English Language Teaching in its Social Context
English Language Teaching in its Social Context
English Language Teaching in its Social Context
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
ETHNOGRAPHY OF A SRI LANKAN CLASSROOM 213teach<strong>in</strong>g is structured <strong>in</strong>to <strong>English</strong> for specific purposes (ESP), cater<strong>in</strong>g to the diffcrentsubject specialties. The first-year coursc is based on <strong>English</strong> for general purposes (EGP),provid<strong>in</strong>g practicc <strong>in</strong> all four skills.Because the course is structured around a core text, it is necessary to discuss theorganization of American Kernel Lessons (AKL): Intermediate (O’Ncill, K<strong>in</strong>gbury, Yeadon, andCornelius, 1978). We have to remember that such prepackaged material, which comes witha teachers’ manual, test<strong>in</strong>g lat, and audiotapes for listen<strong>in</strong>g comprehension, represents “adirect assault on the traditional role of thc teacher as an <strong>in</strong>tellectual whose function is toconceptualize, design and implement learn<strong>in</strong>g experiences suited to the specificity and needsof a particular classroom cxperiencc” (Aronowitz and Giroux, 1985, p. 149). Althoughteachers <strong>in</strong> thc University of Jaffna realize these problems, the limitations of time, funds,stationery, and pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g facilities <strong>in</strong> war-torn Jaffna eventually drive thcm to use tcxts such asAKL which have been amply gifted by Western agencies such as the Asia Foundation. If exist<strong>in</strong>gbooks become dated, teachers have to simply wait for the next consignment of material.As thc title implics, the text is targeted towards <strong>in</strong>termediatc-level students and focuseson the tenses, us<strong>in</strong>g eclectic methods organized around a predom<strong>in</strong>antly situational approach(see Richards and Rodgcrs, 1986). Each unit conta<strong>in</strong>s five parts. Part A <strong>in</strong>troduces thegrammatical item for that unit through a set of“situations,” accompanied by visuals. Part B,labeled Formation and Manipulation, <strong>in</strong>troduces the grammatical item more overtly andprovides pattern practice. Part C is a serialized detective story that <strong>in</strong>troduces newvocabulary <strong>in</strong> addition to provid<strong>in</strong>g practice <strong>in</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g/listen<strong>in</strong>g comprehension. Part Dpresents a conversation for role play<strong>in</strong>g, whereas the f<strong>in</strong>al part conta<strong>in</strong>s guided composition.The last two parts also provide grammar revision exercises. Though grammar is presentedovcrtly <strong>in</strong> some sections, <strong>in</strong> most others, students are encouraged to formulatc their ownhypotheses <strong>in</strong>ductively through activc use of the language <strong>in</strong> specific skills.It is also necessary to analyze the ideologies that structure the text <strong>in</strong> order to place <strong>in</strong>context the attitudes and responscs of the students to the course. What stands out <strong>in</strong> thenote, “To the Student andTeacher,”<strong>in</strong> the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of the text is the concern with provid<strong>in</strong>gadequate “practice” so that studcnts will “progress” <strong>in</strong> the “fundamentals of <strong>English</strong>” which<strong>in</strong>termediate students “still cannot seem to use correctly, easily and as automatically as theywould like” (O’Neill et a/. , 1978, p. vi). The language echoes behaviorism and assumes thatwith sufficient drill, students can be made to display habit-oriented automatic responses.Furthermore, the fundamcntals of <strong>English</strong> are considered autonomous, value-frecgrammatical structurcs (<strong>in</strong> thc fashion of U. S. structuralism), ignor<strong>in</strong>g the culture andideologies that <strong>in</strong>form the language or the textbook. Thc students themselves are isolatedfrom their social contcxt, and there is no consitlcration of how their own l<strong>in</strong>guistic andcultural backgrounds can affect or enhance their Icarn<strong>in</strong>g. In <strong>its</strong> concern with correctness(which, of coursc, is based on standard U.S. <strong>English</strong> rather than on the <strong>English</strong>es studentsbr<strong>in</strong>g with them), the textbook empowers the teacher as the sole authority <strong>in</strong> the classroomto regulate, discipl<strong>in</strong>e, and arbitrate the learn<strong>in</strong>g process. Such assumptions amount to whatGiroux (1 983) has identified as <strong>in</strong>strumental ideology (p. 209). Though AKL acknowledgesthe need to make learn<strong>in</strong>g an “enjoyable experience” and also provides opportunities forcollaborative pair work, these attempts provide only occasional relief from the largelypositivistic pedagogy.In fairncss to AKL, we have to note that certa<strong>in</strong> scctions are <strong>in</strong>fluenced by the notion ofcommunicative compctcnce with advice to students that “thc situations themsclves arc mor?important than isolated words” (O’Neill et a/., 1978, p. v). However, the <strong>in</strong>teractions andthe discourse employed <strong>in</strong> such situations assume an urbanized, technocratic, Westernculture that is alien to the students. Even such simple spcech activities as conversations arc