Internationally, particularly in Western societies, the concept of multiculturalism tends to be associated with 'progressive' and liberal social visions promoting cultural diversity and minority rights. However, multiculturalism may not necessarily be a 'cure' for social division, but a 'veil' that covers political fractures and imbalances within…

The use of English to teach content subjects has been a growing trend in many parts of the world. It is labelled in a variety of ways, such as content-based learning, content and language integrated learning, immersion education, theme-based language teaching, and bilingual education, but it is referred to in this paper as English-medium…

The current assessment in language classrooms prevailingly utilizes the criteria provided by instructors, regarding learners as passive recipients of assessment. The current study drew upon sustainable assessment and the community of practice to highlight the importance of involving learners in co-constructing the assessment criteria and argued…

World language classrooms in the United States have been significantly impacted by the physical and ideological disruptions experienced in recent history. Such disruptive times call for the reform of pedagogical practices to raise awareness of social justice issues and ignite real change both in and out of language classrooms. This essay outlines…

Within the spirit of conspiration, this article brings together contributions from participants of the PhD-led UCL Reading and React Group 'Colonialism(s), Neoliberalism(s) and Language Teaching and Learning', which ran in 2019/20. Weaving together various perspectives, the article centres on the dialogic nature of the decolonial enterprise and…

Learners of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) bring an array of backgrounds, identities, and experiences to the classroom. Through exposure to other views, learners can reflect on their own place in their world and engage in "self-authoring"--a term coined by Hernandez-Zamora (2010) that refers to critical-thinking skills…

Over the past few decades, the pursuit of teachers-as-researchers has become an ideal for developing teacher autonomy to which many in the world of curriculum development and language teacher education try to promote (Benson, 2001). Nevertheless, research into how teachers learn to do research has been scarce, and there are pressing needs for…

This article addresses the questions of what the current state of environmental education (EE) is in China's College English context and how it can be improved. It does this by examining the perceptions of the College English teachers concerning the practice of linking language and environment learning. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 45…

This paper examines the curricula for English language teacher education in two universities, one in Australia and the other in Vietnam. Specifically, it analyses the structures of the two curricula, compares and contrasts them, and examines how the development of the curricula was shaped by distinctive contextual factors. Sources of data include…

One of the key recommendations of the Worton Review of Modern Foreign Languages provision in higher education in England (2009) is more effective collaboration between language centres and language departments. This paper presents a fully integrated model of such collaboration and develops recommendations for language centres and language…

The specific purpose of education is to "prepare" children so that they are able to maximise their potential and participate in the society or community around them. In order for many Third World nations to access information technology, the provision of language programs, particularly English, has become necessary. However, in the…

An alternative, multidimensional curriculum design for second languages is suggested and expressed in terms of four syllabi: language, communicative activities, culture, and general language education. They have the objectives of proficiency, knowledge, affect, and transfer. Syllabus characteristics are described, relationship of content and…

The proverbial language of Spanish provides a resource for teaching and testing various aspects of phonetics, syntax, vocabulary, and cultural features of the language. Incorporation of these features into the Spanish curriculum can enrich the classroom experience. Specific suggestions for their use are provided. (Author/MSE)

This paper presents the experiences of a secondary teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) who went to Mexico and Guatemala to improve her ability to help Hispanic students new to the English language and/or to the United States. Before the project, the teacher incorporated into her ESL class the same strategies she used in teaching French,…

Attempts to outline the necessary design considerations for an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. A more adequate descriptive base for course design includes theoretical justification for including an ethnographic perspective, and a case example of the design of a communications skills course for computer practitioners in Oman. (Author/CB)