Taking on EIL in School Curriculum

The linguistic, cultural and functional diversity related with the English language in today’s world has led to the reconsideration of fundamental assumptions in English Language Teaching (ELT), and rethinking traditional pedagogical practices. Teachers and policy makers are faced with challenging issues concerning which instructional variety should be chosen to guide the various aspects of a curriculum. Up to now, this decision was generally made without much thought, based on former concepts or the status quo (particular emphasis being given to Standard British or Standard American English). But, when considering today’s society use of English as an international language (EIL), several factors should be further contemplated — these include: students’ needs and goals, teachers’ expertise and available resources. This article gives particular emphasis to teaching materials used in classrooms. The importance of developing materials for effective language learning will be discussed, as well as some of the main principles for creating materials that can help prepare students to interact successfully in English international contexts.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologi