Publications in this area explore current trends in the use of English in India within education systems.

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Using multilingual approaches – moving from theory to practice 

Kathleen Heugh, Mei French, Janet Armitage, Kerry Taylor-Leech, Necia Billinghurst and Sue Ollerhead

This publication is a resource book of strategies, activities and projects for the classroom. It aims to introduce important evidence relating to language learning in multilingual contexts and develop the practice of using multilingual approaches in the classroom. It has been especially designed to support teachers who teach English as a subject and for teachers who use English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in classrooms with students in linguistically diverse and often resource-poor communities. Drawing on the authors’ decades of experience, the practical ideas covered here are underpinned by research and evidence from around the world. They have also been piloted with teachers in India, who in turn have tested them in their classrooms and provided useful feedback and ideas. 

English Next India

David Graddol

This is the second publication in the English Next series and forms part of a wider programme of work by the British Council which aims to contribute to the development of English language teaching and learning in India. This book examines the complex nature of English in both the education and employment sectors and aims to set out an agenda for debate. David Graddol analyses demographic and economic trends and suggests how they may influence language policies that will impact on India’s future.

English impact report: investigating English language learning outcomes at the primary school level in rural India

Edited by Vivien Berry

This report is the result of a truly cross-cultural and multidisciplinary collaboration between Indian and UK institutions and stems from a strategic partnership that the British Council has with the NGO Pratham. Colleagues from the Pratham-ASER Centre worked in tandem with the English and Exams research teams in India and the UK. This report was launched in November 2013 as part of the British Council's UK-South Asia Season 2013. While this report is primarily for those involved in the framing and implementation of English language policy in education systems in India, it has wider implications for countries with a similarly wide cache of multicultural and heteroglossic capital. The report is also meant to be a useful tool for the wider community of scholarship on English language teaching, assessment and evaluation and for institutions and individuals involved in measuring or seeking measurable outcomes from educational interventions.