Teaching English in the Global Age

Globalization situates English teachers as influential mediators of both language and culture. In iconically multicultural Canada, teachers of English language and literature navigate social theories of language, the communication revolution, and global interdependency. Recent changes in English curriculum emphasizing "global citizenship," "intercultural communication," "cultural sensitivity" reflect these trends and suggest English teachers are gatekeepers of linguistic, cultural and critical literacy. Facing new questions about the purposes and priorities of their subject domain, English teachers must negotiate the divide between an inherited curriculum and the impacts of sociocultural transformation on changing literacy needs. The purpose of this book is to spur much-needed dialogue about teaching English in a multicultural and global age. In interviews with Ontario English teachers the focal question, "How is English changing?" raises several burning issues, such as: canon displacement, intercultural communication, and balancing a democratic or 'common' culture with respect for diversity.