1. Issues in ELT in Transitional Countries
A Presentation by Hornby Scholars from four UK Universities

2. Overview Large Classes A Culture of Reading Curriculum Issues
The Balance between Language and Teaching Skills in Teacher Education
English Language Teacher Development and INSET in Countries in Transition

3. LARGE CLASSES

4. Number of Students Countries Institution Primary/ Secondary Tertiary
Sudan
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Afghanistan
Mexico
Indonesia
Pakistan
Brazil
Chile
75-220
50-120
50-70 50
45-50 35 45
300
45-75
45-200 60

5. Things that teachers think cannot be in large classes
Effective and efficient classroom management
Monitoring individual learners’ progress
Intensive students’ interaction
Sufficient oral practice
Individual presentations
Giving feedback to individual learners

6. Things that teachers think can be done in large classes
Group work
Dynamic presentations and seminars
Variety of group production
Learners help each other in project work
Variety of students and cultures
Team competition

7. Students’ view of large classes
Negative
Lack of participation
Being left out
Disturbing and being disturbed by other students
Frustration
Positive
Feel comfortable - always someone else to answer questions
Encouraging students’ group work outside classroom

8. Teachers’ strategies used in large classes
Creative and dynamic teaching
Peer to peer evaluation
Process evaluation
Group work, pair work and large group work
Cooperative learning
Project work

9. Our Concerns
How can we help teachers be aware of the possible advantages of large classes?
How can we help teachers cope with the problems of teaching in large classes?

11. A Culture of Reading

12. PEOPLE DON'T READ ENOUGH THESE DAYS AND THIS HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR PROGRESS IN LEARNING ENGLISH

13. How Teachers view Reading Habits in L1 and L2 in educational institutions around the World
OBJECTIVE OF SURVEY
To find out how teachers in some educational institutions around the world view reading habits of learners in L1 and L2

14. Reading Habits
Private Public a
Ss Reading habits in L1
53% occasionally
76% poorly
Accessibility to Reading materials
Private Public a
Availability of reading materials
47% good
56% no access b
Solutions: leave it to institutions
47 %
40 %

15. Curriculum Issues Private Public a Time allotted for
sustained silent reading
47% occasionally
44% occasionally b
Existence of a Reading Programme
53% none
68% none

16. Reading Comprehension Writing 60% strongly 47% occasionally
Impact of Reading extensively
Private Public a
Differences in language proficiency: SS who read and SS who do not read extensively
53% strongly
48% strongly b
Skills developed:
Reading Comprehension
Writing
60% strongly
47% occasionally
84% strongly
72% strongly c
Other developments
Vocabulary Development
Aesthetic appreciation of texts
Critical Reading
Fluent Reading habits
80% strongly
60% occasionally
47% strongly
60% strongly
100% strongly
48% occasionally
48% occasionally
88% strongly

17. Factors hindering reading for pleasure
Exam-focussed institutions pressurize Ss with study load
Exam-oriented education fosters reading for learning
Lack of reading habit in L1, doesn’t nurture L2 reading habits
Addiction to electronic media
Costly L2 reading materials
Absence of a reading programme

18. Factors promoting reading for pleasure
Ts familiarize students with reading materials

19. CONCLUSION:
A GENERAL ABSENCE OF CULTURE OF READING

20. IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINED SILENT READING PROGRAMME IN A SCHOOL IN ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
Results shown by participants:
Better attitude towards required texts and textbooks
More interest towards reading: students who previously hadn’t done so
Ss’ experience of reading in a conducive environment motivates them
Ss show more positive attitude towards other classes.
Development of habit of reading.
Reasons for closure of SSR programme in the school
People involved not in favour of it
Lack of interest & dedication displayed by Ts who took part
Very few Ts actually read with their pupils.
Ts didn’t read so Ss didn’t read either.

21. How can ELT professionals overcome not only
resource constraints but also systemic resistance
when promoting reading in countries in transition?

23. Curriculum Issues

24. curriculum drawn by educational institution itself
Is there a curriculum that directs current teaching activities to the achievement of language teaching aims?
higher authority institution developed plan – e.g. Ministry of Education
curriculum drawn by educational institution itself
coursebook is the curriculum

25. Where do teaching institutions stand?
Can we all participate in a discussion?

26. CURRICULUM holds the overarching organising principles and goals as well as “all the aspects of the planning, implementation and evaluation of an educational program, the why, how and how well together with the what of the learning-teaching process.” (Richards and Renandya, 2002)
Organisation of content
and order of what is to be taught
Framework
CURRICULUM
Direction towards achievement of aims

27. SURVEY Objective Rationale
To look at how teachers in some countries regard the existence of a curriculum in their respective institutions that gives direction to their teaching activities.
Rationale
To look at what is occurring at the onset of the language teaching-learning process in some institutions in some countries because some teachers feel there isn’t a curriculum at all.

28. Format of the survey Public institution Private institution
Name of Country
Private institution
Situation A
developed its own curriculum
best available teachers were hired
continuous in-service training
resources required for quality instruction were provided
coursebook was chosen according to the needs of the programme or written specifically for the programme.

29. Situation B
Ministry of Education program for English or any other higher institutional program
coursebook is the immediate direction for teaching English
limited knowledge of development of curriculum or involvement of teachers in the process
best available teachers were hired
continuous in-service training
resources were provided for quality instruction

30. Situation C coursebook is the only direction for teaching English
limited resources for quality instruction and achieving the best results and success in language learning
teachers have limited power to make changes.
there is no continuous in-service training and teacher development.

31. Summary of respondents
Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, England, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan Spain, Sudan, Sultanate of Oman, Swaziland, Taiwan, Turkey and Zambia. 50
Private or Public institution
Situation A
Situation B
Situation C
Public 36 13 17 6
Private 14 7 5 2
Total : 50 20 22 8

32. Can we all participate in a curriculum issue discussion?
Respondents in Situation A added or took away more features
teachers were not involved in the process of curriculum development
students’ needs are not taken into consideration
teachers do not have the power to make changes
lack of teacher training, in service training does not respond to teachers´ needs
teachers have to make up for lack of resources
coursebooks imposed by a higher body
coursebooks written for other contexts
Can we all participate in a
curriculum issue discussion?

34. Balance between Language and Teaching Skills
Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia

35. Can you help me?
“I wish I could attend to a course or programme that would help me to develop my English language proficiency and my teaching skills at the same time. Unfortunately, most of the programmes focus on only one of the two areas.”
Maria, English teacher in Amazonas, Brazil

36. Balance between Language and Teaching Skills

37. Commonalities in the programmes
English as a Foreign Language
Designed for in-service trainers
Language improvement moving towards development of teaching skills
British Council involvement

38. Development Cycle for Teachers of English

39. Our concerns…
None of those programmes focus on pre-service teachers. How can we offer similar opportunities to pre-service teachers?
How can we sustain these programmes?
What level of English should a practising teacher of English have?
What can teachers of English do to improve their level of English in a FL environment?

41. English Language Teacher Development and INSET in Countries in Transition

42. The aim of this short presentation is:
to confirm and raise awareness about the fact that INSET and teacher development is still a big challenge in many of the countries in transition (where ‘interestingly’, the situations are really similar)
to stimulate discussion on the needs of teachers of English in these countries and actions that should be taken to provide the support needed

43. The Background:
teachers have had very few opportunities to widen their experience and to keep themselves abreast of changes in ELT
Teacher development is not a ‘serious’ priority in some countries and many other issues (socio-economic, cultural and political) affect teachers’ development

44. Absence of motivation and incentive for teachers
Challenges and obstacles to teacher development have included the following:
Lack of resources
Absence of motivation and incentive for teachers
Inadequate organisation and co-ordination of teacher training/development programmes
Insufficient training sessions
Lack of continuity

45. What are the ways in which we can make INSET/teacher development programmes more effective in countries in transition considering the contextual constraints?