About the webinar:
Education policies in South Asia strongly advocate the use of familiar or home languages in classroom teaching, using the home language is often perceived as problematic especially in the teaching of English. While there is available research and evidence emphasising the importance of using multilingual approaches to teach English or teach other subjects through English to students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, this is often not integrated in teacher education programmes across South Asia. This panel discussion brings together academic experts from across South Asia to explore strategies to bridge this gap and underscore the importance of offering specialised professional development opportunities to teachers teaching English as a subject and using English as a medium of learning and teaching in linguistically diverse classrooms.
Pakistan time: 15:30 - 16.30 |
India and Sri Lanka time: 16:00 - 17:00 |
Nepal time: 16.15 - 17.15 |
Bangladesh Time: 16:30 - 17:30 |
Objectives of the session:
- gain insights into current practices within education systems that support integration of multilingual approaches
- explore challenges and opportunities faced by teachers and teacher educators in effectively implementing multilingual approaches
- gain knowledge about current practices and potential solutions to overcome challenges in teacher development
- identify what is feasible for teachers and school heads to do within their scope in implementing changes in pre-service and in-service teacher development programmes
- learn about potential professional development opportunities by the British Council.
Moderator:
Ann Veitch
Ann is British Council’s global lead for English as a language of learning and teaching and English within multilingual education, responsible for the British Council’s global programme ‘English in a multilingual world’. She is author of the British Council’s perspective on English in higher education – English medium and co-author of a Global mapping of English-medium instruction in higher education. Her interests are in inclusion and equity within English as a language of learning and teaching contexts, multilingual pedagogies and Global Englishes. Based in Scotland, Ann has worked in English language teaching, teacher education, academic and programme management for 23 years. She has worked in Poland, Egypt, Qatar, Tanzania and the UAE.
Panellists:
Dr. Fatima Dar from Pakistan
Dr. Fatima Dar is the CEO of Oak Consulting which is an educational consultancy firm in Pakistan that works on various aspects of education including educational research, curriculum and teacher development, assessment and monitoring and evaluation. She has been an educator and researcher for over 28 years and has worked at senior positions in academia and the development sector. Her publications, both national and international, address issues related to curriculum development, teacher education and English language teaching
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam from Nepal
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam has a BEd. and MEd in English Education from Tribhuvan University, Nepal; an MA in ELT from Lancaster University, UK; Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship on International Education and Leadership Development from Boston University, USA; Echidna Global Scholar on Girl’s Education at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution (2016), USA; a PhD on Educational Leadership from Kathmandu University, Nepal. Gautam is uniquely placed to conduct this research due to his in-depth knowledge of English language education in Nepal and his excellent track record in this area.
Dr. Md Mohib Ullah from Bangladesh
Dr. Md. Mohib Ullah has an impressive academic background that includes a Fulbright Scholarship and an Award of Excellence from the University of Georgia, USA. He is well known for his expertise in the nuances of language and its effects on society. Also an IVLP alum, he is the General Secretary of BELTA and President of GASD, showcasing his commitment to sustainable development and educational excellence in multilingual contexts. Currently, Dr. Mohib is deeply involved in enhancing research in multicultural and multilingual classrooms, sharing his rich experience from teaching English in Bangladesh and the USA. His contributions to the field of language education are both practical and scholarly, making him a valuable voice in discussions on continuous professional development for teachers in multilingual settings.
Dr. Lina Mukhopadhyay from India
Dr. Lina Mukhopadhyay is Professor and Head, Department of Training and Development, School of English Language Education at The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, India. Dr. Lina’s research interests include multilingual education, second language acquisition, language assessment and teaching young language learners. At present, she is working on several projects in collaboration with the University of Cambridge on multilingual education, teacher training and multilingual assessment in India. Her recent publications are in MLE and translanguaging for pedagogical purposes and multilingual assessment.