spotlight sessions --- Aymen Elsheikh & Zohreh Eslami
Researching
and Teaching the English Language from a Glocalized Perspective
Aymen Elsheikh
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Zohreh Eslami
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Due to the spread of English language it is now considered as a global language. As such there are a range of commercial, economic, and industrial interests that are affiliated to it (Mahboob, 2011). Furthermore, the unprecedented spread of English language and its status as an international language has direct implications on the ways in which it is taught and learned. In this presentation we highlight sociocultural, educational, and political issues that arise as a result of the spread of English language and its globalization. We focus on the power struggles in the teaching of Englishes and the training of language professionals in Expanding, Outer and Inner Circle contexts of English use (Kachru, 1990). We argue that these conflicts are ethical in nature and that a framework for addressing these ethical concerns must be incorporated into the theory and practice of language teaching and teacher training. Such a framework is needed so that language teaching and teacher training decisions will be better informed and more likely to contribute to a better balanced and morally sound pedagogy. The role of English as an international language and its relevance and implications for a glocalized approach to teaching and learning English will be discussed. Practical suggestions for classroom practice based on a glocalized approach to teaching English will be provided.
References
Kachru, B. (1990). World Englishes and applied linguistics. Studies in Linguistic Sciences, 19, 127- 152.
Mahboob, A. (2011) English: The industry. Journal of Postcolonial Cultures and Societies. 2(4), 46-61