CHAP 8 SOCIOPOLITICAL INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS Teaching by Principle

CHAP. 8 SOCIOPOLITICAL & INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS Teaching by Principle H. D. Brown

SOCIOPOLITICAL CONTEXTS l l l Correctness and appropriateness Registers and styles Acceptable speech varieties in a community Regional & national standards of language National language policy International varieties of English

Cultural Context l l l Language is part of culture-culture is not a mere tool but a superordinate concept. Language & cultural identity go together. Cultural connotations & nuances No high or low culture-different cultural schemata Diversity & multicultural education

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS ü ü ü Second language learning contexts Foreign language contexts Efforts must be made to create opportunities for learners to be exposed to and use TL.

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS -“ESL advantage”l Give homework that involves a specific speaking task with a person outside the classroom(e. g. , listening to a radio or TV program, reading a newspaper article, writing a letter to a store or a charity). l Encourage students to seek out opportunities for practice.

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS l l l Encourage students to seek corrective feedback from others. Have students keep a log or diary of their extra-class learning. Plan and carry out field trips (e. g. , museums, local sites). Arrange a social “mixer” with NSEs. Invite speakers into your classroom.

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS EFL Context: Compensation for the lack of ready communicative situations l Use class time for optimal authentic language input and interaction. l Don’t waste class time on work that can be done as homework. l Provide regular motivation-stimulating activities. ü

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS l l l Help students to see genuine uses for English in their own lives. Play down the role of tests & emphasize more intrinsic factors. Provide plenty of extra-class learning opportunities (e. g. , English movies, TV or radio programs, getting an Englishspeaking conversation partner, diverse reading materials, writing a journal/diary).

SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTEXTS l l l Encourage the use of learning strategies outside class. Form a language club and schedule regular activities. Maximize learning through using multimedia & by forming online/virtual communities.

ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE The growth of a nativized variety of English 1. Most English language teachers across the globe are nonnative English speakers & bi-/multi-lingual. 2. A tool for international communication in transportation, commerce, banking, tourism, technology, diplomacy, and scientific research

ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE l l “Standard” pronunciation? : issue of comprehensibility/intelligibility Inner/outer/expanding circle countries(Kachru, 1992): Consider survival, social, occupational, academic, and technical uses EGL, World Englishes Standards from both Native/Nonantive speakers of English (Kumaravadivelu, 2002)

Nonnative English Speaking Teachers l l l Misnormer-Native vs. Nonnative? : Teachers from (non)-English speaking countries NESTs vs NNESTs: no innate superiority in teaching language unless well trained and reflective about own practices Read p. 138 for possibilities

LANGUAGE POLICY ISSUES English Only - subtractive l English Plus – additive l Cummins-pass beyond threshold levels BICS (basic interpersonal communication skills) CALP (cognitive academic language proficiency) l

LANGUAGE POLICY ISSUES l l Courses stress study skills, reading strategies, academic listening skills, and techniques for successful academic writing ELT teachers are in a constant state of war with the “authorities” (ministries of education) on curricular goals and on the means for testing the achievement of those goals.

LANGUAGE POLICY ISSUES l l l A student’s “proficiency” by a grueling computer-scorable standardized multiplechoice examination Sts’ proficiency related more to the ability to cram for a standardized test Always try to keep your students’ vision fixed on useful, practical, reachable goals for the communicative use of English.

INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS l l Finely tuned curricular & instructional support to offer courses in conversation, academic skills, ESP, workplace English, vocational/technical English, test-taking strategies, and other specializations Often allied to the sociopolitical considerations

Elementary and Secondary Schools 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Submersion: “Sink or Swim” Immersion: bilingual in content courses Sheltered English: multilingual students, Ts are content teachers with ESL training Mainstreaming: exiting after ESL programs Transitional bilingual program Maintenance bilingual program Enrichment bilingual program

Elementary and Secondary Schools 1. 2. 3. Transitional bilingual programs: using native language for content areas while ESL courses are provided separately Maintenance bilingual programs: continuous learning of subject matter content in native language, high cost for staff & maintenance, not mastering TL Enrichment bilingual programs: choice of subjects in FL while most learning done in native language, enrich linguistic/cultural horizons

Post-secondary & Adult education l 1. 2. 3. 4. Language schools or centers, adult education, community colleges, extended learning(continuing education) Survival/social curriculum Literacy programs Vocational ESL Workplace ESL

Institutions of Higher Education 1. 2. 3. l Intensive English Programs(IEPs): mostly preacademic/preparatory courses EAP (English for Academic Purposes) ESP (English for Special Purposes) Other factors to consider: institutional regulations, budgetary & bureaucratic constraints, administrators or supervisor’s hegemony, textbooks, colleague support or pressure, teaching hours & dedication, sts’ level of motivation

Institutional Variables: Things to consider l l l Institutional regulations or constraints on curriculum Budgetary & bureaucratic constraints Instructional constraint from administration Constraints of using designated textbooks Colleagual support & feedback

Institutional Variables: Things to consider l l Peer pressure from other teachers Teaching loads & your enthusiasm Materialistic & logistic conditions of your classroom English is required or elective-students’ levels of engagement