IATEFL Global Issues SIG

The IATEFL Global Issues SIG (GISIG) is one of several special interest groups that make up part of IATEFL, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language. Comprising a diverse membership of English language teachers, teacher trainers and academic managers, working all around the world both in state educational systems and the private sector, GISIG aims to foreground global issues, such as human rights, equality, conflict resolution, consumerism, working conditions, sustainable development and social responsibility, within English as a second language education. We do this by challenging dominant narratives, giving voice to those who so often go unheard, and taking concrete action in pursuit of social and environmental justice, through what and how we teach. Through our presence at international conferences, including the annual IATEFL conference, as well as other face-to-face and online events, our free resources, social media pages and in our publications, we advocate for an inclusive, dialogic, critical pedagogy that empowers and inspires both teachers and language learners to act, in their role as global citizens. If you are an English language teacher who is keen to bring real-world issues into the classroom and to develop your learners’ critical literacy as well as their English, then please join us! The GISIG Committee is a team of practising ELT professionals, located in over five different countries. All of us are unpaid volunteers, who are committed to raising the profile of global issues within English language teaching. We actively encourage and invite all our members to get involved in the activities of the SIG. If you have feedback, ideas for future projects or collaborations, or would like to join the committee, please get in touch!