When I first joined an English bridging program as a teacher in Australia, I quickly learnt the unwritten rule: real learning happens in English. Even a stray browser tab showing Chinese text could raise eyebrows. I knew this because a coordinator reminded me that Chinese text should not appear in a classroom computer's browser history. I am Chinese-born and raised, and I felt like an imposter, as if my Chinese-ness was a liability that needed to be carefully managed.

This episode of Leveraging Languages for Learning brings educators and researchers into conversation about how language, learning, and social change intersect. In this Podcast, four contributors — Anne Keary (Monash University), Ben Rampton (King’s College London), Jessie Sambell (Blackburn English Language School), and Dermot Bryers (English for Action, UK) — discuss their professional journeys and the value of collaboration between researchers and on-the-ground teachers.

La Alabarda (the halberd symbol of Trieste, Italy) has featured as a sticker on every car I have owned. I expect the symbol, a white lance on a striking red background, would be unfamiliar to most motorists who view it on my back windshield.