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Invited Speakers: AILA-ASEAN Symposium
Dr. Banchakarn Sameephet
Thai Association for Applied Linguistics (TAAL)
Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Dr. Banchakarn Sameephet a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. He was awarded a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. His PhD thesis is entitled On the fluidity of languages: A way out of the dilemma in English medium instruction classrooms in Thailand. He is also a teacher trainer, working closely with secondary school teachers in a regional area of Thailand to provide content, pedagogical, and technological knowledge to enhance their English language teaching skills. Further, he runs practical EMI workshops for teaching staff in higher education settings. His research areas and interests are EMI, translanguaging, multilingualism, and Global Englishes for language teaching. Currently, he is interested in observing the phenomena of EMI in multilingual university settings in Asia and beyond from top-down to bottom-up angles through lenses of translanguaging. His scholarly work was published in edited books such as Policies, Politics, and Ideologies of English-Medium Instruction in Asian Universities: Unsettling Critical Edges and The Oxford Handbook of Southeast Asian Englishes.
Should Translanguaging be in English Medium Instruction?
It is undeniable that English Medium Instruction (EMI) is a growing global phenomenon with the attachment of English language-related challenges. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in finding solutions to overcome such challenges. Many practitioners deploy translanguaging as a pedagogical function to address those challenges in EMI in numerous settings. However, far too little attention has been paid to translanguaging in EMI in Thai educational settings, both from theoretical and practical perspectives. In my talk, I will present the current situation of EMI in a Thai higher education setting. Then, I would like to pose the thought-provoking question: Should translanguaging be in English Medium Instruction? Next, I will respond to the question above by discussing the possible roles of translanguaging in EMI to deal with English language-related challenges. Later, I will highlight the pros and cons of using translanguaging. Finally, I will propose translanguaging practices in the EMI ecosystem for related stakeholders to reconsider vital implications for future practice.