Running head: FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 1

The Future of English Language Teaching in Colombia: A sociocultural vision

of English teaching process
Isbelia A. Mejía
Universidad del Norte
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 2

Abstract
This text aims at reporting a sociocultural vision of English as a foreign
language in Colombia context. Through this paper we can see how some
programs and projects from the government are looking for improve the
acquisition and use of EFL to get more competitiveness citizens. A big
challenge in a country where no at all has the same conditions to acquire a
foreign language and to use it effectively. Teachers and students come from
different context, but in any way they put in contact which each other and
acquire knowledge activating their ZPD.
In this way a theoretical review of sociocultural theory and about what is
the future of English and the government policies around teaching English
leads to analyze how to achieve the government's goal for the next years.

Keywords: ELT, EFL, environment, Colombia government policies,

global language.
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 3

The Future of English Language Teaching in Colombia: A sociocultural vision

of English teaching process
English teaching and learning should be contextualized. Government
policies could be centered according to the context where located public
schools are. How children learn their mother language? Is a question that we
can think in how they could learn a foreign language too in an effective way.
We learn by imitation anything that is important for us. Keep in mind
Vygotsky and Bruner, parents and kids develop strategies that permit them
to acquire the language. Some factors such as family, social and cultural
environment influence and take part in the process of teaching. The family
context is the first place where all these knowledge appear to acquire and
reinforce them. From the conception a human baby starts this process and
while he/she is growing up his/her brain begins to process all these
information. The second context is the school, where all these knowledge
appear selected according to the purpose of the subject or study area. And
the social context, where the learner is going to put in practice all that he/she
learnt, it is possible by the interaction (Well, 1985).
Nowadays, a subject that is covering a high importance and the
government center its efforts is English language acquisition. As many
countries, Colombia is targeted national educational agendas focuses on the
attainment of competitiveness in this globalized world. A world that changes
with the years and within the language, in this case with teaching and
learning English occur the same thing. Graddol (2006) explores these
changes through the analysis of factors that influence in language learning
process and how they impact in the vision of world and English language as a
bridge of connection between all social spheres. One of teaching and
learning language goal from government policy is that everyone, students,
teachers, professionals should be competent speakers of English and have
the skills in the use of ICT’s as a part of our curricula, but world-wide
performance in language by students in Colombia, especially from some
public schools is poor.
According to the results about National English test, the MEN has found
that teachers in Colombia are limited to make their labor as ELT should be,
the government based on national tests results affirms that teachers are not
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qualified. Since the application of evaluation to teachers and students, these

tests only have been used to show what they know about the language and
the results are used as a tool to evaluate teacher’s development (Decreto
1278, 2002). Even so, in public schools is notorious to find creative, hunger
teachers to find better ways to teach English in a communicative way.
Hence, to study other curriculums from other countries, especially from
countries where the English has another position inside the educational
system can give us idea in how to apply this methodology, materials in our
Colombian public schools contexts. Teachers and especially teachers
administrators need to understand the principles of CLT. These principles
involve the goals of language to teach and to learn, the ways learners learn
languages, the kind of classroom activities, the role of teacher and the role of
student to at the end of the course students are more capable subjects to
communicate with others in English, obtaining at least B1 (CEFR, 2006).
In Colombia, attending to Kuhn’s theory teachers have been adapted
models of teaching English as a foreign language, they take from the old
method positives aspects to apply with the new one. Nowadays, the
Communicative Language Teaching is the methodology put in practice
following ”the world-wide demand for English has created an enormous
demand for quality language teaching and language teaching materials and
resources. Learners set themselves demanding goals. They want to be able
to master English to a high level of accuracy and fluency” (Richards, 2006). In
our public schools we can find students that want to learn and take part in
the English class, because they know how important this language for their
future life is. Nevertheless, there are students that English is nothing for
them it is simply a subject that they need to pass to the next grade or
graduate. It is important to teachers because they need to improve their
own skills to teach and obtain better opportunities too.
Colombia has as a great concerning quality documents related with
English teaching as a foreign language, the Lineamientos curriculares (1999),
the PFDCLE (Programa de fortalecimiento de competencias en lengua
extranjera (2006), the promotion and implementation of national standards
(2006) and the programa de formación en ingles en esquema de cascada
(2012). With all these rich materials the government through the MEN,
secretarías de educación and teachers look for one goal in common, a
bilingual Colombia. English in this context is very important for the goals that
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 5

the government itself is proposed for the development of work skills. English
language should be a medium to be at the cutting- edge of the global world
requirements.
In this way, English is related with Tsuda and Skutnabb-Kangas idea (as
cited in Sanabria, 2013) as “ecology of language paradigm”. It means, the
cultural and social aspects of the foreign language cannot replace in anyway
the local languages and culture from the country where the English is been
adopted. Thus, with the acquisition of English language not only teachers are
in contact with the language and culture of the country origin of the
language, but students and therefore the educational community in which
the educational institution likewise is immersed. During this process is
clearly observable how teachers, parents or more capable persons guide the
child and learner responds and student responses given by imitative mode,
this is associated with the ZPD concept resulting a social practice(Vygotsky,
1978).
English is now the main goal to government to acquire credibility in
front of the World Bank. The economic or financial trends go to make several
changes. Models of education, health service and others aspects that result
important in a program of government have been modified by the rules of
community whose have the power and the money. Undoubtedly, to learn a
foreign language as English especially in Colombia represents advances in all
society spheres, because who learn and know the language have better
opportunities to access to a new job here or abroad, to study abroad or
simply to travel. But all these aspects are different from the printer paper.
On paper all theoretical aspects about language teaching and learning
processes result amazing experiences; when something new appear
immediately we imagine in our ideal school and classrooms, ideal students
and of course, in the ideal of our successful classes. But the real situation is
other, the government policies differ for the real context of the school and
from the education system itself. In Colombia there are many schools in rural
and urban contexts, there are high populations without access to educational
system and there are zones where there is not a school, and schools with
only one or two specialized teachers in English.
The bilingual program in Colombia is a challenge for all estates. With the
publishing Visión Colombia (MEN, 2006) to all primary and secondary
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 6

students offers the guarantee to learn English as a foreign language and

obtain level B1 according to Common European Frameworks. On the other
hand, 2019 target is close and that Colombia has bilingual staff not give.
The policies are focuses on expand coverage, but does not qualify the
educational service, teachers manage a large group and consequently a
successful acquisition of the foreign language result a big challenge.
Furthermore, environment factors such as economic, social, familiar, age
influence in negative way in this process. We can find how students from
different backgrounds and with especial needs come to school every day and
with them bring several and serious problems that involves dysfunctional
families, lower economic situation and educational.
Teaching learning process is affected by those factors and with the
teacher support learners acquire a minimum knowledge. In addition,
although teachers use all methods and materials at their disposal is not
always a meaningful learning. Many teachers are not specialists in English -
primary teachers- and they do not know the English teaching theoretical
framework in a real communication environment. Moreover, an English
teacher can count with simple materials (flashcards, cd) or technological
tools to develop his/her classes as a way; there are schools without a
bilingual room or technology classrooms where students could have the
opportunity to put in contact with the foreign language. Is well known that
the government through MEN and secretarías de educación send to schools
important donations, but these just remain stored in their boxes or stolen,
and if they are made available to teachers under special requirements or
waiting for the person in charge of the key is in the institution. The
implementation of Bunny Bonita in primary level is not a guarantee that
English in this level will be successful while teachers that teach it are not
English teachers.
The future of English in Colombia is focus in how the government is
centered on the preparation from universities to future teachers, but it
would be better that such training was initiated at the Escuelas normales
where it would actually initiating process of bilingualism at an early age with
the educational practices of these pre-service teachers. On the other hand,
some aspects that influence in the successful of this global language is that in
public schools this signature is taught in three hours per week, teachers use
in creative way all the materials that the school environment gives him/her,
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 7

and all sources that learner use to self-internalization of the language,

overcrowded classroom affect not only teachers health, relations between
students and teachers, and teachers with other peers.
In conclusion, it could be interesting if the government reorganize their
trends related with the Bilingual Program according to the school context, to
give the teaching labor the place what is and the government could offer to
teachers better opportunities to improve their salary level and health
conditions, and in this way they are interested to update their English level,
because it results very expensive to pay for specializations, masters or PhD. Commented [MAHC1]: a part of your conclusion is related to
the content but it didn´t stress on a clear thesis.
FUTURE OF ENGLISH TEACHING 8

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