Scientific language teaching finally arrives!
Hot on the heels of their takeover of Wall Street English Schools in China, launching a speaking test that is mainly marked by computer and winning a huge ESL contract in California, Pearson have launched their real bid for global TEFL dominance with a project with the always innovative (and never short of cash) American Army Language Learning Centre. While it will take a while to become cheap enough for the rest of us, it is clearly the future.
At the start of each course, students do a diagnostic test and interview while hooked up to a brain scanning machine, heart monitor etc. The results from these instruments during that initial testing period and in real time during the actual classes gives the teacher precise instructions on what they should do second by second in the classroom. Information given on the teacher’s HUD (heads up display) includes which student to focus on next (due to factors like ignoring certain students, certain students not focusing etc), whether to ratchet up or down the difficulty of the language and task, whether to revise or introduce something new, when to start on the most difficult or important part of the lesson, etc- therefore taking the randomness out of our instant classroom judgements and cutting down on our lesson planning. Quick online tests when they get home will tailor homework tasks for individual students and automatically correct and mark them, including writing and speaking assignments.
While this use of technology will only control small things like grading and student talking time in the short term, it is also predicted that the huge amount of quantitative data that will be generated by the system will lead to definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of things such as focus on form, error correction, humanistic activities and learner training within as little as five years- therefore bringing an end to pointless debate on such matters in places such as this.
In summary, for all those teachers who have been arguing for a more science-based method of TEFL, teaching should really become a much better experience for all of us some time in the next five to ten years. Looking forward to it?
January 21st, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Ha! You think you can fool us mighty Teflers with such a blatant piece of pseudo-scientific nonsense, Alex?
Well, you just might be right!
January 21st, 2010 at 8:38 pm
As a profession, we’d need some pretty convincing evidence that it worked. There would, of course, be some good research published before it was unleashed on students.
After all, no teacher would use their students as unsuspecting guinea pigs to try out whatever untested quackery happened to be in favour that month.
No, as no doubt occurred before we started wittering on about learning styles and interactive white boards, evidence of classroom efficacy would have to be compelling.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I taught at Wall Street Institute for 6 months. After 4 months I was burnt out and looking for altrnatives. I found the program mind-numbing, 3/4 of the learner’s time being spent working with the interactive system, molded into uniform units with minimal variety, followed by a small group face-to-face session. Zero involvement. I find it amazing that anyone would want to sign up, let alone fulfill the 3-month contracts they paid for.
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:23 am
Ahem… sources?
I want to say this sounds extremely fishy and a load of carp, but I’ve seen too many bizarre ‘developments’ in ELT to dismiss it outright…
~ J
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:09 am
You’re right, Jason. Alex is just pulling our collective leg. Intcha, Alex?!
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I think there might be some gloss on what he has written (in fact the best machine we have to perform the tasks described is the human brain) and what he describes is no more than careful and empathetic guidance in preparation for a speaking task with a fluent or native speaker that provides the evidential proof to the learner (not the teacher in a a classroom) that they can use the language in authentic communication.
Teachers will become guides and mentors supporting the process.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:45 am
P.S. Even the British Council and BBC think that the writing is on the wall for old-style language teaching, it seems. Just found this (see link)…amazing stat re: socialisation of language learning, which corresponds with the growth of online language learning social networks, the recent research of Patricia Kuhl, Travis and Proulx, etc.
Hilariously this piece makes some excellent points and then pours cold water on anything having to change (see the bit about taking learners out of the classroom more), priceless:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/teaching-learning-through-social-networks#comment-6457
January 26th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Jason,
I agree with you that a lot of its suggestions are good, but I find the Teaching English article depressing, not funny.
It’s based on market – rather than academic – “research”, but people will be quoting this as evidence before long. No link to the original data is provided… so we can’t check it out and reach our own conclusions.
Now, whenever I see Prensky quoted, I know the article’s no good. Assuming the figure is from “Digital Natives…”, it’s almost 10 years old – a long time in tech, and since when did the cost of technology mean anything? I got my mobile phone for free.