English Language Teaching in the 21st Century

Abstract

Teaching in the 21st century is a challenge, but at the same time, there is always room for learning in the classroom. In today’s world, English Language Teaching (ELT) has to be in line with the framework for 21st century learning. On the one hand, as language teachers, we are supposed to equip our students with the necessary linguistic skills they will need to succeed in their academic lives, but on the other hand, we also have to find ways of integrating other competencies, such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration into the curriculum. Apart from that, technology, in its broadest sense, has become an important tool when it comes to language teaching and learning. The internet has given birth to a new social order, and according to Manuel Castells, who is the director of the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), the internet has become the decisive technology of the Information Age. The following units were designed for 9th graders, at B1 level, who are enthusiastic about the world of the internet and social media. Without a shadow of a doubt, language has a social purpose, therefore, it is of paramount importance to provide students with authentic and meaningful language input with the aim of enabling them to communicate properly and interact socially in the target language environment. In terms of scope and sequence, students will be given multiple opportunities to work on the four language skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing) through a wide range of stimuli such as authentic reading materials, videos, interviews, visual aids, pair work, discussions and presentations, that will encourage them to think outside the box and work collaboratively with their peers. According to the Critical Pedagogy approach, it is part of our job, as language teachers, to help our students develop into critical thinkers as well. By critical thinking I mean that students will be naturally exposed to a variety of thought-provoking discussions which are linked with both the texts provided in the unit and the world around them, and then, as a result, they are expected to engage in reflective and independent thinking and be capable of transferring knowledge into new contexts, by making connections between the text, their own lives and their social surroundings. Unless permission is granted, this material shall not be copied, reproduced or sold in any form or by any means.