Event Date: 11th March 2023

Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast.”

Straddling the divide between GE/ELF communication and the ELT classroom

Abstract:

This webinar is set against the backdrop of a social constructivist ‘MY English’ understanding of communication and language learning. The speaker shows how speaker-learners can be enabled to reconcile ELT’s standard English orientation with the wilderness of GE/ELF communication.

Key issues discussed include communicative capability, ownership of English, agency and emancipation, and pedagogical lingua franca immersion.

About the Speaker:

Kurt Kohn is Professor Emeritus at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has decades of experience as a researcher and teacher in English and Applied Linguistics. The areas covered include English language learning and teaching, capability for communication, English as a lingua franca, Global Englishes and ELF pedagogy, telecollaboration and virtual exchange, and language teacher education.

Recent publications include:

Kohn, K. (2022). Global Englishes and the pedagogical challenge of developing one’s own voice. Asian Englishes, 24(2), 119-131 [https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2056795]

Kohn, K. (2022). Focus on the speaker-learner in English as a global language: Agency and satisfaction. TESL-EJ, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.26103a2