A digital pedagogy for transculturing ELT through Global Englishes

Abstract

In today’s globalized and digitally-driven world, ELT should move beyond ‘traditional ELT’ which prioritizes NS norms towards ‘transcultural ELT’ recognizing English as a Multilingua Franca (EMF) that interacts with multilingual, multimodal, and multicultural resources in line with translanguaging. Building on these principles, this study introduces the concept of ‘transculturing ELT’ and explores Digital Multimodal Composing (DMC) as a pedagogical approach to integrate it through Global Englishes (GE). Based on student artefacts and reflections from a secondary school in Southeast China, the study shows that transculturing practice through DMC enriched students’ understanding of GE, engaging with English as a dynamic language that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. With linguistic and semiotic freedom, they strategically employed diverse linguistic, semiotic, and cultural resources to construct meaning, reflecting the authenticity and fluidity of modern communication. This study offers practical insights for teachers to equip students for the transcultural and digital realities of a globally-connected world.