Tailoring language learning for diverse needs with the GSE

Heba Morsey
Children sat next to their teacher in a classroom, smiling at eachother
وقت القراءة: 5 minutes

Why inclusive language teaching matters more than ever

You’ve probably heard the word “inclusive” more and more in recent years, though I first encountered it over 20 years ago. (I say 20 because that’s when I graduated, and we had a course on diverse learners called “individual differences.” But back then, actually meeting their needs wasn’t nearly as comprehensive as it is today.)

Today, learners come with a wide range of proficiency levels, cognitive styles, educational background, and personal goals. That’s why — it’s essential. In simple terms, inclusive teaching means making sure all learners feel they belong and can succeed.

It calls for differentiated instruction, flexible assessment and learning materials that respect individual needs. That’s where the Global Scale of English (GSE) comes in.

Inclusive language teaching with the GSE
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الخصوصية وملفات تعريف الارتباط (الكوكيز)

من خلال المشاهدة، فإنك توافق على أن تشارك بيرسون بيانات مشاهدتك لأغراض التسويق والتحليل لمدة عام، ويمكن إلغاء هذا الاتفاق عن طريق حذف ملفات تعريف الارتباط الخاصة بك.

What is the GSE and why is it useful for inclusion?

TheGlobal Scale of English(GSE), acts like a detailed map of English proficiency, breaking down skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing from 10 to 90. Its “can-do” statements clearly show what learners can do at each stage, removing guesswork about their readiness. Instead of just labeling a student as "intermediate", you can specify skills like "taking messages", "communicating enquiries" and "explaining problems" (GSE 53 – Skill: writing).

These descriptors are "SMART":

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Realistic
  • Time-bound

This supports the kind of individualized goal-setting that inclusive teaching demands (Kormos, 2017).

How the GSE supports inclusive teaching practices

Understanding learner profiles with the GSE

One of the first steps in inclusive teaching is figuring out each learner's starting point, which is challenging in a diverse classroom. The GSE helps track progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing, .

For example, two learners in the same "intermediate" class may have different skills: one may excel in discussion but struggle with writing, while the other may be the opposite. The GSE can identify these differences, allowing tailored support instead of generic solutions.

Setting personalized goals for progress

Once you understand your learners' starting point, the next step is knowing where and how to guide them. The GSE simplifies this with its library of clear, ready-to-use "can-do" statements. Unlike vague goals such as “improve reading” these are specific targets like “Can understand short, simple personal emails and letters” (GSE 37). This clarity helps learners see progress and keeps your planning and feedback focused.

Example:For a learner with dyslexia who excels in speaking and listening but struggles with reading and writing, the GSE allows you to highlight strengths like “Can give or seek personal views and opinions in discussing topics of interest.” (GSE 46) and areas for support such as “Can make simple, logical paragraph breaks in a longer text.” (GSE 45).

Planning inclusive lessons and activities

Now that you’ve set personalized goals, you can adapt one task to meet various needs in the classroom while staying aligned with the same learning outcome. No need for multiple lesson plans – just tweak the task with the GSE as your guide.

To make that happen, you might:

  • Provide differentiated task sheets
  • Offer varied texts
  • Adjust the complexity of output
  • Use flexible grouping

Example: If the class aims for "Can write an email” (GSE 36–50), one group uses a sentence-starter, another writes freely, and a third refines tone and style. It’s the same task, adapted to each learner's level.

And what about ESP? If you’re teaching something like English for Nursing, the GSE can still help, for example, by timing your content so that learners won’t be overwhelmed.

Example – English for Nursing:

  • GSE 50: Can make a set of instructions easier to understand by uttering them slowly, a few words or signs at a time, employing verbal and non-verbal emphasis to facilitate understanding.
  • GSE 62: Can describe how to do something, giving detailed instructions.

Instead of jumping into complex hospital vocabulary too soon, you can scaffold toward it with general English descriptors.

Designing inclusive assessments

Assessment can make or break an inclusive classroom. Done well, it opens doors; done poorly, it can shut them. The GSE helps you design assessments that:

  • Reflect real skill growth
  • Allow different ways to demonstrate learning
  • Maintain high standards with flexibility

To make this work in practice, you can:

  • Use performance-based tasks (like presentations or role-plays)
  • Build portfolios that show progress over time
  • Add self- and peer-assessment using GSE descriptors
  • Offer flexible formats (such as oral, written, visual and tech-based)

Example: For the goal “Can understand short, simple personal emails and letters", let learners choose between writing to a friend, replying to an invitation, or requesting information from a company. The objective is the same, but the paths to get there are different.

And for learners who are neurodiverse? You can:

  • Break tasks into smaller steps (chunking)
  • Use visual checklists tied to “can-do” goals
  • Simplify instructions without watering down the objective
  • Add audio or visual options to support processing

These aren’t extra accommodations, they’re examples of good teaching.

To recap, the GSE helps us set goals with students, track progress via portfolios, offer task choices, scaffold lessons, introduce ESP content when ready and design group work based on GSE strengths.

About the author

Hebatallah Morsy has over 18 years of experience in teaching, curriculum design, and educational leadership. She’s worked with prestigious national and international organizations, where she’s led everything from curriculum development to launching creative initiatives like extracurricular clubs for eager learners. A regular at ELT conferences, she enjoys sharing insights on educational development, assessment, and teacher growth—always with a fresh perspective and a thoughtful approach.

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    Howard Gardner’s Model of Multiple Intelligences

    prompts us to ask: How is this child intelligent? He identified eight different types of intelligence which guide the way students learn:

    • Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)
    • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Maths Smart)
    • Spatial Intelligence (Picture Smart)
    • Musical Intelligence (Music Smart)
    • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smart)
    • Naturalistic-Environmentalist Intelligence (Nature Smart)
    • Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart)
    • Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self-Smart)
    • (He later went on to identify Existential Intelligence – Life Smart, and Pedagogical Intelligence -Teacher Smart)

    Lesson 1: Outline the student’s learning goals

    Explain to the students that they are going to learn about Howard Gardner’s Model of Multiple Intelligences and that you want them to achieve learning goals on completion of the project. Write the goals on a poster and discuss them with your students. Take a digital photo of the poster to use during the assessment.

    Student learning goals – you will be able to:

    • Identify different intelligences and what they mean. Name eight different intelligences you have
    • Communicate ideas clearly through a project to demonstrate your talents and interests
    • Use your success skills more effectively.

    Tip: Video parts of lesson 1, especially discussion of the learning goals, to use as part-assessment and reflection on completion of the project.

    What do you know about the Multiple Intelligences? How are you smart?

    • Ask children what they know about multiple intelligences. Teach key language and vocabulary as necessary, depending on level.
    • Ask, “What does it mean be intelligent?” (They will probably say, good grades, be good at maths, English, reading, writing, computers...)
    • Tell them being intelligent or smart (get the younger children to repeat the word smart several times) isn’t only about getting good grades. Ask them to think of more ways to be smart.
    • Elicit the eight ways to be smart according to Gardner. (You may need to mime). E.g. mime playing the piano or clap a rhythm to elicit Music Smart.
    • Discuss what the different intelligences mean. (E.g. Word Smart (Linguistic Intelligence): you like reading, writing or speaking, you are probably good at languages…)
    • Teach career vocabulary associated with the different intelligences. (E.g. Word Smart: journalist, teacher, lawyer, editor, TV announcer, web editor.)

    Lesson 2: Find out your smarts quiz

    Tell students they are going to do a quiz to discover how they are smart. Model each stage of the activity and do the quiz with them to find out about your own strengths. Give each student a piece of paper.

    • Take your paper and show the students how to fold it into eight sections, then unfold it and draw lines along the folds to make a grid.
    • Write the different smarts in each section. (Use small handwriting to leave room to illustrate each smart with a picture).
    • Give a picture dictation to illustrate each smart. Here are some examples:

    Word Smart:Draw a dictionary and children reading, writing and speaking.

    Logic/Number Smart: Draw sums on a computer, a scientist with test tube.

    Music Smart: Draw children singing and playing musical instruments.

    Body Smart: Draw children playing a sport, dancing or cooking.

    Nature Smart:Draw trees, animals, insects, child watering a plant.

    Spatial/Picture Smart: Draw children drawing, painting or taking photos and a pilot in a plane.

    People Smart:Draw a child helping or leading a group or a group of children holding hands.

    Self-Smart: Draw children keeping a journal, researching on a computer, or meditating.

    Encourage students to order their smarts from 1-8. For example, if you love music, write number 1 in the Music Smart section and continue to 8 in order of preference. (You may wish to model this first and order your smarts from 1-8 and then encourage the children to order their smarts.)

    After the quiz

    • Encourage students to compare and discuss their results. Collect the papers and make notes about each student’s results. This will help you reach all your students when planning activities.
    • Explain that we have all the intelligences in different degrees and that all of the intelligences are equal (no intelligence is better than another). Also point out that it is important to know our strengths in order to help in all subjects. (E.g. a music smart student who finds maths challenging may want to sing multiplication tables). Remind students that we usually use several intelligences to do something and we can explore and develop all our smarts.

    Tip: Video lesson 2 to use as part of assessment.

    Lesson 3: Beginning the project

    Encourage the students to create a project for enjoyment. Explain that you want them to collaborate in groups that share the same smarts and interests and using their creativity you want them come up with an interesting topic to explore. (Remind students to concentrate on developing their success skills when they are working with others and mention that you will also be monitoring this as part of the assessment).

    Organize the students into groups of no more than five students in each. Give students time to brainstorm in their groups and come up with the best topic for the project, using their critical thinking skills. (E.g. Picture Smart students may decide to create a project about a famous artist, such as Salvador Dali).

    You may wish to give each student a (Know, Want-to-know, and Learned) to complete during the project process, asking questions such as: What do you know? What do you want to know? What have you learned?

    Lesson 4: Planning the project

    Inform students about the timing of the project. Encourage each group to make a project mind map, which will encourage them to be more creative and organized.

    Remind all the groups to keep the following questions in mind:

    • What are you going to do/make? (Presentation, PowerPoint, website, video, posters.)
    • How will you research it? (Internet, tech tools, library.)
    • How will you delegate responsibilities?
    • How will you check that your audience has understood the message of your project? What questions will you ask?

    Decide on how many lessons are needed to prepare the project and how much will be done in school or at home, depending on the age groups and timing.

    Encourage the students to share their work with the rest of the class (or in assembly.)

    Tip: Video the different groups sharing their work.

    Can assessment also be fun and engaging?

    Yes, it can; here are some tips and suggestions.

    • Show the videos you have recorded and ask the students to compare and contrast their knowledge in Lesson 1 and how it developed over the lessons. Encourage them to observe and comment on their success skills.
    • Display the photo of the Student Learning Goals poster from Lesson 1. Get the students to self-assess and decide whether they have achieved the goals that were set in Lesson 1. (You may wish to give the students three small pieces of colored paper: red to represent I understand quite well, orange to represent I understand well and green to represent I understand very well). Ask: Can you identify the different intelligences and say what they mean? Encourage the students to hold up a colored piece of paper according to their understanding. (Make a mental note of all red pieces of paper to be ready to give extra help to those students). Check understanding by getting several students to answer the question.
    • Get the children to reflect on the learning experience. What have they learned about the different intelligences? How can they develop weaker points using their strengths to help them? Can they use all eight intelligences inside and outside school? Did they manage to get along well with their classmates? Did they communicate the message of their project so that the audience understood?
    • Give individual feedback to each student. E.g. congratulate them on their attitude and effort or identify areas for improvement: “You managed to use vocabulary and language effectively when you shared your project, we understood your message perfectly.” Or “You need to work on being more collaborative.” “You weren’t on task during the project.” “How do you think you can improve that?”
    • Ask students to give you feedback on the activities they enjoyed. Get them to draw happy and sad face cards. Go through all the activities and get the students to show a happy or sad face according to whether or not they liked the activity. E.g. say “Did you like the ‘Find out your smarts’ quiz?” and ask them to hold up the happy or sad face depending on whether they liked the activity or not.

    Create fun lessons to engage all your students keeping this model in mind: traditional activities such as short fun activities and games + Howard Gardner’s model of Multiple Intelligences + PBL (Project Based Learning) + success skills + meaningful assessment. Enjoy the results with your students.

    How the Global Scale of English can help

    TheGlobal Scale of English (GSE) Learning Objectives for provides ready-made learning objectives that can help with planning curriculums and lesson and benchmarking learners’ progress. They are great for young learners because they describe language functions in a granular way, enabling educators to give their learners credit for small achievements. They also clearly show the language functions to target next in order to take learners to the next level.