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
OUTLINE facts and issues in ELT orientations in variety choice for English teacher education proposal for a teacher-empowering plan 2/22
the single most important input variable [in education] is the quality of teaching. [Robert Schwartz, in Economist Intelligence Unit, 2013:22] 3/22
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
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
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
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
VARIETY CHOICE IN ELT TEACHER EDUCATION: ORIENTATIONS 8/22
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
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
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
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
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
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
Kolb s theoretical model of experiential learning [1984: 42] 15/22
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
AN EXAMPLE constructivist & connectivist learning paradigms challenge-based learning approaches informative, interactive, collaborative functions 17/22
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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
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
thanks a lot thanks! thank you thank you so much thx thank you for your attention luisa.bozzo@unito.it EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES
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thanks a lot thanks! thank you thank you so much thx thank you for your attention luisa.bozzo@unito.it EMPOWERING TRAINEE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES