Dr Eowyn Crisfield, Founder and Director

Linguistic inclusion is creating schools where every student feels that their language is valued and valuable, and this is seen in how they develop linguistically. It is systems and programmes and practices that embed multilingualism as a core value for all.
Dr Eowyn Crisfield is the Founder and Director of Oxford Collaborative for Multilingualism in Education.

She is a specialist in bi/multilingualism in families and schools and in teaching English as a second/foreign language. Eowyn is an accredited educational consultant and an Honorary Norham Fellow, Department of Education, University of Oxford.

Over the last twenty years, Dr Eowyn Crisfield has developed an approach to working with state and international schools that brings about lasting change and creates truly inclusive multilingual environments. Through the Oxford Collaborative, more schools globally can benefit from the transformative impact of her methodology.   

Eowyn continues to research in the field of bilingualism, with a special interest in promoting language equality in schools, and the integration of “languages across the curriculum”. She has extensive experience with a variety of curricula, including IB PYP, MYP, IPC, ENC, IGCSE, Common Core, and various Canadian provincial curricula.
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Books

  • Bilingual Families: A Practical Language Planning Guide

    • Does your family or community speak more than one language?
    • Do you wonder how to help your children successfully learn or keep those languages?
    • Do you want your children to have the gift of bilingualism and aren't sure where to start - or how to keep going?


      Every multilingual family has unique language needs. Bilingual Families is a guide for you and your family. It combines academic research with practical advice to cover the essential elements in successful bilingual and multilingual development. Use this book to: Learn about language goals - and how to set them Create a 'living' family language plan that develops and grows with your family Learn how to talk about multilingualism with your children and other key people in your children's life, like teachers and relatives Recognise when you might need further support An indispensable guide for your family's language journey.
This is a clear, engaging, and accessible guide for parents who are interested in raising their children with more than one language. Evidence-informed, yet simultaneously structured and written so as to truly facilitate parents' reflection and engagement, it offers practical and realistic advice. A must-read for any parent interested in bestowing the gift of language onto their children.
Victoria A. Murphy, University of Oxford, UK

  • Linguistic and Cultural Innovation in Schools

    This book presents case studies of five schools engaged in radical change in order to engage with children’s home languages and cultures in a more multilingual and inclusive way.

    Located around the globe, from Hawaii to Kenya, the case studies are informed by both researchers and professionals on the ground. While the schools in question are each anchored in a unique context and situation, they also have a common mission to see language diversity as a resource, and a responsibility to embrace all the languages of their pupils.

    The authors offer a rich resource for education professionals and policymakers, including not only theoretical insights but useful practical tips. This innovative volume will be a helpful resource for educational professionals interested in following a path of multilingualism as well as students and scholars of second language acquisition, heritage languages and cultures and multilingual educational policy.
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Journal articles and book chapters that Eowyn has authored or co-authored:

  • Crisfield, E. (2022). Principles for planning an EAL-aware curriculum. In The ResearchEd Guide to English as an Additional Language. John Catt Educational Ltd.
  • Crisfield, E., Holland, A, & Gordon, I. (2021). Translanguaging as a pathway to ethical bilingual education. In At the Crossroads of EMI and Translanguaging: Global Perspectives. Multilingual Matters. 
  • Crisfield, E. (2021). Working with familied to support language development at home. EAL Journal (Summer), 36-37.
  • Crisfield, E. (2021). School-supported Family Language Planning. EAL Journal (Spring), 56-57.
  • Crisfield, E. (2021). Multilingualism in schools: Setting up for success. Liv I Skolen, 84-93.
  • Crisfield, E. (2020). Making multilingualism work in the classroom. EAL Journal (Autumn), 50-51.
  • Crisfield, E. (2020). Leveraging home languages in distance learning. EAL Journal (Summer), 44-45.
  • Crisfield, E. (2020). Portraits and pathways: Knowing your multilingual learners. EAL Journal (Spring), 64-65.
  • Crisfield, E. (2019). Every teacher is a language teacher: Fact or fiction? EAL Journal (Autumn), 52-53.
  • Crisfield, E. (2019). Conversations with parents. EAL Journal (Summer), 43-44.
  • Chalmers, H, & Crisfield, E. (March 2019). Drawing on linguistic and cultural capital to create positive learning cultures for EAL learners. Impact: The magazine of the Chartered College of Teachers​
  • Crisfield, E. (2018). How can Euro-CLIL inform EAL Practice? EAL Journal, Summer 2018, p.28-29.
  • Crisfield, E. (2018). Challenging the Monolingual Habitus of International School Classrooms. International Schools Journal: John Catt Educational Ltd.
  • Crisfield, E. (2017). Every teacher is (not) a language teacher. International School Magazine, p. 5-8.
  • Crisfield, E. (2016). Do we need to change our approach to mother tongue?, International School Magazine, p.11-13.
  • Crisfield Burr, E. (2012). Motivation Research and SLA: Bringing it into the classroom. in Pawlak, M. (ed.). 2012. New perspectives on individual differences in language learning and teaching. 217-232. Berlin: Springer-Verlag
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Podcasts

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