The Goals of ELT

Abstract

Goals of language teaching can be divided into external goals that relate to actual second language (L2) use outside the classroom and internal goals that relate to the educational aims of the classroom itself. Typically, external goals have been measured against the abilities of monolingual native speakers; internal goals have scarcely featured in modern language teaching apart from some alternative methods. Yet, externally, L2 users have different uses of second languages from monolinguals, have a different command of the language, and utilize different skills: L2 users of English in particular need to interact with different types of non-native speakers. Internally, L2 users are different types of people with different cognitive processes and different knowledge of both languages. Language teaching is creating L2 users with mental and linguistic potentials that monolinguals lack. The goals should be to help them on the one hand to function as multilingual individuals in whatever capacity they choose in the diverse situations of L2 use outside the classroom, on the other to acquire the benefits of bilingualism in cognitive ability and language awareness.