Page 23 - ELG1903 Mar-Apr Issue 464
P. 23

SPECIAL FEATURE

        When English Medium is the message
        When English Medium is the message

        English as a Medium of Instruction is right at the top of the agenda for
        Trevor Grimshaw. He tells Melanie Butler why.

        When Trevor first told people that his   More than 80 per cent of respondents   discipline of EMI and that of ELT.
        university would offer a Masters degree in   answered ‘no’.             Multiliteracies,  translanguaging  and
        English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)   By 2022, according to research by   plurilingualism replace the native speaker
        (in addition to their well-established MA   University of Bath’s own Tristan Bunnell,   models of much of 20th-century second
        TESOL), eyebrows were raised.       there will be 11,000 English-medium   language acquisition. In the area of
          “You want to launch another programme   international schools world-wide, employing   intercultural communication (IC), one
        about English teaching?” came the reply.  “But   500,000 English speaking teachers. Not   of Trevor’s own research interests, the
        you’ve already got one of those!”   to mention the teachers needed for the 29   emphasis is on taking a critical view because,
          How different is EMI from good, old   million children currently in India’s English   “in a world where the EMI learner is forced
        language teaching? One way of describing   medium schools.              to interact, classical IC theory can be part
        it, says Trevor, is as a cline. On one end, we   Until now the only training available has   of the problem because of its reliance on
        have language-focused teaching, and at the   been short courses, or single units of study in   cultural stereotypes.”
        other sits EMI. In the middle, we move from   a post graduate course. Yet, as Trevor says,   He also addresses the importance of
        task-based learning though content-based   there is a growing research base in EMI, with   context in forming EMI policy, saying, “We
        instruction, CLIL and bilingual teaching.  a mass of academic publications on the subject   put a lot of emphasis on this at University of
          The paradigm is shifting and it’s shifting   in recent years. Teachers and leaders need to   Bath; it is one of the fundamental principles
        towards EMI.                        engage with this research.          of the MA TESOL.”
          All over the world, as Trevor points   “You cannot get this research element   So here, at least,  the new world of EMI links
        out, there are millions of people who are   from a short teacher training course,” Trevor   to the familiar world of ELT.
        moving along the EMI-cline, but they do   commented. The launch of the Bath MA is
        not necessarily know that they are doing   designed to help fill the gap by balancing the
        it because they call it by so many different   growing body of research and the practical   TREVOR GRIMSHAW
        names. Even when we talk about bilingual   needs of classroom teachers.  is a Senior Lecturer in the
        education, we normally expect that one of the   Says Trevor, “The phrase – well, slogan   Department of Education,
        languages is English.               – I like to use is: research led teaching and   in the Centre for the Study
          In a survey commissioned by the British   teaching led research.”      of Education in an Inter-
        Council in 2014, Julie Dearden asked: ‘Are   A quick look at the Bath programme   national Context at the
        there enough qualified EMI Teachers?’   highlights the difference between the   University of Bath.


                 MA English as a Medium of Instruction


                                            New for September 2019





                                                                  Acquire specialised knowledge, skills and
                                                                  expertise in the rapidly-expanding area of
                                                                  English as a Medium of Instruction with this
                                                                  new one year, full-time master’s degree at
                                                                  the University of Bath.

                                                                  •  Gain specialist knowledge and skills for the
                                                                    teaching of academic subjects in English
                                                                  •  Apply appropriate EMI practice and policy
                                                                    to suit your context
                                                                  •  Develop effective teaching materials to suit
                                                                    students’ learning needs
                                                                  •  Draw on research to inform daily practice
                                                                    and decision making






                                Explore the course: go.bath.ac.uk/ma-english-medium


        editorial@elgazette.com                                                                                23
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