Nurturing citizenship in the el classroom

Abstract

This work has been developed to represent different moments of my career: the passion for teaching young adults, the experience of teaching business English and the challenge of joining eighteen years’ teaching practice to cutting-edge theory. Personally, I have always been concerned about delivering lessons in which not only would learners thrive on their language skills, but also on their critical thinking. Therefore, both units in this work were developed to achieve effective functional competence, as well as to engage learners in reflection on current issues. In the emerging Digital Age, selecting appropriate approaches and resources for developing learners’ language skills have gone beyond books and exams. To prosper in a society globalised by the economy and by multiple media interactions, learners are expected to demonstrate knowledge in core skills and competencies of the new century, thus developing critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and communication, creativity and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, as well as leadership and personal development. Therefore, the units, Empowering Families and Need a business idea?, were produced aiming to provide not only opportunities to experience with language skills, but also to unlock learners’ potential to transform their community through a critical perspective of the world and its issues. This concern ensured the incorporation of topics and functions that would promote the inclusion of digital literacies, and technology learners might already use, while working on receptive and productive skills, besides grammar and vocabulary. Citizenship in the 21st century encompasses informed and engaged citizens who readily act at civic, global and digital dimensions. Hence, one of the units in this work covers the topic of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that intervene by empowering families economically and socially, making positive changes to improve health, education, housing and well-being. The objective of the unit is to raise learners’ critical consciousness, giving them the means to develop into citizens who might even become local or national policymakers able to promote social changes. Therefore, this unit was designed for young adults at level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); learners who can produce simple connected texts on familiar topics, and deal in a general way with nonroutine information, besides describing experiences, events, hopes and ambitions, briefly giving reasons and explanations for their ideas.