Methodology in Language Learning: MOI

Medium of instruction has been contended historically in the Inner Circle. Early in the 20th century, the primary methodology used was grammar translation where grammatical structures were explained in the home language and translation from one language to the other was the goal of instruction. With the development of the audiolingual method, teachers were required to use English only, with learners practicing English through imitation and drilling. The rationale for using only English was that the more learners heard and used English, the faster they would acquire it, and that listening and speaking preceded reading and writing. This sometimes led to quite farcical applications as teachers tried to explain abstract concepts to beginning learners. When communicative approaches became popular, again the target language was required as the MOI. 

 

 

A number of different models have been used to teach bilingually, but in most cases, the goal has been to ensure learners can access and learn the content in the school curriculum. In some cases, the goal has been to maintain the heritage language. Two-way bilingual programs have both native-English speakers and native speakers of another language (Spanish or Chinese, for example, in the U.S., or French in Canada), where each is learning the other language. School content is delivered in one or the other language. These are also called enrichment programs because majority-language students are involved. Other programs have had classes only of nonnative English speakers (but with a common language) with one day using the home language and the next day English or using English in the morning and the home language in the afternoon. These can be either maintenance or transitional in nature. The goal of maintenance programs is bilingualism, whereas the goal of transitional programs is the acquisition of English by the minority-language speakers.

 

The Outer Circle, comprising as it does former British and U.S. colonies, exhibits specific characteristics because of this colonial past, these characteristics, all of which impact on the learners in the Outer Circle. However, each country provides a unique context and in this brief chapter it is impossible to cover all the former colonies, especially since many of them have not been well studied by applied linguists or ELT researchers. This is particularly the case for much of Africa and the Caribbean. We will therefore touch on issues in the countries for which there is more research. Further, there is noclear divide between each of the three contexts. In this section we will discuss issues common to both the Outer Circle and the Inner Circle. While it might seem superficially that the Outer Circle should present few issues around English language teaching since English is a language of use in those countries, the Outer Circle shares with the Expanding Circle the issue of MOI and the age to Begin formal English instruction. In both circles, the majority of learners are raised in families using a language other than English. Learners in both circles are in compulsory education contexts, higher education, adult settings, and private tutoring schools. Adult settings are usually occupation-oriented. English is usually a required subject for some years during compulsory education. The number of years of instruction and the age at which English instruction begins vary by country. Compulsory education is usually state-funded, with private schools for full-time education often only for the privileged. In many countries, the focus of instruction has been on grammar and vocabulary, literature, and sometimes the culture of English-speaking countries, rather than on communication. This focus has begun to change in the last decade. Because the frame-work is used to develop curricula in the countries of the European Union, the member countries have embraced communication as the primary goal of language teaching.

 

Thailand introduced a standards-based curriculum in 1999. The standards for language content are based on that of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which has 11 standards around five interconnected areas: communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 1996). Despite these changes in stated curriculum goals, in many countries nationwide examinations still prevail and are pen-and-paper tests. Additionally, class size makes it quite difficult for teachers to use a more communicative approach. Consequently, teachers may still prioritize grammar and vocabulary. As a result, many students enroll in private schools to develop their communicative abilities. 

 

For many learners, English is just another school subject and they see no connection with their future lives. They may not expect to work for a multinational company or one in their own country where English is expected. Yet others view English as the only route to future advancement, often to the exclusion of their own first language. English is often the medium of instruction (see section below) in higher education. In many countries in the Outer Circle, higher education is available to only a small elite, not only because of the MOI, but also because of the cost.

 

Closely associated with these different views towards English is the issue of the medium of instruction (MOI). The choice is often not only a sociopolitical issue around English and one local language, but around multiple languages. For example, in the Philippines, MOI choice is among English, Filipino, and the more than 300 other indigenous languages, while in Sri Lanka, it is among English, Sinhala, and Tamil. In many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, it is among many languages. Any choice has political, social, and cultural implications. Singapore has designated English as the MOI, with Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil all taught in the schools. Malaysia, after more than three decades of using Bahasa Malaysia, has readopted English as the MOI for science and mathematics.  There are major concerns about adopting CLIL [content and language integrated learning]  more broadly, in addition to the devaluation of local languages. Given the global dominance of English, English would be the language of choice, rather than any other language. As a result, content areas would likely be discussed and written about only in English, with no communities of practise in the home language. Language and schooling are vehicles for the transmission of culture. What culture and values would be transmitted? Further, from a practical viewpoint, most countries do not have sufficient content-area teachers proficient in English, especially the pedagogical language needed to teach their subject area.

Many countries have begun teaching English in the early grades. In countries where this is not the case, parents often send their children to private schools to begin their English instruction. One of the largest problems such countries have faced is that elementary school teachers have not been trained in language teaching and may not be proficient speakers of English. Some have therefore employed NS teachers. although children do have some advantages in language learning, older people also have advantages such as cognitive development and an already-learned language. It is clear that, in large classes, with teachers who either are not trained in language teaching or are not proficient users of English themselves, there are no advantages for beginning teaching in the young years.

 

Although there are considerable differences teaching English in the Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles, one issue is common to all three settings, namely, the medium of instruction. While in the Inner Circle the debate is over whether immigrants should maintain their home language, in the Outer and Expanding Circles, the argument is over how best to develop English proficiency in the population, which also leads to policies that begin English teaching at young ages.

 

©

University of Oxford - post gradual studies 2009 'English Language Teaching'

Bibliography: 

1)  Blundell, Lesley and Stokes, Jackie, Task listening, Cambridge University Press, 198r.

2)  Gore, Lesley, Listening to Maggie, Longman, 1979.

3)  McClintock, John and Stern, Borje, Let's listen, Heinemann Educational Books, 1974.

4)  Maley, Alan and Moulding, Sandra, Learning to listen, CambridgeUniversity Press, 198 I.

5)  Scott, Wendy, Are you listening?, Oxford University Press, 1980.

6)  Stokes, Jacqueline StClair, Elementary task listening, CambridgeUniversity Press, 1984.

 7)  Underwood, Mary and Barr, Pauline, Listeners (series), Oxford University Press, 1980.

8)  Abbs, Brian and Jones, T., Cloudsongs, Longman, 1977.

9)  Abbs, Brian and York, N., Skyhigh, Longman, 1975

10)         Jones, Christopher, Back home, Longman, 1980.

11)         Kingsbury, Roy, and O'Shea, Patrick, Seasons and people and other songs,Oxford University Press, 1979.

12)         Wilson, Ken, Mister Monday and other songs for the teaching of English,Longman, 197r.

13)         Wilson, Ken and Morrow, Keith, Goodbye rainbow, Longman, 1974.

14)         Seidl, Jennifer and McMordie, W., English idioms and how to use them, Oxford University Press, 1978.

15)         Wilson, F. P. (ed. ), Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs, Oxford University Press, 1970.

16)         Brown, Gillian, Listening to spoken English, Longman, 1977.

17)         Brown, Gillian, 'Understanding spoken language', TESOL Quarterly 12:2, 1978.

18)         Brown, Gillian and Yule, George, Teaching the spoken language, Cambridge University Press, 1983.

19)         Byrne, Donn, 'Listening comprehension', Teaching oral English, Longman, 1976.

20)         Crystal, David and Davy, Derek, Investigating English style, Longman, 1969:

21)         Curfs, Emile, 'Listening deserves better', Modern English Teacher 9:3, 1982.

22)         Geddes, Marion, 'Listening', inK. Johnson and K. Morrow (eds. ),

23)         Communication in the classroom, Longman, 1981. Geddes, Marion and White, Ron, 'The use of semi-scripted simulated authentic speech and listening comprehension', Audio-visual Language journal, 1978.

24)         Littlewood, William, Communicative language teaching, Cambridge University Press, 198 I.

25)         Maley, Alan, 'The teaching of listening comprehension skills', Modern English Teacher, 1978.

26)         Porter, Don and Roberts, Jon, 'Authentic listening activities', English Language Teaching]ournal, 1981.

27)         Richards, Jack C., 'Listening comprehension', TESOL Quarterly, 1983

28)         Rivers, Wilga, 'Hearing and comprehending', Teaching foreign language skills (revised edn.), University of Chicago Press, 1980. Widdowson, Henry, Teaching language as communication, Oxford University Press, 1978. The teaching of listening comprehension, British Council, E.L. T. Documents Special, 1981