Questão de Inglês — Inglês e Pedagogia — IBFC 2023

English as a global language

All languages reflect the culture of the countries and regions where they have developed and are used. However, some languages are also used as a means of communication between a wide range of non-native speakers and contexts. In this way, the communication develops new priorities to reflect those contexts.

Today, English is probably the prime example of a global language. It is used to communicate in areas such as the workplace, science and technology, the arts and in the world of business. This is why so many parents are keen of their children to start learning it at an ever-earlier age. Students, too, realize that English in more than just a school subject: it is important for their own future success. This realization can be used to your advantage as a teacher:

Your students should be aware that English is widely used among non-native speakers in a variety of contexts in their own environments. It is no longer just linked with going to the US or Britain.

They are more likely to be motivated if they feel they are being given appropriate materials and practice for their own needs, which is easier to do nowadays, since English is present almost everywhere.

In fact, you are part of this world where English is used, however imperfectly, in real life, as well as being part of that other, classroom world. This gives your role even more importance.

The intercultural context

There are, then, clear practical and economic reasons why it is important for as many of your students as possible to feel positive about learning English, and ultimately, to feel confident about using it. However, there is also an equally important reason, which applies to all languages: their social function.

Learning and using another language can put people into contact, directly or indirectly, with others from different societies and cultures. It exposes them to different ways of thinking, different ways of communicating, different values. This, in turn, encourages them to think about their own culture, values and way of life. They realize there is not just one way of doing something, but many different ones.

In other words, as well as equipping learners with practical skills, learning a foreign language extends their horizons, which is one of the important aims of education in most countries.

(Adapted from Teaching English Today: context and objectives, Holden & Nobre, 2018, p.03)