Five on 5: ‘Native speakerism’, identity and ELT

To celebrate World Teachers' Day on 5 October, Neenaz Ichaporia, Manisha Dak and Chia Suan Chong presented ‘Native speakerism’, identity and ELT, a 1-hour online discussion forum for teachers, teacher educators and school leaders.

About the webinar

This online discussion forum focuses on issues around native speakerism in English Language Teaching and looks at a number of questions, including ‘who is a native speaker and to what extent does being a native speaker matter?’ The presenters and host explore different definitions of ‘native speakerism’ and also the concept of ‘inner’, ‘outer’ and ‘expanding’ circle countries, discussing implications for speakers of English from ‘outer’ or ‘expanding’ circles.

There is also discussion on how labels such as native and non-native speaker impact on identity, and the impact on ELT professionals, particularly in the area of employability. Finally, the discussion looks at concepts such as ‘imposter syndrome where some 'non-native' speaker teachers feel their English level is not sufficient enough to teach the language.

About the speakers

Neenaz is a teacher, content creator, teacher trainer and qualified e-moderator. Currently, she is Academic Manager for the British Council’s myEnglish online courses. She has been involved in designing, developing and delivering these courses since 2015. She’s also a believer in lifelong learning and often finds herself trying something new, like the Cambridge Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which she completed in 2014. In 2015, she got her e-moderating qualification and in 2016 completed an Academic Management course from International House, London. She plans to begin a master’s course in Education soon.

Manisha has worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, head teacher, and director of a language centre between 2001 and 2011. She currently works as an academic manger with the British Council in New Delhi. Over 18 years of a progressive career, Manisha has worked extensively in the areas of teacher development, design of need-based resources, and mentoring and capacity building within government and non-government contexts across India. Manisha has done her MA, M.Ed. and PGCTE from India, and MA-TESOL and a Cambridge DELTA from the UK. Her passion towards education and a desire to make a difference through her work is a key driving force behind all that she does as a professional.

Chia Suan Chong is a teacher trainer, an intercultural skills trainer and a materials writer. Writing from her base in York, she has been English Teaching Professional's award-winning resident blogger since 2012, and her regular column looks at what English teachers teach in addition to language. Chia regularly tweets about teaching and communication from @chiasuan and @etprofessional.

Watch a recording of the webinar below

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