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Every Language Learner Hi, I’m Marijke � Multilingualism Specialist and Founder of Every Language Learner

12/10/2026

What if we stopped asking multilingual learners to leave their languages at the classroom door?

What if we invited them to bring those languages in? To use them, to compare them, to make connections, to share knowledge, to help each other, to help us understand.

That's what I'll be exploring in my upcoming workshop:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

It's a practical session for teachers and educators working with multilingual learners.

We'll use Arthur's First Sinterklaas as our case study, but the ideas aren't limited to one book. You'll leave with an approach you can use with other texts, subjects and learners.

You'll also receive the teaching resource PDF and a recording of the webinar

📅 This Wednesday, 14 October
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

If you've been wondering how to make multilingualism a more visible and meaningful part of your classroom practice, come and join me.

I'd love to explore it with you.

12/10/2026

What if we stopped asking multilingual learners to leave their languages at the classroom door?

What if we invited them to bring those languages in? To use them. To compare them. To make connections. To share knowledge. To help each other. To help us understand.

That's what I'll be exploring in my upcoming workshop:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

It's a practical session for teachers and educators working with EAL and multilingual learners.

We'll use Arthur's First Sinterklaas as our case study, but the ideas aren't limited to one book — you'll leave with an approach you can use with other texts, subjects and learners.

📅 This Wednesday, 14 October
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

If you've been wondering how to make multilingualism a more visible and meaningful part of your classroom practice, come and join me.

I'd love to explore it with you.

09/10/2026

Why Sinterklaas?

It's probably not the first thing you'd think of when designing a resource for multilingual learners. But that's exactly why I wanted to create Arthur's First Sinterklaas. Because stories give us opportunities to talk. About language, about family, about traditions, about belonging, about things that are familiar, and things that aren't.

And when a story is multilingual, we have even more possibilities. A learner might recognise a word before their teacher does. They might notice a connection between two languages. They might explain a cultural reference to the class. They might teach us something. And I think that's important.

Because multilingual learners aren't simply learners who need to acquire English. They are already language learners, language users and language experts. Their languages are part of what they bring to the classroom.

Arthur's First Sinterklaas was created with that in mind. And now I'm taking the ideas behind the resource and turning them into a practical online workshop:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

I'll show you how I would use a multilingual text before, during and after reading and how you can apply the same principles to texts you already use.

You'll also receive the accompanying PDF teaching resource as part of the workshop.

📅 Wednesday 14 October 2026
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

The first 10 tickets get 10% off with ARTHUR10.

If you're working with multilingual learners, I'd love to have you there.

09/10/2026

Why Sinterklaas?

It's probably not the first thing you'd think of when designing a resource for multilingual learners. But that's exactly why I wanted to create Arthur's First Sinterklaas. Because stories give us opportunities to talk. About language. About family. About traditions. About belonging. About things that are familiar. And things that aren't. And when a story is multilingual, we have even more possibilities. A learner might recognise a word before their teacher does. They might notice a connection between two languages. They might explain a cultural reference to the class. They might teach us something. And I think that's important.

Because multilingual learners aren't simply learners who need to acquire English. They are already language learners, language users and language experts. Their languages are part of what they bring to the classroom.

Arthur's First Sinterklaas was created with that in mind. And now I'm taking the ideas behind the resource and turning them into a practical online workshop:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

I'll show you how I would use a multilingual text before, during and after reading and how you can apply the same principles to texts you already use.

📅 Wednesday 14 October 2026
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

If you're working with EAL or multilingual learners, I'd love to have you there.

08/10/2026

Okay, so I've talked a lot about valuing learners' languages. But what does that actually look like in a classroom?

Let's say you have a multilingual story in front of you. What can you do with it? You could ask learners: "What do you notice? Which languages can you see? Which words look familiar? Do any words look similar? What can you work out without translating everything?"

"How would you say this in your language?"

Create a multilingual word bank together. Don't worry if you, the teacher, don't speak all the languages. Your learners are the experts.

"What do you already know?"

Before reading a story about a cultural tradition, invite learners to share what they know.

You might discover that the connections between their experiences are far more interesting than the differences.

"Can you find a connection?"

Does a word remind you of another language? Does something in the story remind you of something from home? Does the character experience something familiar?

"Now use English."

Because here's the important bit: Using another language doesn't mean we're not learning English. It can actually give learners more ways into the English. That's the bit I'm particularly interested in.

How can we use multilingualism as a bridge into learning, rather than treating it as something separate from learning?

I'll be exploring this through a practical workshop on 14 October, using Arthur's First Sinterklaas as a case study.

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

📅 14 October | 4pm | Online
🎟️ £12

First 10 tickets: 10% off with ARTHUR10

And yes, you absolutely can do this even if you don't speak the languages your learners speak.

08/10/2026

🌍 Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

How can we make our learners’ languages part of the learning?

Join me for a practical online workshop using Arthur’s First Sinterklaas as a case study, with ideas you can take straight into your classroom.

📅 14 October 2026
⏰ 4pm UK time
💻 Online | 🎟️ £12

If you work with EAL or multilingual learners, come and explore what multilingual texts can make possible.

08/10/2026

Okay, so I've talked a lot about valuing learners' languages. But what does that actually look like in a classroom? Let's say you have a multilingual story in front of you. What can you do with it? You could ask learners:

What do you notice? Which languages can you see? Which words look familiar? Do any words look similar? What can you work out without translating everything?

How would you say this in your language? Create a multilingual word bank together. Don't worry if you, the teacher, don't speak all the languages. Your learners are the experts.

What do you already know? Before reading a story about a cultural tradition, invite learners to share what they know.

You might discover that the connections between their experiences are far more interesting than the differences.

Can you find a connection? Does a word remind you of another language? Does something in the story remind you of something from home? Does the character experience something familiar?

Now use English. Because here's the important bit: Using another language doesn't mean we're not learning English. It can actually give learners more ways into the English. That's the bit I'm particularly interested in. How can we use multilingualism as a bridge into learning, rather than treating it as something separate from learning?

I'll be exploring this through a practical workshop on 14 October, using Arthur's First Sinterklaas as a case study.

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

📅 14 October | 4pm | Online
🎟️ £12

And yes, you absolutely can do this even if you don't speak the languages your learners speak.

07/10/2026

I’ve been thinking about what happens to children’s languages when they arrive at school. A child might speak Arabic at home, Polish with their grandparents, English with their teacher, and perhaps a mixture of all three with their friends. They’re constantly moving between languages, making connections and drawing on everything they know.

And then they come into a classroom and hear: “Speak English.”
Of course, I understand why teachers say it. We want children to develop English. We want them to participate. We want them to access the curriculum.

But I wonder if sometimes we accidentally give children the message that their other languages are getting in the way of learning English.

What if we said: “Use all the languages you have to help you learn.” What if we made space for learners to compare languages To discuss vocabulary in their home language? To make connections between words? To bring their own cultural knowledge into a text? To explain something to another learner using the language they share?

None of this means lowering expectations for English. It means recognising that learning English doesn't require a learner to stop being multilingual.

This is one of the ideas behind a workshop I'm running in October:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

I'll be exploring how we can use multilingual texts as practical tools for language learning, inclusion and participation. I'll be using Arthur's First Sinterklaas as a case study and sharing activities you can actually take into your classroom.

📅 14 October 2026
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

The first 10 tickets have 10% off with ARTHUR10.

Sometimes inclusion starts with something as simple as saying:

“Your language belongs here.”

07/10/2026

I’ve been thinking about what happens to children’s languages when they arrive at school. A child might speak Arabic at home. Polish with their grandparents. English with their teacher. And perhaps a mixture of all three with their friends.

They’re constantly moving between languages, making connections and drawing on everything they know. And then they come into a classroom and hear: “Speak English.” Of course, I understand why teachers say it.

We want children to develop English. We want them to participate. We want them to access the curriculum. But I wonder if sometimes we accidentally give children the message that their other languages are getting in the way of learning English.

What if we did something different?

What if we said: “Use all the languages you have to help you learn.” What if we made space for learners to compare languages? To discuss vocabulary in their home language? To make connections between words? To bring their own cultural knowledge into a text? To explain something to another learner using the language they share? None of this means lowering expectations for English. It means recognising that learning English doesn't require a learner to stop being multilingual.

This is one of the ideas behind a workshop I'm running in October:

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

I'll be exploring how we can use multilingual texts as practical tools for language learning, inclusion and participation.

I'll be using Arthur's First Sinterklaas as a case study and sharing activities you can actually take into your classroom.

📅 14 October 2026
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

Sometimes inclusion starts with something as simple as saying:

“Your language belongs here.”

06/10/2026

I've been thinking about this little moment with Arthur again:

Over the summer, we were in Belgium. Arthur doesn't really speak Dutch to me. Although he understands Dutch completely, he rarely uses it with me.

But then one day, I overheard him talking to Frank. Frank is a Belgian friend's dog. And Arthur was giving him commands. In Dutch.

And I remember thinking: Of course he is.

Because children don't necessarily use their languages in the neat, predictable ways we might expect them to. They use whatever language works. Whatever feels natural. Whatever fits the person they're talking to. Whatever gets the message across.

That little moment has stayed with me because it made me think about what happens in classrooms.

We can have children sitting in front of us who have incredible linguistic resources such as languages, vocabulary, ways of expressing ideas, knowledge and experiences and yet sometimes we ask them to leave all of that at the classroom door.

"Speak English." But what if we approached multilingualism differently?
What if we said: "Bring your languages with you. Use them to make connections. Compare. Question. Explore. Work things out. Learn."

That's one of the reasons I'm so interested in multilingual texts. A multilingual text isn't simply a text that has been translated into another language.

It can become a starting point for conversation, language exploration, vocabulary development, cultural connections and, perhaps most importantly, a way of showing learners that their languages have a place in the classroom.

I've been developing a practical workshop around exactly this idea.

Introducing Multilingual Texts in the Classroom

I'll be using Arthur's First Sinterklaas as a case study and showing how you can take a multilingual text and actually use it with learners before, during and after reading. It's not about being able to speak every language in your classroom. It's about knowing what you can do with the languages your learners already have.

📅 Wednesday 14 October
⏰ 4pm
💻 Online
🎟️ £12

And the first 10 places get 10% off with ARTHUR10.

If you're interested in multilingualism or creating more inclusive classrooms, I'd love you to join me.

And thank you, Frank, for apparently being the person who unlocked Arthur's Dutch. 🐶

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