Book Description

Young Learner English Language Policy and Implementation: International Perspectives Over the past three decades, there has been a huge expansion across the world in school programmes for the teaching of English to young learners. Much of this growth is due to global forces which currently demand ever-increasing levels of communication in English across continents. This publication, resulting from the conference The Way Forward: Learning from International Experience of TEYL held in Bangalore, India, in 2008, seeks to address these issues, responding to concerns that there is often insufficient guidance available to decision-makers at ministry level regarding the policy and practical implications of an early start for English. Young Learner English Language Policy and Implementation: International Perspectives is a collection of 28 papers which reflect the insights of a group of academics, policy makers, senior educationalists and practitioners who have been important contributors internationally, regionally or in their own countries, to debates about YL policy and implementation. These papers represent a significant contribution to current thinking on effective YL language policy formulation, the design of appropriate programmes for implementation and the sustainable implementation of policy at local and national levels. Three themes were evident in many of the conference presentations and are also reflected in these papers: the specific impact of global factors on policy decisions and classroom practices; the challenges of policy and its implementation; broader and more local language issues and their impact on policy. The first section of this book contains country-specific case studies which provide analyses of a range of policy issues in state school provision for TEYL, including some recommendations for policy makers in planning and shaping their future national provision. The second section includes accounts of innovations, experiments or small-scale projects in the YL field from the state and private sectors, across a range of countries. This volume will be of considerable interest to a wide range of policy makers in ministries and educational institutions, researchers, teacher educators and anyone concerned with YL English language policy and implementation. For ESP SIG titles published by Garnet Education, please visit the Journals and Academic Papers section.