SHIFTING PARADIGM IN THE 21ST CENTURY: PLANS TO REORIENT INDIAN SCHOOL LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND TEACHER EDUCATORS

Abstract

This paper aims at presenting some of the additions and modifications in bridging the gap between the earlier planning and policies and the emerging challenges in English language education in India and then suggests how to reorient Indian English language teachers basically at primary and secondary levels keeping in view the national and international requirements. Firstly, it reviews the English language teacher education and current practices of English language teaching and learning systems both in vernacular and English medium schools in India. Secondly, it critically examines the national policy documents such as Position Papers and curricula for English. Thirdly, it focuses on the drawbacks in the existing practices of English language education and the emerging global challenges of communication and interpersonal skills. Then, it chalks out a plan for redesigning the basic teaching-learning systems which includes psychological, socio-cultural, pedagogic and professional factors to be considered in the inter-related domains. It also envisages the typical Indian multilingual and multicultural contexts and redefines rural area English language teachers’ responsibilities in strategy and skill-based classroom orientation with updated scientific knowledge of teaching and learning on indigenous bases by introducing the tenets of post method pedagogy and ka:rmik language teaching approach.