Teaching English in Israel/Palestine, Brazil and the UK: Resonances and commonalities? - 7 October 2023

This seminar reflects on English language teaching in three places – Israel/Palestine, Brazil and the UK.

What are the similarities and differences, and what can we learn from the comparisons? Is there any comparability in the pressures and stresses that language teachers and learners face in these locations? How far is teaching English to migrants different from teaching it to local citizens, and do traditional distinctions between EFL vs EAL & ESOL still hold? How far do we need to reckon with direct and ‘structural’ violence in each, and do ideas like ‘Survival English’ or ‘Skills for Life’ change their meaning? How important are globalisation and the distinction between Global South and North? How far does all/any of this actually influence what happens in the language classroom? And what value can a conversation across these three spaces have for us?

This participatory seminar will be of interest to language teachers and researchers in language education.

It is organised by the Hub for Education and Language Diversity (HELD) at King’s College London, with guest speakers Gabriel Nascimento dos Santos (Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia) and Muzna Awayed-Bishara (Tel Aviv University).

Attendance is free of charge but you must sign up in advance (click on the red button in the top right of this page). The room will be communicated to registered attendees a few days ahead of the event.