future of elt in colombia

8/12/2019 Future of Elt in Colombia

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FUTURE OF ELT IN COLOMBIA

Yeidis Espinosa Martinez

Esp. en Enseanza del Ingles

For many years the impact that globalization had brought to countries was a matter of

permanent studies. Such phenomenon is still crucial for all the states, participants or not

participants of international market, because of the multiples implications. But not to acceptthese events with resistance is likely justified by the dramatics results, the increasing of

poverty, environment problem and worldwide conflicts (Santos, 2003). Moreover

globalizations are processes fully interconnected that eventually are determine by the power

of the countries which get the control over the market and all the productions including

human manifestation.

From this perspective every state play a role into global culture in which any citizen

would be embroiled, regardless their ethnic condition. As a policy of domination the

culture is in the agenda to gain effectiveness in the market. In this dynamic is possible to

find the language as the axis that strengthens the communication due to the economy

needs, flow of information and cultural globalization.

In this setting is easy to understand that in Colombia the decision -making taken by the

State aim to accept all the international postulates without any concern about the identities,

benefits or welfare. That is why national projects are, in most of the cases, conducted forpolitical power interest that out of any pertinence, concrete actions that never impact the

population in their progress.

This adoption of foreign and nativeslanguages should be gathered into a national project

that gives prevalence to interaction and thinking skills where people may acquire asociolinguistics framework to enhance their culture. According to this statement isrecommended to reoriented, in Colombia, the culture and languages in terms of human

development and idiosyncrasy in instead of market.

First of all is important to redefine the concept of bilingualism because at the moment is

understood as the promotion of a foreign language, specially: English. In fact foreign

language is English for Bilingual National Project. (Quintero, 2009). The chance to spreadout other languages are not possible, due to they do not represent any capital.(Guerrero,

2008). In consequences the social imaginaries around foreign language is related to

economy position, globalization opportunities or the necessity of this tongue because it is

the universal language. In exchange, the appropriate argument of becoming bilingualshould be supported in the acquisition of abilities, mechanism for human interaction and the

development of metalinguistic consciousness.

Following the discussion started above, a recent study about analysis discourse of the

National Bilingual Project Guerrero (2008) posits that:


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the previous category showed that for the promoter of the PNB, being bilingual means speaking

English; the promoters of the project oversimplified the amount of languages that could be learned

in a bilingual project and reduce it to one.( p.35 )

Although the Political Constitution has given the rules to promote and preserve the other

languages spoken by minoritaries groups, it happens that the educational system has never

held up such project. Although the opportunity to recover the socio-historical legacy andinclude it into the most important promotion throughout the society, would be somehow

that possibly strength the participation of this minorities in the future. In this point of view

Pulido (2012) says:

the indigenous not only must concentrate their efforts for an education that conserve and preservetheir culture, they must also have an education that allow them to understand and get interaction

with the culture and language of the country in which they are immersed, so that, their social,political and economical destiny is composing with the interaction toward the rest of population ofthe country(p.248)

That is the model which the European Council established for Europe, where learning,

teaching and evaluation are part of a general linguistic project with the aim of unifyingparameters for developing multilingual and multicultural Europe that break all theboundaries for communication to all the nations (Council for cultural Cooperation, (2001).

Observing this experience in this continent is comprehensible that an impacting national

project might be giving into a vision of cultural competences approach that in the case of

Colombia could fit well modeling the Europes principle because of the diversity of

subculture as a result of the historical legacy.

This ambition of including all the languages should begin with sociolinguistic studies as a

based to determine decisions around which languages have to be taught in Colombias

educational system (Quintero, 2009). This planning must prompt to establish the

position and role that all the languages play in a national culture. The truth is that manydifferent dimensions have to get into account at the moment to plan languages in a society.

One of the most significant aspects, to set up such organization, is to understand the real

conditions of teaching English language as well as the sociocultural problematic. Under this

view policy has to act against the inequality of accessing to education due to not allthechildren enjoy the same opportunity or access to education, especially in a society like the

Colombian one afflicted by so many social and economic problems (Guerrero, (2008),

p36). The quality of education demands many factors, for that reason the familyeconomy situation influences the conditions for learning. By misfortune a great amount of

children cannot access to a high standard of education, and then the majority of the best

schools are bilingual. It means that just the upper class kids have the chance to learn a

second language since childhood

On the other hand the role of government should change, because so far, the bilingual

conditions and teaching have never gotten a clear vision around what the bilingualismimply, as Solarte (2008) also says: therefore it must be clarified that the problem in Colombia isnot the adoption of foreign language policy and standards, but the learning and teaching conditions


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which the government seems to overlook (page 189). As a result some decisions never

benefit all the population because the personal interest is above the human and cultural

development which is the essence of a project of such magnitude.

In the same line is necessary to improve the context for developing bilingual program; theaccess to resources, materials, technology, and infrastructure and network platform in orderto contribute to a better learning condition by increasing the exposure to a second language.

Moreover the teachers qualification have to be at the timetable because most of the

English teachers have low level management of their target language, and management ofmethods is not evident in their practice. In contracts, to be effective in teaching language

require the improvements in language proficiency and training in method as well as the

constant updating about reflective approaches for controlling the learners processes.

Another aspect to consider is that teaching of languages should focus all its attention to

learning, in this way Solarte (2008) says that:teacher do not teach what they may be familiar

with (grammar, vocabulary), but what learners need in order to perform differentfunctions(p.186). Hence the implementation of a program must include the needs analysis

and target needs for designing courses that guarantee the effectiveness of teaching and

learning

For managing the situation about the English position in the world is understandable that is

part of the market strategy, then is actually true that the language spoken for the mostpowerful countries looks more desirable for the learners with specific interest in the market

(David Graddol, 2000). But he point is not to avoid the expansion or intromission of the

English language because there are some economic engagements. But if the state followsthis adoption, the idea is that it reflects the non-native speaker interest to interact and

communicate with others. (David Graddol, 2007)

Certainty, English will follow arising in the world as an important language because the

trajectory carried out during many decades, but in the next scenarios will be space for other

languages occupying the top of pyramid. There will be a new hierarchy that declares a

new status to English (David Graddol, 2000)

A new vision of the English in Colombia, would be a consideration of this language as a

references for some special labors inside or outside the country, it accounts consequently

because of the opportunities it could bring in the commercial field. On the other side isimportant not to lose sight of the fact that developing interaction, immersion and

participation in other culture and events can also enhance the own experience, driving

people to a new adventures in life. Another attractiveness of people who is bilingual is theadvancement in their mental processes that allow active cognition and permanent executive

control.

Taken into account the attractiveness of a bilingual person is significant to explain some

consequences related to the brain; the experience that a learner has toward a language

determines the representation in the brain. The context and the conditions in ages and

manner of acquisition of a language influence the process and its development in abilities(Ekiert, 2006). This finding could be clear doing comparison in learners, so that the


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children might have more possibilities to manage the same areas. The opposite happens

with late bilingual who needs to retrieve more information and activate other parts of the

brain. Although this variation, the permanent practice and synapses permit the neurons

to get stronger and as a result the mental activities might become more effective: memory,classification, syntax, create input and output, logical thinking, critical thinking. That is

why the educational system should bet for an education that is more engage with thepromotion of critical thinking and creativity.

There is no doubt that for having effects around bilingualism the improvement in teachinglanguages is an imperative. Thus, obviously is pertinent to rethink the English teaching and

other languages, involving students into a real communication, giving new chances to

students to develop accuracy and fluency and center the attention to communicativecompetences (Richards). Above this method some methodologies are also important and

useful for bilingual school or universities with international programs, such: content- based

instruction.

The importance of using method for teaching stem in the consolidation of rules that can be

better connected with the students needs and because these theories are the emergency ofscientific processes, and after that such theories have been proved in the experience, Soteachers should not avoid using them. Although the possibilities for other methodologies,

that can be adapt to the context in which the teaching is going to be executed, should be

flexible. Finally the most important thing is to dominate science inside the classroom andthe reflective approach to rethink what is happening in class, this prompts teacher to

improve managements of this field, due to teaching languages is another world.

Is actually important to pay attention to the sociolinguistic environment for planning the

languages in which the countrys population participates to enrich culturally the tradition

and all forms of human interactions. In fact the communication in another language might

help to provide sense to every single context. Nevertheless other reasons should benegotiated and include into the development of national plan, but with the concern of

making policies that really promote the cultural diversity and the use of English for specificpurposes. Clearly the promotion of English will remain for many decades so that many

forces are hopeful of the national and international possibilities given by this language;

however is time to wake up acting against the changes that are no really powerful changes.

References

Council for cultural Cooperation. (2002). Common European Framework for languages:

learning, teaching, assessment. Madrid.Artes Grficas Fernndez Ciudad, S. L.

Ekiert, M. ( 2008). The Bilingual Brain.Columbia university. 1-8.

Guerrero, C. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What does It Mean to Be Bilingual withinThe Framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism?Redalyc.26-46.Colo

Graddol, D. ( 2000). The future of English. UK. The English Company.


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Graddol, D. ( 2006). English Next. U.K. The English company.

Richard, J. (2006). The communicative Language Teaching today. 1-47

Santos, B. (2002). The process of Globalisation,Eurozine.67-130.

Solarte, S. (2008).Is Colombia Ready for Bilingualism?.Redalyc.181-195.

Quintero, A. (2009). Es usted Bilinge? Concepciones y alternativas para la educacin en

idiomas en el contexto colombiano.El educador. 4-10.

Pulido, Y. (2012).La etnoeducacin bilinge: logro poltico y desafo para las etnias.

Lenguaje, Universidad del Valle. 231-254.

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