Teacker Talks. Session-International English: Why and how should we teach it
Milton Bradbury
Session objectives
● What is generally taught in the ELTclassroom
● Why we should do more to teach international English
● Practical suggestions to implement in classroom
What are these figures?
What are these figures?
2.3 billion people use English as first or additional language
67 countries use English as their official language
60% of online content is English
265 million speakers of English in India
257 million ‘native’ speakers of English in USA
What is taught in the ELTclassroom?
● 85% ELTteachers say that they teach ‘standard' English
● 89% ELTteachers say that the materials they use in classroom use ‘standard’English
● ‘Standard’English is taught because it is the easiest to recognise
Discuss
● What could be some problems with only teaching ‘standard English’in the classroom?
Problems with only teaching ‘standard’English
● It is usually used by news presenters and higher social classes
● It doesn’t reflect varieties of native-speaker English
● It is a native-speaker model which may be unattainable for most language learners
● It can devalue other varieties of English
● It can promote discrimination
Abalanced approach to English language teaching
● Consider the teaching context
● Value learners’English
● Prepare learners for intercultural communication
Understanding different accents
Pronunciation features which are NOT essential for intelligibility
The 'th' sounds
Vowel quality, that is, the difference between vowel sounds where length is not involved, e.g. a German speaker may pronounce the 'e' in the word 'chess' more like an 'a' as in the word 'cat'.
Weak forms such as the words 'to', 'of' and 'from' whose vowels are often pronounced as schwa instead of with their full quality.
Other features of connected speech such as assimilation (where the final sound of a word alters to make it more like the first sound of the next word, so that, e.g. 'red paint' becomes 'reb paint'.
Exposure to different Englishes
● Students in groups are assigned two countries
● Student watch news reports from assigned countries
● Student listen to each report and note down vocabulary and pronunciation differences
● Students present to the class a synopsis of the report and the differences the found in the varieties
● India: www.ndtv.com
● Ireland: www.rte.ie/live/index.html
● New Zealand: http://tvnz.co.nz
● Singapore: www.channelnewsasia.com
‘New’Englishes – From Cockney to MLE (Multicultural
London English)
‘New’Englishes – From Cockney to MLE
(Multicultural London English)
International idiomatic expressions
● Students brainstorm idiomatic expressions in native language
● Students translate expressions into English
● Students determine whether the expressions make sense in English and if an English speaker could understand without explanation
● Students present 1 or 2 expressions to present to class
International
idiomatic expressions
Spanish Idioms with Similar Meanings in English
● “Estar en la luna” - “To be in the clouds”
● “Ponerse las pilas” - “To get one’s act together”
● “Echar agua al mar” - “To be a drop in the bucket”
● “Ser pan comido” - “To be a piece of cake”
● “Costar un ojo de la cara” - “To cost an arm and a leg”
● “No tener pelos en la lengua” - “To not mince one’s words”
● “Echar leña al fuego” - “To add fuel to the fire”
● “Salir el tiro por la culata” - “To backfire”
● “Meter la pata” - “To put one’s foot in it”
● “Hacer la vista gorda” - “To turn a blind eye”
Repair strategies – examples and activities
● Asking for clarification – What do you mean by…?
● Checking understanding - …, you know?
● Paraphrasing - …, or in other words ….
● Asking for repetition – Sorry could you say that again?
Repair strategies – examples and activities
● Write subtitles to a short video in a language not spoken by the class (include repair strategies in dialogue)
● Role play a phone call with a bad line
● Verbal boxing
● Write a dialogue that must include 4 repair strategies –use your personal context
● Role play a DM conversation and use 4 repair strategies
Chat
● In breakout rooms, turn off cameras and mics.
● Using the chat function, arrange to meet up with your partners at the weekend and decide what you are going to do together.
● StudentA–You’re a bit of an introvert
● Student B –You love being active, outside in the sun
● Student C –You’re looking to go party!
Repair strategies - examples and activities
● Asking for clarification - What do you mean by…?
● Checking understanding - …, you know?
● Paraphrasing - …, or in other words …
● Asking for repetition - Sorry could you say that again?
