|
| |
|
AN ARTICLE GIVING AN OVERVIEW OF
WORLD ENGLISH & HOW IT IS DEVELOPING
|
|
RETURN
TO INDEX
RINGING THE CHANGES
Author:
Bibi Boarder (now Bibi Baxter)
(Ramsgate, England)
|
|
|
|
INNOVATION & EXPECTATIONS
As more and more pedagogic materials are published, the race is on to provide yet another new approach which hitherto has not been considered; radical methodology, strategic seating arrangements and the use of multi-media are just some of the delights which have already surfaced. Within only a decade, classroom tactics have been revolutionised, leaving teachers little time to catch their breath.
Within the last five years, much of Europe has adopted innovative approaches in the classroom, resulting in precocious students often arriving in the UK, expecting 'exciting lessons' as a right, regardless of whether they learn anything of value.
Outwardly, there do not appear to be any signs that this rather rash, radical rush is about to reduce its speed. Particularly controversial is the move towards autonomous (often mixed-ability) groups, which could be perceived either as an economic godsend at centres with a dearth of teachers and/or a tight budget, a ghastly nightmare by the poor pedagogic wretch tied to the helm, yet under constant threat of the gangplank, or tutorial deprivation from the point of view of frustrated learners.
In fact, so many new concepts in language teaching are being introduced world-wide, it is an exciting time, but only for those amongst us with a spirit of adventure and a willingness to experiment.
A TECHNOLOGICAL IMBALANCE
The relentless spearhead advance became dual-pronged when the American contingent began to zoom ahead in
CALL technology, whilst their British counterparts excelled with innovative ideas to liven up the existing dull processes of teaching and learning.
Such developments in technology and methodology can only described as thrilling! However, in some instances, technological advances are moving too far ahead of their intended market. For some time, sophisticated software for language learning has been requiring ever-increasing numbers of disks to run the complicated programs; this means that computers have to be more powerful and memory-orientated to cater for them, despite the fact that many potential customers cannot even afford computers, whilst others are not necessarily in a position to keep updating their hardware, which means that relatively few schools can offer the latest programs.
Furthermore, many software companies are choosing to eliminate the need for 'libraries of disks', by supplying a whole program on just one CD Rom diskette, accompanied by one startup disk. Highly efficient and user-friendly, this method is certainly impressive, but unfortunately, a CD Rom facility remains a distant pipe-dream for the majority of schools worldwide. Clearly, the technological hare is already a speck in the distance, as the TESL tortoise dawdles in its wake.
UNIVERSALLY DISADVANTAGED, BUT FOR DIFFERING REASONS
Similarly, a yawning chasm is developing between the use of modern and traditional teaching methods, but as neither approach is wholly ideal, a combination of the best of both should eventually prevail. It stands to reason therefore that those who welcome change should not condemn out-of-hand the many diehard traditionalists overseas, who are unable or unwilling to adopt methods with which they do not feel comfortable. Neither should they lose sight of the needs of countries which cannot cater for small classes, or which persist in employing traditional methods of teaching, because they reinforce the discipline of their culture. Nor should they forget the ill-matched groups in poorer countries (whether differing in age, or ability) who, despite being financially disadvantaged, are drawn together by a common desire to learn English.
Furthermore, as the mad scramble to produce something new gathers momentum, it is difficult for teachers to resist the temptation to satisfy obsessive demands for novelty. Nonetheless, relatively obscure lexis or language points, which might only be linguistically interesting to native speakers, but which are allowed importance out of all proportion, can only be elevated to the detriment of basic essentials.
At this very moment, there already exists a multi-national army of bi-lingual people, writing and speaking a veritable hotch-potch of informal and formal English (often with a liberal sprinkling of bizarre slang or obscenities, innocently gleaned from celluloid imports and satellite TV), blissfully unaware that the linguistic impression they give is not ideal. The English language is fascinating in its versatility, yet sadly global interest has concentrated on some of its worst aspects.
Although not advocating a return to textbook English, let it be said that an approach which allows plain or standard English to be the yardstick, by which all further language learning is judged relatively, seems the most sensible one. Telephone skills and quality English are essential in order to communicate successfully in the international world of commerce. Therefore, in order to enable learners to tailor the language adequately when speaking and writing, they must be able to categorise different types of English in their minds efficiently, ie: swearing, slang, colloquial, idiomatic, formal, etc. Students, who are unable to do so, will have difficulty making themselves properly understood in a multi-national situation, no matter how comprehensive their knowledge of English might be. Some readers might find it difficult to imagine instances in which native speakers of English are at a disadvantage in multi-national companies where
English is the common language, but such instances frequently occur; their problem being that their vocabulary is TOO wide and they are unable to tailor it efficiently.
THE END
Copyright 2001, Musical English Lessons
International. All rights reserved.
|
|
LINKS
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
