Mina Patel is a researcher with the Assessment Research Group at the British Council and co-author of The Future of English: Global Perspectives. Her background is in English language teaching and training. She has worked in the UK, Greece, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia as a teacher, trainer, materials developer and ELT projects manager and has extensive experience working with ministries of education in East Asia. Mina has presented at numerous national and international conferences on ELT-related matters. Her academic interests lie in the area of English language testing and assessment and more specifically in language assessment literacy and the impact of testing and assessment. She is currently a PhD student with the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire, UK.
Plenary: The future of English learning systems: A virtuous circle?
Day 2 - Saturday 28 October - 09.15-10.00
We are living through a period where the pace of change seems relentless and nowhere is this more evident than in how the world communicates. For a global language like English, this brings opportunities and challenges, especially in the use and the teaching of the English language. For policy makers, educators and testers, there is an opportunity to consider what English language learning systems might – and could – look like in the future. This raises a difficult and necessary question about how these future learning systems might work effectively to support learners with the competencies they need to succeed in life.
The British Council’s recent publication, The Future of English: Global Perspectives identified eight thematic areas that are likely to have a major impact on the future of English. Though the eight areas will resonate differently in different contexts, depending on national priorities, policies and available resources, there are common threads such as the importance of education policies and the range of stakeholders involved that connect all of them. Using these findings as a springboard, this presentation will firstly explore the components that could shape an English language learning system of the future. Secondly, it will look at the system from the perspective of different stakeholders and what is required for them to contribute meaningfully and function both independently and interdependently within the system in order for the system to be constructive and useful.