English as a Medium of Instruction: only a matter of teacher qualification?

The distribution of CLIL schools across Finland (MARSH, 1994)

The case of the Politecnico di Milano

“Speaking Italian to our countrymen is like watching a movie in colour, high definition, very clear pictures. Speaking English to them, even with our best effort, is like watching a movie in black and white with very poor definition, with blurred pictures.”

Professor Emilio Matricciani, Appeal for Freedom of Teaching, quoted on the BBC news website, 16 May 2012 (DEARDEN, 2014: p.18)

“States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to... [t]he development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values’ as well as ‘for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own.”

Article 29(c) of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (available online at www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/crc.pdf)

Policy issues

• Who or what is driving EMI implementation and expansion?

• What are the different forms of EMI currently being developed?

• What kind of English is being used in EMI and does this matter?

• What levels of English proficiency enable EMI teachers/professors to provide quality instruction in their respective academic subjects?

Socio/psycholinguistic issues

• Are there particular language problems associated with particular content areas?

• Are there content areas where the transition to EMI is easier for teachers and/or for learners?

• Do abstract concepts result in restructuring of a developing bilingual lexicon? Are we indeed creating bilinguals/multilinguals through EMI?

• What are the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic effects on students’ home language resulting from EMI used in various phases of education?

REFERENCES

• DEARDEN, Julie. English as medium of instruction – a growing global phenomenon. British Council, 2014.

(available online at: http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/e484_emi_-_cover_option_3_final_web.pdf)

• MARSH, D. et al. Language teacher training and bilingual education in Finland. Continuing Education Centre, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 1994.

(available online at: www.celelc.org/projects/Past_Projects/TNP_Languages/TNP1_resources/SP6NatRepFI.pdf?1372922388)