Discussion 5.1 – Local Intelligence

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My teaching context is mostly focused in private language schools or language schools associated with private universities, so public policy makers do not have much say here. In my experience within my contexts, either academic directors or teachers create the syllabi for classes, following guidelines from accreditation institutions that audit them. I’m not sure how much input is gotten from professional organization or other experts, although I agree this should be implemented. I would like to hear from someone who works in a public institution, though, and get some insight on how their curriculum is created.
I do not see any signs of “relaxation of Standard English norms” or any sort of acknowledgement of World Englishes myself. Does anyone else have any other experience in this sense?

To view past replies go to: https://changingenglishes.proboards.com/thread/27/local-intelligence

• This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by admin.

[Ahmed Abdullah Ali]

Most of the he private colleges and universities in Egypt are accredited to foreign universities abroad.

[Buddhika Daladawaththa]

Here, in Sri Lanka policies are designed at the national level considering most of the academic and professional bodies, but the pathetic condition lies in the implementation process where poor management and lack of supervision make the decisions enforced become null. And, sometimes what happens is policy decisions of teaching English changes with the change of political regimes.

[Dauda Pikawi]

In Nigeria experts are usually involved in the curriculum development though some times it comes with politics. But not much has been done recently on English language, it is still the monolithic conception they hold.

[Angelica Marie Estrabela]

In my local university, curriculum development is not as fast compared to others since we need to conduct surveys if it was effective or not. Oftentimes, the curriculum design is more of monolithic concepts which make me feel sad.

[Pabasara Ponnamperuma]

In Sri Lanka, the decisions on English curriculum and English exams are designed by English professionals, professors, including lecturers, teachers in Sri Lanka. They are working and instructed under Ministry of Education. According to my opinion, we need to make an impact on future changes in the curriculum. For that, we can refer to international research and adapt them in the Sri Lankan context accordingly.

[Deborah Ayers]

I want to comment on the standardized tests they use for entry to American universities. The “grammar” section of those tests is so out of date, honestly! I guess I know that college professors might not be as flexible about language use, but even native speakers I teach are bewildered by some of the grammar rules because they’ve never heard anyone say things that way.

I also don’t see a whole lot of relaxation of the rules on the other English learner standardized tests either.

Maybe one day!

[Alexandra Pak]

Taking exams is a challenge even for English teachers.

[Richard Zadori]

I am OK with exams. I practice every day

[Richard Zadori]

As I have written it numerous times (during the course), I do not really fancy academic or standard English.
I sometimes dub them bog-standard English.
To me accents and dialects are more fascinating.

[Abdulsalam Aderibigbe]

The policies to relax the standard English norms in my country has a lot of hurdle to scale as the form English in which these policies will be formed are standard English base.. It is then safe to say that a revolution will work best in this context.

[Josephine Ricci]

In Melbourne standard English norms continue to prevail and policies ensure that all become proficient in English and break down barriers, such as the AMEP program. This is a program that teachers use text-based teaching and learning to enhance proficiency.

[Eleni Verikaki]

In Australia, Standard English is taught. Lately though, World Englishes have started to make their appearance but still, the language of all lessons and exams is standard English. I do believe that it will take a long time for World Englishes to be included in the curriculum.

[Saul Santos]

In my institution, a state university, decisions are made locally, but by people who have not been trained in the field and who are not aware of the issues, implications of the decisions made:
1. Spanish is the language of instruction, but Mexico is a multilingual country and in my university there certainly are students whose first language is not Spanish; we also have return migrants (people who returned from the US, who were expelled, and their dominat language is English, not Spanish.
2. English is the official additional language, but English is not taught as a compulsory subjet in any BA program. However, students must obtain a passing grade in a standarized English test as an exit requirement in all BA programs.

This is why it is important to work on students’ and professors’ (not only language teachers, but teachers in general) language awareness: language diversity, language rights, language planning, and so…

[Alex Ferreira]

My teaching context is based in a curriculum from the secretary. We choose the subject and how to teach it for the students. We also can create our own test.

[Manuel Cadeddu]

Working in different public institutions in Italy, I cannot say I can see any changes towards plurithic views about English either. Curricula are decided on a national level, although from a legal point of view there are supposedly no more curricula but only general recommendations.

[Simon Fielding]

I work privately and develop my curriculum depending on the strengths and weaknesses of my students. However, I also teach for exams which means I follow a curriculum approved by large companies such as Cambridge or Trinity. I suppose that governments and institutions decide which exams to favour but the exams I have encountered tend to be created by large institutions steeped in history and tradition. There seems to be little drive for innovation here.

[Jane O Davies]

Share your local intelligence (re national, regional, or local policies that public education institutions) here:
I fortunately have nothing to do with MUIR (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca): the bureaucracy is suffocating in Italy and I work privately with no contact with any official ‘teaching’ bodies. I have 0 + 1 confidence that any official person “making decisions about what goes on the English curriculum and in English exams” would have the faintest idea of any notion of a plurithic approach to teaching English and, indeed, I still see little evidence of the communicative approach (of 50+ years ago) in my context.
By way of an anecdote, an ex-S of mine said that she learned more in the 4-week/125 hour teacher training course (for NNS) at IH in London than 2 years’ full-time study for teaching in a state school in Italy, which she said was more an exercise in shelling out money to ‘buy’ points to go up the list (from which Ts are given jobs for life).

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