Page 25 - ELG2404 April Issue 489

IATEFL

A chat with…

Zarina Subhan

IATEFL will be taking place in Brighton this year.

We speak with IATEFL plenary speaker, Zarina Subhan.

Q: Have you been to an IATEFL I’ve only met virtually, including making new to be dependent on one summative form of
conference before and what are you acquaintances. assessment, if I could.
most looking forward to?
Yes: I first went as an MA student back in 1998, Q: How did you first get interested in Q: If you could have three wishes – one
and in 2008 I gave a talk on whether English language? professional, one political (with a small p),
was a language of colonialism or one of conflict I suppose I subconsciously became interested in and one personal – what would they be?
mitigation in the Sri Lankan context. languages by growing up in a bilingual household My three wishes would be:
I’m looking forward to being in the same and frequently visiting multilingual family Professional: to co-write an educationally
place as so many language experts at the same members in India and becoming trilingual by sustainable textbook with some hand-picked
time. As well as catching up with friends and the age of four. However, not ‘performing’ well professionals.
colleagues, meeting face-to-face those who enough for my school French teacher made me Political: to have every person in the world
feel ironically ‘bad’ at languages. volunteer for six months in another country
and have to learn that language from scratch.
Q: If you could change one thing about Personal: to be unapologetically me!
the English language what would it be
and why?
I’d probably get rid of idiomatic expressions With a background in the sciences,
if I could because they actively exclude Zarina found a niche in the ELT
speakers who have had to learn the language world in EAP and ESP, which
in a classroom. The chances of slipping up and led to a natural interest and
getting the expression muddled are high and flair in CLIL. Through teaching
they are so hard to make sense of without a lot and her MA, she has specialised in teacher
of cultural understanding. education and materials writing that has taken
her on various CPD projects around the world.
Q: If you could change one thing about Having seen first-hand the need for education
language teaching and/or language and development, she is a champion for girls’ and
learning what would it be and why? women’s education, with interests in the neurology
I’m tempted to say exams, but I can see of learning; CLIL; CPD for teachers; diverse,
Zarina spent a lot of time with the need for and the value of certificates, equitable, inclusive and sustainable education.
multilingual family members in India. so instead I’d get rid of the need for grades
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