Francesca Helm

‘I have discovered new teaching pathways’: the link between language shift and teaching practice

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explore how a shift in the language of teaching and learning can lead university lecturers of a range of disciplines to reflect on and innovate their teaching approaches. The paper is based on a case study of a single university in the north of Italy which is gradually becoming a bilingual higher education institute. Through a thematic analysis of questionnaire and interview data gathered from 53 lecturers who attended professional development courses designed to support them in this move, the authors show how for many lecturers this language shift has offered an opportunity to collectively reflect on their pedagogic approach and become more aware of student needs, as well as their own. This study focuses on a single university, but it helps to shed light on the challenges, implications and also the potential that a language shift can bring. The findings suggest that professional development to support lecturers should be designed to address not only language needs but also to offer space for reflection on practice and to raise awareness of the ‘inherent multilingualism’ of higher education (van der Walt, Christa. 2013. Multilingual Higher Education: Beyond English Medium Orientations. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.).

“Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English

Abstract English-medium instruction (EMI) is increasingly being introduced not only in universities in northern Europe but also in central and southern countries, such as Italy. However, the competences and concerns of the lecturers involved are not always considered when such developments are introduced, and support or training may not be offered. This paper reports on a survey on EMI to which 115 lecturers in a public university in northern Italy responded. The survey was carried out by the university’s Language Centre as part of the LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes) Project, which was developed to support lecturers in EMI. The survey sought to identify what the lecturers perceived as their strengths and weakness in English, their concerns, and also their evaluations of the experience of teaching through English if they had any. The findings discussed in this paper shed light on the needs of lecturers who are involved in EMI, which relate to methodology as well as language issues. The implications of this for European university language centres intending to support EMI at their universities are discussed in the conclusion.

Engineering a ‘contact zone’ through translanguaging

ABSTRACT This paper presents a pilot project which uses a translanguaging approach in order to subvert the power dynamics whereby language learners, refugees and migrants are positioned as defective or ineffective communicators of a target language. The project seeks to create a space, an engineered ‘contact zone’ in which the negative, mainstream media discourses of migration can be countered through dialogue and encounter. Through translanguaging we foster creative, communicative practices in which interactants can bring into play their linguistic and cultural repertoires in order to support mutual understanding.

Open Intercultural Dialogue: educator perspectives

While language educators are being encouraged to exploit the Web for authentic intercultural communication, research is showing that rather than bringing people from different backgrounds together, the Internet is offering a platform for people to express their opinions with those who share similar ideas. When intercultural contact does occur, it often appears to be highly conflictual. This paper begins with a brief discussion of the open Web and intercultural dialogue, followed by an overview of attitudes to conflict in education and foreign language teaching and learning. We then turn to our preliminary study of the perspectives of educators from European universities on disagreement and the discussion of sensitive topics in online intercultural exchange. Our data indicate a considerable divergence of views and a great need for dialogue amongst educators and further research into this topic.