Focus on Australian English: a critical learning portfolio pedagogy

Abstract

ABSTRACTDrawing on critical pedagogy, this study challenges the hegemony of Standard English (SE) to promote inclusive approaches which recognise and tolerate the variation of World Englishes to prepare students for intercultural encounters with interlocutors speaking different varieties of English. To enhance students’ ethno-sensitivity and receptive competence in the use of English as a lingua franca in response to the curriculum blueprint proposed by Matsuda and Friedrich [(2011). English as an international language: A curriculum blueprint. World Englishes, 30(3), 332–344], in this study I conducted a critical learning portfolio pedagogy in my ‘Introduction to English Linguistics' class at a national university located in central Taiwan with the focus on Australian English (AuE), in contrast with General American English (GAE) as a reference of point, which is the main variety of English taught as SE in Taiwan. In this class, 70 Taiwanese undergraduates first wrote down their impressions of Australia and AuE and then searched for relevant information to support, dispute, or modify their initial impressions. Next, they were given a total of eight hours of learning activities to explore AuE from the perspective of World Englishes. The findings show that their stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalisations were replaced with an increased sensitivity to English variation, cultural diversity, and linguistic differences between AuE and GAE.