Publication details
Multilingual and Creative: Rethinking University Language Classrooms
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Internationalisation of universities of recent years has changed the work of language centres considerably. The institutional focus on English as lingua franca on one hand and the interest of international students and staff in languages of the local cultures surrounding the universities on the other have brought the necessity to adapt educational practices of language teachers to the dynamic multilingual academic environment. In this paper, I will present a Creative Approach to Language Teaching (CALT) as a possible tool for such an adaptation. I will introduce theories of M. Csikszentmihalyi, K. Robinson, E. de Bono, J.P. Guilford and B. Krouwel that enable us to view creativity as an integral part of language teaching practice. I will address questions of creative potential, processes, situations and barriers, and I will identify approaches that can help teachers broaden their own repertoire as multilingual educators. I will discuss successful examples of how creativity may equip teachers with strategies that can help solve a wider variety of challenges that multilingual classes bring. |