Wen-Chuan Richard Lin

Topic: On the Road to EMI: The Need for an Inclusive Pedagogy in Freshman English Courses

Abstract

In Taiwan, few attempts have been made to explore the complexity of the socio-cultural forces that affect Freshman English teaching and learning within students’ schools, homes and communities. Recently, there is a growing popularity of using EMI in Taiwan’s higher education and the Freshman English curriculum is no exception. However, research on EMI theory and related empirical studies is still in its infancy, particularly in Asia (Su et al., 2021; Weng, 2022; Zhao & Dixon, 2017). For example, a recent survey on Taiwanese college teachers’ motivations and needs for EMI training (Weng, 2023) found that it is crucial for teachers to learn more about intercultural teaching, particularly when most of the students are local Taiwanese and some international students whose mother tongues are not English. The study, therefore, argues for the importance of intercultural understanding and inclusion in EMI teacher training. In a similar vein, we would argue that involving intercultural teaching and learning within Freshman English courses is also imperative for teachers and students if they want to embrace EMI.

In the workshop, we will discuss whether and how students’ native languages and home cultures are used as “psychological tools” (Vygotsky, 1987) by teachers to support Freshman English teaching and learning. In particular, we will stress the needs for teachers to employ CRP (culturally responsive pedagogy) that involves translanguaging strategies. In other words, we will focus on how teachers and students construct shared understanding within classroom interactional discourses and argue that an inclusive pedagogy of classroom practices that take into account students’ linguistic and cultural resources is needed to enhance English learning.

Bio data

I have taught postgraduate courses in the areas of EFL teaching and learning, qualitative research methods and thesis writing. My research interests include intercultural communication, ESP, Technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) and language learning studies from Vygotskian sociocultural theory. I have published 2 edited books in 2016 and 2018, and a monograph (by Multilingual Matters, UK) in 2019. I am currently editing a new ESP/Bilingual book Sports & Health to be published by Tung Hua Publishers in 2024.