Becoming an English Teacher in Postcolonial Pakistan and Australian Classrooms: Negotiating Difference in Postcolonial Settings

ABSTRACT

One of the consequences of globalisation in recent years has been the unprecedented spread of English as the world’s lingua franca. This has particular resonance in postcolonial countries, such as Pakistan and Australia, whose histories have been strongly shaped by English colonisers in contrasting ways. Written from the perspective of someone who has taught English in Pakistan and Australia, this essay presents my own personal stories of learning as an English language student in Pakistan and Australia. As a student of English, I felt my own voice and identity were often suppressed in the service of a curriculum that valued compliance with external standards over meeting the needs of learners. I explore how my own stories of becoming have shaped my current practices and identity as an English educator in Australian and Pakistani classrooms.

KEYWORDS:

• Autobiographical narratives
• postcolonialism
• dialogism
• identity
• pedagogy and practices

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Graham Parr, Brenton Doecke, and John Yandell for providing detailed feedback on the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Urdu is Pakistan’s national language and one of the two official languages of the country (the other being English).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zahra Ali

Zahra Ali has a Master of Applied Linguistics (Teaching English as an International Language) from Monash University, Australia. She has completed her PhD in TESOL in 2019 from the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research interests include TESOL, intercultural communication, teacher professional identity, narrative in research, and English curriculum and pedagogy.