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Presenter

Sandra Lee McKay

San Francisco State University, Professor Emeritus 

The pedagogy of global English:

Where we are and where we need to go 

      The literature on English as a global language has grown tremendously in the last 20 years. With it has come various perspectives on how to approach the varieties of English spoken today, including World Englishes (e.g., Brutt-Griffler, 2002; Jenkins, 2003; Kirkpatrick, 2007), English as an international language (e.g., McKay, 2002), and English as a lingua franca (e.g., Jenkins, 2000; Seidlhofer, 2004). However, there is far less discussion on the pedagogical implications of these perspectives or comprehensive reviews of what has been learned about English pedagogy in the current era of globalization. 

  This paper provides a review of current findings on English as a global language pedagogy and summarizes challenges facing the field. The paper begins by examining the various ways in which present-day English use has been characterized, calling for a comprehensive view of English use that takes into account the local linguistic ecology and recognizes the hybridity of current English use.  This is followed by a summary of major research findings regarding English pedagogy in an age of globalization and how it is related to imagined communities, identity and technology. The next section provides a discussion of challenges facing the field in terms of inequality of access to English learning, othering in English pedagogy and standards in English teaching and learning.  The paper closes with principles that should inform a socially sensitive English pedagogy.