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Rethinking Australian teacher education: a reflective tool for culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies
Journal article   Open access

Rethinking Australian teacher education: a reflective tool for culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies

Sasha Janes, Annamaria Paolino, Jane Merewether and Christine Cunningham
The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44020-026-00107-2
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Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Initial teacher education Culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies Teacher educators Plurilingual pedagogies EAL/D Reflective practice Linguistic diversity
Australia’s cultural and linguistic diversity highlights a pressing need for teacher education programs to prepare educators who can effectively support plurilingual learners. At the same time, existing programs often fall short in building the pedagogic and linguistic knowledge required to counter dominant English-only norms. This study draws on the framework of culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies (CLSP) to explicitly centre plurilingual practices. CLSP is particularly relevant in the Australian context, where English-centric policies continue to marginalise First Nations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) knowledges and perspectives and plurilingual ways of knowing and being. We present findings from a national study examining teacher educators’ perspectives toward CLSP within initial teacher education units across Australia. A reflective survey instrument was developed from the literature to capture CLSP perspectives from 209 teacher educators. Designed not only as a data gathering instrument, the survey also serves as a reflective tool to prompt critical self-examination and highlight areas where further development or pedagogical transformation may be needed. The results reveal variable engagement with pedagogical practices aligned with CLSP, with fluctuating levels of provision for embedding plurilingual pedagogies and English as an additional language strategies. The findings also point to tensions within teacher preparation where the need to meet standardised curriculum expectations may constrain efforts to sustain linguistic diversity. This research advances debates on situating plurilingual, justice-oriented approaches in teacher education by exploring how teacher educators can challenge linguistic hierarchies and reimagine teacher education in Australia and similar post-colonial contexts.

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