The English language has been exported all over the world and as such, it has taken on new forms in terms of grammar, vocabulary and accent, tied to various regions, countries and societal groups within. At this point, most speakers of English are not, in fact, so-called 'natives'. This has far-reaching implications for communication with English as a lingua franca and yet, this has not caught up in EFL pedagogy to the extent it needs to. This edited book addresses this gap in the German context, and in doing so, moves beyond monolithic models such as British and American English, which themselves are actually far from unified. By bringing the Englishes - and subsequent voices and identities - of non-inner circle Englishes into the classroom, the book has the following benefits. First, it addresses the need for equality on a linguistic level, with language a proxy for identities based on ethnicity and regional origin. Second, the book helps students to approach language with more objectivity, by realising that Indian English, for example, is no less 'logical' than, say, standard American English, and likewise, not 'better' either. Finally, the implications for 'communicative competence' in a global world using a global language in all its varieties is addressed.---Alex Baratta, University of Manchester, UK
'Glocalising Teaching English as an International Language' consists of scholarly works that collectively build a solid bridge between the theory and practice of teaching EIL. Not only has this book made a theoretical contribution to the field, but it has also provided fresh ideas on how TEIL can be operationalised at the classroom level. The pedagogical principles and practices discussed by the contributors of this book are largely relevant not only to the German context, but also to many other teaching contexts where English serves as a foreign language. The balanced mix of theory, research, and practice on teaching EIL makes this edited volume a must-read for researchers, teacher-educators, and practitioners who wish to challenge native-speaker supremacy in ELT, to promote lingua-cultural diversity in ELT and language teacher-education, and to inspire language learners to learn how to communicate effectively and respectfully across cultures.---Roby Marlina, SEAMEO-RELC, Singapore
The editors provide a timely and excellent publication on English language teaching in Germany - an expanding circle context in the Kachruvian three circles model. It is an important contribution to the field of Global Englishes that encompasses World Englishes, ELF, EFL reflecting the pluricentric nature of English. It suggests a paradigm shift in ELT away from native-speaker norms in the German context with pedagogical implications for other expanding circle contexts as a solution to the changing needs of English language learners in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world. The chapters in the book include examples from various stakeholders from K12 to university level with a critical stance towards TEIL curriculum development, materials evaluation, and teacher education. In this respect, it invites readers to imagine how the English language should be taught in the 21st century by questioning teaching standard varieties of English while people from all other linguistic and cultural backgrounds use English as a means of communication all around the world. Various emprical studies reported in the chapters of the book highlight the need for reimagining ELT and provide evidence for what is actually happening in the classroom when a TEIL approach is used. This book invites readers to think beyond the traditional boundaries of ELT. It is a must read book for teacher educators, curriculum and materials developers, as well as undergraduate/graduate students specializing in ELT in the German educational context to develop an understanding of how change might occur in ELT from a TEIL perspective in the 21st century with implications for other expanding circle contexts. It is a great contribution to both the GELT and TEIL literature.---Yasemin Bayyurt, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey
