The Politics of Language by ANA GABRIELA CHAVEZ MARTINEZ

Whose English Should be Taught?

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 03:55:52 UTC

There are clear differences within and among these varieties, so a choice must be made. Then, what about the variety of English spoken in other countries where English is commonly used and is often an official language. countries such as India, Nigeria, and Singapore.

Critical Approaches to Pedagogy

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 04:04:42 UTC

A minimal answer to this question is that it is important for teachers to develop an awareness of political issues around the use of language. Language teachers are not merely teaching language as a neutral vehicle for the expression of meaning. Critical pedagogy is an approach to teaching that aims to create a more egalitarian society by raising awareness of social injustice as a necessary part of the curriculum.

Literacies

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 04:08:57 UTC

Some educators (Gee 1996, Luke 2004) have explored literacies as a plural rather than singular concept, stressing the fact that participation in a literate English culture means more than being able to read English—learners need to gain access to the specific English language norms, grammar, and vocabulary used by those in power. So students are not just learning to read in English; they would also be learning the discourse of politics, or education, or business.

Plurilingualism and Multicompetence

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 04:10:17 UTC

Non-native Speakers as Teachers

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 04:14:32 UTC

Another political issue is the one regarding the speaker status of a teacher (whether native speaker or non-native speaker). Many language education programs prefer to hire native speakers, presumably for the model they provide and the access they have to intuitions about what is correct and how the language works. However, in actual fact, non-native speakers bring a great number of strengths to language teaching, not the least of which is that they are role models of successful learning themselves.

Hidden Curriculum

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 04:18:11 UTC

Another topic has to do with a teacher’s awareness of the hidden curriculum of a language class.

The Participatory Approach: One Response to the Politics of Language Teaching

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 18:54:19 UTC

Experiences

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 19:05:17 UTC

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 19:06:54 UTC

Reviewing the Principles

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 19:12:38 UTC

What are the goals of teachers who use the Participatory Approach?
The teachers’ goals are to teach language that is meaningful and to raise the political consciousness of her students. Teachers want their students to be empowered to use the language they are learning in order to solve political problems in their lives.

What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
The teacher dialogues with the students in order to identify problems they are having. She then looks for ways to incorporate these problems into the lessons. These problems become the content she focuses on in language instruction. The students are encouraged to share the daily concerns of their lives with the teacher and the class.
What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process? The teacher leads the students in a discussion about their lives. From this discussion, she identifies problems that the class can work on as a whole. She then poses these problems to the students. Students learn how to use language in realworld situations in order to address their problems. Knowledge is jointly constructed with the teacher asking questions and the students responding. Collaboration among students is also encouraged. Focusing on language form occurs within a focus on content relevant to students’ lives. Students are encouraged to evaluate their own learning.
What is the nature of student–teacher interaction? What is the nature of student–student interaction? The teacher is supportive of her students. She helps them advocate for themselves. She helps the students find solutions to problems while also teaching them the necessary language to understand, discuss and, address these problems. Students work supportively with one another.
How are the feelings of the students dealt with? The students learn that their feelings are important and that their study of language is relevant to their lives. The students are invited to express their feelings. They are also empowered by directing and evaluating their own learning.
How is the language viewed? How is culture viewed? Language is an instrument of power necessary for active and equal participation in society. Language is not a neutral subject. Culture relates to students’ daily experiences.
What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized? Language is used meaningfully, with a focus on form subordinate to communication initially. Ultimately, correctness of form is taught and valued so that students can be successful in using language with authorities. Literacy is thought to be very important, although no skill is neglected.
What is the role of the students’ native language? The students’ native language is valued. It should not be lost when students learn a new language.
What is evaluation accomplished? As much as possible the students are encouraged to direct and to evaluate their own learning so that it is connected with their lives.
How does the teacher respond to student errors? Students are encouraged to self-correct. The teacher also points out student errors and provides feedback on how to correct errors.

Reviewing the Techniques

agchavezm — 2024-07-31 19:18:01 UTC

The Participatory Approach is another example of a ‘strong version’ of the Communicative Approach. An analytic syllabus is adopted, and the use of meaningful language predominates over learning linguistic items one by one. Here are the two special techniques associated with the Participatory Approach:

• Dialoguing In the Participatory Approach, teacher and students dialogue about issues in the students’ lives that relate to their power and the power of others. Students are encouraged ‘to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves’ (Freire 1970: 64).

• Problem Posing The teacher poses a problem that she has identified from dialoguing with students. Students are encouraged to examine their own practices and beliefs and to engage in collaborative planning and problem solving around the problem that has been posed. Problem posing helps students to understand the social, historical, and cultural forces that shaped the context in which they live, and then helps empower them to take action and make decisions in order to gain control over their lives in that context