“Representation matters” has become a bit of a catchphrase due to social justice awareness efforts, but perhaps it has a different meaning for native speakers teaching English as a foreign or second language. English has undeniably become a global language, and the average English speaker speaks a global variant of English and uses the language largely with other speakers of world English rather than with the stereotypical Western native speaker so highly coveted in many classrooms. Some studies have explored the effectiveness of non-native speakers of English as language teachers in global classrooms with largely positive results, and the same holds true for materials created by diverse speakers of English and showing the usage of the language by speakers that more closely match the demographic of the learner, at least some of the time.
In light of this information, it makes sense for the conscientious NET to include examples of Global English in classroom materials. This presentation will explore ways that that already occurs naturally and how to maximise impact, ways to find good and useful materials, and some notes on what makes world Englishes helpful specifically in the Korean EFL classroom.
Bio
Melissa Watkins is a professor at Korea University of Technology and Education.
