Page 25 - ELG1705 May Issue 447

FEATURES & COMMENT

Sometimes people
speak about a ‘visual’...
or an ‘auditory’ learner.

The implication is that
some people learn
through their eyes,
others through their

ears. This notion is
incoherent….

…. My goal here is to

make sure that we do
not fool ourselves and,
as important, that we
do not short change

our children.
Howard Gardner,
Washington Post,
October 2013

evidence-based definition? We shall see. The But who is going to pay for the extra mainstream dogma simply gets ignored. Norbert
problem is that British EFL suffers from being research needed? Cambridge English? It seems Schmitt, Paul Meara and Jim Milton have all
split between the profession and the industry. more interested in spending money researching produced strong evidence that, if you want
The former proclaims its commitment to the exams. Oxford University Press? Wrong students to read fluently and acquire vocabulary,
evidence base, while the latter is in the business university. Pearson? Well it does seem to be you need comprehensible input – specifically
of making a profit. Neither seems particularly moving into teacher training, but its profits are extensive reading and graded readers. Despite
concerned with looking at efficacy – measuring under huge pressure. The British Council? It attempts by publishers to sell this evidence, it is
the effect of the method or intervention over is the real gorilla in the room, generating £800 largely ignored by a British profession wedded to
time, weighed against its cost. million a year in non-state-subsidised income. the benefits of authentic material.
The industry has no clear commercial But any profit that it makes in any year has The evidence on teaching according to
interest in reducing the time learners spend to go back to the government, which makes students ‘learning styles’ is clear: it makes no
learning. Schools do, however, have an longitudinal studies a bit difficult. The British difference to long term learning outcomes.
interest in differentiating themselves from government? You must be joking. What evidence does Cambridge have that
the competition. I have no problem with a As a result, solid evidence, particularly ‘learning preferences’ are more effective?
language school that wants to differentiate regarding learner outcomes, is pretty thin on None. According to their statement on
itself by offering an approach, such as learning the ground. We have anecdotal evidence and page 10 their approach is ‘based on a belief
styles, that has a lot of consumer appeal but we have best practice, which basically means that learners exist in four intersecting worlds
zero empirical evidence, as long as it makes what people approve of. We have teacher of learning.’ Does this mean that the British
clear to the consumer what is on offer. There is research, which is context dependent. And system for training Tefl teachers is based, not
always a market for alternative products, from we have any number of masters theses with on evidence, but belief?
the Blood Type Diet to biofeedback, which sample sizes you can count on your fingers. But
have little empirical foundation. solid randomised control trials or longitudinal MELANIE BUTLER
I do have trouble with a profession ignoring studies? Forget it. Editor-at-Large
scientific evidence. If EFL is a profession, its Even where we do have solid evidence we Melanie, who started her
training should be based on evidence, and ignore it, especially if it is from the US. The career teaching in
post-Franco Spain, has been a
the evidence needs to be measured in terms Americans are far too keen on Krashen’s journalist specialising
of learning outcomes. If Cambridge English comprehensible input for British tastes, for in English Language Teaching since 1979. She
chooses to draw up a framework for that example. has worked as a coursebook publisher and was
editor of the Gazette for thirty years.
training, it should base it on that evidence. Even British research that doesn’t fit the

editorial@elgazette.com 25

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