Ourselves in English: Materials to Empower Argentine Students to Express Their Own Identities in the Language of International Communication

Based on pilot experiences in Argentina, this chapter proposes empowering ELT practitioners as creative materials designers capable of developing sustainable materials with a focus on expressing local cultures and students’ needs. Whatever job openings may exist in future will demand competences related to dealing with diversity, primarily through digital media. Thus, teachers need to develop a transcultural competence that can transcend cultural categories, empowering language users to express their fluid identities and fostering the ability to perceive what all human beings have in common. Literature from various contexts where the target language is used, particularly texts dealing with the context in which the language is taught, are potentially rich resources to develop innovative, customized materials, especially to question stereotypes. This approach does not overlook the notion of authenticity often held against materials designed by non-native users of the target language with a focus on their context. The chapter also explores issues of translanguaging and multilingualism in the classroom. It suggests meaningful collaborative activities that help students to visualize and construct their future selves as competent linguistic and cultural mediators.