EMI teacher-training: new teacher identities? - Congrès Annuel de l'APLIUT Toulouse, 1 juin 2018

EMI teacher-training:
new teacher identities?
  alexandra.reynolds@u-bordeaux.fr

     Congrès Annuel de l’APLIUT Toulouse, 1 juin 2018

English as a Medium of Instruction
              (EMI)

“The use of the English language to teach academic
subjects in countries or jurisdictions where the first
language (L1) of the majority populations is not English.”

                                (Dearden 2015: 2)

                                                             2

Teacher identity

   « Teacher identity refers to the development of one’s
    awareness and understanding of self as a teacher. »

                                  (Johnson et al. 2014: 103-121)

Context
• 1 week workshop: July 2017
   • 3 hours in the morning followed by lunch.

• Participant profile:
   • 15 lecturers (EC) at the Mines Engineering school, St Etienne.

• Ethnographic case-study: teacher-researcher as integral to the study.

Workshop outline
• Who are we, what are we doing and why are we doing it?
   • Period of self-reflection and definition of terms
• Defining identity in relation to multilingualism.
• Practicing being an EMI teacher:
   •   Sell yourself (job interview, module description, adverstising)
   •   Presentation of a picture
   •   Presentation of an object
   •   Mini interactive lesson
• Giving written feedback on the EMI workshop

Data: Auto-evaluation of competence

Data: Auto-evaluation of competence

Planning for bilingual teacher identity

The ability to use more than one language.
(Garcia 2009)

The ability to use two or more languages on a regular
basis.
(Grosjean 2010)

Data: bilingualism
• What is your definiton of bilingualism?

      « Using, speaking and undestanding languages perfectly, what is said
      explicitly and implicitly, and all kinds of specific, idiomatic
      expressions. »
                                     Feedback from EMI workshop participant

• To what extent are you bilingual?
      « I am bilingual in the field of material science, and not at all for
      everyday life. »
                                     Feedback from EMI workshop participant

Data: body portraits (Busch 2012)

Is it language or is it pedagogy?

Feedback on the EMI workshop

                +                                    -
• Accepting and working with my       • Too many participants.
  limitations.                        • Importance of the workshop
• Individual feedback from trainer.     setting.
• Confidence boosting.                • Confidence draining.
• Learnt new interactive ‘tricks’.    • No set phrases.
• Being and learning with peers.      • Suggestion of a ‘feedback’
                                        session.

Trainer objectives

 « Prendre conscience que EMI et ELF sont des concepts théorisés et
  permet de se rendre compte qu’il n’y a pas besoin d’être fluent en
       anglais pour produire un cours scientifique en anglais »
                             Feedback from EMI workshop participant

EMI teacher training: recommendations

• Define the parameters with your participants.
• Invite participants to define and present their EMI teacher
  identities.
• Create room for teacher-practice.
• Combine formal and informal language registers.
• Discuss teacher certification, further training.

EMI teacher identity
• Acknowledges bilingual competence and practices without necessarily
  acknowledging bilingual identity.
• Is aware of the challenges associated with teaching in a second
  language.
• Negotiates language with students but maintains expert authority.
• Is innovative.
• Is central to teacher development because a re-assessement of
  pedagogical practices seems inherent to a shift in language.

Thank you!
            alexandra.reynolds@u-bordeaux.fr
• Busch, B. (2012). The Linguistic Repertoire Revisited. Applied Linguistics,
  33(5), 503–523.
• Dearden, J. (2014). English as a medium of instruction–a growing global
  phenomenon. British Council.
• García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global
  perspective. John Wiley & Sons.
• Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and reality. Harvard University Press.
• Johnson, B., Down, B., Le Cornu, R., Peters, J., Sullivan, A., Pearce, J., &
  Hunter, J. (2014). Promoting early career teacher resilience: A framework
  for understanding and acting. Teachers and Teaching, 20(5), 530–546.

Annexes

Feedback on the EMI workshop (questions
 used in the questionnaire)
1. Qu’attendiez-vous de cette formation de 3 jours ?
2. Cette formation a-t-elle répondu à ces attentes ? OUI / NON
3. Est-ce que vous dispensiez déjà des cours en anglais avant cette formation ? OUI /NON

     • Si NON : Vous sentez-vous (plus) prêt(e) à enseigner en anglais après cette formation ? OUI / NON
     • Si OUI : Cette formation vous a-t-elle apporté de nouvelles compétences (ou autre) pour mieux
       enseigner en anglais ? OUI / NON
4.   Que pensez-vous du format (trois jours, 9h-14h repas compris) et du volume horaire ?
5.   Quels sont les points forts de la formation?
6.   Quelles sont vos suggestions d’amélioration de la formation ?
7.   Autres remarques ?