Teaching global English to overseas students

Krzysztof Polok, Akademia Techniczno-Humanistyczna w Bielsku-Białej, Poland

sworntran@interia.pl

Abstract

Teaching English as a Global Language (EGL) definitely is a challenge. The assertion assumes the introduction into the process of FLE (foreign language education) the forms of FL internalization clearly facilitating the process of teaching English as a global language (instead of assuming that this is only a variant of standardized ELT/ELL). One of the issues worth considering in this instance is the way the concept of teacher language awareness (TLA) introduced by Andrews [2007] can be observed from the perspective of EGL deliverance. The paper discusses the very idea of English as a global language, the reasons and the necessities of its research as well as possible changes to be introduced into the school syllabi when the perspective of teaching a foreign language has been shifted into the one of teaching a functional language. While accepting the currently existing message-production status quo, the paper offers a number of points-to-consider (mostly based on the researches carried out by House [2002] and Knapp [2002]) aimed at helping overseas learners become more productive message producers. Finally, assuming that teaching EGL ought to be different than the standardized forms of teaching EFL, the paper suggests a number of issues (such as the self-centered hypothesis, for example) to be possibly taken into account by any average native/non-native English teacher and, subsequently, included into the comprehensible language teaching plans of which they are the authors.

Key words: EFL, EGL, TLA, PCK, functional language, language teaching syllabus, motivation, subject-matter cognitions, self-centered hypothesis, attitude, belief, Byram’s resultative and motivational hypothesis

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