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English for Development
Michael Carrier
IATEFL Glasgow 2012
English for Development – what is it?
• This talk addresses some of the issues involved in English for
Development, and outlines how we at the British Council have been
working to provide these opportunities, to provide training for teachers and
provide new forms of learning opportunity to learners.
It will touch on:
• teacher development
• the socio-political challenges
• the development of partnerships with corporates/NGOs
• the use of new technologies
The drivers for English
•English changes lives
•English opens doors
•English creates opportunities
•English forges communities
The Key Drivers for English:
• Access to Education - increasing
demand for English-medium
schools, widening access to higher
education
• Employability - many jobs in the
commercial sector now require
good English skills
• Social mobility - English is seen
as an access route to the middle
classes and social/geographical
mobility
English Next India
David Graddol
3
Quality of
the
Education
System
Adequately
Educated
Workforce
Salary Gap
Number of
English
Speakers
Annual Gross
Income per
Capita
(salaried
professional)
Salary Gap
•The average salary gap of
someone who can speak
English vs. someone who does
not is approximately 20%
Annual Gross Income per
Capita
•72% of all companies
interviewed stated that
employees with English
language skills advance
quicker within companies
•67% of these companies also
said that English is beneficial
for company growth
English & the Individual
The economic value of English
Adequately Educated Workforce
•Over 50% of companies interviewed said that their workforce
was required to speak English
•30% of students in higher education aim to continue their
studies abroad, especially in English-speaking countries, such
as the UK, US and Australia
4
Summary of Key Findings – Company Interviews
Questions Pakistan Bangladesh Cameroon Rwanda Nigeria
Who is driving the demand
For English Education
68% responded
Individual
78% responded
Individual
62% responded
Individual
58% responded
Government
50% responded
Individual
Salary gap for someone
who can speak English vs.
someone who doesn’t
10-20% 15-25% 20-35% 20-40% 25-30%
How important is the
English language when
hiring? (5 = very important
1 = not important at all)
More than 88%
responded : 5
More than 68%
responded: 5
More than 58%
responded : 5
More than 68%
responded: 5
More than 80%
responded: 5
Do those who speak
English advance quicker
within the company?
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
What is the English level
required?
Good to Fluent (good
writing and spoken
English)
Good
Intermediate to Good
(Good spoken but may
have some problems
when writing)
Intermediate to Good
spoken but may have
some problems when
writing)
Good to Fluent (good
writing and spoken
English)
What % of the Workforce is
required to understand
English?
The average for all
companies is 62%,
sectors such as
banking and IT can
require up to 80%
The average for all the
companies is 58%,
sectors such as IT and
services can require up
to 72%
The average for all
companies is 48%,
sector such as tourism
can require up to 78%
The average for all
companies is 58%,
sector such as tourism
can require up to 72%
The average for all
companies is 71% but
sectors such as
banking and IT can
require up to 89%
Rank of benefit - how
important is English for
company growth (5 = very
important 1 = not
important at all)
55% responded: 5 62% responded : 5 68% responded : 5 82% responded : 5 75% responded: 5
Second Language spoken Urdu Bengali French French Pidgin English and
French
Who needs support?
Global English
we aim to work with:
• 1.5 billion learners
• 11.4m teachers of English
• 150 ministries of education
Developing economies:
we aim to work with:
• 500m-800m learners
• 6m – 7.5m teachers
Identity
Language
English alone is not enough
Culture
''In the knowledge society of the 21st century, language
competence and intercultural understanding are not optional
extras, they are an essential part of being a citizen'‘
The Languages Company
“If you talk to a man
in a language he
understands, that
goes to his head. If
you talk to him in
his language, that
goes to his heart. “
Nelson Mandela
“Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von der eigenen.
[Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Education 3.0 - a new paradigm of 21st century learning
• Ways of thinking
Creativity & innovation
Critical thinking, problem solving, decision making
Learning to learn - curiosity
• Ways of working
Communication
Collaboration
• Tools for working
Information literacy
ICT literacy
• Living in the world
Citizenship – local and global
Lifelong learning
Cultural awareness and competence
• And:
• English language proficiency
Education 3.0 - A new vision of learning: “as an activity not a place, open to new people with new ideas, of learners “pulling” learning toward themselves rather than teachers “pushing” learning out”
Michael Stevenson
English is one of the 21st century skills
The 21st Century Skills:
•Critical thinking & problem solving
•Creativity & innovation
•Collaboration & teamwork
•Cross-cultural understanding
•Communications, media literacy
•Computing and ICT literacy
•Career & learning self-reliance
•And:
•English language proficiency
9
Global language issues
• Globalisation global multilingualism
• Language & identity
• Language & integration
• Maintaining language diversity – 6000+
languages in 200 countries
• Maintaining LWUL – less widely used
languages
• Barcelona Accord
• English as a:
world language
lingua franca (not ELF)
life skill
medium of instruction (EMI)
route to multilingualism
10
English
Multi-
lingualism
L1
Language of
instruction
Multilingual identities
•"I think I do present a bit of a different personality when I'm speaking in English ...…when I'm speaking in Japanese, I really have to think about all the things, what's the proper style…and try to adjust myself to the identities" (Akira)
•“I think in both languages, English and Bengali,
together they make me truly me”
•"And sometimes I say to myself, Oh my God, she's so rude…and in fact it's because I'm used to the English way of talking and sometimes when I go back to France, in the supermarkets, for example, I say to myself 'they are so rude' because they never say 'sorry' etc" (Laure)
Multilingual identities in a global city, David Block
The role of E4D is:
• Increasing employability
• Facilitating international mobility
• Unlocking development opportunities & accessing crucial information
• Acting as an impartial language in contexts where other available languages would be unacceptable
Dreams & Realities
Can English undermine local languages and cultures?
• Is English a ‘Language of liberation’ and global
access?
• Is English a threat to L1?
• Which English? UK, US, Hinglish, Singlish….?
What kind of English?
•EYE
•CLIL
•EAP
•ESP
•EMI
•ELF
It is definitely unhelpful for Africa to
continue viewing English or any other
international language as the language of
colonialism or imperialism.
In spite of their historical association with
colonial rule and the fact that they have
limited the development of indigenous
languages, the former colonial languages
are useful now in several ways
Nigussie Negash, Dreams & Realities
Perceptions of English for Development
Dreams & Realities
When & how should English be taught?
15
Language & culture
The 5Cs of Culture
• Cultural knowledge
• Cultural behaviour
• Cultural values
& attitudes
• Cultural preferences
• Cultural adaptation
The 5th Language Skill:
• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Culture
16
“between the grammar of my
language and its expression in
audible speech lies the filter of the
social system in which I live”
Peter Farb
“the only way to understand the world
view of another culture is through its
language”
Sapir-Whorf
Hofstede’s Cultural Value categories
•Individual
Personal goals over group goals
Values autonomy
Few obligations to others
Confrontation acceptable
•Group-oriented
Group goals over personal goals
Values inter-dependence
Many obligations to others
Harmony expected
Egalitarian
• Few status differences
• Informal social relations
• Superior can be questioned
• Little respect for old age
Hierarchical
• Many status differences
• Formal social relations
• Deference for superiors
• Great respect for old age
Power Distance Index:
17
•English for Development issues:
•Curriculum and assessment reform
•Multilingualism in society
•Teacher Education
•Teaching English in state primary
schools
•Teacher resources
•Using ICT in the classroom
•English skills for employability
•Funding
Policy & research: the E4D debate
Language education policy – curriculum mapping
International CPD Framework
• A whole career offer
• Development pathways for all
teachers
• A training offer for all stages
• Digital resources
• Global networks and
communities
• Innovative ways to reach out to
all teachers
1 Starting Learning the
principles
2 Newly-
qualified
Putting principles into
practice
3 Developing Building confidence
and skills
4 Proficient Demonstrating
confidence,
experience and
reflection
5 Advanced Exemplifying good
practice
6 Specialist Leading and advising
The British Council CPD Framework
Level Stage Teacher development courses
1 Starting Primary Essentials
2 Newly-qualified Steps to Success
3 Developing Teaching Speaking DVD
TeachingEnglish Radio
In-Service Teacher Development
CLIL Essentials
Learning Technologies
Certificate in Primary ELT
Certificate in Secondary ELT - Proficiency
4 Proficient Certificate in Secondary ELT - Advanced
5 Advanced Trainer development course Mentoring Skills Course
Emoderator course Test Development Skills
6 Specialist Educational management
Teacher Development - Capacity Building
2 Newly-qualified
3 Developing
4 Proficient
Primary Essentials
CiPELT
Learning Technologies
LearnEnglish Kids
Flash card maker
Staffroom posters
Classroom posters
Teaching Speaking
TE Radio
Seminars
TeachingEnglish
LearnEnglish
Primary Teacher Development
Certificate in Secondary English Language Teaching
•A certificate course for practising
secondary teachers of English
•Participants complete 20 three-
hour modules from a choice of
topics to complete the certificate
•Topics include classroom
management, planning, special
needs, teaching language skills,
and special interests such as
literature and drama
Case study – Rwanda
• Low resource contexts
• Ministry EYE policy
• EMI
• Civil servant training
• Teacher language training
• Teacher skills training – 54,000 annually
• TT course design - Classroom language materials
• Project Umubano
Course resources
• Classroom language
material
• Course design
English teacher shortfall
• Examples of shortfall – Mexico 98,000, Colombia 35,000
• Qualifications
• Language levels
• Volunteers
• VSO
• BC Graduate training scheme:
100 scholarships to subsidise CELTA/Trinity training
Additional training to prepare for teaching abroad
Intercultural training
Radio – the forgotten medium
• LearnEnglish Radio:
• Free to users
• Inexpensive to make
• Available everywhere
Soap operas
Chat shows
Songs
Podcasts
Lectures
Lessons
Teaching English Radio support
The Lifeplayer
New learning modes for new generations
• Learner independence
• Online learning
• Self-paced learning
• 1-to-1 learning
• Handheld learning
• Mobile learning
• Collaborative learning
• Time-shifted learning –
anytime, anyplace
• Synchronous /
asynchronous learning
• Blended learning
Classroom
External world
Personal world
Techno-logy
options
English speaking
world
Open Educational Resources
31
Internet penetration in SSA
Internet & Facebook users - Africa
• 139m internet users
(grown 3000% in 10 years)
• 38m Facebook users
Case study – the Badaliko project
• PC Learning centres – “Digi hubs”
• 90 locations in 6 countries initially
• PCs, internet, self-access
• teacher training
• ICT training
• Microsoft - British Council partnership
• Public-private investment
1:1 learning - OLPC classroom devices
• “OLPC's mission is to
empower the world's
poorest children through
education” Nicholas Negroponte, MIT
• Uruguay
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Madagascar
• India
• Nepal
• Gaza & Ramallah
• Kenya
• Afghanistan
• Rwanda
• “As the pace of change in the world increases
dramatically, the urgency to prepare all children
to be full citizens of the emerging world also
increases dramatically.
• What children lack is not capability, it is
opportunity and resources.
• In the first years of OLPC we have seen two
million previously marginalized children learn,
achieve and begin to transform their
communities.”
1:1 learning - English & Classmates
“The students were clearly interested, motivated and
engaged by the computer based materials, far more
so than is likely to be the case for traditional
approaches to teaching.
In the classroom video they seemed to be actively
exploring the materials whenever they had a chance,
and they could be seen giving the materials
concentrated attention when asked to perform tasks
on the computer.”
British Council / Intel Classmate Research – Egypt pilot
•What impact does using the
Classmate PC have on the teacher
(skills, knowledge, behaviours and
training implications)?
•Does the use of the Classmate PC
lead to any changes in attitudes
towards the target language of
English among students?
•Does the use of the Classmate PC
lead to any changes in attitudes
towards the use of technology
among the students and teachers?
Smart Sync: classroom management
Localisation of content
Handheld & Mobile learning - Scope & impact
SMS project locations:
•Current: Kazakhstan, Indonesia, China, Malawi, Sudan, Columbia, Thailand
•Planned: Cyprus, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, SE Asia
•Scale: 1.5 million subscribers in 2012
2nd generation (Java) phone projects:
•Planned: all Sub-Saharan Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China
•Scale: estimated 10m learners
Smartphone projects:
•Current: global access via iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 8
•Scale: global availability - estimated 5 million learners by 2012
Content development:
•Sequenced courses (curriculum-mapped)
•Self-access language practice
•Video & audio authentic input (smartphones)
Sudan - English by SMS
• Mohamed Ali Amin, a health-care official based in Darfur, has been subscribing to the Advanced Level service for about a year. He originally subscribed to improve his vocabulary. He likes the fact he gets snippets of English four times a week and feels it has helped improve his grammar and vocabulary. This is important for him as he uses English in his job, but due to a lack of time and his location, finds it difficult to study on a more formal basis. Eman Mohammed, a Customer Services Manager from Omdurman, has subscribed for 2 months to the elementary level. She subscribed to revise and improve her English knowledge. She likes the fact that you learn on the move and in snippets – it’s not like attending a lesson or sitting down with a grammar book for an hour. She also likes the fact it is limited to four short messages a week as this is enough to make it interesting without being overwhelming. Other similar services bombard you with messages or send very long ones.
English Everyday
Brief Description: SMS based English to expand
vocabulary and motivate learners with one useful
expression a day pushed to their mobile.
At 3 language levels – easy, medium, hard
Set 1:
16 topics for each level, though this can be expanded.
Each topic to last one week, with 6 expressions and one
quiz. The format is Expression + meaning + example in context
In total, one year’s worth of content.
Set 2:
200 IELTS tips for test takers preparing for the exam.
Which mobiles is it for? It works on all phone models, but
is aimed at low feature handsets
Distribution: in partnership with a content distributor such
as a Mobile Network Operator. e.g: Vodafone or Zain
English by SMS
Apps & Tablets
People expect to be able to work, learn, and study wherever they want. Horizons Report
Key issues to resolve
• English is necessary – but not sufficient
• We need to ensure L1 literacy comes before English
• We need strategies to create multilingual learners
• We need extensive teacher capacity building & support for low-resource
contexts
• We need more rigorous standards of English proficiency in all levels of
education (including HE), with more communicative language support & a
clear focus on phonology
• We need strategies to build intercultural skills and 21st century work skills
• We need to ensure English becomes a facilitator for quality education &
lifeskills, not a barrier to students outside elite groups
45
E4D is….
• E4D is an important contribution to the future of
developing economies
• E4D adds skills, opportunities and access to the world –
it does not undermine local language or culture
• E4D supports L1 literacy and does not replace mother
tongue instruction
• E4D needs investment in innovative technologies to help
us bring English to much wider groups
• E4D needs further research & our professional support!
References / handout
• *Coleman, Hywel (ed.) 2010. Dreams & realities. London: British Council
• *Euromonitor 2011. Economic Value of English Proficiency. London: British Council
• Phillipson, Robert. 1991, 2009. Linguistic Imperialism.
• Grin, Francois 2007. Economics of the Multilingual Workplace
• *Enever, Janet, (ed.) 2011. ELLIE – early language learning in Europe. London: British Council
• *Graddol, D. 2010. English Next India. London: British Council
• * available on the BC stand
