PAUL MCBRIDE (TAMAGAWA UNIVERSITY)

ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA: A CATALYST FOR EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSIVITY IN ELT : WORLD ENGLISHES/ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA

In our interconnected world, English usage is diverse and variable. Since teachers have a central role in mediating educational, cultural, and political issues (Gee, 1990), when they teach English that is functionally appropriate for specific contexts and purposes, they contribute to shaping equitable social structures. Building on understandings of language as inherently situated and changeable in nature (Toh, 2019) and acknowledging that apparently democratic educational institutions perform economic and cultural functions and express ideological influences which maintain existing structural relations (Apple, 1979), the presenter will examine transformative effects of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in ELT. Drawing on experience as an administrator and teacher in an ELF program at a Japanese university, he will examine program-related considerations, such as not distinguishing between native and non-native speakers, and ELF-aware teaching practices, including attending to formal features of English according to their communicative value in specific contexts. The uncritical use of textbooks and technology will be considered in relation to one-size-fits-all educational approaches and decontextualized approaches to literacy, which, being incompatible with ELF-aware pedagogy, undermine equity, diversity, and inclusivity. ELF challenges traditional structural relations, broadens conceptualizations of ELT, and enables learners to think critically about language choices to suit their current and future needs.

Paul McBride is a Professor and Director at the Center for English as a Lingua Franca (CELF) at Tamagawa University in Tokyo. He is interested in pedagogical implications of ELF, including how language, literacy, meaning, and knowledge are related to structural power within academic institutions.