Mei French is an educational linguist specialising in multilingual pedagogy and curriculum. She is a Researcher and Lecturer in the School of Education, and a member of the Centre for Research in Educational and Social Inclusion.
Mei’s research focusses on education for multilingual learners in Australian schools and higher education. Her model of Multilingual Co-Learning engages the agency of multilingual students and their teachers in co-developing curriculum and pedagogy that integrates multiple languages in learning processes, content and outcomes.
She has researched how multilingual high school students use their languages to support their learning and identity, and how these practices can be used to inform teaching and educational policy. Her research connects with teacher education in English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D), Languages education, and across all learning areas. Her current projects include understanding the practices of multilingual pre-service teachers, supporting teacher action research in oral language for multilingual students, and developing and supporting approaches to bilingual teaching.
Mei is an experienced teacher and teacher educator in EAL/D and Languages. At a tertiary level, she has taught a range of courses in languages education, English language and linguistics. She has taught in high schools in South Australia and the ACT, including serving as a senior secondary curriculum leader in EAL/D. She has developed curriculum, resources and teacher professional learning around EAL/D, multilingual pedagogies and bilingual education for schools and systems across Australia. Mei is active in EALD/TESOL and Languages professional associations.