Like many other methodological innovations, Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has been applied to many English language curriculums across Asia. However, little research has been done to explore what teachers know and believe about these reforms in their specific contexts. This paper derives from an in-depth study of teacher cognition in Vietnamese high schools using multi-methods of data collection. It will present and discuss findings from one of the methods used to elicit teachers' knowledge and attitudes -'narrative frames' (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2008). Specifically, teachers were asked to write (in Vietnamese) reflective comments about their attitudes towards TBLT, and their recent experience of applying it in their classroom. After presenting some of the findings, the application and usefulness of this approach to data collection in relatable contexts will be considered.Two versions of curricular innovation have been identified: the intended reform, which presents idealised prescriptions, and the realised version, which is actually implemented in classrooms (Coleman, 1996;Fullan, 1993;Markee, 1997). There is often a gap between the two because the experience and perceptions of the key decision-makers -the teachers -are usually not taken into account (MacDonald, 1991;McGee, 1997). This paper reports an aspect of an in-depth case study into the beliefs and practices of a group of Vietnamese teachers in regard to the innovative national curriculum in Vietnamese high schools in which Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) are fundamental features. The paper will focus on the initial phases of data collection in the research project, in which teachers were asked to complete narrative frames (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2008) and thereby reflect upon their attitudes and experiences of using the new curriculum materials in their classes. Extracts from these narratives will be presented and briefly discussed to bring out the extent of convergence and divergence from their understanding of communicative language teaching and their reported classroom practices. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the methodological issues of this approach to eliciting teachers' beliefs and attitudes.
An increasing number of universities across the world are adopting English as the medium of instruction, particularly at the graduate level. This paper begins by briefly describing the historical development of such English medium instruction (EMI) programmes in European universities, and the reasons which are frequently given to justify them. A number of examples of EMI policies in Asian universities are provided to indicate the rapidly growing trend in this region. However, little attention appears to have been paid to some of the negative implications of adopting EMI programmes, and these concerns are articulated here. It is suggested that, instead of adopting strictly monolingual EMI programmes, university authorities should consider a principled approach to dual medium instruction. The value of combining English with the vernacular language is outlined, and a model for such a programme is presented and explained.Keywords: English medium instruction, dual-focused approach, content and language integrated learning BAHASA INGGRIS SEBAGAI BAHASA PENGANTAR PADA UNIVERSITAS ASIA: BEBERAPA KEKHAWATIRAN DAN PENDEKATAN YANG DISARANKAN UNTUK PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA PENGANTAR GANDAAbstrak: Sejumlah universitas di dunia yang jumlahnya terus meningkat mengadopsi bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar pembelajaran, khususnya untuk program sarjana. Tulisan ini diawali dengan menggambarkan secara ringkas sejarah perkembangan program pembelajaran dengan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar (EMI) pada sejumlah universitas di Eropa dan beberapa alasan yang sering dikemukakan untuk membenarkannya. Sejumlah contoh mengenai kebijakan EMI di beberapa universitas di Asia ditunjukkan untuk memperlihatkan tumbuh dengan cepatnya pertumbuhan program EMI di wilayah tersebut. Namun demikian, perhatian yang diberikan mengenai dampak negatif atas diadopsinya program tersebut masih terbatas, dan kekhawatiran itu ditekankan di sini. Disarankan bahwa daripada mengadopsi secara kaku program EMI, para pengambil kebijakan di universitas harus mempertimbangkan diadopsinya pembelajaran dengan media ganda. Manfaat mengombinasikan bahasa Inggris dan bahasa nasional atau bahasa daerah setempat dibahas dan sebuah model untuk program seperti itu juga disajikan dan dijelaskan.Katakunci: Bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar pembelajaran, pendekatan fokus ganda, pembelajaran terintegrasi antara bahasa dan materi ajar
Over the past 20 years, there has been increasing interest in exploring what language teachers believe (Borg, 2006). Often these beliefs are expressed in terms of metaphors (Richards, 1998; Woodward, 1991), but there has been little recent research connecting the two strands. The present study is based on the personal reflections of a group of 72 trainee teachers in a Malaysian University after a three-month practicum in local high schools. In these reflections, as well as currently fashionable constructs such as facilitator and motivator, these students often described their perceptions of the role of the language teacher using various metaphors. The wide range of metaphors volunteered by these trainee teachers were coded into various categories, such as terms relating to facilitating, mentorship, entertaining and kinship. This presentation will discuss a number of these, and also quote some of the trainees' comments in support of their chosen metaphor, which thereby reveals their underlying beliefs about teaching and learning. Relating their professional activity to other roles illuminates not only what teachers themselves believe, but also reinvigorates notions of (language) teaching itself. One of the implications of this study is that teacher educators, both in the specific setting and in relatable contexts elsewhere, can incorporate such metaphors into their programmes and in this way reimagine, refine and redefine the role of the language teacher for the benefit of their students, and themselves.
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