Enriching language development at all levels with inclusive, global resources, Adam Scott

Adam Scott, ELT Specialist of Sensations English presented on 'Enriching language development at all levels with inclusive, global resources' at the Future of English Language Teaching Conference (FOELT) in June 2021.

Abstract

Stimulating, relatable, real-world news video embedding positive representations and inclusive values promotes equality, higher-order thinking, language intake and meaningful output while encouraging intersectional teaching approaches. A strong foundation for a broad range of task-supported learning, these global, engaging and accessible materials which relate to learners' lives, interests and the wider world also feature diverse, international voices and promote positive, richly contextualised learner identities.

This presentation will explore opportunities for systems, skills, critical thinking and life-skills development using multimedia global news, frequently underexploited due to content's linguistic complexity, speaker delivery, and constraints on teachers' planning time. When considering learning from a complexity perspective, making these resources accessible to learners at all levels pays dividends. Multisensory access to linguistic and thematic content accommodates cognitive load, neurodiversity and embodied learning. Objective reporting opens spaces for meaningful discussion, projects, mediation and learner research and create a genuine need to use new language content.

The combination of global news video and principled approaches to multi-level materials development and inclusive learning enrich schemas and opportunities for higher-order thinking. Global news contexts scaffold new language, which learners discover and practise while developing subskills and expanding awareness of learning, issues and global English. Providing regular, supported exposure to diverse global voices offers learners in any context opportunities to consider lingua franca perspectives and explore translanguaging communicative practices.