Who Speaks for the Shared Future? Rethinking Language in Future Education

Overview

Can the future truly be shared if we do not rethink the language through which it is imagined, taught, and lived?
Language is not merely a tool for communication—it is the lens through which we think, feel, learn, and become. It shapes how knowledge is constructed, how relationships are formed, and how identities are lived. In education, language is never neutral; it determines who is included, who is understood, and who gets to belong.
As we come together to construct a shared future through education, we must ask: Who speaks for this shared future?
The speaker grew up in the multilingual society of Malaysia, received a Chinese education, built his career in the English-speaking world, and now serves as Head of Language and Curriculum Development for a group of leading international schools in Malaysia. Drawing from both personal experience and professional insight, he invites you to reconsider the role of language in shaping the future of education.

Expected Takeaways:
1. A Critical Reframing of Language in Education
Participants will be invited to critically reflect on how language shapes access, belonging, and identity in international education—and to question the continued dominance of English in shaping what counts as learning.
2. Imagining the Possibilities of Multilingual and Translanguaging Learning
The session will provoke educators to envision learning environments where linguistic diversity is not a challenge to overcome, but a resource to embrace—opening new pedagogical and cultural possibilities.
3. Leadership for Linguistically Inclusive Futures
Drawing from both research and lived experience, the session offers insight into how educational leaders can respond to linguistic diversity with vision and intentionality—shaping language policy and school culture in ways that honour all learners.