Crossing the Divide: The Evolution of Teacher Collaboration in English-Medium Instruction

English-medium instruction (EMI) is a pedagogical context which (to varying degrees) presupposes the use of English, and it is widely assumed that ESP/EAP teachers can support subject teachers and students in the disciplines in EMI in meaningful ways as they navigate disciplinary and academic discourses in second or foreign language English. Consequently, numerous EMI contexts around the world feature some form of collaboration/partnership between subject teachers and language teachers specializing in ESP or EAP and many stakeholders agree with Schmidt-Unterberger (Schmidt-Unterberger, B. (2018). The English-medium paradigm: A conceptualization of English-medium teaching in higher education’. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21(5): 527-539) who advocates “a language-conscious implementation of English-medium education that would entail the integration of ESP and EAP teaching” (p. 536). Collaboration between ESP/EAP teachers and teachers in the disciplines is, however, a concept that predates the global rise of EMI. In this talk, Diane Pecorari and Hans Malmström will explore the origins of such teacher collaborations and review recent examples, specific to EMI, at institutional, departmental, and individual levels. 

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Diane Pecorari is Professor of TESOL at the University of Leeds.  Her research, situated in the broad area of educational linguistics, investigates the widespread and growing phenomenon of English as the medium of instruction, along with aspects of English for academic purposes and second-language writing, including source use and plagiarism. Her current project, funded by the Swedish Research Council, explores the relationship between teacher language proficiency in EMI and teachers' pedagogical attitudes and approaches.  Her publications include Introducing English for academic purposes (Routledge).

Hans Malmström is Professor of Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. His research focuses on various forms of integration of content and language in (mostly) higher education settings and English for academic purposes. He is currently funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education. Hans’ most recent research has featured in System, Applied Linguistics Review, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Language Testing.

Diane and Hans are Co-Editors in Chief of the Journal of English-Medium Instruction and Series Editors of Routledge Studies in English-Medium Instruction.