The Sociopolitics of English Language Teaching

J. K. Hall & W. G. Eggington (Eds.). (2000) The sociopolitics of English Language teaching. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters

Today I went googling and found this book very interesting. I haven't read much about sociopolitical view on ELT but I think I should start to have a look at this area now because it has something to do with the sociocultural approach I am using in my research. I have never heard about sociopolitics in ELT before. It is assumed that this area is quite new in the Thai EFL context.

The foreword of the book was provided by Robert B. Kaplan. He stated that virtually everything happens with respect to curriculum, methods, teacher training, and language choice is heavily politicized and often based on conscious and subconscious bias. Here are the questions about teaching of language and the myths that both educators and politicians often accepts.

Look carefully and try to answer from your own perspectives!

Let choose which one is myth - which one is reality -- very challenging

1. What language will be taught in the public school system?

a. Language choice is driven by economic considerations; that is languages that are taught are contributing to employability.
b. The choice of language depends on teaching convenience, student numbers, teacher expertise, and available resources.

2. Who will be taught these languages?
a. Access to language education is democratically determined.
b. Restrict to best and the brightest on the assumption that language learning is an intellectual exercise.


3. Who will teach these languages?
a. Any competent speaker with appropriate training is eligible to teach.
b. Native speakers are more favorable regardless of prior teacher education.


4. Who will train the teachers?
a. Existing schools are competent
b. Many schools are not competent


5. When will these language be taught?
a. Languages should be taught in middle school and continued for a maximum of two school years
b. Adolescent may be the worst possible time to introduce language learning. It's not possible to develop full competence in a few years.


6. Where will these languages be taught?
a. The only appropriate place is the formal school.
b. Learners develop the language better in the authentic communities of speakers.


7. How will success be determined?
a. Standardized test determined proficiency.
b. test may measure not communicative competence but grammar and vocabulary.


8. What is the best methodology for teaching these languages?
a. There is a best methodology.
b. The best methodology changes at frequent intervals.


9. What are the best materials for teaching these languages?
a. A single set of materials will be equally effective for all learners.
b. The set of materials is often identified by another bureaucracy: a publisher, or a charismatic scholar who happens to have a set of wonderful materials. In any case, rarely do teachers get to choose their materials.


10. What sort of auxiliary materials best support learning these languages?
a. Schools have resources to purchase whatever auxiliary materials they wish
b. Schools have budget constraints.


11. Who will pay for appropriate language learning?
a. Districts and states will pay.
b. Districts and states are likely to reduce funding for language teaching because language learning is not "jazzy" may be perceived as "effeminate" (far more girls than boys undertake language study), and may also be perceived as irrelevant in the face of serious academic work like science and mathematics.


12. How will it be determined that language teaching programs are doing a satisfactory job?
a. If a program survive, it is successful.
b. Survival depends on a range of variables unrelated ot any known educational criteria.



Tessie said "Well...it's not hard at all to answer -- the reality is what we are facing right now in the EFL instruction context. There's nothing wrong about all the discrepancies between the ideal appraoches of language teaching and the ongoing situations. That's how we do it in our non-native English environment"


Wednesday 12th September: 8.52 a.m.

I read A.Pennycook's last night and found that sociopolitical views in the EFL context have been neglected even if it always lies beneath every single English classroom (not just beneath but up in the air!) But the ideas are raised from the learners' cultural and political background. How about thinking from the teachers' side when they are teaching in a particular sociopolical context what are they bringing inside the classroom? They do not leave what they have told to to do from the head of the school or what the Minister of Education or other key person said on the tv.

Today I wil read another chapter in this book. It is chapter 11 "Becoming Sociopolitically Active" by L.E.Forhan and M.Scheraga. The introduction anecdote has really got me!!

Here's an excerpt of the very first part of this chapter...

Just do it!

"I lost my mother in October, but she's still whispreing in my ear all those things mothers whisper and wonder if they're getting through to us. Yes, mom, you really got me hwn you reminded me over and over again, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." "If you want something done, give it to a busy person. It'll get done." "You are a victim if you allow yourself to be a victim." And the one time I heard her brag about me: "The reason Mona gets so much done because while other proplr are thinking about it, she just goes and dose it."
It's time to just go out and do it! (Mona Scheraga, a writer of this chapter)

Then I expect that in this chapter the writers are going to tell us how to become sociopolitically active! Sounds exciting! Look like joining a mob in front of the U.S. embassy during the FTA summit--

These are what I found very useful to think about becoming sociopolitically active
- Authorities make decisions that impact upon the quality of the programs that we teach in and the conditions of our employment in these programs.
- To become sociopolitically active, it is a process of participating in decisions that affect us within our profession and that affect our students in their daily lives.
- Lending our voices to the chorus of voices which shape our understanding of the issues pertinent to our work and our students’ lives and which impact upon the policies related to these issues.
- Working to retain and strengthen what is good and effective in our programs and policies.
- Working for change where improvement is warranted, i.e. to better the learning experience

Some Sociopolitical Concerns
- Teachers want students to have adequate supports as they make the transition from being non-English speakers to being successful English language communicators, able to participate meaningfully English language communicators, able to participate meaningfully in their ‘new’ communities.
- Teachers want students to be affirmed in terms of their own cultural and linguistic background while they have numerous, meaningful opportunities to explore and practice using English.
- Teachers also concern about the employment conditions: job security, pay, benefits, workload, and opportunities for ongoing professional and development.
- Teachers concern about ESOL colleagues. They share what they know and try to learn from the other so they can continue to add to their knowledge and skills.

What else teachers have reflected about the professional circumstances within the working context (U.S). >>> How about in Thai ELT? >>>
- concerns that a considerable number of ESOL teaching positions do not offer salaries commensurate with the local standard of living
- concerns of widespread exploitation of ESOL teachers in terms of excessive hiring for part-time assignments and failure to create full-time continuing positions
- concerns about discrimination against non-native speakers o fEnglish in ESOL hiring practices and in offering graduates assistantships in masters and doctoral-level TESOL programs


Tessie said “It will be worth exploring the sociopolitical concerns of Thai EFL teachers in all level of education. The finding will be so rewarding to improve our English education to find ways to fix chronic problems prevailing in the institutions and the mismatches between the policies and the reality of classroom settings.” Let’s face it!

What's coming up next?


Language Policy and Modernity in Southeast Asia: MAlaysia, the Philippines, Singapre, and Thailand.
Antonio L.Rappa
Lionel Wee