Language and Language Teaching, Issue 2 - Azim Premji Foundation

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The Impact of Content: English TextbookDesigning in IndiaSantosh Kumar MahapatraIntroductionHuman consciousness plays a huge role in theformation of one’s identity. In this regard,(Vygotsky, 1925) states that social activitiesexplain the emergence of consciousness inhuman beings. So social can also be an artifactand thus, may also be ‘a regulatory agency thatchannels human behavior and thought’(Ramanathan, 2005, p. 25). Considering thatschools can communicate the legitimate formsof truth through prescribed textbooks, and thatthe English language controls and moulds powerrelations in contemporary Indian society,critically looking into how texts are chosen andtasks are designed in English textbooks in Indiamay explain their possible impact on theformation of student identity.English textbook designing in IndiaDat (2008), in a review of English textbooksused in South-East Asia, points out that Englishtextbook designers in the region “seriously lackprofessional course developers and that therehas not been adequate training in materialsdevelopment” (p. 276). The scenario is not verydifferent in India, even though there have beensome positive developments in the field in thelast few years. However, having only a handfulof trained experts in the area does not reallyhelp the cause. To make matters worse, quite afew so-called ‘trained experts’ prefer writingtextbooks for reputed publishing houses becauseof the huge financial benefits. This leaves thestate as well as the central educational boards(such as NCERT) with fewer options. Giventhat a large percentage of textbook writers at astate level is unaware of what Littlejohn (1992)calls ‘What is there’, ‘What is required’ and‘What is implied’, i.e. the basic theories andpractices of textbook designing, quite a few ofthem choose easily available texts, follow thedesign of a few already existing textbooks, anddevelop some traditionally used task and activityBasically, those who have access tosocial comforts, luxuries, advancedtechnology, books, magazines, etc., caneasily and happily identify themselveswith the characters presented in the texts.On the other hand, students frombackward classes who have very little orno access to the facilities mentionedabove, may not have many charactersand contexts to identify with.types. With pre-service training for Englishteachers offering little help with materialsdesigning, teaching and learning becomedawdling and uninteresting.Textbook content and politics of class andcasteMorarji (2004), in an analysis of theEnvironmental Studies textbooks prescribed bythe NCERT, comments: “Lessons in textbooksare coded in ways which marginalize ruralidentity markers, and actively prescribe identitiesthat are coded as urban middle-class”. Morarji’sLanguage and Language Teaching Volume 1 Number 2 July 2012 12
observations are very similar to that of Illaiah(1996), who claims that the course content iseither unrelated to the cultural experiences ofdalit students, or undervalues their educationalexperience, dignity and self-esteem. Suchirregularities can also be found in Englishtextbooks. However, it is surprising that thecontent and context in English textbooks havenot drawn much attention for research, eventhough the fact remains that “English languageproficiency in a globalizing India is an essentialcomponent of one’s cultural baggage....For themiddle classes, English is a resource that mustbe defended and maintained at all costs”(Scrase, 2004, p.16).There are several ways in which the selectionof content for English textbooks can have adirect impact on the formation of identity of thelearners. In India, students from backwardclasses and minority communities often findthemselves at a disadvantage. Their community,belief systems, socio-cultural practices, etc., areeither presented in a distorted manner, orexcluded from the textbook altogether. Also,students coming from the dominant classes/communities to the classroom start forming aderogatory picture of these unrepresented orbadly represented classes/communities and ofthe people belonging to these communities.Basically, those who have access to socialcomforts, luxuries, advanced technology, books,magazines, etc., can easily and happily identifythemselves with the characters presented in thetexts. On the other hand, students frombackward classes who have very little or noaccess to the facilities mentioned above, maynot have many characters and contexts toidentify with. For example, a chapter onComputers is prescribed for Class IX studentsin Odisha, where more than 60% of studentsare from backward classes.As if the bias and ignorance in the contentselection is not enough, the end-of-lesson tasksfurther complicate matters. The questions usedin these tasks often develop a sense of ‘rightand wrong’, and ‘good and bad’ in students. Inother words, they stealthily infuse “forms ofconsciousness that enable social control to bemaintained without the necessity of dominantgroups having to resort to overt mechanisms ofdomination” (Apple, 1990, p. 3). For example, atext talks about a female student from a slumwho is given guava leaves boiled in water byher mother when she has fever. The questionsat the end of lesson are asked in a way thatmakes the students believe that tablets andmedicines prescribed by the doctors andavailable in the medical stores are the only rightkind of medicines. Again, if the text mentionsthat the girl’s mother does not take care of her,and beats her if she asks for clothes and otherthings, the end-of-lesson questions may portrayTextbooks are mere tools in this practiceof hegemony in which English as a culturalcapital helps maintain the dominance ofthe middle and upper class over theunderprivileged class. In this set-up, allthe good intentions of the ‘education forall’ policy remain unattended.the mother as a villain, instead of looking at thepathetic condition she is in, and the strugglesshe has to undergo every day to earn a living.Moreover, the questions can sometimes createa picture of what a ‘good and ideal’ woman isexpected to do.If the inclusion of Western or foreign texts atan early stage of English education bringscultural alienation (e.g. NCERT Class Vtextbook Marigold), texts where the socialpractices of students are presented in a negativelight does more damage to their self-esteem andmotivation. They become apprehensive abouttheir socio-cultural identity, and try to eitheracquire a pseudo-identity of higher classes, orend up feeling a sense of depression, shame,anger and rebelliousness. Similarly, one’s senseLanguage and Language Teaching Volume 1 Number 2 July 2012 13
Page 3 and 4: Language and Language TeachingVolum
Page 5 and 6: marking. The judgment is not a ‘l
Page 7 and 8: All classroom experiences are insta
Page 9 and 10: for us. In this article I focus on
Page 11: However, we were not successful in
Page 15 and 16: ensure that they get a solid founda
Page 17 and 18: of Marathi. The remarkable thing wa
Page 19 and 20: Popularizing any language is a two-
Page 21 and 22: Cartoon Shows: A Tool to Facilitate
Page 23 and 24: Comprehension is a two-fold process
Page 25 and 26: 4) What did they do to solve the pr
Page 27 and 28: Then we sat down, and I told them t
Page 29 and 30: Democratizing the Classroom: August
Page 31 and 32: I) Ask for different ways of handli
Page 33 and 34: change. They are ready to flout eth
Page 35 and 36: observer. In the context of the pre
Page 37 and 38: poverty and lack of alternative sou
Page 39 and 40: ConclusionAgain, sometimes papers h
Page 41 and 42: (SLAP), which materialized a shift
Page 43 and 44: LandmarksTheory and Practice ofLang
Page 45 and 46: What are excluded are asadhu forms
Page 47 and 48: Notes:1We have the world’s first
Page 49 and 50: Mesthrie does not sound convinced w
Page 51 and 52: in using English for teaching diffe
Page 53 and 54: use of lesson plans, etc.), and pra
Page 55 and 56: Practice in a Second Language: Pers
Page 57 and 58: students that these words occur in
Page 59 and 60: themselves increase their interest,
Page 61 and 62: ReportWorkshop on Continuous and Co
Page 63 and 64:
The workshop, in general, created a
Page 65 and 66:
20th KOTESOL InternationalConferenc
Page 67 and 68:
5) I liked the article written by S
Page 69:
Language and Language Teaching Volu
show all

Language and Language Teaching, Issue 2 - Azim Premji Foundation

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?