Bonn Talks on Research Trends in Applied Linguistics
*Teaching English or Englishes? Curricular expectations and textbook realities*
Dr. Philipp Meer, University of Münster
Friday, May 30, 2.15 – 3.45 pm CEST
Register here: https://uni-bonn.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/4uExmq32QCCD3lU5lEahaw
Building on a previous analysis of how World Englishes are represented in the English curricula across all German federal states (Meer 2021), this talk explores whether and how curricular expectations are reflected in current English language textbooks used in German secondary schools. While the applied linguistics literature increasingly advocates for World Englishes-informed teaching (Matsuda & Matsuda 2018), and some German curricula have begun to acknowledge the global diversity of English, the extent to which such perspectives shape classroom materials deserves further scrutiny. Drawing on research within the CIRCE project (https://www.circe-project.eu/), this talk examines a selection of widely used secondary-level English textbooks in Germany. The study explores which varieties of English are included, how linguistic diversity is portrayed, and to what extent textbooks align with curricular aims.
References
Matsuda, A., & Matsuda, P. K. (2018). Teaching English as an international language: A WE-informed paradigm for English language teaching. In E. L. Low & A. Pakir (Eds.), World Englishes: Rethinking Paradigms (pp. 64–77). London: Routledge.
Meer, P. (2021). Global Englishes in the secondary school curriculum in Germany: A comparative analysis of the English language curricula of the federal states. In M. Callies, S. Hehner, P. Meer, & M. Westphal (Eds.), Glocalising teaching English as an international language: New perspectives for teaching and teacher education in Germany (pp. 85–103). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003090106-8