Chapter 5. An Inclusive Spirit in School-Based English Language Teaching: The Role of Supporting Learners’ Growth and Autonomy
Katja Heim
Katja Heim
Abstract
This chapter explores how an inclusive spirit can be cultivated in school-based English language teaching by supporting learners’ growth, autonomy, and psychological well-being. Drawing on interview data with expert English teachers who act as multipliers in teacher education and school development, alongside an in-depth case study of an inclusive comprehensive school, the chapter identifies key strategies and mindsets that shape inclusive classroom practice. Adopting a social view of inclusion, it examines how structural decisions, task design, and teacher beliefs can either reinforce inequality or activate learners’ strengths. The analysis highlights a central tension between approaches based on grading difficulty and those that open up learning through choice, relevance, and learner agency. Using the lens of fixed versus growth mindsets, the chapter shows how autonomy-supportive, growth-oriented practices contribute to resilience, motivation, and participation, particularly for disadvantaged learners. Overall, the chapter argues that fostering learner autonomy is a crucial element of an inclusive spirit in English language education.
About the Author
Katja Heim is a professor of English didactics at Freie Universität Berlin. She is a trained secondary school teacher for the subjects English Language Learning and Chemistry, and has done extensive research in primary and secondary English teaching. Katja has explored possibilities for making English lessons more autonomy supportive since the beginning of her academic career in the year 2000. She has been a member of IATEFL’s Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group since 2010 and has, since then, co-organized several international events. This is her second co-edited volume in the field of language learner autonomy.
Citation
Heim, K. (2025). An inclusive spirit in school-based English language teaching: The role of supporting learners’ growth and autonomy.
In K. Heim, L. Dam, A. Albrecht, & C. Becker (Eds.), Reforming the foreign language classroom: Empowering learners to take ownership (pp. 103-125). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/40/5
This chapter explores how an inclusive spirit can be cultivated in school-based English language teaching by supporting learners’ growth, autonomy, and psychological well-being. Drawing on interview data with expert English teachers who act as multipliers in teacher education and school development, alongside an in-depth case study of an inclusive comprehensive school, the chapter identifies key strategies and mindsets that shape inclusive classroom practice. Adopting a social view of inclusion, it examines how structural decisions, task design, and teacher beliefs can either reinforce inequality or activate learners’ strengths. The analysis highlights a central tension between approaches based on grading difficulty and those that open up learning through choice, relevance, and learner agency. Using the lens of fixed versus growth mindsets, the chapter shows how autonomy-supportive, growth-oriented practices contribute to resilience, motivation, and participation, particularly for disadvantaged learners. Overall, the chapter argues that fostering learner autonomy is a crucial element of an inclusive spirit in English language education.
About the Author
Katja Heim is a professor of English didactics at Freie Universität Berlin. She is a trained secondary school teacher for the subjects English Language Learning and Chemistry, and has done extensive research in primary and secondary English teaching. Katja has explored possibilities for making English lessons more autonomy supportive since the beginning of her academic career in the year 2000. She has been a member of IATEFL’s Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group since 2010 and has, since then, co-organized several international events. This is her second co-edited volume in the field of language learner autonomy.
Citation
Heim, K. (2025). An inclusive spirit in school-based English language teaching: The role of supporting learners’ growth and autonomy.
In K. Heim, L. Dam, A. Albrecht, & C. Becker (Eds.), Reforming the foreign language classroom: Empowering learners to take ownership (pp. 103-125). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/40/5
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Information About the Book
Title: Reforming the Foreign Language Classroom: Empowering Learners to Take Ownership Editors: Katja Heim, Leni Dam, Annika Albrecht, and Carmen Becker Read more... |