English as a world opener in Chinese universities : fostering interculturally aware communities of learners in the English reading classroom

This paper discusses germane questions of English language teaching and learning in a non-elite Chinese university. Informed by Freire’s critical pedagogical philosophy, we explore how the English reading classroom in China can provide students with meaningful opportunities to enhance their collective intercultural awareness in multicultural environments. Analysis of fieldnotes and interviews show that dialogue, as a pedagogical tool and a method, can not only guide students to confidently navigate new words and foster communicative competence, but also to read the world and develop open-mindedness and knowledge of the Other. The study moves away from the ideological premise that almost exclusively, frames English language teaching and learning in the country to the development of human resources for the workforce in the global economy. We argue that English language education in China needs to be mobilised pedagogically, hence creating communities of young learners who are more interculturally aware citizens.