In Search of a New Paradigm for Teaching English as an International Language

Abstract

In the context of more diverse communicative practices and social relations in globalization, scholars are increasingly defining English as constituting socially constructed situational norms in specific contexts of interaction, and not a homogeneous language or even discrete varieties of English. This shift requires treating pragmatics and not grammar, social context and not cognition, as more significant in accounting for one's language competence. To address such changes in pedagogical practice, language teachers have to focus more on developing procedural knowledge (i.e., a knowledge of how, or negotiation strategies) rather than propositional knowledge (i.e., a knowledge of what, or norms and conventions of a language) in their classrooms. This article illustrates how teachers can cultivate procedural knowledge by developing language awareness, rhetorical sensitivity, and negotiation strategies among their students.