Regarding this first entry we would analyze the English textbook ‘E-teens 8’. We started observing the textbook in general to select more easily the unit and pages that we were about to analyze. We chose to examine the unit called ‘Travel’ and the focus that we have taken is gender issues and LGBTQ+ community.  

First, we decide to start with the image analysis. This, due to that nowadays images represent and reproduce realities in a way that people believe and absorb everything they see. So, we consider extremely important this analysis concerning gender equality. We based our analysis considering Giaschi’s text and some class discussions related to this. We selected specifically pages 23 and 24 from this unit to analyse. Based on the following questions from Giaschi’s (2000) we conclude: 

1. What is the activity of the image(s)?

2. Who is active (the "protagonist") in the image?

3. Who is passive (the "receiver") in the image(s)?

4. Who has status in the image(s)?

5. What does the body language communicate?

6. What does the clothing communicate?

7. Where are the eyes directed?

Regarding the images present in both pages, we noticed that male gaze was very present in the selected images, in most of them male were the protagonist and female the receiver. In addition, in some pictures female were completely absent and only male are shown in diverse activities which promote the thought of women not able to do the same activities that  men do. Another point analyzed was the clothing, men used more vivid colors than women, which leads to the perspective that even colors correspond to an specific gender and that can not be used by others. 

Secondly, in terms of discourse analysis, we discover that most of the examples present along the unit have males as subject. For instance, in page  35 and 36 all the activity is about the story of two men. We consider that this kind of activity, invisibilized women in literature, especially as protagonist of a story. In the same manner, the LGBTQ+ community is invisibilized all along the unit, neither in examples or activities are mentioned. We think that heteronormativity and cisgender people are predominant in this textbook, which reproduce a patriarchal society in which gender roles are imposed, and sexual minorities as well as women are completely left out. 

References

Fairclough, N. (2001). Critical discourse analysis as a method in social scientific research. In: Wodak, R. & M. Meyer (eds.). Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. (pp. 121-138). London: SAGE.

Giaschi, P. (2000). Gender Positioning in Education: A Critical Image Analysis of ESL texts. TESL Canada Journal / Revue TESL du Canada 18 / 1, 32-46.

Dr. Gomez, Jefa de UTP:

As far as you should know and as was assigned by you, this year it’s up to me to select the textbooks that will be used for the English subject, after a deep research and a comparison among different textbooks I have reached the conclusion of two textbooks that are going to be possibly useful for this specific course being one of them my selection, which is the MINEDUC textbook; the reasons will be attached above on this E-mail.

Firstable, at the moment that you open the MINEDUC textbook you are able to see what’s going to happen through the year, with specified objectives and a guide about how to read them. Personally, I think it is very useful for parents to be informed and be part of their children’s learning process, what are they doing and keep a track of their advances. Furthermore, the most important feature is that instructions and explanations at the beginning are in Spanish, allowing parents that do not speak English understand what is being explained. After that, there is a little introduction that is also in Spanish, in one of them a few kids are shown and a in the other one there are Chilean native animal species that are motivated to learn a new language, which is made with the aim of producing empathy and see not only themselves as foreign and isolated learners.

Secondly, regarding the visual content as images, something that called my attention was that most of them were most likely drawings that ‘real’ photos which is something that is different from the other textbook, and that for young learners of an L2 may cause misinterpretations when the images do not express clearly what is asked or what do they represent. For example, on the other book, there was a photo an activity in which students were asked for the seasons, nevertheless the photo could be interpreted as people playing football. In the other hand, on the MINEDUC textbook the intentions were clear for the same activity, even if you do not read the instruction, since the image (as drawing) was clear enough. (Appendix #1)

In third place, and regarding content focusing on the third unit of 5th grade that is provided by bases curriculares ‘’temas de la vida cotidiana: la escuela, la casa, la familia, la ropa, la comida, el clima; temas del contexto inmediato de los estudiantes como experiencias personales e información de interés relativa a eventos y aspectos de su entorno y de nuestro país; temas de otras asignaturas, como alimentación equilibrada y variada (Ciencias Naturales), descripción de lugares y clima (Geografía); temas de actualidad e interés global como cultura de otros países, cuidado del medio ambiente y avances tecnológicos (redes sociales, medios de comunicación).’’ (Bases curriculares, 2018)  The MINEDUC textbook provides not only a wide range of vocabulary about this content, weather, actions, places of the city, animals and so on (appendix #2), but also it provides of grammatical structures as present simple, present continuous and questions, expressions about emotions and states. This book also is constantly making a review of content that was previously seen in past units, so students are able to make content connections among new acquired structures and what they already know.

In third place, and focusing on how this content is addressed, there is a mixing of grammar based instruction and communicative language teaching. Why do I say this? Well, according to Del Valle (2006) Grammar based instruction is based on the grammar and linguistic knowledge. Where learners can only acquire the grammar, but they cannot use the skills into their communication effectively and their level still remains as in the grammar rules. Even though the structures are not explicitly explained through the pages, it is clearly an aim to practice these structures in order to make students remember them but use them. And there is where a communicative language teaching approach is shown since In CLT approach, meaning is given prime importance. The main focus of the approach is to make the learners able to understand the intention and expression of the writers and speakers (Desai, 2015). In this way, structures are taught but the most important aim is to use them, hopefully in context, which according to the bases curriculares (2018) fits perfectly with the objective of the English curriculum that is to make students able to communicate in the target language. But to communicate they have to be aware of the uses, forms and structures that they are using.

In fourth place, the material that appeared in the MINEDUC textbook accomplish all of the skills asked for bases curriculares ‘Escuchar y demostrar comprensión de información explícita en textos adaptados y auténticos simples, tanto no literarios (textos expositivos, diálogos) como literarios (rimas, canciones, cuentos), que estén enunciados en forma clara, tengan repetición de palabras y apoyo visual y gestual’ (MINEDUC, 2018) in this unit of MINEDUC book can be found rhymes, games, songs and poems.  Also, an expected objective in bases curriculares is to ‘Expresarse oralmente, ya sea en diálogos, presentaciones o actividades grupales, con apoyo de lenguaje visual y/o digital, en torno a los temas del año.’ (MINEDUC, 2018)  And there are at least three activities in the unit which students have to reproduce dialogs regarding the different topics address on this unit, for example there is a dialogue which was specifically to role play a daily life situation about lending school materials, an activity that is specifically suggested in MINEDUC bases curriculares (2018) ‘Participar en diálogos con pares y profesores al realizar las siguientes funciones: saludar y despedirse; por ejemplo: hello/good morning, goodbye; dar instrucciones; por ejemplo: sit down, close the door; agradecer, disculparse y pedir permiso; por ejemplo: thank you, sorry, may I??’

 

In fifth place, and please do not think I’m writing an Ode about this book, but there are some abilities that the other books didn’t addressed, for example drawing, which for 5th graders still being a way to express themselves and a entertaining way to learn, and considering the different ‘intelligences’ stated by Gardener it’s a way to consider everyone in the classroom. But I don’t want to reduce this to a single drawing item, there are also pair related concepts, to link different items (vocabulary activity) and so on (appendix #3).  Furthermore, it is very useful when as a teacher; I want to reach all my students levels which certainly are going to be varied. For those who doesn’t manage the target language and for those who manage it there are more challenging activities.

As a final characteristic that convinced me of not using extra books, is that instructions are very clear that I think students are going to be able to figure out activities even by themselves, there is modeling and they are concise and precise. The use of least words as possible is always a plus when it comes to make students (and parents) understand what they have to do. (appendix #4)

The only item that I do not think is totally acceptable is that different types of family are not shown, different races or lifestyles. It is understandable that it is aimed to kids, but children have to be aware of what surround them and considering that it is a 2018 edition and that our country is changing as our society, it is important to contextualize textbooks for new generations. I know also, that none of these books are allowed to show this explicitly so this is part of my job as a teacher to show them different materials, points of view and diversity.

 

Kind regards.

 

References:

Del Valle, E. Grammar-Based instruction and English as a second language. (2006)

Desai, A. Characteristics and Principles of Communicative Language Teaching. (2015)

MINEDUC. (2018). Bases curriculares. Chile.