling the effective use of multiple mother tongues alongside English. This initiative investigates teacher development and aims to enhance educational outcomes in multilingual settings.

Here is the link to the winners of the ELTRA 2024 awards: ELTRA 2024 winners | TeachingEnglish | British Council

The link to the project: British Council ELTRA: Empowering English language teachers to adopt multilingual pedagogy: The case of Multilingual Nepal | University of Southampton

Team members:

Dr. Taehee Choi (Co-PI), Southampton Education School, UK.

Dr. Prem Poudel (Co-PI), Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Dr. Shuling Wang (Co-I) , Southampton Education School, UK.

Dr. Ganga Gautam (Co-I), Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Dr. Siham Rouabah (Research Fellow), Southampton Education School, UK. (The manager of this webpage, for any enquiries or questions)

Dr. Choi was invited to the BAAL/UKALTA EDI Leadership Workshop in September 2024 at the University of Essex, UK. As an advisor, Dr. Choi delivered an inspiring talk on EDI leadership, focusing on lessons from the ELTRA project in Nepal. Her presentation, titled "Empowering Teachers to Enact a Multilingual Policy in Nepal," highlighted strategies for reform design, teacher development, and fostering multilingualism to ensure equitable and quality education for all.

Key insights from her talk included:

• Supporting stakeholders in enacting new policies by ensuring readiness.

• Adopting a participatory approach by tapping into local expertise, such as co-creating teaching materials and co-leading workshops.

• Building sustainability through initiatives like establishing teacher leader networks.

Dr. Choi's expertise continues to inspire transformative approaches to education, and we celebrate her contributions to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in leadership and education reform.