Exploring Teaching and Learning English through the Developmental Approach in a Technologically Immersive Environment
Posted: Sunday, September 16, 2007
by Prof Anil Sarwal
Prof Anil Sarwal
0.0 Introduction We are living in an age of dramatic and unprecedented linguistic revolution [i] , the making of a global language. The rapid changes in media and communications in the closing years of the 20 th century brought to the fore the need for a global link language and English has emerged as the preferred language for global communication.
In view of this, after a lot of debate and discussion, in most countries of the world with a colonial past, the education policy makers have preferred to retain the teaching of English at all levels of education, from the primary to the higher education.
However, the challenges of the new technologies such as the internet and the multimedia, and the resultant changes in the makeup, role and functions of English language itself, demand that we take a close look at the teaching of English as a Universal Auxiliary Language and make the necessary changes if we want the students to benefit from the huge amount of resources that are being invested in its teaching by the governments.
This paper suggests a new approach to the teaching of English, namely the Developmental Approach, the foundations of which lie in the recent research work done while teaching a course in spoken English and personality development in the Department of Adult and Continuing Education, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
1.0 Brief Historical Background English was introduced in India in the 17 th Century by the East India Company. Later in 1835, Macaulay set the stage for teaching English at the national level by recommending to use it as an instrument of colonization. The famous Macaulay Minute reads, “ We must at present do our best to form …. a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. " [iv]
When the constitution of independent India was framed in 1950, the India Parliament decided to retain English as the Official Language along with Hindi till 1965. However, no decision could be made in 1965 and, till date, English continues to be the ‘associate official language.’
The love-hate relationship with English continued almost till the end of the last century, however, it seems that controversy has now settled down with most state governments agreeing to teach English right from Class I. Its invaluable contribution in the field of higher education too has been nationally recognized.
2.0 The Present Scenario In 1997 an India Today survey suggested that about a third (350 million) of India ’s population had the ability to carry on a conversation in English. Interestingly, this is equal to the combined English-speaking populations of Britain , the USA , Australia and New Zealand . India has become the 3 rd country in the world with the largest number of English speakers and it has a rich tradition of teaching the language. English is taught and learnt as a second language in India and it is widely used in media, education, administration, non-localized businesses, etc. According to estimates, the circulation of English newspapers in the country is over 8 million. [v] Due to all this, a new variety of English has come into being in the country, popularly known as the Indian English [vi] , with its distinct vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
English is taught from class I in most states of India though many problems persist. It is universally acknowledged that the whole teaching learning process up to the graduate level and even till the postgraduate level is not very effective in imparting the desired linguistic skills to the learners. This despite the fact that a number of recommendations have been made to curb the falling standards by the various education commissions and the reports of the Study Groups on English set up by the government from time to time.
It must be admitted that reforms have been introduced in the teaching materials based on the directions given by institutions like the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad though there has been a vast gap in their execution because of the general laxity in the implementation of the recommended teaching methodology. Another reason is that the teachers are neither fully trained nor have the access to the very basic teaching aids such as the blackboards in most parts of the country, especially the rural areas. The learners therefore have to depend upon the private coaching classes and the teaching shops that have mushroomed all over the country by paying huge amounts in fees even after having studied the language for as many as 14 years or more to acquire the required competence in the language.
Some of the areas of concern as regards the teaching methodology and materials (especially at the higher levels) are as under:
ž Teaching continues to be through the Lecture/Grammar Translation method though new type of materials have been designed.
ž There is heavy reliance on British texts at the higher levels. The syllabuses at these levels are generally literature oriented.
ž The learners needs are not well documented and they are not taken into consideration while designing syllabuses, especially at the university level.
ž The teachers are not adequately trained and the class room facilities don’t permit innovative language teaching.
ž Classroom teaching is a long monologue by the teacher and he/she primarily attempts to explain the various meanings of the text and give a brief introduction to the author.
ž The students rely heavily on the guide books and rote learning as they don’t get individual attention in the class because of large numbers.
ž The study and teaching is largely examination-oriented with little or no focus on the speaking skills that are so very important in the present context.
3.0 Towards a suitable Teaching Methodology The changes that have occured in the fields of science and technology have transformed the world in a global village and the newer means of communication being used rampantly from last one decade or so like the internet, emails and the mobile phones warrant that we rethink about the traditional teaching methods and incorporate newer technologies in the teaching of English. The new technologies have a lot of implications for the teacher and the taught and also the linguists and the syllabus designers.
A number of questions need to be asked: · How are new technologies influencing the learner’s profile? · How can the teacher make use of the new information highways in day to day learning? · How is the English language being affected by the new communication revolution and do we need to introduce the other varieties of English to the learners or do we confine ourselves to the teaching of British texts?
· How is the English language changing as result of the internet, email and sms communication? How many of the rapidly occurring changes in its grammar, vocabulary, spellings and pronunciation can be accepted in formal writing? Further how acceptable are the new Englishes like the American English, Australian English, African English and the Chinese English to us?
· To whom does the English language belong when the number of non-native speakers of the language far exceed the native speakers? [vii]
· How helpful would the new media be in presenting the learners with the samples of real language? Is there any way now to supplement the written texts with texts on recorded media whether audio or video?
· Which values must be promoted in the linguistic texts and which values need to be deemphasized?
· How do we preserve our identity in the globalized world? 4.0 The Founding Principles of the Developmental Approach to Teaching The answers to some of the above questions and some more insights into the role and function of language, especially the English Language, prompted us to think of a new approach. Since the Chomskian revolution [viii] , we have considered language mainly as a means of communication. However, we now know that language is much more than that.
Language, and especially English as the Global Link Language, is, in fact, one of the most important tools of individual empowerment. It is well said, “The heart is like a box, and language is the key. Only by using the key can we open the box and observe the gems it contains." [ix]
Learning English as the universal auxiliary language opens up to the learners a totally new world that is ever evolving and ever fresh. The knowledge of the distant parts of the world, the people living there and their dreams and aspirations, as well as the latest researches in every field coupled with the latest dialogue in the areas of collective development of humanity and the challenges ahead open a new, exciting and totally unexplored world for the learner. How does he cope up with all he now encounters daily. What about his own identity, values, original thinking and cultural heritage? How do we teach him to put everything in place so that he can make a judicious use of the newer resources at the command of a click and at the same time not get completely swayed away by the advertisements in the media and the consumerist culture?
These, and many more such questions, are the concerns that we have tried to address in the development approach to language teaching.
5.0 Some thoughts on the aims of educational processes in relation to the Developmental Approach to Language Teaching (DLT)
It is well said that man is “...a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasuries, and enable mankind to benefit there from." [x] Education is, indeed, the most civilizing process for the human offspring.
However, in the present scenario when universal education is in great demand, and correctly so, the quality of education has suffered because of the mass scale implementation of the universal educational programmes without adequate number of fully trained and capable human resources and the financial crunch most governments face because of the misplaced priorities and huge spending on weapons of war and warfare itself. The matters have become more complicated because of the commercialization of education in almost all the major educational institutions in the country. We firmly believe that the status of education must be restored to that of being a service activity without further delay if we want to do some good to the children in this country.
Further, the stress on bookish knowledge must be replaced by the focus on learning life skills, building character and acquiring virtues. The learners must be taught to appreciate the human diversity and they must be familiarized with the dialogue on science, religion and development. The educational environment should train the learners in the art of consultation and conflict resolution. This will help them to emerge as cooperative citizens (in place of the highly selfish and competitive ones) who would be willing to help others when in need.
In the light of this and similar other thoughts, the language teaching must regain its humanizing influence that it once exerted on the pupils. Instead of the now demeaning language that abounds in four letter words and highly competitive and blunt business like attitude, the students should be trained to use polite and courteous language and be educated to speak the truth and give their opinions, howsoever different those might be, without hurting any one. Only such language teaching would lead to creating a peaceful world rooted in truth, justice and equality for there is an inherent connection between language and human thought. The relevant strategies to achieve these goals based on the current thoughts prevalent in the field of education must be charted out without any further delay.
6.0 Main features of the Developmental Approach to Language Teaching (DLT) Some of the basic premise of Developmental Approach to Language Teaching are: ž Language has all along been the greatest tool for development of human civilization. ž Language teaching should develop independent thinking, allow for individual creativity and fight indoctrination.
ž Human values are best developed through language teaching. ž Global language should represent various cultures and equip the learners with global perspective.
ž Learners become the agents of change equipped with a high level of communication skills. The main focus of Developmental Approach to Teaching is the individual and collective development during the process of acquiring the linguistic skills that we are now so familiar with namely Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. In our view, as far as teaching and learning is concerned, all previously discovered approaches, methods and techniques have a place in the classroom situation and they would do immense good if used appropriately and judiciously.
6.1 A Perspective on the Role of English as a Universal Auxiliary Language Popularly, English is called the ‘Global language’ in the linguist and non-linguist circles. However, it would be more appropriate to perceive its role as a Universal Auxiliary Language and if we understand the concept of Global Language in this light, it might be more useful. Firstly, it would avoid, to some extent, the apprehensions of neo-colonization through English that still persist in many parts of the world. Secondly, it would be helpful to clearly understand that by learning or teaching it we are not aiming to kill or dominate one’s mother tongue. What we are advocating is that every child learns an additional language, the Global Link Language, besides his/her own mother tongue and that this role is at the moment being fulfilled by the English Language. In that sense it is the preferred Global Language.
It might be appropriate to make a mention here of the fact that we might shift the English as Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching methodologies to English as a Global Language (EGL) methodology since this term is more neutral. English as a foreign language still would evoke mixed feelings in the learners whereas English as a Second language (ESL) too would pre-prejudice the learner towards the language. EGL is a neutral term and if the above explanation is accepted this might actually motivate the learners to learn it well. Besides, the whole concept of learning a new language and gaining a new world view should be attractive even for monolingual speakers.
6.1.1 The Present Scenario – Changing Role of English Language At present, according to David Crystal, a quarter of the world’s 6.5 billion population uses various varieties of English for their different communication tasks. [xi] It is estimated that 75% of all international communication in writing, 80% of all information in the world’s computers and 90% of Internet contents are in English. Weeks (1996) notes that “for the first time in the history of civilization, we appear to be on the verge of having a genuine world language." [xii]
When a language spreads, it changes. Says Crystal “The simple fact that parts of the world differ from each other so much physically and culturally means that speakers have innumerable opportunities to adapt the language to meet their communicative needs and to achieve fresh identities." [xiii] Thus we see bulk of adoption in vocabulary and structures from foods, drinks, medicines, drugs and the practices associated with eating, health care, disease and death besides the flora and fauna, distinctive names in local literature, local laws and customs, fames, sports, musical styles and so on. Also the internet emails and SMSes are giving rise to new linguistic structures and spellings are changing very rapidly.
The current changes in English are giving rise to new varieties of the language that will hopefully in time be standardized. Further, as the number of non-native speakers is now much more than the native speakers, the so-called standard variety of English is too undergoing many changes. So much has already happened that David Crystal concludes “The year 2000 marked the end of a decade of linguistic revolution. The new century must deal with its consequences." [xiv]
6.1.2 Global Civilization and Features of a Global Language It is increasingly becoming clear that the global village would need a global lingua franca. In good time, the leaders of the world might either select one of the existing languages to act the lingua franca or choose one of the man made languages like Esperanto for this purpose.
At the moment, English seems to perform a number of functions of a global language. It is accepted as the official language/associate or de facto official language in many countries of the world. English is favoured by many international organizations, such the United Nations, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO, etc. It is the preferred language of science and technology, legal and banking systems across the world. As a library language, it plays and important role in higher education. Besides being a language of individual opportunity, it also acts as a language of cultural transmission and acts as a tool for the unification of mankind.
Unity of language is essential to bring about world unity that will be corner stone of world peace. “Discontinuance of the existing misunderstandings among nations can be accomplished through the unity of language. Unless the unity of languages is realized, the Most Great Peace and the oneness of the human world cannot be effectively organized and established because the function of language is to portray the mysteries and secrets of human hearts." [xv]
It is now becoming clear that material wealth will give way to knowledge and information in determining the shape of the future world society, and speaking the common world language will be fundamental for an individual to achieve success in every field of human endeavour.
6.1.3 English as a Global Language: Implications for its teaching Clearly then, English has emerged as the de facto global language for universal communication in the closing years of the twentieth century. Whereas languages have been traditionally taught from the view point of their cultures, we will now have to think of new methodologies and materials so that global language learners can meet the challenges of the emerging global civilization and use the global language for their diverse needs (see 1.5.1.1).
As per the future of English Teaching Methodology, English 21 report notes “English is concerned with the development of certain skills, but it is not reducible to a list of such skills. There are affective, aesthetic, ethical, social and political dimensions to English, and, while there may be no absolute reasons why such dimensions should have become part of the experience of English, that they have become so is a matter of historical fact. Social and moral interests and responsibilities are central to what English has become." [xvi]
All these factors have been taken into consideration while suggesting the Developmental Approach to Language Teaching.
6.1.4 Goals of Teaching a Universal Auxiliary Language
We have proposed that the Universal Auxiliary Language (in this case English) be universally taught to the students in all the schools of the world from Class I. This means all the citizens of the world would learn their mother tongue well, but side by side they will also learn the universal auxiliary language. Mostly all the citizens of the world therefore will grow up as bilingual speakers which phenomenon would have a number of advantages.
It will only be appropriate that the endeavours be made to develop a new mindset in the learners for the creation of a learning society. The learners would need to be given the skill to perform various daily tasks such as sending emails, SMSes, ability to find data from the internet and use it. The whole learning-teaching process would also focus on the personality development and awareness of world issues like environment, health, world peace, human rights, and so on. Further, interview skills, study skills and reference skills must become an integral part of language learning programme so that the learners can use their newly gained skills in the field of action.
6.2 Application of UNESCO Task Force recommendations for the 21st century learners The following suggestions of the UNESCO Task Force on Education for the Twenty-first Century [xvii] are invaluable. All the teachers and learners must discover innovative ways to make these processes a part of their teaching/learning process.
ž Learning to learn— inculcating a new mindset and the learning attitude, and the capacity to learn systematically.
ž Learning to do— gaining study skills and building capacity.
ž Learning to live together— focusing on unity in diversity, scientific temper and respect for human dignity, working in groups, practice in the art of consultation and collective development.
ž Learning to be— a principle that entails the application of spiritual principles to ones daily life and should be viewed as the very foundation of development. This involves a rectitude of conduct on the part of the individual and specifically relates to personality development.
6.3 Countering Cultural Indoctrination
If we do not pay attention to the values that are conveyed in language teaching, mostly unconsciously, we risk the danger of undesirable values and concepts being conveyed to the students. Texts show biases: nationalism, gender, race, caste, religion, class, wealth, happiness, etc. Texts are not value-free; they do impart values, whether consciously or unconsciously.
The texts (including the internet, audio and video materials) therefore, need to be selected very carefully.
6.4 DLT: Teacher Roles
The teachers must be proficient in language skills and skilled in the proposed teaching methodology. It is difficult to undo the damage once done, if the teacher’s own proficiency levels do not meet the required standards. Further more the teachers must have suitable attitudes, world view (general awareness of the current issues). They must be global-centric than ethno-centric, and above all be a good role model, that is, they would be helpful in shaping the character of the learners by imparting the right human values.
The DLT teachers are recognized as an encouraging and helpful group leaders who are not dogmatic about their ideals and opinions. The DLT teachers would perceive themselves as participants in the learning process rather than its source.
They must be able to use the latest media and technological innovations and make life long learning their mission. Only in this way they can be helpful in the holistic development of their learners’ personality.
It would be important for an institution employing DLT to promote team teaching. Once the institution as a whole has well-developed and unified vision of its various programmes and policies, and the teachers collectively endeavour to implement these, the desired changes can be quickly perceived in the learners.
6.5 DLT: Learner Roles
The learners enjoy full autonomy in learning and are the focal point of the teaching/learning process. They must be highly motivated, cooperative and disciplined, and active contributors to the learning process. They would help their teachers in preparing charts, collecting data, applying information and in guiding the class. They would be independent investigators of truth and would have the courage to express their views without any fear, but without hurting anyone in the process. At the same time, they would have no difficulty in working in groups and share their learning with their peers and their teachers.
They would be constantly evolving in their thinking and awareness of the challenges facing the world. Based on their learning in the classroom, it would be mandatory for them to be involved in the life of the community around them and thus become a useful citizen from an early age.
Periods of physical exercise, yoga, prayers, meditation and counselling would be an integral part of their daily educational schedule.
6.6 DLT: Materials and Methods
The teaching materials (printed or written text, audio and video materials, or any other contemporary format that is available) would be need-based, mainly focussing on contemporary English. Further, these would be most helpful in bringing to the class recorded samples of language in use in the real life situations and thus fulfil a crucial need in the language teaching field.
The texts will focus on various language skills, vocabulary and structures to be imparted at different levels of linguistic proficiency. They would be representative of various cultures and communities across the world, thus familiarizing the learners with different ‘Englishes’. [xviii]
The teaching methods would be focus on problem solving, conflict resolution and personality development and promote the development of core human values among the students. The exercises would manifest various formats and would include co-operative games, quizzes, debates, talks, discussions, paper reading, poetry recitation, creative writing, and role play.
6.7 DLT: Evaluation Procedures The evaluation procedures would be mainly dependent upon the honesty of the teacher, and the overall performance of the learners. The evaluation would be continuous, and through varied tests, beginning with the micro level tests administered in the classroom and culminating in the formal term/year end examinations for all the four language skills and sub-skills, including vocabulary and structures.
The tests would also measure the levels of fluency and accuracy attained. The learners would be required to submit assignments in various formats through out the course of study.
Apart from the language skills, there would also be provision to evaluate the learners on their cooperative skills, their general awareness of the issues facing the world and their involvement and contribution in elevating human suffering through their education and training. Some of these could easily be integrated into the various valid and reliable tests of the language skills, be it listening, speaking, reading or writing.
6.8 Conclusion
We are once more at a historic stage of evolution in the field of English Language Teaching. For the first time, we have the challenge to teach English as a Global Language (EGL) to millions of people in all parts of the world. We, as language teachers, have to rise to the occasion and arriving at a clear picture of the process at work, set out to successfully accomplish the task at hand, still having a lot of room for creativity and innovation as per our own specific needs and environment. Development Approach to Language Teaching is seen as a step in that direction.
[i] Crystal, David. The Language Revolution . Polity Press, 65, Bridge Street , Cambridge CB2 1UR , UI. 2004.
[ii] Erling, Elizabeth J. “The many names of English." In Tom McArthur, ed, English Today 81, Vol. 21, No. 1. Cambridge University Press , Great Britain . January 2005
[iii] Wallace, Cathrine. “Local literacies and global literacy." In David Block & D. Cameron, eds, Globalization and Language Teaching . London & New York : Routledge. 2002.
[iv] Macaulay, Thomas Babington. 1835. See at http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/rraley/research/english/macaulay.html
[v] https://rni.nic.in/
[vi] Kachru, Braj. The Indianization of English . Oxford : Oxford University Press. 1983.
[vii] Crystal , David. English as a Global Language (Second Ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , 2003.
[viii] Chomsky, Noam. 1957. Syntactic Structures . The Hague/Paris: Mouton
[ix] ‘ Abdu’l-Baha. The Promulgation of Universal Peace. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette . 1982.
[x] Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette . 1988.
[xi] Crystal , David. English as a Global Language (Second Ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , 2003
[xii] Weeks Sally. Embracing English . Miami Herald ( Miami , Fla. ), Aug. 18, 1996
[xiii] Crystal, David. The Language Revolution . Polity Press, 65, Bridge Street , Cambridge CB2 1UR , UI. 2004.
[xiv] ibid
[xv] ‘ Abdu’l-Baha. The Promulgation of Universal Peace. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette . 1982.
[xvi] http://www.late.org.uk/English21institute.htm [xvii] http://www.unesco.org/delors/
[xviii] McArthur, Tom. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, Oxford . 1992. According to him, New Englishes is a term for "recently emerging and increasingly autonomous variet[ies] of English, especially in a non-western setting, such as India , Nigeria , or Singapore ."
Suggested Reading
1. Bloomfield , Leonard. Language . Motilal BanarsiDass, Delhi . 1963.
2. Crystal, David. English as a Global Language . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , UK . 2003.
3. Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of language, Second Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , UK . 1996.
4. Hornby, A. S. [Wehmeier, Sally (Chief Editor) and McIntosh, Colin and Turnbull, Joanna (Editors) with Ashby, Michael (Phonetics Editor)], Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English , 7 th Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford . 2005.
5. Larsen-Freeman. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching , Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford , UK . 2002.
6. Malone, S. A. Learning to Learn . Viva Books Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi . 2002.
7. McArthur, Tom. The Oxford Guide to World English . Oxford University Press, Oxford . 2002.
8. Palmer, Frank. Grammar . The English Language Book Society and Penguin Books, Great Britain . 1971.
9. Parrot Martin. Tasks for Language Teachers (A resource book for training and development). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , UK . 1993.
10. Richards, Jack C, and Rodgers, Theodore S. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching . Cambridge language Teaching Library, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , UK , 2001.
11. Ur , Penny. Discussions that Work (Task-centred fluency practice). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , UK . 2003.
12. Wilkins, D.A. Linguistics in Language Teaching . The English Language Book Society and Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd., Great Britain , 1978.
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