The dialectic approach to language education

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

Anes E. Mohamed

Abstract This article puts forth a new approach to language education as a viable alternative to the existing ones. The new approach which is called the dialectic approach is premised on the observation that language education can either reproduce the existing socio-economic structure as it is rooted in it or it can consciously challenge it and set the stage for a different one. As a consequence, it is argued that EFL practices are glaringly out of step with the reality of English as a global language and as such can only reinforce the status quo. A detailed description is given of how the dialectic approach plays out in the classroom.

Keywords: Dialectic, approach, language, education

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The Dialectic Approach to Language Education Why is ELT framed the way it is?

"Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world" (Friere, 1970, p.34).

As an ELT practitioner I vividly recall how I used to feel when I taught my first language classes. I would walk into the classroom feeling uncomfortably at a loss as to how to work my way through the tapestry of language teaching methods and pick one which could best suit the class setting, learners' level and needs and eventually I would settle with the prescribed method of the institute where I happened to be teaching. However, I could never help but feel how inadequate this method was when it came to capturing the complexity of the process of language teaching and learning and so I kept stumbling through various methods and techniques in a desperate attempt to come up with the right one. What's more I am particularly antipathetic to uniformity wherever it exists and for this reason I have always found the act of imposing a standardized (one-size-fits-all) teaching method on a myriad classroom settings quite stultifying for teachers and learners alike as they both end up being disempowered, deskilled, and disengaged. Similarly I have always been wary of reproducing the same stifling educational conditions which I experienced throughout my academic journey.

At one point in my quest for something more holistic in relation to language learning and teaching I picked up the mainstream communicative language teaching method with its cure-all textbook (New Interchange) but once more I realized that lesson content is rarely based on the authentic life experience of the learners. Authentic materials, any spoken or written language data that has been produced in the course of genuine communication and not specifically written for purposes of language teaching, (Nunan, 1999) are rarely allowed into the classroom. Learners are asked to pretend to be someone they are not or not to tell the truth during exercises. Learners and teacher are not encouraged to use their own rich personal life experience, knowledge of language learning, experience of using a foreign language in real communicative situations.

These misgivings about the appropriateness of any given method for teaching English gave rise to a need for experimenting on my own. At first, I went for eclecticism but again I realized that I was still entrapped within the confines of methods because at best eclecticism offered me the allure of choosing the best from each method and I ended up treating this hodge-podge of techniques taken from various methods as an independent method, so I eventually gave it up. Then I decided to let the method emerge from the classroom by considering factors such as students' needs, level, and setting. For instance, A few years ago I was teaching English to a class of engineers at a remote industrial town in the southern part of the Islamic Republic of Iran when I experienced anew the inseparable link between culture and language. On my first day, the official in charge of English education thrust the prescribed coursebook into my hand which happened to be the ubiquitous Interchange and directed me to the classroom. The level of the class was supposed

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to be ‘intermediate’ and the age of the students ranged from 45 to 60 and they were all engineers.

I was immediately struck by a number of incongruities. First, the topic of the lesson which was about dating was completely irrelevant to the local context of the students where dating is frowned upon. Second, the students were interested in learning English to communicate with their Asian counterparts (Expanding Circles) and hence there was absolutely no need for them to know about an Inner Circle culture. In this connection, Birch and Liyanage (2004) stated that “the relevance of British culture to a Thai businessman (Expanding Circle) negotiating in English with an Indian trader (Outer Circle) is almost nonexistent”. In this regard, it should be noted that the ratio of non-native speakers to nativespeakers is 1:3 (Crystal, 2003). Thirdly, when I entered the class, the students were discussing the latest round of sanctions against their country (Iran) for allegedly pursuing the development of nuclear weapons and introducing the topic of dating in such a context would be a classic example of bathos.

To circumvent these oddities, I put aside the coursebook and joined their discussion on sanctions in English. I introduced vocabulary and expressions related to the topic and then the students initiated a dialogue in which they used the new words and expressions. The students were very responsive and participated actively in their own dialogue because it resonated with the topic as it echoed their most pressing and immediate concern. For the rest of the term, student-initiated dialogues became our modus operandi. At this point in my quest for the right approach, I parted ways with mainstream pedagogy in its entirety and embraced critical pedagogy.

Critical pedagogy is an approach to teaching and curriculum development that aims to be more reflective of immediate relevance by framing learning in a locally-situated context with a view to raising consciousness of the learners for the ultimate purpose of social transformation. At the core of critical pedagogy is the need to bring into focus the uneven power structure whose manifestations can be seen in every aspect of life (McLaren, 2000).

This is achieved through critical re-examination of taken-for-granted assumptions about the world. This re-examination is guided by learners-initiated dialogues that prompt them to ask probing questions about their social reality.

In turn, critical pedagogy eventually led to the formulation of a new approach to language education that I set forth in my PhD thesis. In fact, my use of the dialectics as an analytic tool for investigating what is going on in ELT, how it happened, how differently it could be framed, and what can be done to bring about the desired change has constituted the main elements of the dialectic approach to language education.

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education This article lays out the theoretical principles and practical application of a new practice-driven and globally relevant approach to language education in general and EFL in particular. This approach which is called the dialectic approach is the culmination of a long and a conscious effort to offer a radical alternative to the current and anachronistic EFL pedagogical practices. Having taught English in numerous EFL contexts in Iran and 3

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

Sudan, I have come to see the need for an immediate alternative to the way things are in EFL and in the world at large.

The ultimate purpose of the dialectic approach is to raise critical consciousness by bringing the interconnectedness of things into sharp focus. It consists of four dialectically interrelated steps. The first step has to do with analyzing something as it appears to be in the present. The main focus is on getting a sense of a particular situation before proceeding to understanding how it came about. Followed by the second step whose main concern is to go back in time and trace the historical trajectory of how we ended up here.

Having taken one step back, we take two steps forward to envision how differently things could be like, and finally one step back to the present to strategize and take action. It is important to note that this process is cyclical.

Analyze

Organize

Dialectic Approach

Historicize

Visualize

Adapted from Ollman (2003)

Now let’s turn to the coursebook as the practical application of the dialectic model. The coursebook which is called Alterative View is based on the premise that there are only two ways of teaching: either we teach for the society in which we live (reproduction of the status quo) or we teach for the one we want to see (transformation of the status quo). To put it differently, teaching can’t be separated from the larger social context in which it is situated. This is especially true about language teaching because language expresses the totality of a given social structure. Having pointed out this selfevident fact, I find the existing social order unsustainable in all of its manifestations.

Therefore, I strongly reject any approach to teaching English that can wittingly or unwittingly be complicit in maintaining and reproducing the status quo. This can be clearly seen in the mainstream approach which is notorious for its consumerist-tourist 4

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

orientation in terms of its cultural content, teaching methodology, absence of serious issues, and its attempt at masquerading as apolitical.

This approach; however, is fueled by my rejection of the current social arrangements and guided by a vision of a better world. Alternative View has been designed with this vision in mind. It is entirely different from the existing commercialized materials in the market in that it is authentic, relevant, and meaningful.

Authenticity has to do with the extent to which a given material reflects actual language use. For instance, the set dialogues, which permeate mainstream English coursebook, are designed solely for the purpose of teaching a particular grammar point with the result that it doesn’t approximate authentic spoken language. In other words, the content is sacrificed for the form or function. Another artificial feature is the pre-selected closed questions to which learners are expected to give certain responses. This violates the unpredictable nature of language. In contrast, this coursebook focuses more on content and less on form. The idea is that through meaningful and engaged dialogues stimulated by open questions, learners will come to pick up the form incidentally rather than intentionally.

Relevance is another distinctive characteristic of this approach and coursebook.

While the content of other coursebooks is detached from the lived reality of the students, Alternative View is rooted in an inclusive environment where learners, regardless of their backgrounds, can find it easy to relate to. What’s more, it is relevant in the sense that it addresses controversial issues from an alternative perspective.

Last but not least, a great deal of emphasis is put on meaningful learning which is defined as authentic, engaged, and relevant to a vision of a better life. My primary concern is to set the stage for a thought-provoking learning environment in which students are encouraged to question their taken-for-granted assumptions about the world.

Equally important is the emphasis on bridging the gap between our mental conceptions and the level of technological development in the world today. I believe it’s dangerously irresponsible to turn a blind eye to what’s going on in the world today. In a nutshell, teaching and learning should be geared toward making this world a better place. For that to happen, we need to think outside the box.          

Alternative view is unique in the following ways: It is conversation-based Its dialogues are authentic Its content is meaningful It is relevant to our current global reality It is thought-stimulating It is participatory It offers a different perspective on a wide range of issues It encourages autonomous and responsible learning It encourages thinking outside the box It contributes to a better world by raising critical consciousness 5

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

It took me three years to finish the coursebook which has four levels: elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced. Elementary level does not include as many global issues as do the remaining levels, which is only natural given the level of the students. However, some elementary modules deal with sweatshops, global warming, stress, and so on. Each module teaches a theme in the format of “what’s wrong with something?� In other words, the main focus of every module is to get the students to analyze a situation, historicize, visualize, and organize. With that in mind, students move from the familiar to the unfamiliar as they incidentally pick up vocabulary and expressions related to the topic. In order to give a concrete sense of this approach, it is helpful and fitting to describe how a class using the Dialectic model plays out.

Every module begins with pictures (code) related to the topic followed by a leadin, which consists of five thought-provoking questions. The purpose of the questions is to set the tone for the whole session and to tap into what the learners already know about the issue at hand (analyze). At this point the students sink their teeth into a lively dialogue as they explore different aspects of the topic. Below is an example of a lesson taken from intermediate level to illustrate this point:

Black & White

Black men

Middle Easterners

women

Asians

Africans

Lead-in: look at the pictures and answer the questions 12345-

What images spring to mind when you think of Africans?

What comes to mind when you think of Arabs?

What are white people usually associated with?

What adjectives can best describe women?

What adjectives come to mind when you think of Asians?

The topic of this module is stereotype, which is universal. The main theme of this module is that power relations underlie stereotypes and for this reason the people with power invariably label the dominated with all sorts of negative stereotypes. To drive this 6

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point home, I ask students to think of the prevailing stereotypes regarding dominated groups in their own society and compare them with stereotypes associated with the dominant. As the students answer these five questions, they pick up new adjectives and expressions. This part can take about twenty minutes or more depending on whether there are follow-up questions or not.

Another function of this section of the module is to encourage students to actively participate in their own learning. A lot of students come with notes taken from the internet as they search for information related to something they do not know much about. Additionally, the questions are open-ended with the result that students come up with a wide range of responses. The upshot is that this exercise is designed in such a way as to spur students into carrying out their own little research about different topics and the amazing thing is that they do it on their own and of their own accord. Personally, I have learned a lot from these notes as students share them in the classroom.

Exercise 1 is called “Points to ponder�, which consists of pithy and thoughtstimulating quotes that challenge unexamined assumptions about a certain issue.

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After some discussion, the students learn to draw parallel between racism and sexism as a classic example of differential power relations. For example, both AfricanAmerican and women have been negatively stereotyped because both of them have been historically oppressed (historicize). The third picture describes how the oppressed tend to internalize the stereotypical images and unwittingly become complicit in their own oppression. The last picture throws light on the underlying causes of stereotypes (historicize).

Exercise 2 is called “Express yourself� and is intended to have the students relate the topic to their personal lives and lived experiences. The exercise is made up of five questions: Do you ever stereotype others?

Have you ever met someone who fit the stereotype you had in mind?

Have you ever challenged stereotypes?

Have you ever been the victim of stereotypes?

Do you ever make ethnic jokes?

Each question can be probed deeper depending on the answer of each student. The idea is to get students to look at their own prejudices and stereotypes in order to tackle them. It is hoped that when students get to the bottom of why we have stereotypes, they will come to see how unfair and wrong it is to judge people on the basis of their appearance. For instance, sometimes I have students from the dominant class and other students from the dominated groups in one classroom which usually leads to an interesting dialogue through which students question their long-held preconceptions about others.

Exercise 3 is designed to familiarize students with vocabulary that they will come across throughout the module. A list of vocabulary is presented in a table and students are required to find the odd one out and give reason. The thinking behind this exercise is that students should think about their responses. Sometimes, the choices are almost similar that more than one answer is possible.

Stereotype Unfortunate To make an effort Significant Dominated To find out To reinforce

Pre-judgment Unfair To make a difference Important Dominant To fit To influence

Preconception Sad To try Fundamental Discrimination To understand To strengthen

Every module has two listening exercises: 4 and 8. Students listen to people expressing their views on the topic of the module and then answer questions related to it.

It should be noted that these audio recordings were made at a local Studio and the interviewees were from different countries such as Nigeria, US, Spain, Sudan, and Iran.

The recordings are authentic in the sense that no script was given to the interviewees who spoke naturally. Below is a sample exercise of listening: 8

The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

1- The third person mentions the changing perception of women to show that a) stereotypes have economic and biological origins b) stereotypes have economic and historical origins 2- The fourth person mentions different behaviors of children to show that a) stereotypes come from different interpretations of certain behavior b) stereotypes come from the same interpretations of certain behavior 3- The dominant classes are stereotyped positively because of a) biological structure b) power structure 4- self-fulfilling prophecy means that a) stereotypes tend to become a reality b) stereotypes tend to prove a certain reality To what extent do you agree or disagree with these views?

The listening ends with a question to generate a dialogue about the views expressed in the recorded dialogue. The idea is to try to turn every exercise into a vibrant dialogue as students are exposed to a variety of opinions and information concerning the topic at hand. Students are expected to listen to the recorded dialogues for general understanding at home and in class we focus on parts of the dialogue they do not understand.

Exercise five is a dialogue designed to address some of the issues raised in the module. Students are expected to focus on three elements in the dialogue: the main theme, new expressions, and the grammar. The underlined sentences show the grammar of the module while the italicized sentences show the new expressions. Unlike mainstream coursebooks which have set and sterile dialogues designed to teach a particular grammar point, the dialogues in Alternative View are again natural where grammar emerges from the dialogue rather than writing a dialogue for the purpose of a grammar lesson. The dialogue usually contains the four steps of the dialectic model.

The stultifying way in which dialogue is taught in the mainstream coursebook where students listen to a dialogue and then repeat it line by line is replaced with thoughtstimulating questions at the bottom of the dialogue. I often find it bewildering when I think of what students learn from a dialogue if they have to just listen to a recorded version of it while they can just look at the transcript which is provided anyway. Below is a sample of a dialogue based on this new approach: Ali: something strange happened to me the other day. I was having lunch at a restaurant when an American tourist struck up a conversation with me but the moment he found out I am from Iran, he got up and left. Even though he doesn’t know me, he made an unfair judgment about me (analyze).

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The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

John: sorry to hear that. I guess he thought you were a terrorist despite the fact that not a single Iranian has been caught in a so-called terroristic act. Also, Americans tend to accept as true whatever the corporate-dominated media tells them without trying to investigate (analyze).

Chico: I have been there. It is really sad and unfair when others treat us based on hearsay and preconceptions. It is even more unfortunate that stereotypes are everywhere.

For instance, although Asians are very diverse, most Westerners and Americans put us in one category (analyze).

Ali: This raises the question of why people stereotype others.

John: lumping people together is convenient because you don’t need to make any effort to understand them on their own terms. As Chico pointed out most people have a predefined image of others and it makes little difference whether you fit that category or not.

So, in a psychological sense, stereotypes help mentally lazy and uncritical people to interact with others.

Chico: I think stereotypes have political and economic origin in the first place (historicize). For instance, the dominated classes everywhere in the world are labeled with negative images while the dominant are labeled with positive ones.

Ali: that’s definitely true. Compare the stereotypes about Arabs and other third world countries with stereotypes about Americans and Westerners and you will see how politics influences and strengthens the formation of false images about others (analyze).

John: I believe it is more humane to treat people on a case-by-case basis in spite of the fact that it requires some efforts (visualize).

As stated above, the dialogue is followed by five questions: What points do the people in the dialogue raise?

How does the dialogue account for stereotypes?

What might the phrase “on their own terms” mean?

What are the stereotypes about third world countries vis-à-vis the first world?

What do you think of the views expressed in the dialogue?

These questions aim at turning a written dialogue into learner-initiated dialogue.

As students grapple with these questions, they practice speaking and the last question prompts them to take a stand on the ideas discussed in the dialogue.

This is followed by an exercise which is an implicit exposition of the grammar of the module. Explicit explanation of grammar is given at the end of the module because the emphasis is on the content rather than the form. When grammatical explanation is given somewhere in the middle of the module, it tends to distract students from paying attention to the content. Below is an example of an implicit grammar exercise: abcde-

Despite belonging to different races, ……………………………

Although I don’t know Arabs well, I still think……………………..

Even though I have not come into contact with an American, I still think…

In spite of the fact that the first world is supposed to be advanced, …..

We judge others………………………………………………

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Since the grammar of this module is concession words as can be seen from the underlined sentences in the dialogue, this exercise provides an opportunity for student to practice it. Once more, the students finish these sentences with their own opinions.

The next part (exercise 7) is a table with controversial statements and students are required to take a stand on each statement, either for or against, and then defend their stand. In keeping with the dialogic and dialectic approach of the coursebook, the students usually get split into two groups. This makes for an animated dialogue where students try to get their messages across as they come up with arguments to support their position. It should be noted that the statements usually follow some or all of the four steps of the dialectic model. Below is a sample of this kind of exercise:

Statement Power relations underlie stereotypes Some stereotypes are true People stereotype just for fun Stereotypes can be reversed through education We will always have stereotypes

For

Against

Exercise 9 is a reading passage which begins with a pre-reading task in which students are asked to take a look at the title and the pictures and then write in a table what they know about the topic, what they want to know, and what they learned and would still like to know after reading the passage. Some new words and expressions in the passage are underlined for exercise ten.

The reading passage is followed by comprehension questions and then matching exercise based on the underlined expression or words in the passage. A wrap-up exercise comes right after the matching exercise where students answer questions that sum up the main points of the whole module. Below is an example of a wrap-up exercise: Where do stereotypes come from? (historicize) What can be done to do away with stereotypes? (organize) Is there a group of people who are guiltier than most of creating stereotypes? (analyze) Do you think information technology has reduced or increased racial stereotyping? (analyze) What do stereotypes tell us about the current world? (visualize a better world) As stated above, direct grammar explanation is offered at the end of the module in order to make for a smooth and uninterrupted dialogue with the content as top priority.

The grammar point is followed by grammar exercise to help students get a better sense of the structure and use of the new grammar lesson. Finally, the module ends with a writing exercise based on a controversial statement related to the topic of the module: Writing: Stereotypes are inevitable. Do you agree or disagree?

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The Dialectic Approach to Language Education

Within this approach, the monolithic concept of culture is replaced with class culture embedded within every society centered on social stratification. The existing capitalist social formation is made up of two main classes with diametrically opposite interests (capitalist and working classes. However, between these two extremes, there is an upper-middle class with enough resources to act as exploiters and a lower-middle class with some degree of autonomy and assets but generally exploited. The petty bourgeoisie whose function is commodity production lie between the upper and lower middle classes.

Alongside the capitalist sector, there is a state sector with top decision makers and professional management above the exploitation threshold and middle managers, clerical and manual workers right below it. At the bottom of the state structure, there is a class of welfare recipients (Andrew, 1992).

Capitalist sector State sector Top Decision-makers Professional ation

Bourgeoisie Upper-Middle class (Executive)

Middle Management

Lower-Middle class

Clerical

(Clerical)

Manual

Workers

Welfare recipients

Working class

Threshold

Petty

Exploit

Bourgeoisie

Welfare recipients Adapted from Hamnett et al, (1989)

Unlike mainstream pedagogy and coursebooks where only the values of the middle and upper middle classes are represented (Arikan, 2005), this approach along with its coursebook attempts to draw attention to the class structure of societies. For instance, the students are encouraged to draw parallels between the stereotypes regarding oppressed groups in their society and elsewhere (seeing oneself in the other). However, the dialectic method goes one step further in dissecting the historical and economic origins of a certain phenomenon. If class culture along with the socio-economic system that undergirds it is what’s wrong with this world, as the dialectic model argues, then nothing short of restructuring the whole system will work. To that end, language education can play a revolutionary role by demystifying the world for students as the above module has demonstrated. To put it differently, the idea is to counteract the ideological mystification that pervades every aspect of life.

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In conclusion, the dialectic model has a number of advantages over the other models of teaching culture. For one thing, it lays emphasis on the larger socio-economic and political context within which teaching takes place. It is empowering to both teachers and learners alike as it encourages participatory learning where even teachers learn. It challenges teachers to play the role of a change agent rather than a voiceless and deskilled facilitator whose job is facilitating the transfer of knowledge that is not his/hers and knowledge that is irrelevant. In addition, it consciously challenges the status quo as opposed to reinforcing it as the case with mainstream pedagogy. It ultimately raises critical consciousness by engaging learners in dialogues that challenge their taken- forgranted assumptions as they navigate the way in which everything is interconnected.

Equally important, it offers a viable alternative to the existing approaches that flow from the current social order and ultimately help keep it going. Above all, the dialectic model represents an amazing theory-practice fit.

References Andrew, L. (1992). Why are ELT materials the way they are? Retrieved from dissertations and theses database. PhD Lancaster 1992 (p. 241). www.AndrewLittlejohn.net.

Arikan, A. (2005). Age, gender and social class in ELT coursebooks: A Critical Study.

Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 28, 29-39.

Birch, G. & Liyanage, I. (2004). TESOL: Trojan horse of globalization. In B. Bartlett, & F. Bryer, & D. Roebuck, (eds) (2004): Educating: Weaving Research into ractice.

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual International Conference on Cognition, Language and Special Education Research held at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise Dec.( 2004).

Crystal, D. (2003). English as a global language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Seabury Press.

Hamnett, C., McDowell, L. & Sarre, P. (1989). The Changing social structure. London: Sage Publications Ltd. McLaren, P. (2000). Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of Possibility. In S. Steiner, H. Krank, P. Nunan, D. (1999). Second Language Teaching and Learning. Boston: Heinle and Heinle Publishers.

Ollman, B. (2003). Dance of the dialectic: Steps in Marx’s method. Illinois, University of Illinois Press.

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Slimback, R. (2005). The transcultural Journey. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, (XI), 205-230.

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