Contemporary Issues in ELT

International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences

The recurring quest for the best way to teach foreign language leads the language teachers, the researchers and more importantly the applied linguists to introduce new approaches or methods to attain their goals. They often ask what is the most effective method or approach among the existing ones and then they try to launch a new one which is thought to be better than the preceding ones. The study aims to examine the existing methods implemented to teach foreign language and to reach to a proposition that there are some methods or approaches worth implementing in foreign language classrooms. Even when the "best" out of the methods or approaches tends to be inconvenient or impractical for our own teaching situations, I propose pragmatic eclecticism to be applied in teaching foreign language. This article also aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods or approaches by keeping some certain aims and objectives in mind. I will try to show that some methods or approaches meet these aims or objectives which can help learners achieve the targeted goal whereas the other methods or approaches fail to meet. In this regard, this article provides a critical assessment of the adopted methods and approaches in the field of English language teaching, and claims that we must use every useful element of the methods and approaches rather than obsession with one of them.

e-Teals, 2013

| The current cultural, functional and linguistic multiplicity associated with the English language has led to the pressing need not only to reassess essential notions in English Language Teaching (ELT), but also to reconsider traditional pedagogical practices.

Teaching a new language either as a second or a foreign language has always been a deep concern for language teachers for centuries. It is for this reason that the human beings have always been in quest of teaching a foreign language more fluently in a shorter time. This quest dates back up to the time when Latin was spoken.

The history of English Language Teaching (ELT) has shown that this fast growing field is facing unprecedented challenges posed by the recent developments in the status of the English language as a world's leading language and the eventual change in the linguistic landscape. This paper provides an opportunity to examine the impact of the phenomenal spread of English in recent years and its eventual dominance in the international arena as seen in the practice of English Language Teaching (ELT) and learning, particularly in English as a Second Language (ESL)/English as Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. The paper reports the implications of the recent growth of English for crucial ELT practices and areas such as learner identity, code selection in classroom, teaching methods, syllabus design and material development. It draws on issues pertaining to English as a lingua franca theory in an attempt to address this debatable topic and consider the necessity of taking into consideration the emerging trends in ELT classrooms globally. 1. Introduction This paper draws on the implications of the rapid growth of English and its rise at the international arena from an ELT perspective. It attempts to examine the crucial changes brought by the phenomenal spread of English to the practice of teaching English all over the world, particularly in the ESL/EFL settings. It is understood that the rapid proliferation of English in the world in recent years has been accelerated by various factors, including the use of English in education and the eventual speedy growth of internationalization of English and education. Thus, it is imperative to examine the impact of the growth of English on its teaching and learning, and the necessity of revisiting some fundamental concepts, beliefs and practices in the ELT field. With the increasing demand for English by speakers of other languages, together with the strong connection between English and the Internet and its applications, there have emerged new realities that challenge the traditional teaching practices. For instance, learners of English today have become more innovative with diverse learning strategies, opportunities, resources, and objectives (Cook, 2003). Moreover, the proliferation of the accessible new media, including social media, has created better learning and language practice opportunities for individuals who use it in learning language activities, and engage in active communication nationally and internationally, and interact in English with speakers of diverse linguistic backgrounds and experiences around the world (Crystal, 2002). In addition, the situation has further been more complex with the emergence of the phenomenon of varieties of Englishes. Practically speaking, with the pressing issues pertaining to the dominance of English and the world's changing linguistic landscape and the limitations of the traditional definition of 'native speaker' to appeal to the current situation, it is difficult to hold the same traditional language teaching perceptions and practices. This requires reconsidering the views and practices held about ELT, especially what concerns the language learners and the type of language taught to them. Furthermore, another indication of the changing scene relates to the fact that when English is spoken almost everywhere in the world, there is an urgent need for revising our approach to the materials we use in our classes and the way we assess our students as well. Moreover, the English language learners' actual needs must be addressed and taken into consideration when it comes to what variety of English should our students learn today. Because developing an understanding about their actual needs and views about what kind of English they would want to learn will keep teachers more focused and to the point (Gross, 2016; Jenkins, 2014).

This article analyzes the importance of the L1 use in EFL classrooms and seeks answers to the question of when and how to use the mother tongue in EFL classrooms in Vietnam and all over the world. The paper begins with a glimpse in the historical sequence of the six most-recognized ELT approaches and methods, which will highlight periodic changes in the role of L1 in the L2 teaching. The article then looks at some interesting current trends in English language teaching methodology with reference to the context of Vietnam. Finally, the paper clarifies some benefits as well as disadvantages of using the L1 in the L2 classroom before coming up with the conclusion and recommendations in terms of how and when to use (or to allow the use of) the students' native language in the EFL classroom.

ELT journal, 2022

The Introduction to this Special Issue on ELT and English-medium education in multilingual university settings provides a picture of the dynamic backdrop to the issues addressed by our contributing writers. We begin with a reflection on the nature of ELT and then move to a discussion of the specific nature of Englishmedium education in higher education globally. The Introduction underlines the importance of respecting and drawing on students' multilingual repertoires, and the opportunities this affords for decolonising ELT in university settings.

The socio-linguistic consequences of the current role of English in the world are reflected in the most recent research studies in the field of English as a Lingua Franca and of World Englishes. These studies bear significant implications for English language teaching and require both a careful rethinking and a new design in language planning, particularly in foreign/second language curricula, course-book and classroom materials and language tasks. The teaching of English should be oriented at fostering language and (inter)cultural awareness, as well as the use of effective communicative strategies in the classroom, in order to develop effective communicators in today’s world, where English is increasingly employed as a LF among speakers of different linguacultures. This contribution illustrates the shift in perspective required within a new WE and ELF aware approach in the ELT classroom and in teacher education courses. Exemplifications of teaching activities devised by ELT teachers in an in-service WE and ELF aware training course will also be described and discussed.

Basic function of language is communication. Learning a language is of no use if effective communication don’t takes place between addresser and addressee. Genre helps the language students with examples of how to use the language in particular context. Each genre has its equal place of importance in ELT (ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING/TRAINING). A primary concern for an ELT teacher is the content that he/she needs to incorporate in the classroom to teach. Content development is a crucial part of language teaching that can be benefitted tremendously by the employment of literary genres. Keywords: Students, learning, genre, psychology, understanding, motivation.

The use of English as the first global lingua franca makes English inseparable from globalization. Since globalization has affected almost the whole aspects of life in the world, English, which is used as the main means of communication in those sectors, is also closely connected to them. Therefore, any consideration of the teaching of English, including the trial to figure out its future challenges, should be linked to these accelerated changes. This paper discusses the 21st century ELT challenges by elaborating four features of globalization which have significant implications to English.

JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH, 2020

It is already straight and simple that English, the fourth language most commonly used in the country, has been the world's most spoken official language. Therefore, it is an imminent necessity to monitor this change so that the young generation can engage effectively with their co-participants beyond the boundary. Even in those nations where it's not the first language, its official significance is evident. It is also the medium of mutual collaboration, a multidisciplinary community of employment, foreign exchange, and commerce. In a country like India, the English language has become a social status indicator since it can now decide the future of the youths. Through extending scientific *