Aylin Erengul Gregg
Multilingual Education & Language Acquisition Specialist | Creator of the LEAVES Approach
Passionate educator dedicated to empowering multilingual learners | Sharing practical strategies for multilingual learners to be validated, seen and affirmed in linguistically diverse classrooms
How LEAVES Began
As a multilingual, non-native English speaker, I know what it feels like when language becomes a barrier to showing who you are and what you know. My own experiences, alongside my background in TESOL and years working in international schools, have shaped how I see multilingual learners and the environments we create for them.
Too often, I saw capable students navigating new language and academic content at the same time, while their developing English could be mistaken for limited knowledge or ability.
This led me to a question:
What if schools intentionally created environments that affirmed, valued and supported multilingual learners from the outset?
From Language Learner to Language Educator
I grew up in Izmir, Türkiye, and began learning English at the age of 12. What started as a school subject quickly became a passion for languages, cultures and different ways of seeing the world, eventually leading me to study Linguistics.
Years later, a period spent in England challenged what I thought it meant to “know” a language. Despite years of studying English, I found myself navigating accents, cultural references, humour and unspoken social expectations that no textbook had prepared me for.
I became very conscious of how I spoke - my grammar, pronunciation, word choices and even my mannerisms. I wanted to fit in and be understood. But somewhere along the way, I realised that trying to sound and behave more like a “native speaker” was also distancing me from parts of who I was.
I didn't need to sound like someone else to belong. I needed to be accepted as myself.
That experience has stayed with me throughout my work as an educator. It taught me that learning another language is never only about vocabulary and grammar. Language is also connected to identity, confidence, belonging and how others perceive what we are capable of.
Why I Created LEAVES
Throughout my work in international schools, I kept noticing the same tension. Multilingual learners were expected to access rigorous academic content while developing English, yet their language proficiency could easily become the lens through which their knowledge and capability were viewed.
At the same time, many content teachers genuinely wanted to support multilingual learners but did not see themselves as language teachers - nor should they have to become language specialists.
LEAVES grew from the space between these two realities.
Grounded in second language acquisition research and shaped by classroom experience, LEAVES explores how schools can create better conditions for multilingual learners to access content, participate meaningfully and develop language without compromising who they are.
It brings these conditions together through Validation, Engagement and Scaffolding, supporting meaningful Language Exposure and Acquisition.
At its heart is a simple belief:
Multilingual learners should not have to wait until their English is “good enough” to be recognised as capable, included in learning and given access to rigorous academic experiences.
Education
9/2012 – 06/2013
Master of Arts with Merit
TESOL with Applied Linguistics
University of Central Lancashire
PRESTON, ENGLAND
1999 – 2004
Bachelor of Arts
English Linguistics |
Hacettepe University
ANKARA, TURKIYE
Delved deep into the intricacies of Second Language Acquisition, Linguistic Analysis, Testing and Assessment, World Englishes, Business English, and Methodology
Conducted action research comparing the effectiveness of Present, Practise, Produce (PPP) and
Task-Based Language Teaching in the Turkish school context.
Completed courses in Phonetics, Syntax, Anthropological Linguistics, Semantics, Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics, and English
Literature Analysis.
Conducted a comparative analysis of Bulgarian and English Languages as part of course requirements.
Work Experience
Aug 2025 - Present
Position: MYP English Language Acquisition and ESOL Teacher
IGB International School (Malaysia)
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Design and implement ELA courses aligned with MYP standards.
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Develop and execute comprehensive schemes of work to enhance English language acquisition for a diverse student population, focusing primarily on academic language.
Aug 2017 - July 2025
Position: English Language Acquisition Teacher
Frankfurt International School (FIS) Upper School
For a period of my employment, I led a team of ELA teachers, providing guidance and mentorship
Designed and implemented a comprehensive ELA curriculum aligned with MYP and CEFR standards.
Collaborated with mainstream teachers and administrators to provide easy access into the curriculum for ELA students.
Developed and executed comprehensive schemes of work to enhance English language acquisition for a diverse student population, focusing primarily on academic language.
Aug 2014 - June 2016
Position: IB MYP English LA and EAL Teacher
Western International School of Shanghai
Developed language acquisition and EAL units aligned with the IB MYP framework.
Employed differentiated instructional strategies to meet the individual needs and learning styles of students, resulting in improved academic performance and language acquisition for EAL learners.
Aug 2009 – Jun 2014
English teacherTAKEV High School
HOD and Grade 5 English TeacherTAKEV Primary and Middle School
1. Enhanced curriculum development by incorporating innovative teaching strategies and resources.
2. Led and mentored a team of teachers, providing guidance and support in lesson planning, assessment techniques, and classroom management
3. Implemented differentiated instruction techniques to accommodate diverse learning styles and English proficiency levels.
2007 - 2009
US Private Education Center
Hacettepe Language Center
English Teacher
1. Enhanced curriculum development by incorporating innovative teaching strategies and resources.
2. At Hacettepe, taugt Business English to adults
3. At US, prepared students for English university entrance exam