History of TEFL and Frameworks PDF

Session 2: History of TEFL and Frameworks 1. Development of ELT Why did people want to learn a foreign language? − marketplace tradition: comes from the need to communicate in everyday and professional life − monastery tradition: primary motivation is anchored in the academic field 2. The Hi...

Session 2: History of TEFL and Frameworks 1. Development of ELT Why did people want to learn a foreign language? − marketplace tradition: comes from the need to communicate in everyday and professional life − monastery tradition: primary motivation is anchored in the academic field 2. The Historical Perspective − significance of foreign language teaching is dependent upon (have varied across history and there is no linear story of progress in language teaching and learning) o social interests o economic interests o political interests o cultural interests o academic interests − pertinent topics o the principles of language acquisition and teaching a foreign language o the political decision whether to develop practical language skills only or pursue further educational objectives (e.g. cultural contents) 2.1. The Roman Empire Latin as lingua franca (= a common language used among speakers not sharing a first language) 2.2. Middle Ages Latin: political and legal documents, formal education, central medium of religious service (Bible) 2.3. Renaissance (15th /16th century) Renaissance humanists favoured Greek over Latin 2.4. Early Modern Period (15th-17th century) Two models of FLT − FL as a system o Grammar-Translation Method (= GTM, sample sentences in Latin, teachers explained words and rules of grammar in detail to the students) o only marginally useful for preparing people to engage in trade and business deals − FL for communicative purposes o Comenius (edited the first textbook for Latin with pictures): slow progress is due to systematic approach and instructional material o rather: holistic style of learning (= from simple to more complex issues, from content to form) and the development of multilingual textbooks with pictures and stories o practical communication and knowledge of the language system and study abroad  o principles still valid today 2.5. Role of French (17th to late 19th century) − German upper class admired French aristocracy − French = language of diplomacy, refined culture − did not become lingua franca (too little speakers) 2.6. Spread of English (18th, 19th and 20th century) − English as world language o British Empire (18th/19th century) o global dominance of the US (20th century) − a blessing and a curse (speaking English as a question of power, who speaks and is taught English and who is not?) o key to empowerment (participation in certain discourses) o ‘killer language’: spread, relevance and value of other/indigenous languages) o linguistic and cultural imperialism 3. The International Perspective 3.1. Today − English as the lingua franca (dominates pop culture, the Internet and social media, trade, finance, politics and academia) − which Englishes are used around the world? o Kachru’s model ‘The Three Circles of English’ (1985) ▪ inner circle: US, UK, Canada, … ▪ outer circle: India, Singapore, … ▪ expanding circle: China, Russia, … − English as a life skill − mastering English forms cultural, social and economic capital 3.2. World English and Global English? − local appropriation of English by non-native speakers o problem: how to define common structural, sociolinguistic, and historical-political characteristics in the face of numerous varieties and differences − most important purpose of lingua franca-English: intelligibility − features of standard English often disregarded o pronunciation of the phoneme /th/: /dis/ o inflection of verb in 3rd person singular: he talk o ‘would’ in if-clauses: If she would go, I would go too 4. The National Perspective (Germany) 4.1. 18th Century − English gained some ground in German schools − ELT in schools of urban middle classes − reading English literature and works of philosophy (monastery tradition) − practicing oral communication in English (marketplace tradition) 4.2. 19th Century − three-tiered and class-based system o Volksschule for common people (grades 1-8) o Realschule (grades 5-10) o Gymnasium (grades 5-13) for middle and upper classes − majority of population was not taught any foreign language − English gradually became second modern foreign language o next to French in Realschule o third or fourth option next to Latin and Greek in Gymnasium − Grammar-Translation-Method o language was taught formally (according to the teaching of classical languages) o aims were accuracy (formal correctness) in understanding and profound knowledge of words and grammar o focus: written word and analytical language learning (precise translations) o students should be enabled to read literary and philosophical ‘classics’ o their general education should be supported − reform movement of the late 19th century o Wilhelm Viëtor: ‘Der Sprachunterricht muss umkehren!‘ (1882/1905) ▪ against elitist form of higher education ▪ modern languages should be taught as living languages ▪ FL teaching should concentrate on functional skills and oral communication knowledge about the target country (‘Realienkunde’) ▪ grammar teaching: only supportive function ▪ the FL as medium of instruction, simple translations reduced ▪ focus on usability, practicality and functionality 4.3. After World War II − 1964: Hamburger Abkommen (agreement between the federal states, KMK): milestone in English language teaching  − English as a foreign language became a mandatory subject for all students in all secondary schools 5. The Communicative Turn (since 1970s) 5.1. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT, Kommunikativer Fremdsprachenunterricht, 1970s) − Piepho: Kommunikative Kompetenz als übergeordnetes Lernziel im Englischunterricht (1974) − shifted priority from teaching knowledge about language (grammar and words) to performance in language (e.g. listening comprehension and speaking) − how to use words and grammar for different communicative purposes (making requests, giving advice, describing needs, etc.) 5.2. Communicative Competence Canale and Swain (1980): Communicative Competence − four components o grammatical competence (ability to use correct language) o sociolinguistic competence (ability to produce appropriate language) o discourse competence (ability to cohesive and coherent language) o strategic competence (ability to use language effectively) − focus on the learner − the communicative approach has dominated FL teaching ever since: understanding of language as a function rather than a form 6. Reasons for Studying ELT History − gives insight into the constants of FL learning and teaching − contributes to a deeper understanding of the present with its strengths and weaknesses − can sensitise towards new fashions and hypes − increases critical awareness 7. Current Educational Standards and Curricula 7.1. Historical Evolution of Educational Standards Since the mid-19th century − syllabi and guidelines for each school type o as the basis for teaching and learning in EFL classrooms in each of the German states o determined the learning objectives for each school year o listed topics and contents that had to be taught → input-oriented education − several large-scale assessments (PISA, TIMMS, IGLU) o students were lacking problem-solving competences, transfer skills and application knowledge o huge differences among students regarding their competences)  − the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the German Länder (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK) developed national educational standards for the intermediate school graduation certificate in 2003 o standards do not specify content, but define competences which students are expected to have attained at certain stages of schooling → output-oriented education o standards are the basis for comparative tests across schools o primary reference resource: Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR) ▪ was designed to provide a transparent, coherent, and comprehensive basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses and curriculum guidelines, the design of teaching and learning materials and the assessment of foreign language proficiency 7.2. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Main Principle promotion of the positive formulation of educational aims and outcome at all levels = can-do statements Aims − promote and facilitate co-operation among educational institutions in different countries − provide a sound basis for the mutual recognition of language qualifications − assist learners, teachers, course designers, examining bodies and educational administrators to situate and co-ordinate their efforts Structure − A1/A2: Basic User − B1/B2: Independent User − C1/C2: Proficient User Impact − shift from input of teaching to output of learning and testing of functional competence − enormous impact on o educational policy making (curricula) o test design (DESI, VERA) o teaching (educational objectives) o academic debates (teacher education) 7.3. Germany: National Education Standards Syllabi − learning objectives for each school year − topics and contents to be taught − input-oriented education Educational Standards − define competences students are expected to have attained at certain stages of schooling − output-oriented education  − backward planning Primary School − a lot of variation with regard to how the states organise early language instruction − consensus in terms of which competences the learners should have achieved at the end of primary education − core objectives: intercultural and communicative competences on an A1/A2 level − learners should be able to understand and produce short, simple spoken and written texts that include familiar words and very simple phrases connecting to students’ lives − learners are supposed to develop methodological competences, for example by observing, documenting, reflecting and assessing their own learning processes Secondary Level I (year 5-10) − students are supposed to build on the basic communicative, intercultural and methodological competences that they have acquired in primary school in order to develop more independent competences that allow them to talk and write about common topics − no matter which school type students choose for their education, they all need to learn English and at least reach the B1 level at the end of year 10 − core objectives: intercultural, communicative and methodological competences on the B1/B2 level Secondary Level II − current world issues and literature are discussed (development of students’ general knowledge) − increasingly complex texts and topics (discourse practices have changed: digitalisation) − core objectives o development of discourse competences = ability to actively, critically and adequately participate in oral and written communication o intercultural, communicative and methodological competences on the B2/C1 level are expected o text and media competences = critically analyse, evaluate and create messages in and with different media and text hypes o language awareness = awareness of power and control through language Lehrplan Plus − lesson needs to be planned accordingly to teaching objectives/learning goal and aims o Fachkompetenz o methodologische Kompetenz o interkulturelle Kompetenz o Text- und Medienkompetenz − cross-curricular educational objectives Criticism − the Bildungsstandards ignore Bildung in the sense of personal growth, orientation, and reflection − the narrow focus on functional communicative skills and testing is detrimental to intercultural and methodological goals − competence comes with little content as if content was less relevant − the descriptors and scales of language proficiency are not always clear and distinct − average standards (Regelstandards) should be changed to minimum standards (Mindeststandards) for weaker learners and maximum standards (Maximalstandards) encouraging best performance − standardisation VS. individualisation VS. differentiation − output standards encourage teaching to the test (backwash = effect of examinations on teaching methods)