Decentring ELT

Decentring ELT


Decentring ELT "highlights teachers' own development of contextually appropriate thinking and action ... in relation to the needs of their local contexts."




The ‘Decentring ELT’ initiative, launched by the A.S. Hornby Educational Trust in 2018, aims explicitly and deliberately to promote the development of contextually appropriate thinking and action (on methodology, materials design, curriculum development, teacher education, etc.), with a specific focus on the needs of learners and teachers of English in public education systems in relatively low-income countries. 

The world of ELT has been characterized by a hegemony of 'global' or 'centre' approaches and materials developed outside the teaching contexts in which they are expected to be used. However, these approaches and materials ('frames for action') are not necessarily appropriate to and do not recognize teachers' and other insiders' experience and expertise in those contexts.

A decentring perspective involves valuing and seeking to understand how teachers, often collaborating with each other, try to articulate key features of their work (including the reasons for these features) and ways they feel their practice can be improved. It highlights teachers' own development of contextually appropriate thinking and action (on methodology, materials design, curriculum development, teacher education, and so on) in relation to the needs of their local contexts.

Decentring ELT enables exploration of alternatives to English language teaching centred on 'outsider' agendas. It entails engagement of contextually situated, 'insider' expertise and creativity, with teachers and groups of teachers identifying, understanding and extending practices which are effective for them, and which can be built on by other teachers, teacher educators and policy makers.

Decentring ELT book published (2023)


This book (freely downloadable by clicking on the link below) provides an overview of the Decentring ELT initiative to date. It shows how decentring has been characterized, offers case studies from English language teacher associations in Africa, Latin America and Africa and raises questions for further reflection. The book can be used by teacher groups and in teacher education as a basis for critical discussion. 

Download Decentring ELT: Practices and Possibilities here

 

    Contents

  1. Background to the Decentring ELT initiative
  2. Early consultation
  3. Decentring initiatives by teacher associations
  4. Conference presentations
  5. Wider perspectives (panel discussion)
  6. Further consultation: Responses via questionnaire
  7. A revised characterization of Decentring ELT
  8. What does decentring mean for you?


Watch an interview with the book's editors for The Teacher Trainer (Journal) here

 

'Decentring ELT: Insights and Explorations': Hornby scholars' presentation at the 2023 IATEFL conference


On 18 April 2023, Hornby scholars studying at the University of Warwick gave this talk at the IATEFL conference in Harrogate You can watch a video-recording of their very well-received presentation by clicking on the link below. Their PowerPoint slides (as pdf) are here.


Watch a video-recording of the presentation here.

Decentring ELT conferences: 2021, 2023


The Hornby Trust marked its 60th anniversary with the  first online conference, on decentring ELT (December 2021), organized in association with AINET Association of English Teachers and the Centre for English Language Teacher Education, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Delhi. The conference aimed to:

  • Invite wider reflection and consultation on the notion of 'decentring ELT'
  • Inspire further activity in this area
  • Gather information to feed into continuing reflection on / activity related to decentring ELT

 

Downloadable here are:

A 2-page summary of the conference, with links to video-recordings of presentations and discussions

The full conference programme, with information about presentations and speakers


This was followed by a second Decentring ELT conference (March 2023) to enable us to continue to:

  • Invite wider reflection/consultation on the notion of 'Decentring ELT'
  • Identify and analyse examples of Decentring
  • Inspire further activity in this area.

ELT Journal article

Published in the January 2022 issue of ELT Journal, this is an 'Editor's Choice' article and free to view by anyone.


The article aims to explore the notion of ‘decentring’ in ELT by means of a provisional characterization and by presenting examples of activities carried out by ELT teacher associations in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia which involve: localization/devolution; encouragement of success-sharing; support for teacher research; investigation of members’ needs and/or capabilities; and/or attempts to bring about wider change. On the basis of feedback received so far on the authors' provisional characterization of decentring, they highlight some ways in which this notion, and outside support for it, may need to be not only extended but also problematized and critiqued.


June 2020 Africa TESOL webinars on Decentring ELT 

In June 2020, Africa TESOL hosted four webinars, with the support of the Hornby Trust,  on the theme of 'Decentring ELT'. Recordings here

Decentring ELT case studies


Representatives from ELT Teacher Associations met in Liverpool in 2019 for a 2-day forum to explore how they understand ’Decentring ELT’, and why  it matters. The following case studies were shared and will be added to as time goes on, as a resource for other TAs.

Case study 1: Argentina Case Study 2 : DR Congo Case Study 3: Kenya Case Study 4: Cameroon Case study 5: Chile Case study 6: Nepal

Other achievements

- support for publication of a (2022) book arising from a Hornby alumni project, entitled Enhancement Approach: Success Stories of EFL Teachers from Bangladesh and Nepal, published by BELTA and NELTA. See also this video of the launch event on 6 February 2022

- support for organization of an innovative IATEFL Research SIG two-day conference, Teachers Research! Online 2021, featuring teachers from Argentina, Cameroon, India, Iraq, Israel, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, the Philippines, Turkey and Uzbekistan, and for publication of an innovative book of proceedings. A second conference was organized in March 2023, with a second book of proceedings – Teachers Research! Online 2023 – published the following month.

- support for publication of a (2021) Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association book arising from a Hornby alumni project, entitled Exploratory Action Research: Stories of Nepalese English Teachers

- support for publication of an IATEFL Global Issues SIG book arising from the Hornby Regional Workshops in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019, entitled Creating Change: Global Issues in ELT in Africa

- presentation of Decentring ELT case studies at the Africa TESOL conference 2019 and International House London 'Future of Training' conference 2019

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