RATE Issues

by Ovidiu Leonte, Colegiul Național "Mihai Eminescu", Iași

Intended for readers such as teacher educators and senior teachers, this book from veteran authors Rod Bolitho and Richard Rossner offers a well-documented review of recent developments related to language education around the world. It draws on the authors’ experience, informal studies and formal research, the particular examples of projects in countries far and wide, focusing on foreign language teaching, but also considering language awareness and skills as well as their impact on other curriculum subjects.

The book starts out with an overview of language in education, considering issues such as classroom language and reminding of the role of scaffolding and well as the spread of multilingualism and plurilingualism as consequences of colonialism and globalisation. Foreign language education is followed in its progress through phenomena such as migration, democratic advancements and even institutional developments such as the Common European Framework for Languages, with special mention for the growing influence of English and the ways in which the international community has taken ownership of this language.
Moving on to the realm of teacher education, the authors consider the philological route traditionally taken in universities, noting how methodology is often neglected in the curriculum:
… the main areas in these faculties are either linguistics or literature and research into teaching and learning is generally seen by academics as outside their field of interest. For this reason, students’ final thesis or qualification paper is traditionally on a linguistics or literary topic that is often imposed by their supervisor. (p52)
On the other hand, as it reflects on professional developments such as CELTA for initial training, the book considers the criticism that teacher education might narrow and “become utilitarian rather than generous and broad in nature”, preventing the language class from being the expected “window on a wider world beyond the classroom”. (p54)
Various resources and initiatives for continuing professional development (CPD) are reviewed in the context of countries around the world and the role of literacy and oracy for teachers of other subjects is also effectively demonstrated.
As they address the perspectives of stakeholders in language education, the authors find that learners are sometimes painfully disregarded, as is the case of moving from primary to secondary education in many countries:
…often, secondary teachers of languages, unlike their primary level counterparts, see themselves as subject specialists. They also find it challenging to properly assess the language levels achieved in primary school by individual students in their classes. In such cases, rather than setting out to build on what competence has been achieved, they are tempted to simply start again, citing the importance of revising and consolidation and perhaps adopting the serious-seeming and challenging issue of grammar as the new main focus.” (p107)
Other stakeholders are considered, such as parents, with their own experience of language learning and their means of supporting, employers and universities with their need for proper assessment of language competence, society as a whole and service providers.
One particularly informative chapter deals with policies in the domain around the world, leaving some countries with barely one foreign language taught in schools, while others consistently teach children at least two.
When approaching commercial interests in language education, the authors find that language examinations such as those delivered through the British Council are more instrumental to local communities than one might anticipate:
In every country, examinations, whether internal or international, remain the strongest potential drivers of either educational reform or sticking to the status quo. Because it takes so long to develop and validate examinations, there is often a marked reluctance to change them once they have been shown to serve their purpose. (p134)
Publishers are also drivers of progress through the coursebooks they sell, although caution is urged about the risk of teachers losing the habit of thinking independently, as is the case with the common practice of simply “starting a lesson by asking learners to open their books on page xx, only for them to remain open for the entire lesson”. (p138)
The book goes on to review the role of language schools, quality assurance bodies and reference products of theirs such as the EAQUALS Framework for Language Teacher Training, but also teacher training qualifications such as CELTA and DELTA, although readers are warned that, “with the comfort blanket of commercial success wrapped around so many payers in the field today, however, the incentive to innovate and take risks seems to be less attractive than ever.” (p148)
Overall, “Language Education in a Changing World” proves a rewardingly informative read and a comprehensive guide to relevant developments in and implications of language education at a time when it may be easier than ever for senior teachers and policy makers to lose sight of the road ahead.