Because of the global status of the English language, and the cultural and linguistic
qualities of English literature, English teachers are at the fulcrum of educational debate.
As global curriculum expands and re]focuses the challenges and possibilities of
multicultural education, teachers, schools, and communities are challenged to reexamine
the traditional English curriculum and articulate rationales for change. For
this study I interviewed 15 teachers from different schools and school boards in Ontario
to explore their views and approaches to these challenges. The participants represented
a spectrum of beliefs and practices in response to emerging considerations
for teaching English within a prototypically multicultural society such as flourishes in
Ontario. Their perspectives and experiences both raised new questions and re]opened
fundamental questions posed decades ago within first language learning: What is
English? What is the role of a studentfs identity ] including ethnic and linguistic origins?
In listening to English teachers describe their current and ongoing efforts to
create meaningful learning experiences for students, I identified three approaches: (a)
Adaptation/Coping, (b) Collaborative Inquiry/Applied Research, and (c) Activism.
English teachers can apply participantsf insights and examples to policies and practices
for relevancy and effectiveness, and begin to compare and assess new directions
for teaching English in a multicultural society and the global age.