#language - Open education and innovation in San Diego versus the education mafia at home - a let down.

One of the most exciting themes at the ACTFL was the spontaneous development of innovative education solutions. At one end the University of Texas is offering first rate language learning resources, including whole courses, freely on the web, with the students having the chance to print these as textbooks via print on demand services like QOOP.

On the other hand there is an explosion of new learning apps being created for the iPod and iPhone. Many teachers were still unaware of how the iPod can be used, or even what it is in many cases. But many of those that I met,  will certainly learn, and will learn quickly, and will develop innovative learning programs. 

It makes sense for languages. There is evidence in this article from the NY Times that ESL kids do much much better with iPods than with classroom instruction.

Exciting stuff.

Then I returned to Vancouver, back to earth, back to Canada, where a language "cosa nostra" decides what learners are allowed to do. Apparently the Chinese government sponsored Chinese language service called the Confucius Institute was going to produce and distribute, free of charge via the internet, course materials for learning Chinese, to people in British Columbia. They were told in no uncertain terms to back off by the British Columbia Teachers Federation. BCTF. They backed off.

And then we have the Canadian Immigration department. The Department is at the mercy of a similar mafia group of outdated language teachers,opposed to any learning method that does not conform to their Canadian Benchmark System. The same group is also fighting the government's attempt to introduce vouchers, whereby the immigrants would be allowed to spend money on the school of their choice. Why should learners decide anything? It is for the teachers to impose. That is the teachers right and privilege.

And the government backs down, and so does the Confucius Institute. Why are we allowing the education mafia to dictate how learners are allowed to learn, especially given the poor results with the existing teaching methodology?

Discouraging stuff. Why is Canada such a backwater?

Comments

[asad]

Informative post.
Can you please send me the link of the the University of Texas that is offering first rate language learning resources, including whole courses, freely on the web.

[Steve Kaufmann]

asad, I have added a link.

[chris/blindside70]

We're pretty backwater here too. I haven't seen any of the stuff you described happening here, and I would imagine our teacher's union in the US is among the strongest unions in the world... (also completely against vouchers btw)

[Òscar]

Hi! Same here where I live (Spain). The average of English, even with people who have university degree is very poor. In part, that is because, for example, school kids only have 2 or 3 hours in English a week. And of course, they almost always study grammar.

The sad thing is that, every year, they review what they studied the year before, because they forget almost everything (imagine to study present perfect, and so on again and again) So this way, kids tends to hate learning languages, and it's a pity. I myself hated learning English, but now it's different, because I like reading and listening interesting stuff for me, and I feel that I am not studying, but I am getting fun.

I am a software engineer, and the vast majority of my colleages have rudimentary knowledge of English (mostly when they read, not speaking). And it's supposed that a software enginner has to master English!

Òscar (Catalonia, Spain)

PD: Sorry if my English is not very accurate. I do my best :-)