Critical Engagement with Teacher Perceptions of Language and Communication (original) (raw)
Related papers
2006
This paper discusses English language teaching (ELT) around the world, and argues that as a profession, it should emphasise pedagogical competence rather than native-speaker requirement in the recruitment of teachers in English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) contexts. It establishes that being a native speaker does not make one automatically a competent speaker or, of that matter, a competent teacher of the language. It observes that on many grounds, including physical, sociocultural, technological and economic changes in the world as well as the status of English as official and national language in many post-colonial regions, the distinction between native and non-native speakers is no longer valid. * I wish to thank an anonymous reader who proposed certain changes to the initial draft. I could not help taking some of the proposals s/he made word for word.
Addressing the Role of "Linguistic Knowledge" in Global Englishes Pedagogy
TESOL Quarterly, 2024
One key tenet of Global Englishes for Language Teaching (GELT) is that the native English speaker should no longer serve as the role model for second language (L2) English users. Such a view does not discount that some degree of linguistic knowledge is necessary for successful global communication. However, GELT scholarship has remained relatively silent on the process and product of L2 acquisition. In this paper, we propose integrating L2 acquisition theory into GELT pedagogical practices without relying on theoretical perspectives steeped in some form of native speakerism. At the heart of our discussion is the concept of linguistic knowledge-implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious)-emphasizing the role of explicit learning processes in GELT classrooms rather than adhering solely to the idealistic goal of implicit competence. Because L2 learners need to reflect on linguistic knowledge (repertoire) and strategies for effective global communication, we propose that their learning should aim to develop skill sets of using explicit and implicit knowledge dynamically and efficiently in varied communicative contexts. We argue that skill acquisition theory offers a useful framework for GELT, as it can account for the development of automatized explicit knowledge alongside implicit knowledge, aligning with GELT objectives of fostering multicompetent English users. We illustrate how this
The paper discusses the challenges and opportunities that the English as a lingua franca (ELF) paradigm raises for ESOL teacher education. I argue that one of the prominent implications of the ELF paradigm for ESOL teachers is the need to review and ultimately change their convictions about key aspects of foreign language teaching, such as normativity, the role of native/non-native speakers, and the function of teacher feedback in the foreign language classroom. I review evidence from the ELF literature that supports such a perspective and discuss the kind of reflective reviewing that teachers need to engage in. I argue that, while the critical approach is certainly the right way to go, it is not enough. What is necessary is a more rigorous approach that would go beyond merely ex- posing teachers to the principles and criteria of ELF and prompt them to critically consider and ultimately transform their deeper convictions about these issues. I present a framework for such a transformative perspective that aims at educating the ELF-aware teacher.
Native and Non-Native Teacher Talk in the EFL Classroom
2020
Native and Non-Native Teacher Talk in the EFL Classroom explores and compares the linguistic features of native and non-native English teacher talk with the aid of corpus linguistics. Setting aside the wide range of audio and video materials available, the EFL teacher is in many instances the main model of English to which students are exposed in secondary-level education. The basis of this book is to work towards a framework for the language that teachers of English need to be proficient in, based on an empirical study of language used in the ELT classroom by both native and expert nonnative users. Presenting a corpus-informed treatment of the precise linguistic features used by EFL teachers within the framework of their most common teaching functions, this book: • Relates directly to the teacher talk of secondary-level EFL teachers; • Combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to data analysis; • Looks into pedagogical implications for ELT and proposes a flexible language development model based on evidence from the teacher training classroom; • Provides a corpus-based repertoire of language for the classroom which is of relevance to native and non-native student-teachers and practising teachers. Highlighting the need for much greater awareness of the impact of language use in both learning and teaching, this book is a major resource for advanced students and researchers of TESOL, classroom discourse, corpus linguistics, ELT, English for professional purposes, and teaching placement preparation.
Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2022
As English has developed into a global language, comprehensive suggestions have been made for the integration of World Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua Franca (ELF) into language education. However, such suggestions have often encountered considerable resistance, in part due to the complexities in the formation of language teacher identity. In this paper, the authors employ a duoethnographic research method to explore how their encounters with WE and ELF have impacted their identities as a "native speaker" and a "non-native speaker" teacher of English. Through comparisons between their life histories, they demonstrate how their experience with WE and ELF have led to feelings of newfound legitimacy, and lingering incompleteness. The paper argues in order for the promotion of WE/ELF to be successful, more focus needs to be paid to the identity work required of teachers so that they can successfully and sensitively form a new conception of language teaching.
Sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware education
The increasing international role of English in the world is gradually changing the landscape of learning English as a foreign language. An increasing number of people creatively exploit the English language, adapting it to their needs. Thus, English is undergoing a process of language development which has contributed to the emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), that is, “any use of English among speakers of different languages for whom English is the communicative medium of choice, and often the only option” (Seidlhofer, 2011: 7). This inevitably raises issues on learning English as a foreign language, which, in turn, calls for a consideration of the current practice of English Language Teaching (ELT). In particular, it is widely believed that foreign language education should aim at “the acquisition of an idealised rendition of a prestigious L1 variety” (Modiano, 2009: 208). As a result, at present, ELT curriculum development only fosters native-speaker competence and adopts instructional materials mainly issued by British and American institutions. However, English language proficiency does not necessarily imply that one is well-equipped in order to communicate in a multicultural environment. The function of ELF calls for a re-evaluation of ELT in the classroom. Native-speaker teachers, whose views may be more rigid and traditional, need to be made aware that English is not only their ‘property’ anymore. Thus, they should be given a training which raises their awareness on the importance of developing the linguistic skills and strategies needed in an intercultural environment. The present study is a research carried out in England which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware approach to ELT. Recent research stressing the need to rethink the ELT curriculum has mainly focused on L2 teachers of English in an L2 setting. However, few studies have analysed native-speaker teachers’ attitudes towards an ELF-aware approach to education; nor does the literature provide an ample body of research aiming at sensitising native-speaker teachers towards the implementation of such an approach. To this end, it has been paramount to examine to what extent native-speaker teachers of English are aware of the recent developments and implications of ELF, as well as how willing they are to challenge the current and well-established practice of ELT. For the purpose of this study, a quantitative and qualitative investigation has been carried out. In particular, a small-scale survey, based on a quite straightforward questionnaire, has been devised and then submitted to 30 native English-speaking teachers. The survey has been created using an online form which allowed respondents to provide their answers quickly and from almost any browser. After having analysed the results of the survey, 10 participants were chosen for the next stage which involved face-to-face interviews lasting around 30 minutes. The latter participants were selected according to their place of origin, their background and the answers they provided in the questionnaire. They were asked to do research on ELF prior to the interview, so as to test whether readings on this topic would favour a change of attitude towards an ELF-aware education. The results seem to show that such readings have played a major role in eliciting such a change of attitude. This may suggest that sensitising teachers could be paramount in fostering a re-evaluation of the ELT curriculum. This study will first provide an overview on the increasing role of English in the world and the importance of cultural traits in a multicultural environment. It will then analyse ELF features, implications and strategies. After a description of issues on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT, the study will focus on the results of the study carried out in England, highlighting their implications for the ELT curriculum.
The traditional assumption in ELT that the objective of learning is essentially to be able to emulate the linguistic behaviour of English native speakers is still alive and well in most contexts of formal instruction. Though lip service is paid to the importance of communication, this is automatically assumed to necessarily involve conformity to the standard code and to the conventions of native speaker usage. But the findings that emerge from research into ELF interactions lead to pedagogic implications that would seem to require some serious rethinking. When (current or former) learners of the language put their learned language to use in ELF contexts, they are generally capable of communicating without conformity. Linguistically 'incompetent' though they may be considered by reference to the norms imposed by teaching and testing, they usually have a strategic capability for making effective communicative use of the linguistic resources at their disposal. This raises questions about the very construct of competence in a language, and the extent to which it relates to the learners' own experience of language use, and what this tells us about the nature of plurilingualism. A related question arises as to the pedagogic effectiveness of raising the learners' conscious awareness of their own experience in their learning of English as an extension of that experience. All of this suggests that the objectives for language learning might be revised to focus attention not so much on 'native-speaker competence' and conventions of usage but on the communicative process itself, on 'languaging', and how English can be used as a communicative resource like the L1. This reconceptualization of how English might be more effectively learnt, brought about by an understanding of how communication is actually achieved through ELF, obviously has implications for language teacher education in that it would require encouraging a change of mindset of teachers and teacher educators, accustomed as they generally are to the conventional view that language learning is essentially a matter of being taught the formal properties of the target language and the conventions of its native-speaker usage. This paper will review some recent empirical insights into ELF use, discuss possible implications for English as a (school) subject, and argue that the unprecedented global spread of English and the challenges this poses to pedagogy drive home the vital importance of a strong (socio)linguistic component in teacher education.
The development of knowledge about language in teacher training: what works
Efforts have been made over many years by applied linguists in a number of English-speaking countries to raise awareness of language across the primary and secondary school curriculum, with varying degrees of success (see Denham & Lobeck, 2010). Many of these countries are sites of mass migration from non-English speaking countries, creating linguistic equity issues. In Australia, the new National Curriculum mandates that teachers of all disciplines will be required to provide pedagogy responsive to the language learning needs of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students. However, policy documents do not specify how this goal should be realized, and teachers and researchers are engaged in constant debate about what views of language could inform teacher training (e.g. structural and/or functional). This paper reports on a project which aimed to identify 1) the views of teacher educators on language in the curriculum, and 2) the language-related challenges faced by teachers in training. The current paper focuses on the language awareness of trainee teachers. Ten education students were interviewed about their understandings and experiences of language and language learning. It was found that many students experienced lack of confidence and knowledge about language (KAL), but that awareness of sociocultural elements of language provided them with ways to connect with a broader understanding of language issues. Results were analyzed from the perspective of sociocultural theory and will have implications for teacher training in any educational context where students are learning an additional language in order to integrate into a national schooling system.