MELTA Conference 2012

MELTA publication ICT and ELT:
 Research and Practices in South East Asia
launched at the event. Image: MELTA

The past two days I have been fortunate enough to attend the Malaysian English Language Teachers' Association (MELTA) Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The theme of this year's conference is Reframing English Language Education: New Environments, New Needs, New Solutions. Working in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field in Malaysia this is an excellent snapshot of the state of our art in the nation, and having been in the country for only a month it is most timely for me personally. I must admit that on the whole I have been impressed with the dedication shown by teachers working in schools under great pressure, who have taken the time to attend. Most definitely their efforts will be rewarded with fresh inspiration and insight when they return to their schools after the event. 

In the coming paragraphs I offer a very brief review of the first few sessions of the event that I was able to attend. My more detailed notes (though a bit rough) can be found here, for those who can stomach long, long bullet lists - or would like to know about the remaining sessions. 

Royal Lecture and Official Opening

The event was officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Zarith Sophia binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, the Royal Patron of MELTA. Following the pomp and ceremony (cavalcade, red carpet and guard of honour) it was disarming to hear that though the Princess followed up her Malaysian schooling with higher education at Oxford University and is an active patron of various projects and charities, she makes an effort to connect with the people through her regular newspaper columns, and even makes time for a round of Angry Birds now and again. In her lecture she very frankly addressed the importance of ensuring high standards of English among all Malaysian school leavers, illustrating with colourful reports from the media. Malaysia's bold future ambitions make English proficiency a key requirement, and a range of initiatives are supporting development in the language. The work of MELTA and its members in this regard was warmly acknowledged. Finally, Princess Zarith's recommendations for fostering English development included diverse learning strategies from field trips to music and drama, fostering creativity and love of the language among Malaysia's learners. 

Keynote Address

His Excellency Dato' Khayr Bin Mohamed Yusuf, Deputy Director General of Education in Malaysia, presented the keynote address, where he stressed the relevance of the conference theme. Not only should linguistic knowledge be developed in the language class, he argued, but learners should also build their abilities and independence, placing learning in the framework of learner identity and society, both locally and globally. The vital role of teachers in Malaysia's history was also pointed out (with implied reference to the part teachers played in establishing the spirit of Merdeka that led to independence). Today, in the era of globalized social media, the innovative teacher is once again faced with a re-evaluation of values as national education is transformed through a collaborative process at all levels. Events such as the MELTA conference are the platform for a meeting of minds where teachers can engage more widely in dialogue, seeking to contribute towards addressing the challenges at hand. Teachers' commitment is of the essence, and Malaysia's English teachers were saluted. 

Forum: Transnational Perspective on Teacher Education: Evolution, Revolution or Return to the Past? 

Four panellists shared their views on the matter of English teacher education in the Malaysian system. The variety of viewpoints made for quite an interesting juxtaposition that was not without its little frictions (though these did not, perhaps, extend beyond the din in my head: an impression of neocolonialist self-flagellation assisted by Prabhu's "Inner Circle" was disconcerting). 

The first panellist, Prof. Abdulrashid Mohamed, Chairman of the Malaysian Education Deans' Council, advised that teacher education be reconsidered through a new lens with regard to seven factors. These are: recruitment, the content of teacher education, governance and quality control, research and publication, professionalism, teacher education and in-service teacher training. 

Second in line was Dr. John Macalister, Head of the School of Linguistics and Applied Languages at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where a select handful of Malaysia's teacher trainees prepare for their careers. As an admitted stakeholder in the import/export of languages/skills, this speaker's presentation was naturally geared towards promoting the arrangement. (Let the record show that I am not a zealous supporter of sending teachers abroad for their entire training for a range of reasons, some of which local educators raised very eloquently during the Q&A session. As to the muddy water analogy it is best I keep my peace like a good little third worlder: I sincerely hope I misunderstood.)

Dr. Raja Mazuin binti Raja Abdul Aziz, from the Institutes of Teacher Education's International Language Campus, provided a dignified counterpoint, offering the case of local teacher education as evidence. She placed the current teacher training curriculum within the perspective of national education policy, demonstrating genuine zeal to nurture the best in the country's teachers on home soil. 

The final drumroll came from Dr. Ruanni Tupas of the National University of Singapore, who made an admirable case for the involvement of local teachers as facilitators in curriculum and materials development through grounded research. A report on a major research project across Asian nations served as evidence, and made a strong case for the self-reliance and ownership of ELT processes. It was good to hear a sense of genuine confidence in local teachers as masters of their art. 

That's as much as I have space for here, but my complete notes are available - as notes, I promise nothing more - here. On the whole it was an enlightening conference, and a few highlights made it more than worthwhile. My absolute favourite session will be covered with the detail it deserves in a later post. MELTA members went to great lengths to ensure a successful event, and I thank every one of them. I was especially impressed with the promotion of MELTA's social responsibility project at the conference, and the stellar commitment of the volunteers. Also, MELTA publications are extending their reach with the new MELTA-USM ELT in South East Asia Series. The first edition in the series, ELT and ICT: Research and Practices in South East Asia (see image, above), was launched at the conference. Naturally I look forward to learning from authors in the region and sharing a review of the volume in a later post. The sparks of new ideas were also there, and I am grateful to have shared these with ELT colleagues from around Malaysia and, indeed, the world.

Areas for improvement? I believe the event would benefit from (1) scheduling all sessions addressing certain themes in the same room. This would reduce traffic, improve punctuality and prevent simultaneous "double-booked" sessions from the same interest area, (2) inviting presenters to send their audiovisual materials for uploading and testing at least one working day before the event to prevent technology delays and angst, (3) providing more support for presenters during the session, especially with regard to timekeeping and (4) scheduling staggered lunch and tea breaks to reduce crowding. These simple steps would, in my humble opinion, go a long way towards enhancing the impression participants - and especially visitors - have of this very worthwhile event. Meanwhile, I applaud all those who made MELTA 2012 happen and look forward to great new things in future. 

Communicative Language Teaching: A Fruitful Revisiting

Language education can be a demanding business. So much so that when the mirage of The Perfect Method glimmers on a distant horizon, it is often embraced. More than that: in the history of language teaching the arrival of a new method has, time and again, heralded the outright rejection of All That Went Before. And so it was when Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) rose from the giddy technicolor swirl of the late seventies. CLT certainly opened minds to thrilling new avenues in language learning (or acquisition, as the debate would have it). The trouble was the religious zeal with which it was followed (not to mention the sectarian differences of interpretation). 

Prof. William Littlewood at Universiti Malaya
(Image: mtcleroux)

Today it was my pleasure to have a ringside seat to a revisiting of CLT by one of its early proponents, Professor William Littlewood, at University Malaya. (A colleague introduced him to me as someone who had written the book (see References, below), as opposed to a book, on the subject.) What made a particular impression on me was the speaker's perspicacity in allowing his views to evolve - an all too rare gem in academic circles. Entitled Communicative Language Teaching: Where are we now? Where do we go from here?, the presentation gave a useful roundup of the past, present and future of CLT. Below is my very brief (and admittedly somewhat coloured-in) summary of the talk. Any inaccuracies are strictly my own. My less colourful summary can be found here. For the more zealous, the official full text from a previous presentation on the subject is also available elsewhere. Alongside the references, a few links to papers are included here. Please note that these are from around the World Wide Wild West and included strictly as reference rather than as authorized sources.

Where have we come from? 

Communicative Language Teaching, like many a Big Idea, was born with an identity crisis. The abandon with which the idea was embraced led early on to a multiplicity of definitions ranging from hazy to outright contradictory, but congregated around the central hub of language as a means of communication - "or something like that", many in the profession would admit. Agreement existed on one point: CLT Was Good - and this was readily taken as a blanket declaration around the world. Task-Based Language Teaching (affectionately known as TBLT, which sounds remarkably like a deli sandwich to the uninitiated) is a more recent, focused subcategory. 

Although everybody seemed to follow the communicative fashion (policymakers everywhere just LOVE a silver bullet), it evolved into two streams: the "strong" and "weak" versions, which were in respectively considered more and less exalted by purists. Attention to analysis and grammar, for example, were considered "weak" and inferior. And there lies the rub. In their heart of hearts, language teachers secretly feared that their instruction was not communicative enough - yet when they followed the communicative commandments, things promptly fell apart. Something had to give. 

Where are we now? 

Reality has a wonderful way of wearing down the sharp edges of a silver bullet. The secret shame of real-world language teachers continued to simmer silently until it was revealed - and absolved - in scholarly work. This was when consideration of the context finally made a welcome return to the language classroom: principles at last took their rightful place, with methods as an expansive "palette to paint from", to quote Diane Larsen-Freeman. In this "post-method" era, it is no longer the method but the principled pedagogy that guides the way. 

Where do we go from here? 

Professor Littlewood considered four ways forward for CLT: 

1. Adapt CLT elements to local practices

2. Integrate CLT elements into traditional approaches

3. Develop a framework of 'context-free' principles for 'context-sensitive' pedagogy

4. Teachers and researchers explore key specific issues for what Littlewood calls "communication-oriented language teaching".

A useful tool (related to point 3) is the Communicative Continuum (Littlewood 2004, 2011), where activities can be placed on a scale of varying communicative qualities. This can place teaching activities in perspective of principles, context and communicative value. The Macrostrategies suggested by Kumaruvadivelu (2003) can also be of benefit, as can Prabhu's concept of "plausibility" (1990).

Conclusion
What struck me about all this was how many teachers, and how many trainers, even, were reared under rigid CLT dogma and have not yet been unshackled from it by information like this. Indeed, undiluted CLT is still the last word in that realm of ELT where citizenship of an English-speaking country and an online TEFL certificate are the sole job requirements. An important reason for writing this post, and passing on the word, is to ensure that language teachers, specifically in ELT, can be liberated from the outdated prescriptions that haunt them. It is time for teachers to emerge into the sunlight of valuing principles, context, their learners and themselves as teachers. Methods are servants, not masters. 

Kumaravadivelu, B. 2003. Beyond methods: macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Littlewood, W. 1981. Communicative language teaching: an introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Littlewood, W. 2004. The task-based approach: some questions and suggestions. In: ELT Journal, Vol. 58/4, p. 319-324.
Littlewood, W. 2011. Communicative language teaching: an expanding concept for a changing world. In: Hinkel, E. (Ed.) Handbook of Research in Language Teaching, Vol. 2. New York: Routledge.
Prabhu, N.S. 1990. There is no best method- why?  In: TESOL Quarterly, Vol 24/2, p. 161-176. 

Learning a Language? The Play's The Thing!

In language teaching theory we just love the potential of the arts for enhancing learning. In practice this is not always possible on a large scale. This is why it is such a triumph to see an arts project optimised for language learning. 

I applaud the students and guiding faculty at the Institute for Foreign Languages (IPBA), Kuala Lumpur, for their production of Shakespeare's King Lear, which I was lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of this afternoon. As a newcomer (my workplace is on the Institute's campus) I was not privy to the process leading up to the big day, but the product was impressive, not only from a pedagogical point of view but also as a performance in its own right. Three things in particular struck me about the production, and they are briefly discussed below. 

Image: IPBA

1. Optimised Language Learning Opportunities

The fabulous spectrum of language learning opportunities in a theatrical production was exploited in the production. This is especially relevant, since the troupe consisted of language learners who are training to be language teachers. Most certainly, this experience will influence their teaching profoundly, more so since it was a resounding success. Aside from the production seen on stage, students were involved in creating the programme, ushering, orchestrating the whole event and also hosting an exhibition displaying their extensive preparations, including extensive research on the play and preparation of costumes and props.

2. Learner Involvement 

The involvement and intensive, efficient, on-task team work among students seriously blew me away. From the exhibition team to the ushers and stage hands, not to mention the actors, the cooperation was staggering. Talk about learner independence - the proof of how good a job the faculty in charge did is in the fact that I have no idea who they are: the students did everything. The best kind of teaching (if we can even call it that) is when the teacher becomes invisible and the learning takes centre stage. Pun unintended. 

3. Shakespeare As You Like It

Shakespeare's venerable place in the literary canon has unfortunately given the Bard a bad reputation in English-speaking countries. Especially the tragedies are tolerated rather than enjoyed by the audience. Not so in Malaysia-Upon-Avon. If ever there was a contemporary audience to rival the ribald throng of the original Globe Theatre, this was it. The audience was enthralled, lapping up every punchline from the Jester (and every remotely risque word) with vociferous gusto. Every impressive piece of stagecraft was applauded and cheered. No stoic theatre crowd, this. This was Shakespeare as his work was meant to be performed: ribald and raucous and bustling. 

I offer a standing ovation to a good production, a great language learning project and an unforgettable teacher training experience.