Sanjoy Kumar Mazumder :
(From previous issue)
These issues or challenges include disconnections between teacher education and realities of practice in schools, the monolingual reality of Bangladesh and issues around topics in the English textbooks. They feel that there is a conservatism which deters teachers from making changes. Although the new communicative curriculum requires a change from traditional practices, participants report that there is broad resistance to a CLT approach in the secondary school context in Bangladesh. The researcher’s own experiences as a teacher educator argues that this will impact on trainee teachers’ interest in CLT, and that teacher educators will feel resistance to learning and implementing the CLT approach among trainee teachers.
The findings indicate that despite the efforts of the government of Bangladesh to promote CLT at the secondary level, the participating teacher educators think that it is still not implemented successfully in Bangladesh. This research indicates that teachers are likely to be using CLT only partially and not fully as it is suggested in the core CLT principles. In addition to this, CLT practice is not effective in most instances. The participants indicated some issues which are related to this lack of successful CLT practice in Bangladesh. The participants are not sure about alternatives for English teaching used in other countries that may be suitable for Bangladesh, other than CLT. Despite familiarity with relevant literature on this topic, the participants feel that some changes are needed to address issues that significantly impact on implementing CLT at the secondary level, or addressing the problems with CLT itself.
The findings focus on another challenging issue of CLT implementation which is the selection of topics in English textbooks. This concern was raised by two of the research participants. Some topics that are presented in secondary English textbooks are irrelevant for students as those topics do not reflect the daily life and experience in Bangladesh. Therefore, the CLT materials are not accepted by the majority of the Bangladeshi students who live in rural areas. Topics that are unrelated to the students’ known context may limit the reader’s understating of the text, because relevant cultural background knowledge is important for second language learners to facilitate understanding (Mclean, 1998). Moreover, if the textbooks fail to bridge the gaps between the culture of the students and the target culture, an effective CLT approach is hampered (Liu, 2009). Consequently, CLT should be culturally sensitive so that students can relate to and identify with the socio-cultural context (Liu, 2007). If the students of Bangladesh cannot identify with the foreign culture that is presented in their textbooks, then the students will not be motivated to use the language ( Chowdhury, 2003).
The research findings reveal that participants think that CLT as an English teaching approach is working in the context of Bangladesh, but it is working only partially and, in some cases, inaccurately. Contextual difficulties were reported by participants as barriers to implementing CLT properly. These include physical factors, such as class time, class size, teachers’ and students’ roles in the classroom, along with other issues. The participants did not advocate other models, but their support for approaches that are not necessarily communicative, is consistent with the call by some theorists for different or mixed approaches for teaching English. The participants did not reject CLT in the Bangladeshi context but they advocated some changes in order to implement CLT more effectively.
Participants raised another issue around the implementation of CLT in secondary schools in Bangladesh. The findings argue for a disconnection between teacher education and the realities of practice in schools. In TICs, teacher educators model how CLT can be used in secondary classrooms and participants note that trainee teachers show positive attitudes towards CLT. However, when the teachers go back to their schools they find it too challenging to adopt CLT actlvltles, primarily due to class time restrictions ill secondary schools that do not allow full implementation of CL T. In addition to challenges due to time, participants also reported other factors that can create problems, such as the power-relationships between teachers and school principles principals, which may lead to teacher’s practice being stopped by the head. Similarly, decisions of policy makers can lead to problems. One of the participants highlighted how a decision about exam policy may be imposed by the higher authority of the government leading to problems with successfully implementing CL T. Policy is imposed on schools and teacher education institutions from higher levels, despite policy makers not being fully aware of the reality of the context. Participants note that teacher educators are not autonomous and do not have the license to emphasise principles and strategies necessary for effective teaching, because they have to follow the guidelines determined by the higher authority. Participants note that the implementation of CLT at the grass-root level will not be successful as long as the voices of both teacher educators and teachers are unheard in policy making.
The study has a number of limitations. First of all, the number of cases in this research is small. The data collected from this sample is not sufficient to generalise the result. The limitations of the generalisability of this study considering the participants are not representative of all secondary teacher educators in Bangladesh. Despite this, the participants raise some issues that others may share and that are worth exploring further with other teacher educators. Hence, the findings generated can be seen as illustrative, rather than predictive.
As the research was conducted in New Zealand and participants were studying in ew Zealand, it was not possible to observe the participants’ classroom teaching to identify whether what they practice in a classroom situation in Bangladesh is consistent with what they say or believe. Therefore, the study had to be fully dependent on the self-reports of their practice in a B.Ed classroom and their understanding of CLT through practice. There might be a mismatch between their beliefs and practice. A study of how teacher educators’ pedagogical beliefs affect real practice in Bangladesh would be helpful, particularly given that teacher education assumes a direct influence on school practices through the teaching the secondary teachers.
Additional areas highlighted by the current work that would benefit from further investigation include contextual factors, educational policies and alternative teaching approaches. For example, it could be argued as important to know how the challenges identified in the current work may vary across urban and rural school contexts in Bangladesh. The participants highlighted the need to rearrange assessment in a CLT classroom for its successful implementation in Bangladesh; therefore, further investigation of the effects on teaching practice of changing assessment policy would be useful. Finally, further research might focus on alternative and complementary approaches to CLT in relation to the Bangladeshi classroom context. For example, Bjorning-Gyde et al., (2008) argues for the fusion between western and other teaching methods for language teaching methodology in the Chinese context.
This study investigated the teacher educators’ attitudes and reaction in relation to CLT adoption and implementation at the secondary level in Bangladesh. The findings contribute to the field by focusing specifically on issues relating to teacher education in Bangladesh, which is a context that has received little attention in the literature relating to CLT. It also highlights the particular social and institutional contexts of Bangladesh which impact on the nature of CLT in Bangladesh classrooms, and more specifically within secondary teacher education. On the basis of findings, some implications in teacher education have been raised. The disconnection between teacher educators and secondary school teachers is a major finding that has emerged and warrants attention from administrators of teacher education and further research.
(From previous issue)
These issues or challenges include disconnections between teacher education and realities of practice in schools, the monolingual reality of Bangladesh and issues around topics in the English textbooks. They feel that there is a conservatism which deters teachers from making changes. Although the new communicative curriculum requires a change from traditional practices, participants report that there is broad resistance to a CLT approach in the secondary school context in Bangladesh. The researcher’s own experiences as a teacher educator argues that this will impact on trainee teachers’ interest in CLT, and that teacher educators will feel resistance to learning and implementing the CLT approach among trainee teachers.
The findings indicate that despite the efforts of the government of Bangladesh to promote CLT at the secondary level, the participating teacher educators think that it is still not implemented successfully in Bangladesh. This research indicates that teachers are likely to be using CLT only partially and not fully as it is suggested in the core CLT principles. In addition to this, CLT practice is not effective in most instances. The participants indicated some issues which are related to this lack of successful CLT practice in Bangladesh. The participants are not sure about alternatives for English teaching used in other countries that may be suitable for Bangladesh, other than CLT. Despite familiarity with relevant literature on this topic, the participants feel that some changes are needed to address issues that significantly impact on implementing CLT at the secondary level, or addressing the problems with CLT itself.
The findings focus on another challenging issue of CLT implementation which is the selection of topics in English textbooks. This concern was raised by two of the research participants. Some topics that are presented in secondary English textbooks are irrelevant for students as those topics do not reflect the daily life and experience in Bangladesh. Therefore, the CLT materials are not accepted by the majority of the Bangladeshi students who live in rural areas. Topics that are unrelated to the students’ known context may limit the reader’s understating of the text, because relevant cultural background knowledge is important for second language learners to facilitate understanding (Mclean, 1998). Moreover, if the textbooks fail to bridge the gaps between the culture of the students and the target culture, an effective CLT approach is hampered (Liu, 2009). Consequently, CLT should be culturally sensitive so that students can relate to and identify with the socio-cultural context (Liu, 2007). If the students of Bangladesh cannot identify with the foreign culture that is presented in their textbooks, then the students will not be motivated to use the language ( Chowdhury, 2003).
The research findings reveal that participants think that CLT as an English teaching approach is working in the context of Bangladesh, but it is working only partially and, in some cases, inaccurately. Contextual difficulties were reported by participants as barriers to implementing CLT properly. These include physical factors, such as class time, class size, teachers’ and students’ roles in the classroom, along with other issues. The participants did not advocate other models, but their support for approaches that are not necessarily communicative, is consistent with the call by some theorists for different or mixed approaches for teaching English. The participants did not reject CLT in the Bangladeshi context but they advocated some changes in order to implement CLT more effectively.
Participants raised another issue around the implementation of CLT in secondary schools in Bangladesh. The findings argue for a disconnection between teacher education and the realities of practice in schools. In TICs, teacher educators model how CLT can be used in secondary classrooms and participants note that trainee teachers show positive attitudes towards CLT. However, when the teachers go back to their schools they find it too challenging to adopt CLT actlvltles, primarily due to class time restrictions ill secondary schools that do not allow full implementation of CL T. In addition to challenges due to time, participants also reported other factors that can create problems, such as the power-relationships between teachers and school principles principals, which may lead to teacher’s practice being stopped by the head. Similarly, decisions of policy makers can lead to problems. One of the participants highlighted how a decision about exam policy may be imposed by the higher authority of the government leading to problems with successfully implementing CL T. Policy is imposed on schools and teacher education institutions from higher levels, despite policy makers not being fully aware of the reality of the context. Participants note that teacher educators are not autonomous and do not have the license to emphasise principles and strategies necessary for effective teaching, because they have to follow the guidelines determined by the higher authority. Participants note that the implementation of CLT at the grass-root level will not be successful as long as the voices of both teacher educators and teachers are unheard in policy making.
The study has a number of limitations. First of all, the number of cases in this research is small. The data collected from this sample is not sufficient to generalise the result. The limitations of the generalisability of this study considering the participants are not representative of all secondary teacher educators in Bangladesh. Despite this, the participants raise some issues that others may share and that are worth exploring further with other teacher educators. Hence, the findings generated can be seen as illustrative, rather than predictive.
As the research was conducted in New Zealand and participants were studying in ew Zealand, it was not possible to observe the participants’ classroom teaching to identify whether what they practice in a classroom situation in Bangladesh is consistent with what they say or believe. Therefore, the study had to be fully dependent on the self-reports of their practice in a B.Ed classroom and their understanding of CLT through practice. There might be a mismatch between their beliefs and practice. A study of how teacher educators’ pedagogical beliefs affect real practice in Bangladesh would be helpful, particularly given that teacher education assumes a direct influence on school practices through the teaching the secondary teachers.
Additional areas highlighted by the current work that would benefit from further investigation include contextual factors, educational policies and alternative teaching approaches. For example, it could be argued as important to know how the challenges identified in the current work may vary across urban and rural school contexts in Bangladesh. The participants highlighted the need to rearrange assessment in a CLT classroom for its successful implementation in Bangladesh; therefore, further investigation of the effects on teaching practice of changing assessment policy would be useful. Finally, further research might focus on alternative and complementary approaches to CLT in relation to the Bangladeshi classroom context. For example, Bjorning-Gyde et al., (2008) argues for the fusion between western and other teaching methods for language teaching methodology in the Chinese context.
This study investigated the teacher educators’ attitudes and reaction in relation to CLT adoption and implementation at the secondary level in Bangladesh. The findings contribute to the field by focusing specifically on issues relating to teacher education in Bangladesh, which is a context that has received little attention in the literature relating to CLT. It also highlights the particular social and institutional contexts of Bangladesh which impact on the nature of CLT in Bangladesh classrooms, and more specifically within secondary teacher education. On the basis of findings, some implications in teacher education have been raised. The disconnection between teacher educators and secondary school teachers is a major finding that has emerged and warrants attention from administrators of teacher education and further research.
(Sanjoy Kumar Mazumder,
Govt. Teachers Training College, Feni )
(Concluded)
