Decolonising Digital Language Learning in Palestine

There is currently considerable interest in every aspect of decolonisation in education. There is for example much interest in the curriculum and some interest in educational technology but little interest as yet in these in their role in language learning. The paper grows out of projects and friendships in Palestine and looks at the very special case of Palestinians using digital technologies to learn English. This paper makes the case that colonialization is present in most aspects of using digital technology to learn language, but especially so for the Palestinian learners of English. Decolonisation can grow out of scrutiny, awareness and criticality but must recognise the influence of culture and in the case of Palestine, of the impact of trauma, occupation and displacement. The need of Palestinians, politically, economically and educationally, to engage globally does however make decolonisation problematic.

Keywords:

Language learning , Palestine , Decolonisation , Digital Learning