NNESTs and Teaching English Around the World: Issues and Measures
Abstract:
50-word abstract
The presenters will discuss various issues concerning the teaching of English across the globe by re-examining the current English teaching practices in EFL contexts, NNEST and NEST teacher-training programs, adaptation to local cultures, world Englishes, and diversity in the workplace. Measures in redefining the role of TESOL will be provided.
Original abstract [Aiden, 3-5 minutes]
The presenters will discuss various issues concerning the teaching of English across the globe by first re-examining the current English teaching practices in EFL contexts. We will look into NNEST and NEST teacher-training and preparation for EFL teaching, various ways for teachers to adapt to local cultures and world Englishes, how teachers of English are prepared in poor countries, the influence of outside help in developing good NEST training programs and its influence on national educational policies, strategies in educating EFL students and administrators on issues of race and diversity in the workplace, and finally, we will provide suggestions for tentative measures and courses of action in redefining the role of TESOL in teaching English worldwide.
The first presenter will provide an overview of how NESTs are being prepared to teach English in EFL contexts. Drawing from the results from an original survey, she presents a brief overview of different program options (TESL/TEFL certificate and degree programs) available in north America and UK. Other survey results, including the perspectives of teacher educators regarding the differences between ESL and EFL teacher preparation, will be also shared.
This presentation will focus on the learning curve that almost all NESTs go through when first confronting their minority status in a NNEST-majority classroom. This sudden discovery of their may bring on a mild form of culture shock, especially if this is their first experience away from home and/or overseas. Real-life anecdotes based on the speaker's work with English Language Fellows, U.S. Government grantees who teach English and/or train teachers around the world for a period of nine months, will illustrate both the initial confusion that ELFs often experience in their new teaching context, and the creative solutions that all participants in this context try out in order to learn and benefit from their mutual interaction.
The FulbrightEnglish Language Teaching Assistantship (ETA) program might interest NNESTs in countries served by it and teacher-educators in the US. Since 2005, two of the presenter’s EF/SL Education students and two others from her institution have received ETAs. She will describe their experiences in this innovative program that connects US graduates with seasoned NNESTS in other countries.
The presenter will discuss the perceived relationship between race and nativeness and present clear evidence of employment discrimination. She will explain the benefits of a diverse workforce in ELT in general and in EFL in particular. In addition, she will discuss what can be done to create an environment in which teachers are considered for employment based on ELT education and qualifications, rather than on race or nativeness.
Suhanthie Motha invites audience participation in a discussion of proposals for TESOL theory, pedagogical practice, and policy on local, national, and global scales. Using an interactive format, she discusses changes necessary within the TESOL profession, including a reshaping of the theoretical terrain in which English language teaching is embedded, a redefinition of English in the context of its promotion as a global language, and a reconsideration of current English teaching practices within contexts historically defined as “EFL”. She shares the experiences and findings of a task force of EFL professionals studying the status of translingual teachers of English practicing in EFL settings.
The Fulbright English Language Teaching Assistantship Program
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