Page 32 - ELG2505 May Issue 494

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FEATURE

Say what? The global, local, and

glocal challenges faced by schools

Highlighting the necessity of more than just standard English, teacher
Tim Edwards delves into the language and cultural preparation schools

should equip students with before they travel internationally.

n international student I interviewed at that same school who had been taught What is the point of raising all this?
for my masters in New Zealand by another American in China were telling It leads to asking what variety of English
told me that, despite learning a students taught by a British teacher that it schools teach students if they know students
Alot of English before arriving, they was a silly idea to go all the way to Greece are planning to visit/study in an English-
were confused when the cashier’s first word just for ‘a holiday’. The first group imagined speaking country, whether this differs
at the supermarket was “Flybuys?” (a local a single public holiday daytrip, the second depending on whether the students are going
loyalty club programme). meant twelve days (a ‘vacation’, to the as a group to a specific place the school has
Whilst teaching on a different programme first group). a relationship with or heading piecemeal all
in New Zealand, which integrated New We will brush past stories of reactions to over the world, and related questions about
Zealand English (NZE) vocabulary and “no thongs” signs at Australian bar entrances, teaching culture. Similar questions might
pronunciation, and Ma¯ori vocabulary that reactions to being told “Sweet as” (‘all ok!’) be asked of secondary schools or language
is sprinkled within NZE, a student asked in a Kiwi accent, or classmates standing/not schools receiving international students
for more international English as they standing when a teacher enters the room in and deciding whether to prepare them solely
planned to find a job in the US or Singapore. different countries. There is also not space for the local context, or for more global use
When working at a summer school in the here for anecdotes about the words jelly or of English.
UK, a new American colleague, a mid- aubergine, and plenty of other articles discuss There is not space here to look at online/
20s teacher, told our all-British-until-then pronunciation differences between varieties virtual exchange experiences – maybe
team that his girlfriend back home was of English, such as American English (AmE)/ another article can do that - or the important
“still in school”. He meant completing her British English (BrE) syllable stress, schwa logistical and administrative aspects of
PhD, but we understood something else, usage, or placement and amount of /r/ in the study abroad.
initially. Meanwhile, international students word library.
32 May 2025