Which English(es) to teach?

Transcription

1 Which English(es) to teach? Empowering trainee teachers to make their choices Verona 15 February 2013 New Frontiers in Teaching and Learning English Luisa Bozzo Università degli Studi di Torino

2 OUTLINE facts and issues in ELT orientations in variety choice for English teacher education proposal for a teacher-empowering plan 2/22

3 the single most important input variable [in education] is the quality of teaching. [Robert Schwartz, in Economist Intelligence Unit, 2013:22] 3/22

4 FACTS ABOUT ELT 90% 80% 10% pupils learning English in lower secondary and general upper secondary education in Europe [EACEA, 2012: 11] non-native English language teachers in the world [Llurda, 2005: 156] yearly rate of rising importance and potential of the language teaching sector [Rinsche & Portera-Zanotti, 2009:76] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES 4/22

5 A direct social impact of a growing European language industry is the increased exigency for multilingual communication, which needs to be reflected in language teaching strategies, offering appropriate and high quality foreign language learning opportunities [ ] [Rinsche & Portera-Zanotti, 2009:78] 5/22

6 ISSUES ABOUT ELT What will English learning needs be in 2020, 2030, 2050? Will a linguistic model prevail and which one? Will English still be a Lingua Franca, and to what extent? Which English(es) will trainee teachers need to know, and to which degree? Which are the main linguistic objectives of English language teacher education? 6/22

7 It is not easy to look at the current momentum of the worldwide diffusion of English and imagine what the future trends will be by mid-century or even in the next two or three decades. [Kachru & Smith 2009:1] 7/22

8 VARIETY CHOICE IN ELT TEACHER EDUCATION: ORIENTATIONS 8/22

9 FOCUS ON THE INNER CIRCLE SE, then, is the variety of English which is normally used in print, and more generally in the public media, and which is used by most educated speakers most of the time. It is the variety used in the education system, and therefore the variety taught to learners of English as a foreign language. [Stubbs 1986:87] English is now one of Britain s few significant exports, and it seems to me that maintaining standards of English is essential to making our capacity to export it in a meaningful way sustainable. [Hitchings in OUP Academic, 2013] [ ] in the present-day world it is Anglo English that remains the touchstone and guarantor of English-based global communication. [Wierzbicka, 2006:14] More important [ ] is ensuring that ELT professionals around the world move their practice away from an ideology that privileges L1 ( inner circle ) varieties. The language must be taught as a means of intercultural communication, critical analysis and indeed, where necessary resistance. [Erling 2005:43] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES 9/22

10 FOCUS ON THE OUTER CIRCLE [ ] the notion of World Englishes, which enabled varieties of English to be recognised as cross cultural and global contextualizations of the English language in multiple voices [Kachru et al. 2006:1, quoted in Mahboob & Tilakaratna 2012:11] To release English language teachers and learners from the oppressive hold of native speaker norms and models, many researchers have called for the eradication of the native/nonnative distinction by changing the labels themselves [Caine 2008:6] Rather than focusing on a single language or dialect as the target of learning, teachers have to develop in students a readiness to engage with a repertoire of codes in transnational contact situations. [Canagarajah 2007:936] Teaching English with a world Englishes perspective basically involves just that: an approach to the work that is centered on the intelligibility of the language that is learned and that will be used. Students learn from the models and practice that they find available; teachers teach their own Englishes and elements of others that they make themselves aware of. [Nelson 2011: 95] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES 10/22

11 FOCUS ON THE EXPANDING CIRCLE [A] new form of English English as a lingua franca or Global English which is appropriated by, and belongs to, all its speakers, native and non-native alike. [European Commission 2010:47] many NNSs of English are more communicatively efficient speakers of English in international contexts than a great deal of NSs [Moussu & Llurda 2008:318] English is increasingly used to communicate across international boundaries, and is not therefore tied to one place, culture or people. [Erling 2005:42-43] lingua franca English may be stripped of cultural values [ ]The strength of a lingua franca is that it stands a chance of becoming a neutral communication tool between people of different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds [Gozdawa-Golebiowski 2008:257] [A]s an international language, English belongs to its users, and as such it is the users cultural content and their sense of the appropriate use of English that should inform language pedagogy. [McKay 2003:13] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES 11/22

12 A PARADIGM SHIFT Rather than just being trained in a restricted set of pre-formulated techniques for specific teaching contexts, teachers will need a more comprehensive education which enables them to judge the implications of the ELF phenomenon for their own teaching contexts and to adapt their teaching to the particular requirements of their learners. [Seidlhofer 2004:228, quoted in Sifakis 2007:4] What contents and values? Which strategies and skills? Which structure? 12/22

13 WHAT CONTENTS AND VALUES? 5. Experience of an intercultural and multicultural environment. [ ] 35. Training in social and cultural values. 36. Training in the diversity of languages and cultures. 37. Training in the importance of teaching and learning about foreign languages and cultures. 38. Training in teaching European citizenship. sociopragmatic and linguistic awareness tools for autonomous linguistic investigation critical applied linguistics involvement [Kelly et al., 2004:4-5] 13/22

14 WHICH STRATEGIES AND SKILLS? 23. Training in the critical evaluation, development and practical application of teaching materials and resources. 24. Training in methods of learning to learn. 25. Training in the development of reflective practice and self-evaluation. 26. Training in the development of independent language learning strategies. [Kelly et al., 2004:4-5] 14/22

15 Kolb s theoretical model of experiential learning [1984: 42] 15/22

16 WHICH STRUCTURE? 1. A curriculum that integrates academic study and the practical experience of teaching. 4. Working with a mentor and understanding the value of mentoring. [ ] 39. Training in team-working, collaboration and networking, inside and outside the immediate school context. [Kelly et al., 2004:4-5] f2f, blended, e-learning workshops self-managed research groups learner autonomy development tools 16/22

17 AN EXAMPLE constructivist & connectivist learning paradigms challenge-based learning approaches informative, interactive, collaborative functions 17/22

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21 FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS Professional development courses on: CLIL TEFL for special needs students ICT for language learning, e-learning, blended learning team-teaching & international projects tutoring & mentoring Master s degrees for: language learning managers courseware designers teacher educators Applied Linguistics PhD programmes Associations and knowledge-building teaching communities 21/22

22 SUMMARY Teacher education facts & issues High numbers of learners worldwide & non-native English teachers Questions about English variety(-ies) to be taught Orientations in choice of language variety for teacher education Standard English World Englishes English as a Lingua Franca Trainee teachers empowerment to choose Contents & values: sociopragmatic & cultural knowledge, linguistic & intercultural awareness Strategies & Skills: theorization, experience, reflection, construction, cooperation, autonomy Structure: ICT, workshops, mentoring, knowledge-building communities Timing: pre-service & in-service lifelong learning 22/22

23 thanks a lot thanks! thank you thank you so much thx thank you for your attention [email protected] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES

24 REFERENCES Alsagoff L., McKay S.L., Hu G., Renandya W.A., 2012, Principles and Practices for Teaching English as an International Language, Oxford, Routledge. BBC Radio Scotland, Call Kaye, episode 07/02/2013 [radio broadcast]. Bozzo L. (forthcoming). Developing advanced language learners autonomy in blended learning. In Coonan, C.M., Menegale, M. Developing learner autonomy in foreign language learning: getting learners actively involved, IATEFL SIG Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group. Bozzo L. (2012a). Il blended learning all Università: sperimentazione di un paradigma di apprendimento esperienziale costruttivista, in Mondo Digitale, XI(2). Bozzo L. (2012b). Collaborative Construction of Glossaries in Language Learning: An integration of the lexical approach and constructionism through blended learning. In ICT for Language Learning, conference proceedings, Florence, November Caine T.M., 2008, Do You Speak Global? The spread of English and the implications for English Language Teaching in CJNSE/RCJCE - Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education, 1(1). Canagarajah S., 2007, Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition in The Modern Language Journal, 91, Focus Issue, Cook V., 1999, Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching in TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), Crystal D., 2003, English as a Global Language, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency)/Eurydice/Eurostat, 2012, Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012 Edition, Brussels: Eurydice. Economist Intelligence Unit, 2013, The Learning Curve: Lessons in country performance in education 2012 Report, Pearson. thelearningcurve.pearson.com Edge J., 2006, (Re-)Locating TESOL in an Age of Empire, New York, Palgrave Macmillan. Erling E.J., 2005, The many names of English: A discussion of the variety of labels given to the language in its worldwide role, English Today 81, 21(1), European Commission - Directorate-General for Translation, 2010, Lingua Franca: Chimera or reality? Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Facchinetti R., Crystal D., Seidlhofer B., 2010, From International to Local English and Back Again, Peter Lang. Farrell T.S.C., Martin S., 2009, To Teach Standard English or World Englishes? A Balanced Approach to Instruction in English Teaching Forum, 2009(2). Felder R.M., Brent R., 2009, Active Learning: An Introduction, ASQ Higher Education Brief, 2(4), Agosto

25 REFERENCES Fenner A., Newby D., 2006, Coherence of Principles, Cohesion of Competences: exploring theories and designing materials for teacher education, Council of Europe Publishing. Gozdawa-Golebiowski R., 2008, The growth of English as an international language. A case for culture-free communicative competence? In Simeonidou-Christidou, A.- N. (ed.), 2008, European year of intercultural dialogue: discussing with languages-cultures Conference Proceedings, p Graddol D. et al., 2007, Changing English, Oxford, Routledge & The Open University. Graddol D., 2006, English Next, the British Council. Hitchings H., 2011, The Language Wars: A history of proper English, London: John Murray. Ishihara N., Cohen A.D., 2010, Teaching and Learning Pragmatics Where Language and Culture Meet, Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited. Jenkins J., 2006, Current perspectives on teaching world Englishes and English as a lingua franca, TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), Johnson K., 2009, Second Language Teacher Education: A sociocultural perspective, New York/Abingdon: Routledge. Johnson L., Adams S., Cummins M., 2012, The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition, Austin, Texas: the New Media Consortium. Kachru, B.B., 1985, Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle, in Quirk, R., and Widdowson, H.G., English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Kachru, Y., Smith, L.E., 2009, The Karmic cycle of world Englishes: some futuristic constructs, World Englishes, 28(1), Kelly, M., Greenfell, M., Allan, R., Kriza, C., McEvoy, W., 2004, European Profile for Language Teacher Education A Frame of Reference Final Report, European Commission, Directorate-General for Translation. Kirkpatrick A., 2007, World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kohonen V., 2007, Learning to learn through reflection an experiential learning perspective in Council of Europe, Preparing Teachers to Use the European Language Portfolio arguments, materials and resources, Council of Europe Publishing. Kolb D., 1984, Experiential learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lazar I. et al., 2007, Developing and assessing intercultural communicative competence A guide for language teachers and teacher educators, Council of Europe Publishing. Leung, C., Harris, R., Rampton, B., 1997, The idealized native speaker, reified ethnicities, and classroom realities in TESOL Quarterly, 31(3),

26 REFERENCES Luque M.L., 2003, The role of domain-specific knowledge in intentional conceptual change in Sinatra G.M., Pintrich P.R. (a cura di) Intentional Conceptual Change, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Llurda E., 2005, Non-Native Language Teachers: Perceptions, Challenges and Contributions to the Profession, New York: Springer. Mahboob, A., Tilakaratna, N., (2012), A Principles-Based Approach for ELT Policies and Practices, TESOL International Association. Matsuda A., 2012, Principles and Practices of Teaching English as an International Language, Bristol/Buffalo/Toronto, Multilingual Matters. Matsuda A., 2003, Incorporating world Englishes in teaching English as an international language, TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), McKay S.L., 2003, Toward an appropriate EIL pedagogy: Re-examining common ELT assumptions, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(1), Moussu L., Llurda E., 2008, Non-native English-speaking English language teachers: History and research, Language Teaching, 41:3, , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mukherjee J., Hundt M., 2011, Exploring Second-Language Varieties of English and Learner Englishes: Bridging a paradigm gap, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Nelson C.L., 2011, Intelligibility in World Englishes Theory and Application, Oxford: Routledge. Newby D. et al., 2007, European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL), European Centre for Modern Languages, Council of Europe Publishing. OUPAcademic, 2013, Who cares about English? Part I [filmed panel discussion]. Phillipson R., 2008, Lingua franca or lingua frankensteinia? English in European integration and globalisation, World Englishes, 27(2), Rinsche A., Portera-Zanotti N., 2009, Study on the size of the language industry in the EU, European Commission, Directorate-General for Translation. Seidlhofer B., 2004, Research Perspectives on Teaching English as a Lingua Franca, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, Sifakis, N.C., 2007, The education of the teachers of English as a lingua franca: a transformative perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17(3), Stubbs, M., 2008, What is Standard English?, in Stubbs, M., 1986, Educational Linguistics, Oxford: Blackwell, Wierzbicka, A., 2006, English: Meaning and Culture, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

27 thanks a lot thanks! thank you thank you so much thx thank you for your attention [email protected] EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES