EFL for Young Learners: The Buzz at TESOL 2003

 

Presentations on teaching ESL to young learners have long held pride of place at TESOL conventions. Only recently, however, has EFL for young learners enjoyed more than the sporadic abstract in the convention program book. This year, at TESOL 2003, the English as a Foreign Language interest section dedicated its academic session to the topic. A colloquium, titled Multiple Perspectives on EFL for Young Learners, brought together professionals from various parts of the world to describe and discuss practices and trends in this rapidly growing sector.

David Nunan, from the University of Hong Kong, started the session with an overview of English for young learners (EYL) in seven Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam. He noted that the age at which English is introduced in the curriculum is steadily dropping, with nearly all of these countries offering English in elementary school. He further noted that there has generally been little parallel effort to support the educational goals of EYL with enhanced infrastructures for teacher education, materials, or curriculum development. Nunan sees three major challenges for EYL in Asia: (a) allocating resources to support programs; (b) addressing the mismatch between curriculum and classroom practice; and (c) attenuating the impact of the introduction of English, particularly on literacy, on the learners' home languages.

Two speakers described in detail the status of EYL in the countries where they work. Chaleosri Pibulchol, from Srinakarinwirot University, in Thailand, stated that English language instruction has been extended to young learners as part of the process of educational reform with a view to upgrading the proficiency levels of English language learners. The chosen methodological approach is learner centered and content based; materials consist of commercially published course books and supplementary materials approved for use by the Ministry of Education. The challenges facing EYL in Thailand, in Chaleosri's view, rest in two broad areas: curriculum reform and a critical need for teacher development. Classes are large and teachers are in short supply. Furthermore, teachers lack firm grounding in methods, leaving them insecure and leading them to fall back on traditional methods.

I outlined the situation of EYL in Malaysia, a former British colony, where nation-building efforts over the past 40-odd years, including the rejection of English-medium instruction in public schools, have led to an erosion of English language proficiency as measured by a steady drop in pass rates on national examinations, in the space of one generation. The decline has occurred despite the fact that Malaysia has long required instruction in English in elementary schools; has a well-developed teacher education infrastructure; maintains an up-to-date curriculum; and produces locally developed, affordable classroom materials. A resulting decline in proficiency levels among English teachers, shortages of teachers in rural areas, and a climate of high-stakes test anxiety all conspire to undermine the Ministry of Education's goal of promoting student-centered, communicative language teaching practice.

Two other speakers outlined nongovernmental programs to enhance EYL in Africa. Erato Bizos, from Read Educational Trust of South Africa, explained how the restructuring of the educational system over the past decade has underlined significant discrepancies in the delivery of EYL among the regions of South Africa, most notably between rural and urban areas. In response, Read has initiated a 3-year, whole-school training program for administrators and teaching staff to help teachers produce and use locally developed classroom materials to reflect local interests and raise motivation among the learners. Schools in the training program are geographically clustered to facilitate the sharing of resources. To sustain momentum once the training period is over, Read designates leader teachers, who maintain contact with the organization for an additional 5 years.

Sally Harris, from Northwestern College, in the United States, described two models of church-based educational support in Tanzania, a rural, third-world African country with extremely limited educational resources. Although elementary school education in Tanzania is delivered in Swahili, English is the medium of instruction in all secondary and postsecondary schools. This necessitates the teaching of English to elementary school learners to prepare them for their future studies, which, in turn, drives the need for teacher education programs with an emphasis on affordable, teacher-produced learning materials. The Mwangaza Exchange Teacher Partnership pairs American and Tanzanian teachers in a materials development project, and Tumaini University holds a program on in-service teacher education seminars. Both programs encourage a cascade system to further disseminate the skills and techniques acquired to a wider teacher population.

Although the speakers presented differing perspectives, the commonalities were striking: the importance of English in each country's language policies, disparities between rural and urban areas, and a need for teacher education programs tailored to specific contexts.

Note: For further information about their individual programs, the other panelists may be reached at the following addresses: David Nunan at dcnunan@hkucc.hku.hk <mailto:dcnunan@hkucc.hku.hk>; Chaleosri Pibulchol at chal@swu.ac.th <mailto:chal@swu.ac.th>; Erato Bizos at nadiab@read.co.za <mailto:nadiab@read.co.za>; and Sally Harris at ssh@nwc.edu <mailto:ssh@nwc.edu>.

Marcia Fisk Ong (mfiskong@tm.net.my <mailto:mfiskong@tm.net.my>) is currently serving as Senior English Language Fellow at the Malaysia Ministry of Education, in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Source: www.tesol.org

 

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