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Post by Admin on May 14, 2020 19:24:36 GMT
I think the most attainable goals (or at least a starting point) are approaching ways of raising student and fellow teacher awareness through class activities, workshops and formal and/or informal discussions. This is something each and everyone of us can start doing. In today's new-normal teaching-learning online environments that have challenged us all, perhaps we feel a new source of stress, but once we can safely return to our classrooms, perhaps that would be a good opportunity to start rethinking our approaches to language and how we might introduce plurilithic thinking to our learners and our peers. It might be the opportune time to address policy makers as well. Who knows, maybe we will all be more open to new approaches in a new world...In what ways positive or negative do you think this pandemic will affect the world of ELL, TESOL, etc?
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Post by sameerco1971 on May 20, 2020 13:54:58 GMT
I think that this pandemic will affect teachers positively in terms of plurilithic views because due to the pressure that teachers used to have during their school day, they didn't have time to read or find time to apply different beliefs in class. Now teachers have plenty of time to reflect on different views and can hold workshops or meetings online. Teachers success to change their traditional views will accordingly lead to students' change positively. Maybe it is time for policy makers to take a break and be more open to teachers views.
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Post by severoc on May 23, 2020 4:27:42 GMT
One of the biggest problems inside an education institution is the lack of independency to all the teachers. After all, we are the ones with the dyploma and all the knowledge and baggage to approach our students the best way possible. And now, with our current worldwide situation, we're having it.
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Post by Kunlong Jin on May 23, 2020 7:32:18 GMT
More reflections on how I am going to discuss the idea of plurilithic approaches to my colleagues for the purpose of have a better understand of the subject English, English learning and English teaching.
In my view, the English language will continue being moulded and adapted by its users to fulfil immediate purposes. It will always be influenced by exposure to alternative, creative uses of language. English(es) has a definite place in the world's future as a global lingua franca, even if its future form is less predictable. My recent discuss with colleagues about the cultures and identities in ELT reach an agreement that many ELT materials and curriculums are built on notions that students are engaged in English language learning in order to participate in a foreign language. The goal of learning is usually depicted as a means to join the native English-speaking language culture. We agreed that the importance of developing students' intercultural competence should be stressed. Of course, knowledge of specific cultures may still be important but it is essential that it is framed in the diverse intercultural interactions that learners will encounter, and also to a fluid and emergent concept.
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Post by Daniel Palmer on May 27, 2020 9:22:09 GMT
● who makes the decisions about what you should teach and about what goes into the English exams your students take; ● how these people make their decisions, for example: by commissioning reports from academics, professional organisations or other experts, or by consulting with other stakeholders.
It seems to me that language planners and curriculum designers will always have a vested interest in the variety of English they are promoting; there is a lot of prestige associated with being an accepted 'standard' variety, and a lot of power which can be wielded by the stakeholders as a result. For example, the most widely accepted proficiency examinations are all run by organisations from the accepted 'native' English-speaking countries, and tend to test for either the UK or US 'standard' varieties. This rather creates a monopoly on what is correct English, and legitimizes their domination. This can be seen almost as a kind of post-colonial linguistic imperialism, as pervasive as the physical empires once were, if not to a greater extent. It seems rather unlikely to me that academics would be consulted much in the exam design process, precisely in case they raise the sort of objections above!
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Post by erenkenny on May 29, 2020 17:11:05 GMT
Due to pandemic everybody turned their attention to digital world. Zoom, google hangouts etc become favourite applications for our home classrooms. Are they taking teachers' places? I'm not sure. All conferences related to ELT world have cancelled some went online but big ones like TESOL and IATEFL cancelled completely. Suggestions are made for EAL or ELL students -at least in our school. Government used to ask for stages of EAL students in the school but doesn't ask anymore. There is no certain policy for EAL students in the UK. When they are taking GCSE or SATs exams. They are treated same with their peers. Every school has their own policy under the guidelines of government.
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Post by Nidhi Lakhisarani on Jun 1, 2020 18:48:18 GMT
I think the most attainable goals (or at least a starting point) are approaching ways of raising student and fellow teacher awareness through class activities, workshops and formal and/or informal discussions. This is something each and everyone of us can start doing. In today's new-normal teaching-learning online environments that have challenged us all, perhaps we feel a new source of stress, but once we can safely return to our classrooms, perhaps that would be a good opportunity to start rethinking our approaches to language and how we might introduce plurilithic thinking to our learners and our peers. It might be the opportune time to address policy makers as well. Who knows, maybe we will all be more open to new approaches in a new world...In what ways positive or negative do you think this pandemic will affect the world of ELL, TESOL, etc? I think the pandemic will do more good than bad. It is because of the pandemic that I have been able to take this course and understand such a different view of looking at the language. There's this term called 'Grammar Nazi' for people like me who are obsessed with correcting other people's grammars. I do it because it's my job and they can't pass the exam without that; but I am going to make sure that outside the classroom I will make my students feel confident about their way of using the language. They should know that every English is accepted English. There is no right or wrong with language. I will work towards dealing with inferiority complex connected to speaking English.
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Post by Monica RP on Jun 4, 2020 14:45:39 GMT
Just like a fossilised error, the monolithic approach to language teaching can be very difficult to eradicate for teachers who have taught in the same way for decades.
I believe that the problem should be addressed with course/school directors, Directors of Study etc, first and foremost. They need to realise that more effort, time, and money should be invested in helping teachers develop. This also includes helping them understand how the language is evolving and it should be reflected in the classroom.
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Post by abdisyam on Jun 4, 2020 23:28:50 GMT
I think the biggest challenge in teaching English in Asian country is that the students and parents might be the ones who strongly believe in monolithic view of English. It will be helpful for teachers in EFL context to raise awareness of students of plurilithic view of English by presenting them a variety of Englishes from the inner circle. Additionally, if mainstream learning media from the inner circle where EFL students usually learn from, such as BC, BBC and VOA, can accommodate this view by involving more English varieties in their programme, teachers can use this to point out to their students that plurilithic views of English is actually prominent in English speaking countries, ideally speaking.
It might be funny, but I think one of the effective ways to raise colleagues' awareness of plurilithic view is to recommend this class to them.
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Post by profebeth on Jun 21, 2020 13:37:37 GMT
I think the biggest challenge in teaching English in Asian country is that the students and parents might be the ones who strongly believe in monolithic view of English. It will be helpful for teachers in EFL context to raise awareness of students of plurilithic view of English by presenting them a variety of Englishes from the inner circle. Additionally, if mainstream learning media from the inner circle where EFL students usually learn from, such as BC, BBC and VOA, can accommodate this view by involving more English varieties in their programme, teachers can use this to point out to their students that plurilithic views of English is actually prominent in English speaking countries, ideally speaking. It might be funny, but I think one of the effective ways to raise colleagues' awareness of plurilithic view is to recommend this class to them. Like you, I think we need to present this change gradually and carefully. In one way, the change is happening by itself- it simply is a fact that people are using English in a variety of ways. However, as you point out, abdisyam, we really are trying to turn that oil tanker and while it slowly moves, we still need to 'appease' parents, students, and people whose professions and professional advancement depend on test taking in the now- current testing format. I would like to see major English language publishers of tests start developing ways to accept multiple responses as "correct" through the use of technology to help us move closer to the views most of us now have after this enlightening course.
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Post by catmom101 on Jun 26, 2020 14:48:05 GMT
It would be very interesting to know who makes the decisions about what we should teach in English in Spain, since we have a central Government but also regional Governments, usually from different political views, so there is no central national idea or agreement about Education, and much less, English, leading to disparity levels within the country.
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jake
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by jake on Jul 7, 2020 16:11:49 GMT
I will be quite interested to return to work and start a discussion with my colleagues about plurilithic views of Englishes. I suspect that my setting, like many, is built around quite a traditional monolithic view, and I’m looking forward to challenging a few things and trying to introduce more positive awareness of the variation of Englishes. I have always seen English as plurilithic and I’m really pleased that I’ve now got a full course of ideas under my belt to make more of a case for it and back myself up!
I think a starting point for us should be identifying early on whether students are specifically studying for an exam because they NEED to pass it, or whether they just feel they SHOULD have paper recognition of a particular level. I have known schools with tendencies to push students into exam courses because they match the level, but we have discussed in parts of this course that perhaps exams don’t always test a language user’s true communicative ability. In many cases, it might make more sense to apply less exam pressure to students and develop courses that really highlight and celebrate different Englishes with a focus on communicative and expressive effectiveness. It might be difficult to market such a course without the global recognition of an official title and certificate at the end of it, but it’s certainly something I would like to see more of.
I am hopeful that the attitudes of policy-makers and educational bodies will keep becoming more accepting of diverse Englishes over time. We already live in a world where the celebrities that young people idolise (professional footballers, youtubers, musicians etc) speak all kinds of varieties of English, so I think it will get more and more difficult to justify holding ‘Standard English’ as the single target English.
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jake
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by jake on Jul 7, 2020 16:12:48 GMT
I think the most attainable goals (or at least a starting point) are approaching ways of raising student and fellow teacher awareness through class activities, workshops and formal and/or informal discussions. This is something each and everyone of us can start doing. In today's new-normal teaching-learning online environments that have challenged us all, perhaps we feel a new source of stress, but once we can safely return to our classrooms, perhaps that would be a good opportunity to start rethinking our approaches to language and how we might introduce plurilithic thinking to our learners and our peers. It might be the opportune time to address policy makers as well. Who knows, maybe we will all be more open to new approaches in a new world...In what ways positive or negative do you think this pandemic will affect the world of ELL, TESOL, etc? I think the increased number of online classes as a result of the pandemic is perhaps an opportunity to start giving more focus to plurilithic Englishes. At places I have worked in the UK, there has often been an attitude of “we are in Britain, so we’re teaching British English”. I would argue that because we’re now using the internet as the ‘physical’ context for courses, the Englishes we teach should reflect that. We’re turning a lot more to online resources, which inevitably include different varieties, so I think online classes are a good way to shed light on different Englishes on a global scale in a truly international context.
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mkhan
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by mkhan on Jul 13, 2020 9:28:57 GMT
I agree. Plurithic view of language should be introduced to the students to inspire them and motivate them to be voice their feelings and express themselves freely to make them feel liberated and not constrained by the inability to use the language PROPERLY.
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Post by evarojo on Jul 15, 2020 11:31:36 GMT
Action! I have already started to try to change the world around me from a monolithic perspective of English to a great plurilithic one. I am designing an activity for my 16-17 years old students for next year, a project about World Englishes in cinema excerpts. I am going through my material with films like Gone too Far, Invictus, Bollywood films, I not Stupid,.. Also for my 12 years one session in World Englishes with the map and examples of Englishes,...
As soon as I finish this course I am going to contact the language training administrators for my autonomous region in Spain and let them know about this course, who knows? They already offer online courses about English teaching and learning.
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