Teaching English in a Multicultural Society: Three Models of Reform (Report‪)‬

Because of the global status of the English language, and the cultural and linguistic qualifies of English literature, English teachers are at the fulcrum of educational debate. As global curriculum expands and re-focuses the challenges and possibilities of multicultural education, teachers, schools, and communities are challenged to reexamine the traditional English curriculum and articulate rationales for change. For this study I interviewed 15 teachers from different schools and school boards in Ontario to explore their views and approaches to these challenges. The participants represented a spectrum of beliefs and practices in response to emerging considerations for teaching English within a prototypically multicultural society such as flourishes in Ontario. Their perspectives and experiences both raised new questions and re-opened fundamental questions posed decades ago within first language learning: What is English? What is the role of a student's identity--including ethnic and linguistic origins? In listening to English teachers describe their current and ongoing efforts to create meaningful learning experiences for students, I identified three approaches: (a) Adaptation/Coping, (b) Collaborative Inquiry/Applied Research, and (c) Activism. English teachers can apply participants' insights and examples to policies and practices for relevancy and effectiveness, and begin to compare and assess new directions for teaching English in a multicultural society and the global age. Key words: curriculum reform, English language arts, intercultural dialogue, multicultural education, global curriculum