We believe the way forward for GE involves two paths. The first path involves individual teachers infusing GE into their courses. The second, more ambitious path moves toward large-scale adoption of GE into curricula and policy.

The More Immediate, Smaller-Scale Path: Individual Teachers Infusing GE Into Their Courses

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Although the ambitious path described further below is ideal, we recognize that a smaller-scale path is more realistic for most teachers. That is, given the all factors involved in achieving a paradigm shift, it is far more likely that change will start with individual teachers’ efforts. In fact, Rose et al. (2020) argue that teachers must be at the forefront of this paradigm shift. 

We offer a few possibilities to teachers who are interested in taking this path:

Infusing GE into your class. Although you may not be able to change your entire curriculum, we believe there are ways to incorporate a GE focus into your class, many of which may supplement an existing curriculum and may not involve extensive preparation time. See our GE Teaching page for a range of suggestions. 

Forming an inquiry/study group with others at your institution. Rose et al. (2020) suggest that teachers need a solid foundation of the theoretical concepts informing GE. This can be daunting for teachers to do alone, but a teacher study group dedicated to GE could make the process more manageable and enjoyable. 

Doing research on GE materials in your class. Considering the importance of research to GE, another approach is for teachers to take on the role of researcher. Many teachers may feel research is outside of their comfort zone, but action research is a commonly used approach for teachers to systematically document the effects of changes to their teaching practices (i.e., an intervention). Such projects could be conducted by individual teachers, or they could be done collaboratively with a team. Documenting, analyzing, and sharing the results of GE-related interventions can benefit not only the research community but also other teachers*. 

Share your materials and lesson plans with others. If you find or develop useful GE materials for your own classes, consider sharing them with others in your institution or on our GE Materials page. You might even consider presenting at a conference or publishing them in a practice-oriented journal or newsletter. 

This is not an exhaustive list, but we wanted to demonstrate a few of the options available for teachers. If you’d like to do even more, Rose et al. (2020) provide a more comprehensive list.

* For examples of teacher interventions involving GE, see Crowther et al (2024) and Jung & Crookes (2024).

The Ambitious Path: Planning and Advocating for Large-Scale Adoption of GE

We believe that a major shift in ideology is inevitable in the evolution of English Language Teaching (ELT). As more of the world’s population is involved in using English for global purposes, the liberating beliefs and concepts of GE will simply make far more sense than the restrictive beliefs and concepts of the ideology based on Native-Speakerism. 

Thoughtful planning and preparation on the part of GE innovators is vital to maximize the success of this shift in ELT. Part of the planning will include discussing how to operationalize GE theory and concepts into curricula, training teachers, developing teaching and learning materials, and testing and assessment tools that are relevant for learners and users of Englishes in a wide range of global contexts. The innovation process will also require identifying and addressing obstacles and making sure all relevant stakeholders are actively involved.

Working with relevant stakeholders. Researchers who have studied innovations highlight the importance of including important stakeholders in the innovation process. Different stakeholders may be involved at different stages, including discussion of why the innovation is of value in the context, how best to fit the theoretical and conceptual ideas to the needs of that context, and developing the materials and tools for the innovation.

Who are the stakeholders related to GE innovation?

As you can see, there are many different people who need to be included. This highlights the complexity of the ambitious path forward. However, involving the relevant stakeholders at appropriate times in the innovation process and ensuring that the innovations in any particular context reflect the voices of those stakeholders will improve the chances of long-term success.

Potential obstacles. Whenever a major change is being suggested, there will always be obstacles that will need to be addressed and overcome.  GE proponents have identified the following obstacles:

Why research matters to GE. GE advocates point out that it will be much easier to show the value of shifting to the GE paradigm if there is a wealth of data and research that shows how a GE approach can be successful, and that GE innovation is ready to be developed. Rose et al (2020) have suggested the following areas for GE-focused research:

• Attitudes towards GE held by teachers and students

• Research on putting  GE innovations into practice

• Research on GE-focused teaching materials

• Assessing GE users

• Identifying specific needs of students for using English in a globalized world

• Integrating GE into teacher education

It’s important not to overwhelm stakeholders with data, but to discuss the ideas the data present.  It’s equally important to sincerely listen to the various stakeholders, seeing what kind of data they have that supports their concerns or resistance.

Key questions for GE innovation. Here are some questions that we believe GE innovators should try to address (perhaps initially on their own, but also together with relevant stakeholders):

1. Is GE-focused teaching and learning easy to understand? Is it easy to try out?

2. How does it work? How is it implemented?

3. Is it just a fad, or is it a sound new direction for the future?

4. How is it an improvement over what we’re already using? Is the improvement easy to see?

5. Does it connect to what we’re already using? Or can it be connected as a means of transition?

6. What kinds of teaching/learning materials and resources are available?

7. What are its advantages and disadvantages?

8. If it’s adopted, who benefits and who loses?

9. Does it take into account awareness of the local context and culture for English learning and use?

10. What kinds of teacher education or training are needed to implement it? 

We also believe the questions above are useful for planning GE-focused curriculum. 

The ideas presented in this section came from and were influenced by the following sources: Burns (2010), Crowther et al (2024), Firestone et al. (2020), Galloway & Rose (2015), Hu (2021), Jung & Crookes (2024), Lortie (1975), Markee (1997), Rose et al (2020), and Wedell (2003). If you are interested in reading more, you can find them on our References & Links page.