Zusammenfassung der Ressource
LTM and the (Very) big
picture
- This article is aimed to give a detailed analysis of the contemporary developments in English Language teaching materials and the changing role of the social context link in the
current time over the years.
- Introduction
- Materials development is as any other human activity, shaped by the context in which they occur. Littlejohn's argument is so that apart from the pedagogical value materials have, they are as well cultural artifacts, This assumption itself leads the author to think then in the
detailed influences or "imperatives" from outside English language teaching and that materials directly must fulfill in order to fit in the time they are located and the demandings the market sets to develop them.
- ELT materials: the 1950-1980s
- 50s - 60s
- THE COLD WAR
Anlagen:
- Due to the constant tensions between the USSR and the US over scientific and political domains after the overwhelming events. The US
reactions were thus related to keep up with technological developments in other parts of the world. The results from that actions implied then the
development of language programmes through the technical and scientific approach. Behaviorism was very much dominant at that time so
everyhting mixed up would develop the first materials influenced by those happenings in the society
- 60s - 70s
- Afetr those political changes, sociocultural climate was markedly different. Starting by the shift over the relations between Western goverments and their
populations and the spread of a different view and thinking towards the way of doing things. That reflected directly on language teahcing as innovation took place
strongly in the methods used before. The humanistic methodologies blended with language aims shaped the new methods to use in practice.
- Self-assessment, self-work, etc settled a new perspective in language pedagogy
- Methods as: Suggestopedia, Silent way, and new approaches of language teaching as krashen's Input theory develop an atmosphere less
technical and scientifical to one more natural and humanistic in language learning. In order to fulfilll to these new social demandings.
- 70s to 80s
- This concept was firmly rooted in middle classes, resulting from that the development of political movements as feminism,
multicuturalism and so on. Language teaching and learning was not exempt nad its methodologies started to shift towards individuals'
linguistic wants and needs. That's why methodologies as language teaching special for special purposes was developed.
- Individualist mindset was the core concepts of this stage
- As well as the recognition of students' own learning styles and strategies.and the understanding of the leanring process itself.
- New imperatives on materials design
- The main argument in this section is that in recent years the external influences that used to shape materials
development as any human activity placed in a certain context and time, have become much more directive, leading to
the implementation of a more centralised and standardised view of what language teaching should be about.
- The two major concepts Littlejohn addresses as possible related causes of this change are:
- Mc Donaldization
- The factors that relate it are taking from Ritzer arguments about the dehumanising, standardised routines of interaction in which customers and
workers are "caged" and so the standardised products and routines of interactions that are colonising other areas of social life
- English language teaching is one of many of those social areas, as teacher training and language teahcing are being standardised and reduced to fixed sequences,
repeated units of study and paclaged withing classroom time.
- Neo-Liberalism
- The market function is here evidenced as neo-liberalist practices require the modification of interactions. Through
predictable materials, to predictable set of classes, turning out these in what is called atomisation
- Atomisation as the subdivision and speficiation of goods and services everything given a monetary value that can be traded , accumulated or
invested
- English language learning results to be a good bussiness that could fit to these specific purposes.
- Conclusion
- Resisting the manner in which uniformity is being imposed is what the auhtor porposes, Producing uniques outcomes, unique teaching and learning
experiences that enrich our daily work. Developing teacher guides which support experimenting rather than following and adopting intructively.
- As an individual contribution I want to add is to look for methods as the post-method, an interesting different view of pedagogy, of teaching and
learning experience, that we should analyze carefully.