Abstract

This book critically examines current ELT practices vis-à-vis the use of English as an international lingua franca. It bridges the gap between theoretical discussion and the practical concerns of teaching English as an international language (EIL), and presents diverse approaches for preparing competent users of English in international contexts. Part 1 examines how the linguistic and functional varieties of English today complicate ELT, and suggests ways to address them effectively in an English language classroom. Part 2 showcases English courses and programs that are specifically based on the EIL perspective, illustrating how the issues addressed in Part 1 are realized in a real context. This section also presents a collection of EIL pedagogical ideas that have been developed and used successfully by English teachers across the world.

This volume offers chapters by an impressive array of geographically diverse authors, who truly explain the principles and practices of teaching English as an international language. Each chapter provides a substantial reference list and presents solid information that teachers and program administrators can actually use in developing courses, materials and lesson plans.

In Principles and Practices of Teaching English as an International Language, Matsuda has put together a worthwhile collection of pieces from sixteen contributors, offering a variety of individual perspectives on a range of aspects of English as an international language (EIL), from the rationale behind and background(s) to the development of EIL, through descriptions of current working EIL programmes, to samples of actual lesson plans with advice for the practicing teacher. This book will be of particular value to teachers who have an interest in implementing EIL materials or practices in their own classrooms but who do not yet have a firm idea of how to go about this. It will also be of value to those who already deploy EIL principles in their teaching context, in that it presents a window into other EIL environments and EIL solutions. Finally, it will provide helpful background reading for other educators and educational administrators who seek to understand the rationale behind EIL.

Aya Matsuda is Assistant Professor of English at Arizona State University. Her primary research focus has been the global spread of English, its use as an international language, and its implications for pedagogy, and her work on these topics has appeared in several leading journals as well as a number of edited collections. She currently services on the editorial boards of TESOL Quarterly and World Englishes, and co-edited the 'World Englishes' and 'Language Ideology' sections of The Encyclopedia for Applied Linguistics.

Overall, this volume is informative for both researchers and practitioners seeking to understand current theoretical and conceptual issues in the area of teaching English for international communication. In addition, it provides concrete models and examples of the practical application of ElL/ELF/WE perspectives to courses and programs. It paves the way for considering irregularities between learners' English and standard varieties as differences rather than deficiencies: a compelling shift with the force to empower learners with a sense of their own identity and place in the diverse contexts of international communication.

For anyone interested in English as an International Language, and every ELT professional should be, Aya Matsuda has done us a great service with this collection of excellent work by scholars who are unafraid to address tough questions about theory and practice in the English language classroom and to suggest diverse approaches to the practical challenges we face there when teaching EIL.

This work is undoubtedly interesting, persuasive and worth reading as it manages to bring together the theory and practice of teaching EIL.