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Teacher training and teaching practice: The changing landscape of ELT in secondary education in Bangladesh
... Within general education, English education fairs prominent in policy discourses, as well as in research and teacher training initiatives, and this is reflected in a number of chapters that have focussed on English education in the book (see, e.g., Akhter, Roshid, Alam, and Islam). Bangladesh does not enjoy the ethnolinguistic diversity that other countries in the region have (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011), with 98.8% of its population speaking 'Bangla' or 'Bengali' (CIA, 2017). A foreign (rather than second) language in Bangladesh, English is taught as a compulsory core subject from Grades 1 to 12. Proficiency in English is widely seen as a precondition leading to economic, social and educational opportunities and providing access to material resources. ...
... A foreign (rather than second) language in Bangladesh, English is taught as a compulsory core subject from Grades 1 to 12. Proficiency in English is widely seen as a precondition leading to economic, social and educational opportunities and providing access to material resources. Because of the importance accorded to English and the consistently escalating demands for English proficiency, in 2000 the government introduced major changes to the school curriculum, textbooks and teacher training (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011), which has generally seen a shift to the communicative modes of teaching and learning (Chowdhury & Kamal, 2014;Hamid & Honan, 2012;Hamid, Jahan, & Islam, 2013). ...
The recent decades have seen major—and in some cases unprecedented—changes in Bangladesh’s education sector, sometimes in ways distinct from other countries in the region and globally. Given its history of nearly two centuries of British colonial rule, as well as a religion- and language-based national identity that eventually saw the country transition from being a province in the British-ruled Subcontinent to an independent country, influences of such political histories can often be felt unmistakably in the way education is understood and enacted in current day Bangladesh. In addressing some of the persistent trends of education, this book presents, as much as it critiques, educational practices across a range of sectors—from primary to higher education, from formal to the informal and the on-demand, and looks into practices in teaching and pedagogy, curriculum planning and assessment, policymaking, administration and leadership. This chapter sets the scene for the studies showcased in this volume, first by giving an overview of education in Bangladesh, and introducing the structure of its education. It then discusses the roles of the various stakeholders in education, highlighting issues and topics that have been picked up by chapter authors as the themes in the book. This chapter is primarily intended for international readers to familiarise them with some of the basics of Bangladesh’s education today and the emerging realities in this context in recent times. In doing so, the chapter presents the most persistent interests of education researchers all of whom have had many years of teaching and research training and experience both nationally and internationally.
... As a consequence, STT is less than TTT in the English language classes of Bangladesh (Huq, 2014). Chowdhury & Farooqui (2011) state that many teachers still teach by following the traditional language teaching method and students are rarely asked to be involved in communicative activities, and they also say that "it is interesting to note that their actions manifested nothing more than a faint allusion to their training" (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011, p.157). ...
... Similarly, some Bangladeshi researchers (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011;Islam,2015;Akan, et al 2018) ...
The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of newspaper-based learning in the Bangladeshi context in an English-Bengali translation class. Therefore, a newspaper-based translation treatment was implemented to improve translation competence in a class of 52 students at higher secondary level ESL students in Bangladesh. This research was framed within the mix-method study. It was qualitatively investigated how students’ attitudes toward the treatment differed before and after the treatment and how newspaper was practically implemented. The improvement of students’ critical thinking, their attitudes toward their teamwork performance, and their translation quality were quantitatively examined. The data regarding the students’ attitudes were obtained through semi-structured interviews, and their translation quality were examined through a pretest and posttest-treatment model. The findings of the study indicated that the students’ attitudes toward the treatment were generally positive.
... In addition, UNESCO has been providing their maximum support to Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to adopt ICT in Education. Different private organizations and NGOs are extending their hands in integrating ICTs as innovative approach to Education (Chowdhury et al., 2011). Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Grameen Bank particularly have taken some initiatives in using ICT for education such as; in-service secondary teachers' ICT training program, Gonokendros (Union Library), Computer Aided learning (Commonwealth of Learning, 2017). ...
The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education especially, in English Language Teaching (ELT) in secondary schools of Bangladesh has been existing for a decade now. However, the status of actual implementation is quite different from the adoption and initiatives taken to integrate ICT in ELT. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the secondary level English language teachers’ attitude towards integration of ICT in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and the factors inhibiting the use of it. Further, the paper attempts to examine the challenges faced by the secondary level English teachers of Bangladesh in using ICT in language teaching effectively. In an attempt to examine the attitude of teachers in using ICT in ELT, a quantitative research is designed with a close ended questionnaire to collect the data from a sample of 100 secondary English language teachers of various schools of Bangladesh. The data of the responses is quantified and is analyzed by SPSS 20 program. The obtained data from the questionnaire is examined in order to investigate the perceptions of the secondary level English language teachers towards ICT integrated language teaching and the challenges of the implementation of ICT in ELT. In conclusion, the outcome of the research would provide significant information about the attitude of the teachers towards ICT integration in ELT and the challenges faced by them and hence, the study would help the policy makers and the teachers to enhance the effectiveness of using ICT in ELT.
... As a consequence, STT is less than TTT in the English language classes of Bangladesh (Huq, 2014). Chowdhury & Farooqui (2011) state that many teachers still teach by following the traditional language teaching method and students are rarely asked to be involved in communicative activities, and they also say that "it is interesting to note that their actions manifested nothing more than a faint allusion to their training" (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011, p.157). ...
In this age of globalization, English language has become the most prominent medium of expressing ideas, feelings and views to international community. Unlike other countries, English language is considered as the sign of intellectuality and proficiency in the job market of Bangladesh. Considering the fact, the government of Bangladesh has designed English for Today (EfT) textbooks by following the communicative language teaching approach for the students of Bangladesh from primary to higher secondary level. However, teaching EfT textbooks in rural areas of Bangladesh does not match with the teaching of urban areas. This study was designed to explore the challenges of implementing EfT textbooks in secondary schools of rural area. Three schools were chosen from three different upazilas of Sherpur district. It was a qualitative research and the data were collected through class observations, interviews with teachers and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with students where 30 students of class IX and 3 teachers took part. The result suggests that implementing EfT textbooks is challenging in rural area for several reasons such as lack of proficient English language teachers, class size, lack of motivation, insufficient technological facility and some difficult contents of EfT textbook. Additionally, the study presents the view of teachers as well as students' regarding the EfT textbook. Finally, the study concludes with few suggestions regarding the EfT textbook and usage of it in the rural area which may be helpful for the policy makers to reduce the challenges.
... As a consequence, STT is less than TTT in the English language classes of Bangladesh (Huq, 2014). Chowdhury & Farooqui (2011) state that many teachers still teach by following the traditional language teaching method and students are rarely asked to be involved in communicative activities, and they also say that "it is interesting to note that their actions manifested nothing more than a faint allusion to their training" (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2011, p.157). ...
... Such conveniently homogenising frameworks have vastly overlooked that South East Asian cultures, especially those within the subcontinent, often starkly contrast with the homogenising traits of the CHC framework. In Bangladesh the residual effects of more than 200 years of colonial rule, contrasted with a strong sense of nationalistic fervour in traditional Bengali culture (Chowdhury & Farooqui, 2009) and a strong undercurrent of the Islamic culture, have resulted in greater emphasis on an adherence to norms embedded by local beliefs and practices compared to the collectivist nature of some Asian cultures, making western frames of understanding crippled to a large extent. ...
The pervasive binary that has divided ‘research-incapable’ school teachers from university academics has often led school teachers to believe that research is the prerogative task of so-called ‘experts’ in education – university academics, while their job is merely to translate and implement the results of research. Even if school teachers were to carry out research, the common perception is that it is of questionable validity. Teachers themselves on the other hand often complain of having little time or energy left for research because of heavy workload as well as a lack of extrinsic rewards for research-based activities. Why should teachers do research when they are already overwhelmed with the daily tasks of teaching and teaching-related commitments? This paper, based on a critical analysis of literature on teacher research, as well as a consideration of a number of recent action research projects in Bangladesh, looks at why it is important for teachers and academics to form collaborative partnerships by integrating research into their everyday practices and how this has benefits for both. The two objectives of this paper are each aimed at its two main readers – to familiarise or re-familiarise school teachers with research, in terms of why this is needed and how they can be involved in it within the daily challenges of teaching, and to encourage university teachers, for their own benefit, to build collaborative partnerships with school teachers to build truly meaningful and useful education research. This is possible when everyone can see opportunities for all to benefit from being part of a community of practice and to invest in the trustful symbiotic and complementary roles between school and university teachers.
... In Bangladesh English is used as an international link language and unlike in neighbouring India, it is hardly a tool for interpersonal communication. Despite this, English has firmly established itself as an essential part of the country's socio-cultural and economic life due to its extensive use for specific purposes in education and research, commerce and international communication, as noted by a host of researchers (see Roshid 2014; Chowdhury & Farooqui 2011; Rahman 2010; Chowdhury & Le Ha 2008; Chowdhury 2003; Banu & Sussex 2001). Although English has been taught compulsorily in schools from primary to secondary level, students' performance in English is generally still found to be very poor (Chowdhury & Kamal 2014). ...
Since its relatively recent independence in 1971, a total of seven national Education
Commissions were formed, all of which placed various degrees of emphasis on the planning, pedagogy and learning of English in Bangladesh. Although the first Education Commission in 1974 aimed to 'decolonise' the education system and effectively exile English from the country, English has always remained a top priority in the school curriculum. Studies have linked this to residual colonial legacy inherited from the British education system.
In the backdrop of persistent nationalistic favouritism towards Bengali, English is still widely an area-specific language confined to academia, and English education is often still seen as a purely instrumentalist endeavour. However it is also important as a symbol of sociointellectual elitism and prestige. Such mixed, often incongruous positions can be seen reflected in the way successive National Education Policies have interacted with Commissions, which some critics have pointed out were formed by various regimes to advance their political agenda and ideology rather than to further the country’s pragmatic needs and achieve well-articulated and time-sensitive policy outcomes.
This article critically reviews the major trends of English education policy as enacted through four decades of reform and how English has played out in the education system in a developing country fast emerging as a rich ground of alternative educational research. Through a brief chronology of education policy and commissions and drawing on the comparative shifts of emphasis on English through their recommendations over a period of four decades, the article situates the place of English within the pragmatics of a postcolonial mindset and the socio-cultural expectations of stakeholders, and deals with the complexities of transition from policy to practice. In particular it problematises the almost irreconcilable friction between English and Bengali forged through the nationalistic sentiment born in the Language Movement of 1952, an episode unique in the history of the world. Rather than looking into the politics of policy planning and implementation, it looks towards the possibility of an education system that can bring about a healthy juxtaposition between heritage and modernity.
The introductory chapter gives an overview of the historical, political, and socio-cultural roles of English and English language education (ELE) in Bangladesh with reference to the three broad phases of political history. The chapter shows that English has always occupied different hierarchical positions in relation to local languages. These hierarchies have progressively created a web of linguistics ideologies, sustained and nurtured by social elites, language policies, and educational institutions. In addition, the chapter sheds light on the shifting paradigms and presents practices and condition of ELE in Bangladesh. Connecting the historical, political, and socio-cultural factors with the contextual realities of multilingual ecology of Bangladesh, the chapter allows a better understanding of language policies, language curriculums and syllabuses, classroom pedagogies, textbook materials and assessment, identity of English language teachers and students, role of English literature in language education, English as a language of sustainable development, and other pertinent issues. The chapter, thus, briefly contextualises the topics discussed in the 25 chapters of the Handbook.
This Handbook is a comprehensive overview of English language education in Bangladesh. Presenting descriptive, theoretical, and empirical chapters as well as case studies, this Handbook, on the one hand, provides a comprehensive view of the English language teaching and learning scenario in Bangladesh, and on the other hand comes up with suggestions for possible decolonisation and de-eliticisation of English in Bangladesh. The Handbook explores a wide range of diverse endogenous and exogenous topics, all related to English language teaching and learning in Bangladesh, and acquaints readers with different perspectives, operating from the macro to the micro levels. The theoretical frameworks used are drawn from applied linguistics, education, sociology, political science, critical geography, cultural studies, psychology, and economics. The chapters examine how much generalisability the theories have for the context of Bangladesh and how the empirical data can be interpreted through different theoretical lenses. There are six sections in the Handbook covering different dynamics of English language education practices in Bangladesh, from history, policy and practice to assessment, pedagogy and identity. It is an invaluable reference source for students, researchers, and policy makers interested in English language, ELT, TESOL, and applied linguistics.
p>This paper examines the philosophy and underlying assumptions of one of the most popular short TESOL teacher training courses, CELTA—Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The findings from semi-structured interviews with four international teachers working at a Saudi HE institution that were designed to discover how these teachers viewed their CELTA training in retrospect are also presented. These findings show that the CELTA course was based mainly on a performance-based philosophy (competency-based training—CBT), which is an inappropriate approach for language teacher education. The paper also contends that it is inappropriate to realize language teacher education on a performance-based philosophy such as this, and that furthermore, in light of the neoliberal globalization of English education, the uncritical acceptance of language teachers with such qualifications in particular discourse communities may bring more contradictions to the already complex role a teacher is required to play.</p
From a critical needs analysis perspective, EAP practice is an essentially pragmatic undertaking which requires an optimised understanding of local contexts and the needs of particular students. This chapter reports a case study of a first-year compulsory EAP course tailored to support English undergraduates at Dhaka University, Bangladesh. Over the past 15 years, this course has undergone major changes, from a generic EAP course to a deregulated, decentralised and more discipline-specific offering to suit the needs of the Department. However, it has also been criticised as accommodationist (after Benesch, 2008), of fitting students within the Department’s perceived objectives, of manufacturing a premeditated product rather than fostering students’ literacy in the conventions of English language academic discourses necessary to understand their disciplines, successfully navigate their learning, and most importantly to empower them. The study involves data sources including interviews with a group of teachers and course writers\, together with a range of documentation and curriculum artefacts. It problematises the usefulness of the essentially Western notion of critical needs analysis in the Bangladeshi educational setting and looks at how, in calibrating the course, a new generation of Western-trained teachers have been challenged in their attempts to emphasise process rather product to fulfil the stated objectives of the course and how they respond to the paradox of respecting the learner’s idiosyncratic needs and at the same time commit to educating the learner about their real needs.
The increasing demand for competent users of English in the era of globalisation has had a significant impact on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bangladesh. Among a number of changes to improve the quality of ELT, teachers of English have been encouraged, even required, to adopt a communicative language teaching (CLT) approach. To facilitate the successful implementation of these changes, besides introducing local training programmes to familiarise teachers with CLT, teachers of English from Bangladesh have also been sent overseas, especially to the English-speaking West, for further training. Drawing on a qualitative research study, this paper discusses the pedagogical concerns of Bangladeshi English teachers, including those who are Western-trained, in relation to their teaching of English. It also investigates their perceptions of the politics of the Western Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) industry associated with problems of pedagogical ethics and appropriacy. Based on the findings and discussions, recommendations are offered for enhancing the quality of ELT in Bangladesh and strategically responding to the commercialised hegemonic but necessary “evil” of TESOL training.
The effects of globalisation and the global spread of English have created a phenomenal demand for English all over the world. The demand is illustrated by the introduction of ‘English for Everyone’ and early English instruction in many developing countries. These policy initiatives and their implementation are believed to contribute to these nations' human capital development and their participation in the global economy for national development. However, these ‘more and earlier’ English policies have not necessarily taken the capacity of English teaching professionals into account in delivering desired outcomes. Taking Bangladesh as a case, this paper discusses some of the consequences of developing nations' endorsement of the discourses of globalisation and national development followed by their adoption of enhanced English policies, paying insufficient attention to resources and policy implementation issues. Specifically, it examines English teacher education and training at the primary and secondary levels and demonstrates how Bangladesh's inadequate infrastructure and limited institutional capacity for English teacher education have directed it to donor-funded teacher training programs which, despite short-term benefits, cannot fully address the quantity and quality issues of English teacher education. It is concluded that, if teachers' professional capacity is essential for developing learners' English competence, the more and earlier English policies themselves will not deliver desirable English Language Teaching outcomes to Bangladesh and other developing countries and, consequently, their policy goals of developing human capital through English for national development will remain unrealised. The paper suggests implications for English-in-education policies in Bangladesh and other developing nations and draws out a set of recommendations.
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