Sociolinguistics Nine

“By looking at language policy from a historical-structural viewpoint we can see why teachers are placed in a situation where embarrassment occurs and why they have to resort to using hygiene resources.”

When I was seven, I think, Barry Connors pissed himself during assembly. Mrs Wright stopped talking about Jesus and we all had to go back to our classrooms. She would have been comforted, I feel, to have known about the historical-structural context for Baz’s incontinence.

I jest, possibly unfairly, because the following sentence is this –

“This is the sort of view that should help politicians review policy.”

Oh, be still my aching sides. Has this ever happened, anywhere, to anyone? Seriously, all sarcasm aside, is there any evidence of politicians and policy makers responding to this detailed level of feedback whilst formulating policy at ay time anywhere in the world?

I certainly don’t disagree with the sentiment, in fact I’d very much like for it to be true, but we’ve spent the last three for four modules hearing about nationalism and ideology and large scale, society wide considerations of LP. Now zooming back down to the level of the individual classroom and expecting that to have a meaningful impact upon policy seems optimistic, at best.

The Nunan reading backs this up. It is basically a list of repeated and consistent policy failure. I have a degree in Environmental Politics, so I’m well used to that, but even by that metric this is something special. How many quotes would you like?

“….rhetoric rather than reality is the order of the day…”

“…adequate and appropriate training is a major problem in all of the countries surveyed…”

“…it must be a major concern… that the efforts currently underway do not appear to be reflected in significantly enhanced English language skills…”

“…policies have been implemented, often at significant cost… without a clearly articulated  rationale and without detailed consideration…”

ELT in Japan has been fucked, and fucked in exactly the same ways, for decades. If the same mistakes keep happening, and happening so predictably across time and geographical and political space, then you really have to come to the conclusion that it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. ELT policy isn’t really about effective ELT, it’s about the appearance of it.