nicos sifakis hellenic open university
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Nicos Sifakis Hellenic Open University. ELF can help us raise interesting questions. . - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Nicos SifakisHellenic Open University
ELF can help us raise interesting
questions...
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“Without US leadership, it would have been difficult or impossible for other nations to slash their barriers and open their markets. Such widespread opening has contributed to the best half-century of world economic growth at least since the time of Christ, and probably ever.”
(Bradford et al., 2006: 893)
“So just as ‘the business of America is business’, manifestly English for business is business for English.”
(Phillipson, 2001: 190-1)
The “special” roleof English
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Terminology
World EnglishWorld EnglishesGlobal English
English as an International LanguageEnglish as an Intercultural Language
English as a Lingua Franca
Lingua franca: “languages usually used by people whose mother tongues are different with a purpose of simplifying communication between them” (UNESCO, 1953)
5Implications
WHOSE English we teachdefines
WHAT English we teach
• Native Speaker Standard EnglishESL, EFL
• Non-Native Speaker English as Lingua Franca
EIL, ELF
Combinations of the above?
How do we “feel” about English?
• 91%: E. the most useful language after MT (Eurobarometer 2001)
• 42%: self-acknowledged sufficient knowledge of E.
• Cambridge ESOL Exams (2006):– FCE: Greece 50th (out of 67 countries), 57%
success rate– CPE: 31st (out of 31 countries), 46% success
rate
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How do we “feel” about English?
• How well do we believe we know E? 24% “very well” (Eurobarometer, 2001)
Confidence vs. Competence:
mismatch?
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Question: Which of the following descriptions best suits your current (or most recent) teaching situation?
(1) FOREIGN LANGUAGE(2) EXAM-ORIENTED(3) INTERNATIONAL (ELF/EIL)(4) MULTICULTURAL (MATE) orientation:
Multicultural awareness through English
What English do we learn?
• In the FL classroom– Curriculum– Coursebook– Additional material– Computer lab
• Outside the FL classroom– Social media (e.g., Facebook)– Gaming (online, offline)– Mobile technology (e.g., iPhone, iPod, PSP, etc)
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A two-tiered proposal
A. E. as subject-matter: School literacy “Standard English”
B. E. as communication skills: Successful usage in diverse communicative
domains (written, spoken) Competent, autonomous intercultural “non-
native” user “owning” the FL
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Teacher preparation
Teacher autonomy
Teacher empowerment
Going beyond the coursebook11
12http://www.scoop.it/t/english-as-an-
international-lingua-franca-in-education
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