Job Discussion Forums

[Tazmin]

Has any one actually seen the AWFUL course books we are going to have to use for 1st and 2nd year students next semester? Complete GARBAGE - who on this earth chose them? and what were they thinking of?
PLEASE someone explain this to me.
Also, the new year 2 students studied American English in their foundation year (apparently by mistake), then in their first year they studied British English, then next semester they are doing American English again!! I mean, excuse me but HOW confusing is this to the poor students? Their spelling (just to mention one area) is never going to improve as they will be totally unsure which way to spell some words.

1) When oh when are the Minsitry actually going to start considering the students, their progress and the disruption these continual changes have on their progress and the impact on their futures?
2) When is the Ministry going to settle down and give some consistency to the English being taught in these colleges?
3) When are the Ministry going to decide on a set of course books that can be used for the students from foundation right the way through to their final year of English study - to maintain a degree of consistency to the learning process, (and to save wasting money on new course books every semester).
4) Basically WHEN are the ministry going to take English language learning seriously in the colleges and give the English language departments the money and support they need to carry out a hugely important job? Instead of treating the department as a nuisance (until they tell us to write their exams for them )

We all know that people who work for the Ministry read the posts Dave's - i hope someone will be big enough to come back with some answers to my questions. There is NO consistency or inmportance given to learning English language at the colleges - this really needs to change to help the current and future students and the future of Oman.

[veiledsentiments]

The textbook problem is never ending in Gulf ESL. The problem remains as it always was and likely always will be. No matter what text is chosen, there will be X number of teachers like you (and me) who will declare it to be crap. Everyone has their pet theory of what makes a good text... what is the approach? what is covered? how much or how little of the target language culture should be included?

If we can't agree, how can the Ministry?

I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of good texts I saw or used in all my years in the Middle East. They were too culturally inappropriate and didn't target the weaknesses of Arabic speakers. I think that the GCC should set up an efficient, well-funded group to write appropriate texts to be used Gulf-wide.

Considering the level of spelling in the Gulf, whether it is British or American is really a non-issue. I never found it any big deal at all to deal with the rather trivial (for our students) differences - which are mostly vocabulary anyway. And, for reading they need to know both. In the scheme of the problems of EFL in the Gulf, the problem of American versus British texts is the least of the problems. (they are both equally bad from what I have seen)

Since I normally taught writing, I can tell you that there is NO text that will work. If you don't develop your own materials, you are treading water.

VS

[kuberkat]

Though I haven't seen the texts, Tazmin, the changing of textbooks is a familiar tune which, in Animal Farm-esque manner, tends to need repeating very soon. Suitable texts are necessary, and also hard to agree on, but methinks Les Grands Fromages are misdiagnosing the problems here. As VS points out, any materials need to be supplemented if we are to see success. Supplementing materials takes time and a liberal lashing of passion for the work. No matter how good my intentions, I frequently find that three weeks into semester, my time and passion disappear in the vortex of trivial administrative matters. I have seen many improvements in efficiency on our campus recently, and am hoping against hope that next semester things will be different- whatever the materials.

[bje]

We were bequeathed with 'Headway Pre-Int.' (not the recent version amended for the ME region). We ditched it and wrote all our own materials. It doesn't take long once you get into the swing of it.

[Zola6666]

Oh dear, a professional English teacher really thinks there's a problem between teaching American or British English?

No way. It's minor, IMHO. Students learning to spell has more to do with learning how to use the spellchecker on WORD. The 'o' and 'ou' and 'er' and 're' differences really don't cause problems to most readers.

Being exposed to both sets of books broadens the students' knowledge about the world and English. Haven't you noticed that UK books have lots of information about the UK? And American books for their own country too? Don't you realize, that the UK's place in the world is no longer the imperialistic King & Colonies it once so proudly and obnoxiously crowed about?

So why should British English be superior to American English?

I always remember the British insult I got when I first taught in Saudi Arabia in 1984, when the EFL field was dominated by the Brits. A Brit, upon asking me what I did, and I answered him, "I'm an English teacher."

"How is that possible?" he asked me.

I looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"But you're American! How can you possibly teach English?"

It took me a while to figure out his insult.

[dmb]

[Duffy]

First if all DMB, Zola6666 is American. so if she wants to teach TOEFL she can, as long as it is not in one of our colleges!!

Zola6666, So you think that it is perfectly OK to teach students such words as; Gonna, Wanna, Gotta, amongst many other examples in last years disastrous North Star Intermediate course books? Perhaps you would like them again this year? Folks, this is one of only two people who religiously taught from that book last year, of course they are both American.

(MOD edit)

No Z6666, you are wrong. Once, a great British wartime leader said "

[Stephen Jones]

Zola6666 is quite correct; the minor differences in British and American spelling don't make much of a difference, and the students need to recognize both -- I actually mix them on principle.

Although there are many varieties of English the big (or not-so-big) divide is between American and British English, and even where we make students aware of common non-native varieties of English they are likely to meet in their studies such as Indian English or Philipino English, the split still rests to some extent on the Am-Br divide.

I would normally presume that Duffy is a deliberate parody, but bearing in mind Oman's reputation as a place in the sun for shady people, still have to consider it possible that he is employed as an English teacher despite his idiocies.

And of course, as dmb has pointed out, American linguistic chauvinistic nutcases are just as common as the variety at the other end of the pond.

[007]

[dmb]

[veiledsentiments]

Oh yawn...

Still with this silly debate by the chauvinists from both sides...

I am American and I managed to teach for all those years without ever teaching anyone to use 'gonna' or 'wanna' - only in listening class to help comprehension when listening to recorded speech... and to laugh at what we do to our own languages. ...comparing it to a few things done in Arabic dialects and some of the more eccentric and difficult to comprehend British, Scots, Irish, and Aussie dialects of English. Personally I find it to be a race by the average citizens of these countries to see who can be the most incomprehensible to an outsider.

It is actually appalling that a professional English teacher would have to stoop to constantly insulting other people's dialects. It shows national insecurity mixed with arrogance.

VS
(and yes... North Star sucks... which is why I got my last employer to dump it after one year)

[kuberkat]

As British Colonial Spawn inhabiting the Global Village I usually commit Midatlantic World English, and am unqualified to join the war here. I'll add my mildly-accented two cents' worth, though .

English, like any language that is not dead (to avoid the "living" cliche), is constantly evolving. The standard form is perhaps no longer as much the Queen's English as BBC English. But with an ever-growing number of international speakers of English as a second language, (like, say, me, for instance), the language is getting smoother around the edges, simplifying gradually. American English is, in many ways simplified, and this is a trend that is likely to continue.

While mentioning UK/US differences to students in passing may be helpful, I find it best not to induce too much panic. As far as spelling is concerned, problems are far more likely to occur in other areas than along the Atlantic divide anyway.

[Duffy]

Seems to me that a a lot of you are all bent on giving up on teaching English as a pure language. You want to debase it, water it down so that it becomes "Just another way to speak"?

So, what will happen to the Omani student who, upon starting his Internship in a very British house of finance utters the words " Yo"" How's it going Bro?? I gotta kleen up cos my brood gotta get fed" Extreme example - what do you think???

The way I see it, a lot of the ESL teachers in the Middle East and surrounds have been seduced by what were once, comparatively high salaries then, having found out that the cost of living here is not as low as they thought, proceed to "jerk off" (one of those really meaningful american phrases!!)

I have said it once, and will always repeat. The majority of English teachers in this region do not give a damn for the students, do not give a damn for the college or colleagues with whom they work. As far as they are concerned, as long as their monthly pay check is in their bank on the 25/28th to promote their lifestyle, that is all that matters.

God forbid they should have to work for it!!!!

Oh, Stephen,

[Zola6666]

"First if all DMB, Zola6666 is American. so if she wants to teach TOEFL she can, as long as it is not in one of our colleges!! " Etc.

I am very tired of Duffy acting as the Salalah & Omani expert. I used to admire what he had to say, but since he insulted my handicaps - something a professional teacher would never do - I am getting very tired of his constant digs at me. Much of what he says in his latest email about me is false, based on partial truths and greater distortions.

I would hope the list moderators will please delete any further attacks on me.

[Stephen Jones]

If you want to speak 'pure English' Duffy go and chat with the Venerable Bede and Beowolf.

Most finance houses in London have estuary english as their lingua franca, but I doubt if you recommend teaching that.

The student you mentioned is using an inappropriate register. When you've looked up what the term means in Sociolinguistics for Duffies 101 you can then work out a way of explaining it to your students.