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The
context of English language teaching in Southeast Asia is in a continuous
state of flux. Learners of English face new demands of their skills,
arising from new technologies and the ever-increasing internationalization
of the workplace. |
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| Governments
seek to develop policies which will balance the country's need for
English as an international medium of communication with its equally
pressing need to preserve the status of national languages. Teachers
work within organisational structures which are being constantly submitted
to scrutiny and change. The conceptions of language, learning and
educational goals which guide teachers' work are likewise being constantly
re-evaluated. As a result, teachers and administrators are confronted
daily with new challenges, from sources which are both external (such
as when they are asked to implement new syllabuses) and internal (such
as when they themselves perceive discrepancies between what they aim
for and what they achieve). |
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challenges elicit new responses and in this way, English language
educators are stimulated to bring their full powers of creativity
to bear on their work. The responses, like the challenges, may originate
at any level of the system, from the 'macro-level' of political planning
to the 'micro-level' of the individual classroom. Wherever they originate,
they are soon likely to send ripples out to all the other levels.
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conference will provide opportunities for participants to review both
the nature of the challenges and - even more important - the responses
with which these challenges have been met, at all or any of these
various levels from politics to the classroom. Here are some of the
themes that speakers and other participants may wish to address: |
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Varieties of English in Southeast Asia: |
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English in relation to other languages; English as an international
language; language policy; etc. |
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Communicating
in English in Southeast Asia: |
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patterns of English use; cultural influences on English use; contexts
of English use; etc. |
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Literature
in English in Southeast Asia: |
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the experience of Southeast Asian writers; English and the writer's
identity; the role of literature in schools; etc. |
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Learning
English in Southeast Asia: |
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the target and learning needs of Southeast Asian learners; learning
strategies; cultural influences on learning preferences; etc. |
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Learning
through English in Southeast Asia: |
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English as a medium of instruction; cognitive and social implications
of learning through a second language; academic language proficiency
needs; etc. |
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Teaching
English in Southeast Asia: |
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English language syllabuses; teaching methods and techniques; teacher
education and teacher competence; etc. |
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