From TENOR to TEIC: The English Teacher’s Final “Say-So” in Reformulating Education Policies

Abstract

In Greece, the English language classroom in State school education is often identified as a Teaching English for No Obvious Reasons (TENOR) situation because the non-official status of the English language, in conjunction with the lack of exam-oriented motivation, disallows the possibility of a widely recognized proof of language ability. On top of that, the English teacher receives conflicting signals from the ongoing processes of transforming the national curriculum and is faced with the constant challenge of providing motivation. This paper launches the adoption of new methodological approaches for paralleling the establishment of effective oversight mechanisms regarding educational policy. To this end, the English language teacher at a Greek General Lyceum, based on the results of the Needs Analysis (NA) survey she conducted at the beginning of the school year, took on the challenge of acting as a mediator of change. More specifically, using her training in the New Curricula organized by the Greek Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), she explored how the “knowledge processes” of the proposed Learning-by-Design framework can benefit the cultivation of an intercultural mindset in students. In assuming the role of “knowledge creator” and “knowledge purveyor,” the English teacher has created implications for Teaching English for Intercultural Communication (TEIC) as an alternative to TENOR.