McKay Chapter 7-Reading for April 29th

It is so rewarding to wrap up the semester and tie in a lot of key concepts we have looked at, specifically with how educators can implement effective and quality EIL pedagogy. Chapter 7 did a great job of this. One review was how diglossia often characterizes the linguistic situation in Outer Circle countries that have adopted English as another language. English is acquired through formal education and is used for very specific purposes. Pedagogy and curricula are often modeled on the monolingual and monocultural assumptions of the Inner Circle, resulting in marginalized indigenous languages and isolated English-language learning. In non-diglossic multilingual societies, there is no social or institutional support for bilingualism. An English-only stance is widely taken. Interestingly enough, most learners of English make it clear that monolingualism is not their preferred goal, but rather desire support for other languages as well. The realities between multilingualism and multiculturalism and the monolingualism and goals dominating English language pedagogy cause a tension.

We then must seek a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy that recognizes other languages used by EIL learners and accounts for specific ways English can be used in sociolinguistic contexts. I like to think of it as creating a "very middle circle." One area that requires special concentration is the official recognition of English. The distinction between English-medium instruction versus learning English as a subject often resulted in different standards of pedagogy, learning and proficiency for different sectors of society. The official recognition of English in Inner Circle multilingual societies has had the opposite effect of what is seen in diglossic societies. In Expanding Circle countries, the rising status of English is often tied to the particular ideological imperatives that underpin the country's development agenda. Why is this a problem? Because there is an uneasiness with giving an official status to English. English is, however, prominently present in educational classroom policy. Personally, I think that when too much excessive attention is focused on one single item, such as English, too many confronting heads bump in the middle and cause even more tension. The nativization of English only brings about the debate of being marginalized in favor of exonormative standards and pedagogy (182).

English bilingual speakers use English as well as their other language usually on a daily basis. This inevitably creates new varieties. These World Englishes need to be seen as languages in their own right. They are not errors, interlanguages, or fossilized forms of incomplete acquisition. After all, who is one speaker of a language to judge another? EIL pedagogy should encourage awareness of the variation that exists in English today. We should appreciate this!

EIL pedagogy should also pay attention to repair strategies and conversational 'gambits,' keeping in mind the purpose of the interaction and the proficiency level of the speakers. After all, there are a number of reasons that could account for why the speaker used that particular type of English. Also, codeswitching allows for speakers to portray their personal identities and their perceived relationship with their interlocutors. I have a friend from the US that I studied abroad with in Spain. She is bilingual in Spanish and English and I am always seeing her post things on facebook in both Spanish and English as she codeswitches. She also knows a little Portuguese, so when she is talking with someone else who knows Portuguese, it is common to see her use all three languages! Codeswitching does not necessarily portray a lack of linguistic knowledge but rather a richness and full use of all known languages. Teachers should promote student awareness of codeswitching and understand how local languages can be productively used in the classroom. I really enjoyed the video we watched from class with the teacher encouraging, yet teaching, both English and African American vernacular.

Globalization and Othering can have negative effects on pedagogy. Textbooks should discuss other cultures, forming a diverse and rich variety. Teachers should evaluate the appropriateness of the content (and images!) of textbooks before using them.

Another big question that has been raised is the role of culture in teaching a language. Should it be taught explicitly? Are textbooks portraying all of the cultures equally, or are they unknowingly reinforcing stereotypes? Some argue that culture should be taught in the classroom while others argue this wouldn’t be motivating or beneficial to the students. Moroccan educators believe that including information about Western culture contributes to students’ discontent with their own culture. I found this interesting because I stayed in Morocco for a week and was able to spend a lot of time with people my own age. Although there are a number of factors (age, gender, etc.) that play in, I found that they were all extremely knowledgeable on the latest Western culture. Even more than me! They knew all the singers, songs, etc. Perhaps by trying not to explicitly teach the Western culture, people will investigate it even more than they otherwise would have! There are those who reject Western culture in EIL teaching materials because they think it would be more beneficial to relate content to lives as young adults, not in the context of an English-speaking country. I think this depends primarily on the learner. Some may be overwhelmed if they are learning English AND in an English-country context. It may be too much. Others may thrive on this and find it more interesting. Teachers must adapt to the needs of the students. Auto-colonization is a term that may describe how some accept and imitate another’s way of thinking, acting, values, and habits upon first contact. This in itself could be one reason why Western culture is rejected in other countries. A country wants to remain strong in itself and keep culturally unified. That is not to say they aren’t open to other influences, but many worry that the more Western culture that trickles in their country, the less of the home culture will remain.

Interestingly enough, while some educational leaders explicitly reject the inclusion of Western culture in English teaching, others promote it. In Japanese text, often the Japanese speakers produce far fewer words than Inner Circle country speakers. This perhaps suggests that Inner Circle native speakers are the ones with the right to use English. The book gave an example  in the text where gender roles are depicted but also opens up discussion on whether the woman should be criticized for not playing a traditional female role. Yet another example of dialogue between someone from Japan and someone representing Western culture shows how the Japanese boy begins to imitate and try to relate to what the Western culture character sets as the “norm” or “acceptable activity” for his dad to be doing. Rye, the Japanese character, perhaps lies at the end and says his dad is good at cooking when in reality he may never have even cooked. He only says this because the other character said his dad cooks.

What specifically can educators do to combat othering? First, make certain that students know diversity exists within all cultures. Next, have students reflect on their own position and culture (sphere of interculturality). Show that gender roles can differ within Western culture. They aren’t unchangeable and stuck in place. Lastly, take up classroom-based social research. These are collaborative projects carried out by language learners in their local community under the guidance and support of the teacher. Students will likely gain confidence as they interact with others in real-life settings. They will discover how they can use English for communication across international borders, often with other L2 speakers. Teachers should audio-tape L2-L2 interactions. Too often, students are only aware of L1-L2 interactions but they need an awareness that English is an international language that can be used not only with native speakers but also with L2 speakers in a wider variety of cultural and social contexts.

Weak CLT involves students communicating with the teacher and other students while the strong version involves communicating with a text. The weak version is associated with globalization and modernization but is promoted. The strong version, according to Holliday, does involve meaningful communication. Shamin argues against the implementation of the weak version when she says that learners do not always passively accept an innovation. Planners and outside change agents often view the teacher as the key to implementing change and the role of the learner is largely ignored.

As I said before, there really is no better way to wrap up the semester than identifying important components of EIL pedagogy! As a future educator, I am confident I can make a difference in my students' lives and how they perceive languages, particularly English.

Therefore, the principles for a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy are:

·         EIL curricula should be relevant to the domains in which English is used in the particular learning contexts.

·         EIL professionals should strive to alter language policies that serve to promote English learning only among the elite of the country.

·         EIL curricula should include examples of the diversity of English varieties used today.

·         EIL curricula need to exemplify L2-L2 interactions.

·         Full recognition needs to be given to the other languages spoken by English speakers.

·         EIL should be taught in a way that respects the local culture of learning.