Page 17 - ELG1709 Agu-Sep Issue 450

EMI SPECIAL .

‘EMI is

not a

grassroots

movement’

Introducing English as a Medium of Instruction
can be laced with pitfalls and institutions need to
make sure staff, students and parents are all on
board, a leading expert tells Claudia Civinini. Prof. Ernesto
Macaro

here are currently four models for Professor Macaro’s review of the research for example, and draw on their extensive
EMI, says Ernesto Macaro, director has revealed some other issues too. vocabulary to find alternative ways to express
of Oxford University’s Centre for One of the key findings, he says, is that themselves, he says. EMI is also about
TResearch and Development in English the movement towards EMI is top-down. interaction. ‘The traditional lecture model
Medium Instruction. There is the preparatory ‘Managers are making the decision. It doesn’t doesn’t work in EMI’, he added.
year model, the institutional support model, mean teachers are against it, but it’s not a Talking about language teachers, what does
and the pre-institutional selection model, he grassroots movement – and all the theoretical a former French language teacher who grew
explains. The fourth, which he compares to research shows that if you are not in control up in England but was born in Italy think
an ostrich, is the not uncommon ‘bury-your- of what you are doing, then it’s not going to of native speakerism in ELT? ‘I don’t think
head-in-the-sand’ model. work’, he says. Then, there is the ever-present native speakers are better [teachers]. Bilingual
As EMI spreads like wildfire throughout question: does it improve English proficiency teachers are certainly better – you need to
Europe and Asia, Macaro’s work is becoming and teach subjects effectively? ‘This is not an speak the language of the population’, he
all the more important to understand what easy question’, he adds. The evidence is not all explains. However, we have to be careful to
can go wrong when it is introduced. clear-cut. not throw out the baby with the bath water,
For Macaro, it’s all down to institutional The authors of the research we cover on he warns. ‘Native speakers have a broad range
problem avoidance. ‘Pretending that teachers of vocabulary and idioms, which makes a
are all ok, that students are all fine and The collaboration language rich. An Italian lecturer once said:
that you don’t have to put any money into between the language “when I teach in English I teach in black and
the system. I am afraid it all comes down to white, in Italian I teach in colour”’.
money’, he says. ‘EMI works well when all specialists and the ‘What is important’, he adds, ‘is to not
stakeholders are being involved: students, expect your students to become native
teachers, managers – and head teachers and content specialists needs speakers. And to not have an employment
parents in a school.’ to be at the heart of the system which only favours native speakers’.
Policies should also factor in other elements, Since we are talking about hot topics in ELT,
he adds, such as some sort of ‘accommodation’ policy what does Macaro think of the industry’s
for CLIL or EMI students – extra support and complicated relationship with the evidence
more time in exams, for example. base? ‘EFL has tended to respond to the latest
The collaboration between the language page 10 told us that to be able to learn content fads far too quickly, with people becoming
specialists and the content specialists also in a foreign language effectively, students famous too quickly. Teachers need to be more
needs to be at the heart of the policy, he says. need to be so proficient that they don’t need discerning, more careful about how they
‘In higher education, the language specialists to think about the language anymore. ‘If you consume research, and the same goes for
need to become more specialised in the are expected to reach that level before you publishers’, he says.
content, and the content specialists need to be start English medium instruction, then we are Macaro is now busy working on two
more aware of the students’ linguistic needs’, not going to have internationalisation. About projects. The first one is laying the
Macaro adds. fifty percent of students wouldn’t be able to foundations for the creation of a certification
Above the institutional level, there is operate’, Macaro says. for EMI lecturers. The second project analyses
some soul-searching to be done. ‘The EU has Constantly reflecting on the language is the the level of vocabulary taught in CLIL classes
been unclear about what it wants to achieve key for lecturers, he adds. ‘If I weren’t to think at Italian licei (academic secondary schools)
through internationalisation’, he says. ‘The about the language I was using, I would be compared to that needed to successfully study
Bologna process was never meant to promote doing a disservice to my students.’ Lecturers in English at university. Initial results will be
just English, it was about plurilingualism.’ need to be careful with idioms and metaphors, out by April next year. Watch this space.
16 August/September 2017

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