The understanding of English as an international language has altered radically in recent years in terms of both what the language is and how it should be taught. Non-native speakers of English have out-numbered native English speakers for some time, but it is the recent spread and ongoing development of communication technology – specifically Internet-enabled education – which has accelerated the pace of change.

As classrooms have become more learner-centred, and the emphasis moves from teaching to learning, the importance of the learners’ own lives, cultures and experiences and how those qualities affect their education, has assumed ever-greater significance.

Important questions have arisen around the definition of exactly who is a ‘native speaker’; whether language can exist independent of culture; and how much importance should be attached to the culture of the learner versus that of teacher.

This workshop aims to explore the importance of local context to ELT learners and illustrate how Internet-enabled learning platforms can be used to reverse the inward-only trend whereby the external English teacher culture dominated the classroom. It will demonstrate how local context can be brought to the world stage, at once enriching the global learning environment and empowering its learners.