English Language Teaching:
issues of pedagogic diversity or
pedagogies for diversity?
Dr. Naeema Hann
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English
Language Teaching
English Language Teaching:
pedagogic diversity or pedagogies for diversity?
ESOL
ESOL learners and their contexts
Funding
ESOL: learning needs
Pedagogy – does it meet learners’ needs?
Social Justice
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
ESOL learners and Contexts
ESOL: learning of English as a second language by adult migrants in their host countries
(NIACE 2006; Rosenburg 2007; Schellekens 2007).
ESOL learner communities ‘ adults from settled communities of immigrants from the new Commonwealth and from fluctuating populations of refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers’ (Pitt,K.2005)
Diverse Learning Contexts:
FE Colleges, community
centres
Workplace
Funded as part of Basic Skills
provision (English, Maths, IT)
rather than English as a
Foreign Language (EFL)
Attracts public funding as part
of Basic Skills
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
ESOL learners’ (Language) learning needs
Need to ommunicate with
those around them
At work
To access services
(health, education,
immigration etc.)
Need speaking and listening
skills which lend to pair
and group work
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
neighbours, friends
ESOL learners’ landscape
teacher, boss,
workmates etc.
family
Diverse learners
ESOL learners come with
Hope
Positive experiences and
expectations of learning
Need language of host
country
Basic Skills
Learners and tutors can
Have negative
experiences of learning
Come with spoken
language and some
literacy in home language
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
A typical ESOL class profile
Learners came from Poland, Slovakia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Eritria
Their existing skills in English ranged from Entry0 to Entry1. Some were able to answer questions about their name, address etc in 1 to 4 words, others could ask questions as well
Their jobs ranged from working at various positions in a take away, packing, shelf stacking to car valet
Previous education ranged from 2 years in a non-English speaking primary school to 11 years at a school in Poland which has implications for script knowledge
So tutor needs to account for: range of contexts, first languages and latent literacy and oracy.
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Pedagogy Basic Skills (literacy, maths, IT)
Curriculum content responds to individual work
Funding tied to assessment
‘English and Maths qualifications to
enable [learners] to progress to
achieve their GCSE (A* - C) or
Functional Skills Level 2’
http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/programmes/Basic+Skills/
ESOL pedagogy
Learners expected to gain all four language skills
speaking and listening needs can be immediate
Curriculum content responds to pair and group work
Funding tied to assessment ‘GCSEs in English and Maths
Functional Skills in English and Maths
Adult Basic Skills in literacy and
numeracy (last date for new
enrolments at Levels 1 and 2 was 31
August 2012)
ESOL (from Entry Level to Level 2)’ http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/programmes/Basic+Skills/
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Pedagogy 2
ESOL
activities ….. highly learner-
responsive’ (Baynham et al. 2007
p.8)
broadly resembles communicative
language teaching (Cooke and
Simpson 2008) which is
a collaborative learning approach
–focus is on negotiation of
meaning rather than form
(grammar)
oral communication in the
language classroom via
presentations, pair work and
group work (Schellekens 2007)
http://rwp.excellencegateway.org.uk/r
esource/ESOL+learner+materials
%3A+Entry+1%2C+Unit+1/pdf/
Basic Skills
Focus on literacy skills
http://rwp.excellencegateway.org.uk/r
esource/Literacy+learner+material
s%3A+Entry+1%2C+Unit+1/pdf/
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Recent Findings (Hann 2012a, 2014)
ESOL learners benefit from ‘bringing the outside in [to
the classroom]’ (Baynham et al 2007 p.44).
group/pair work
Interaction Funding changes mean
learners are less prepared for interaction out side the classroom
Successful pedagogy enables
learners to
Take the class out of the room – in
more ways than one….
Sees language learners as
language users, especially in a
multilingual environment
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Justice… ‘about the arrangement of relationships
in a society’ (Grayling 2009)
Justice and rights
Every individual in a society has a
right to certain experiences and
goods (Grayling 2009)
Individuals [should] have access
to opportunities and benefits,
equal to all – fairness and justice
(Rawls,J. 2005) VS
Taxation to redistribute wealth is
theft (Nozick in Grayling 2009)
Injustice – ‘the many denied
opportunities, social cultural goods
enjoyed by rich’ (Grayling 2009)
Social Justice (Court,J. in press)
‘capabilities’ (Sen 1999, 2009)
‘capabilities and functionings: opportunities
to achieve and actual achievement’ (Walker
2004)
Capability: do people have opportunity to
make informed choices about their
education? (Vaughan and Walker 2011)
Fraser’s (2008:6) three dimensions of Social
Justice
- Redistribution of resources to benefit of all
including new communities
- Recognition: ‘identifying and
acknowledging claims of historically
marginalized groups’
- Participation: ‘right to voice in debates and
decision-making’
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Do migrants have language rights?
language rights
- freedom from
discrimination on the
basis of language
- Use one’s language in
the activities of communal
life
Second language users
‘legitimate speakers’ (Bourdieu 1977)
but in L2 interactions L2 speakers positioned as inferior and helpless (Bremner et al 1976; Norton 1995, 2010)
resource needed by L2 speakers to become legitimate speakers?
‘creative discursive agency’ (Flowerdew & Miller 2008)
Pedagogy to develop creative discursive agency?
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Pedagogy: constraints and
opportunities
Case studies and research showed
ESOL learners often taught in
mixed level groups
Workplaces as learning venues
lack appropriate resources
Contact time limited
Language needs are
contextualised e.g. glass factory
Lesson content could be
compromised by focus on
assessment
However, learners are very
resourceful – they turned virtually
everything and everyone in their
environment into a resource
Need to move from
Diverse pedagogies
to
Pedagogy for diversity
Critical Pedagogy
‘aims to raise students’ awareness
about unjust social practices and
helps them to become social
agents for change’
(Kubota 2004 in Norton and Toohey 2004)
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Some questions …..
Which language/ languages are taught in a country?
Which are used?
Who decides which language will be used when and
where? What are their reasons?
Who decides which language/s will be taught and to
what level?
Can a post-modern, democratic nation which denies
appropriate language provision claim solidarity with
those new to the country?
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Bibliography Akbari, R. 2008. Transforming lives: introducing critical pedagogy into ELT classrooms by Ramin. ELT Journal
62(3).
ALI (2003) Literacy, numeracy and English for speakers of other languages: a survey of current practice in post-16
and adult provision. Ofsted Office for Standards in Education: 21.
Allwright, D. (1996) Social and pedagogic pressures in the language classroom: The role of socialisation. Society
and the Language Classroom. H. Coleman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Barton, D. and Pitt, K. (2003) Adult ESOL pedagogy: a review of research, an annotated bibliography and
recommendations for future research. London, NRDC.
Baynham, M. et al (2007) Effective Teaching and Learning, ESOL. London, NRDC.
Bourdieu, P. 1977. The economics of linguistic exchanges. Social Science Information16 (6):645-668.
Bremer, K. et al. (1996). Achieving Understanding: Discourse in intercultural encounters. London, Longman.
Cooke, M. and Simpson, J. (2008) ESOL: A Critical Guide. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Court,J. in press. ESOL for Social Justice? The opportunities and limitations within mainstream provision.
Language Issues. 24 (2).
DfES (2003a) Skills For Life Learner Materials Pack ESOL. London, DfES Publications.
DfES (2003b) Teachers’ Notes ESOL Entry 2. London, Department For Education and Skills.
DIUS (2008) Focusing English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) on Community Cohesion. London,
DIUS.
Ellis R., H. Basturkmen, et al. 2001. Pre-emptive Focus on Form in the ESL Classroom. TESOL Quarterly 35[3]
Grayling,A.C. 2009. Ideas that matter. Phoenix. London.
Hann, N.B. 2008. ‘Hard is okay but not impossible’: Factors Supporting Success Of ESOL Learners On Vocational
Courses. Conference Presentation. Leeds Metropolitan University. Leeds.
Hann, N.B. 2012. The role of family in adult learners’ language learning. The Annual Bloomsbury Round Table on
Communication, Cognition and Culture. Birkbeck College, University of London. 2012.
Hann,N.B. (2012a), Factors Supporting Progress of ESOL Learners in Speaking Skills. PhD Thesis. Leeds
Metropolitan University
Hann, N.B. (2013). Mining the L2 Environment: ESOL Learners and Strategies Outside the Classroom. In
Developing Materials for Language Teaching (2nd Edn). (Ed.) B. Tomlinson. London. Bloomsbury.
.
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Bibliography 2
Hann, N.B. (in press) Pedagogic Approaches in Adult ESOL : voices from the classroom in
Practice and Theory in Materials Development in Language Learning. (Eds.) Mishan, F. and Masuhara,H..
Bloomsbury Continuum
Kegan, R. et al. 2001. Toward a new pluralism in ABE/ESOL classrooms: Teaching to multiple ‘cultures of mind’.
Boston: National Centre for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, NCSALL.
Khanna, M. et al (1998) Adult ESOL Learners in Britain: A Cross-Cultural Study. Clevedon, Multilingual Matters
Ltd.
NIACE (2006) More than a language. Leicester, National Institute for Adult and Community Education.
Norton,B. and K. Toohey. 2004. Critical pedagogies and language Learning: An introduction. In Critical
Pedagogies and Language Learning. CUP.
Norton,B. 1995. Social Identity, Investment and Language Learning. TESOL Quarterly 29(1): 9 – 31
Norton, B. (2010). Language and Identity. Sociolinguistics and Language Education. N.H.Hornberger and S.L.McKay. Bristol, Multilingual Matters.
Rawls,J. 2005. A theory of Justice. Harvard University Press.
Richards, J. and Rodgers, T. (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge
Univeristy Press.
Roberts, C. et al (2004) English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) - case studies of provision, learners'
needs and resources. London, NRDC.
Rosenberg, S. (2007) A critical history of ESOL in the UK, 1870-2006. Leicester, NIACE (National Institute of Adult
and Continuing Education).
Schellekens, P. (2007) The Oxford ESOL Handbook. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Tomlinson,B. Ed. 2013. Classroom Research of Language Classes in Applied Linguistics and Materials
Development. Bloomsbury. London.
Vertoveç, S. (2006). "The emergence of superdiversity in Britain." Working Paper No. 25 Centre on Migration,
Policy and Society. University of Oxford, 2006. Retrieved 5.09.09
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Continuing Education.
Leeds Metropolitan University MA in English Language Teaching
Appendix 1
Transforming Classes (Akbari 2008)
Teach drawing on local culture
Learners’ L1 is a source (not interference)
Content should be based on students’ real
life concerns – more of this in ESOL later
Support learners’ to articulate relationships
between power, knowledge and language
e.g. through the lense of marginalised groups