Alastair Pennycook: "English is an unfair language"

Because...

-It acts as a gatekeeper for education, jobs and social mobility, favouring a monolingual elite, both in the Centre and in the Periphery.

-It makes certain domains inaccessible to many people.

- It is causing many minority languages to disappear and prevents many people from identifying with their mother tongue.

- It hinders literacy in the mother tongue for speakers of minority languages.

- It is not receptive to the needs of many people.

- It privileges the figure of NS in the ELT profession, together with many other fallacies.

- The prevailing, barely communicative, pedagogical orientation of EFL education in Spain tended to silence & marginalize learners (even though those coming from advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds).

Book review: http://www.tnewfields.info/Articles/PDF/reviewPennycook.pdf

I agree with these statements: in few words, English is an elitist language. Languages are built by a community of speakers who share certain cultural values, so it will evolve according to their needs. Then English may be useful to some people, but not to others. 

Moreover, privileging English language above their own, speakers are giving less importance to their mother tongue. The consequence is the disappearance of many languages. In relation to this, another characteristic is the leveling down of societies, as opposed to diversity. 

With regard to English at Spanish schools, pupils are not taught how to communicate in the real world. They finish 2nd of Bachillerato with a very poor level of English, so we have to reflect on what is being done wrong and change the methodology.

And the last point is: has everybody the same opportunities to learn English? At least nowadays Internet is quite accessible and offers a great variety of sources to read or listen to English.

My conclusion is that English is now the global language because English countries have the global power, but this may change. Using English for commercial purposes is useful, but we can't forget our mother tongue for our everyday life. Our language defines us. Being bilingual or plurilingual is really enriching and healthy for our brain, so let's take advantage of this!

10 creative ways to teach English that deliver outstanding results

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/feb/14/teaching-english-creatively-outstanding-results

Motivational strategies

http://www.zoltandornyei.co.uk/uploads/motivational-strategies-english.pdf

A participatory action research project with Photovoice

"Photovoice is a research methodology used in participatory action research and needs assessment research across multiple disciplines. These research genres are underpinned by a common assumption that researched groups hold valid and valuable knowledge about their own needs, preferences and answers. Research methods are designed that access this knowledge and in so doing amplify the ‘voice’ of participant groups. In photovoice research this is achieved by participants generating photographs, drawings and other images that capture their beliefs, needs and world. Such research methods shift power in the research process from the researcher to the researched and in this way researchers gain access to the world of the participants through their eyes, with minimal interference in how this view is generated. The image-making process is combined with individual or group elicitation interviews (discussions) where the participants who created the images lead the interviews and talk researchers through the meaning and significance of their images as well as their thinking and perspectives" (Nelson&Christensen, 2009:36-37).

Nelson, Emily & Christensen, Kate. 2009. "Photovoice in the Middle: How our Students Experience Learning at School and Beyond". New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work. Volume 6, Issue 1.

An exciting photovoice activity for English students could consist of the election of a social problem that affects their daily life: cases of bullying or vandalism at school, the detection of dirt on the playground or the streets around, etc. They have to take pictures that illustrate those problems and bring them to class. The next step is to create an art gallery in the classroom. For the inauguration day they will have researched information on the problem and possible solutions to it. They will present their work of art to the rest of the class (journalists and visitors to the art gallery). They can bring crisps and soda for the show. After the presentation, there will be a press conference, in which "journalists" will ask questions related to the photographies. A great closure activity would be writing an article, after having taken notes of the answers or recorded the press conference. 

Here I am going to attach some pictures with examples of photovoice activities around the world that may help you have an idea of what it is:

Assessment: find your strengths

http://www.literacynet.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html My top three intelligences (it really hit the hail on the head!): 4.14  Language: You enjoy enjoy saying, hearing, and seeing words. You like telling stories. You are motivated by books, records, dramas, opportunities for writing. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your language intelligence include reading aloud, especially plays and poetry. Another idea is to write down reflections on what you've read. You may also enjoy exploring and developing your love of words, i.e., meanings of words, origin of words and idioms, names. Use different kinds of dictionaries. Other ideas: Keep a journal Use a tape recorder to tape stories and write them down Read together, i.e., choral reading Read a section, then explain what you've read Read a piece with different emotional tones or viewpoints — one angry, one happy, etc. Trade tall tales, attend story-telling events and workshops Research your name 3.86 Self: You have a very good sense of self. You like to spend time by yourself and think things over. You will often take in information from another person, mull it over by yourself, and come back to that person later to discuss it. You like working on projects on your own. You often prefer to learn by trial and error. Effective techniques to enhance your learning include keeping a journal and giving yourself time to reflect on new ideas and information. More ideas: Go on "guided imagery" tours. Set aside time to reflect on new ideas and information. Encourage journal writing. Work on the computer. Practice breathing for relaxation. Use brainstorming methods before reading. Listen to and read "how to" tapes and books. Read cookbooks.  3 Musical: You like the rhythm and sound of language. You like poems, songs, and jingles. You enjoy humming or singing along with music. You probably remember things well when they are associated with music or rhythm. Try to incorporate sounds into your lessons, such as using a familiar tune, song, or rap beat to teach spelling rules, or to remember words in a series for a test. Here are some other ways to use your musical intelligence: Create a poem with an emphasis on certain sounds for pronunciation. Clap out or walk out the sounds of syllables. Read together (choral reading) to work on fluency and intonation. Read a story with great emotion — sad, then happy, then angry. Talk about what changes — is it only tone? Work with words that sound like what they mean (onomatopoeia). For example: sizzle, cuckoo, smash. Read lyrics to music. Use music as background while reviewing and for helping to remember new material. Use rhymes to remember spelling rules, i.e., "I before E except after C."

Motivational strategies

If you press on this link you will find a survey about strategies that teachers use to motivate their students. You mark a tick on the frequency you (as a teacher) apply them in your class: from "hardly ever" to "very often", and on the importance you give to the different statements: from "not important" to "very important".

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FINNISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

1. In Finland, education is highly valued and teachers are prestigious professionals.

2. Education is free and accessible to everybody. The State pays for books, material and meals. If a child lives more than 5 km away from the school centre, they are also paid the transport.

3. Public funds are equally distributed among the centres so they can have the same facilities.

4. There is consensus and interaction between politicians, schools, teachers, universities.

5. The curriculum has the same general guidelines and a common framework, but each school organises itself according to their needs, achievements or results.

6. Personalised education and adapted to students: from the first years teachers give support students with special needs, minimising dropout rates in the future. They respect the different rhythms of learning. Moreover, teachers take on the same group from 7 to 12 years, so they get to know their students much better.

7. Integrated and multicultural.

8. Students have time. To play and to rest are also important. Children do not start school until they are 7. School days are also shorter and pupils do not have homework.

9.  So have teachers. They spend less time inside the classroom and dedicate the rest of the time to prepare the lessons, investigate, organise or work collaboratively with other teachers.  

10. Competence and numbers are avoided. Students do not do exams, neither do they get qualifications until they are 11 years old. Reports are descriptive, instead of numerical. Each student develop their own way of learning.

11. Participation and curiosity are rewarded. Imagination and empowerment are appreciated in the Finnish society. There are a lot of professionals in artistic and creative fields, as well as in technology and engineering.

12. Parents get involved into this process. They value education, participate in cultural activities and receive aids for the conciliation of family and work life.