Infusing a Postcolonial Component into English Language Teacher Education Curricula for a Global Century
Department
English
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Winter 2007
Abstract
Millions of nonnative speakers in periphery countries are shaping the English language teaching profession substantively as they learn English in response to the economic and cultural pressures associated with globalization. Yet Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certification and graduate programs in the US may not reflect this sea change in the context of their subject by centrally incorporating a postcolonial component. An exploratory study of TESL programs affiliated with institutions housing highly ranked US English departments suggested that courses offered to TESL students may not sufficiently reflect awareness of and engagement with the global contexts of English language teaching. We recommend that core courses in TESL postbaccalaureate, M.A., and Ph.D. programs be created or revised specifically to facilitate understanding of (1) the history and significance of World Englishes and (2) a variety of international perspectives on English language teaching and learning. Curricular reconfiguring is necessary so that future ESL teachers who speak English natively will possess critical awareness of how and why English is being used as a global language.
Journal Title
Radical Pedagogy
Journal ISSN
1524-6345
Volume
9
Issue
1