Article Critique

Article Critique

Banerjee, Haimanti(1997). Cultural consciousness in a Language Class.Working Papers in Educational Linguistics; v13 n1 p23-30. The author presents an analysis of a language class characterized by a pedagogical approach based on Suggestopedia , where language and culture are interconnected.Her theme is that, according to the cross-cultural variation in language use in Sociolinguists research, language learning cannot be taken away from the sociocultural environment, or else it remains incomplete. Although there are times when learners only need to make use of a language for academic purposes(for example, to read and write in research journals), any student must master the sociolinguistic skills for communication and survival within their target culture- the writer or this article states - for culture includes language as a subsystem;thus, sociolinguistic competence has been regarded as an essential aspect of successful communication. The author reviews literature that supports the idea that linguistic and cultural features are linked, by introducing thoughts of specialists like Casson(1981),“Language and culture are not independent or mutually exclusive…Rather, culture is a wider system

that

completely

includes

language

as

a

subsystem”,and

Kramsch(1989),”Sociolinguistic competence has been identified as a key aspect of successful communication; background knowledge and shared assumptions have been shown to be a crucial element in understanding oral and written forms of discourse”. Next, she discusses about the corpus of his study: a class of high intermediate level students born in the United States

whose parents were from India .

Although the proficiency level of the students in listening, reading, writing, and speaking the target language - Hindi(the national language of India) - varied, such language was understood by the majority of them . They were interested in it to know more about the target culture of their ancestors . She made use of the observation method to collect pieces of information for her research . Nevertheless , the length

of the observation period is not precise on the study : the class was carefully observed – she continues her explanation about the several steps of

the class

activities guided by Suggestopedia , but the exact time she spent in the classroom is unknown. . Banerjee, afterwards, compares and contrasts the following methodologies and approaches that have been formulated and taught along the years: the Grammar Translation Method, for those who consider that language is a system of structurally related elements and that the target of the language learning is the acquisition of elements defined in terms of grammatical units; the Communicative Approach, a style of language teaching that emphasizes communication and linguistic development through interactive language lessons; the Suggestopedia, an approach that highlights relaxation techniques and concentration to help students tap their subconscious resources and retain greater amounts of vocabulary and structures. They all focus on the needs of the learner, and may be advantageous or not in the classroom, according to the (good or bad)use the teacher makes of them. Then,the Suggestopedia Approach is more detailedly described in theory.The author enumerates some of its main characteristics: emphasis on oral skills, use of situational dialogues, quick explanations about grammar after language practice, relaxing environment(with comfortable sitting and soft music), and absence of mechanical drilling(to encourage role plays and give the students a chance to absorb the text by concentrating on it). The author attests the relevance of Suggestopedia in practice:the observed language class; it enabled the students, adults who were not learning for academic purposes, to incorporate effective linguistic devices(texts) that conveyed the social norms and attitudes of the target language’s culture.He adds that the grammar explanation performed by the teacher(dressed like an Indian) was concise, which allowed the learners to meet their needs.In addition to it, certain mystical activities which took place within the classroom had a direct link with the Indian culture; what seemed to be mystical about this method for a non-native Indian, for instance, controlled breathing exercises to regulate the concentration level of the students, became natural through the eyes of those learners whose parents were born in India.She witnessed the “concert”

phase, when the classroom relaxed with the aid of lilting strains of stringed instruments(a pedagogical purpose) and became in contact with the Indian culture(a non-pedagogical purpose).Besides, she verified that the teacher mentioned that the classroom atmosphere was not competitive, which largely resembled the one pertinent to a country like India.He played the role of a character throughout the class to solve doubts and entertain the class.Later, the author observed the role play time performed by the students,when they read a play( about a native Indian woman, born and raised in the USA, who was visiting India for the first time) in the class and switched roles after ten minutes; according to Banerjee, the play was relevant for the learners because they identified themselves with the main character, practiced the different intonation patterns associated with the different characters, and got a glipse of the Indian culture.The author points out that the activity aroused conversation about the Indian culture(unfortunately, not spoken in the target language the whole time). Later, she adds that a video about trivial happenings in India was shown for the students to hear correct intonation patterns and native pronunciation. The author concludes her study pointing out the positive and negative aspects of Suggestopedia.Throughout the time she observed the class, her approval of such approach was obvious, mainly on account of the unobtrusive role of the teacher - who was aware of the importance of guiding the class, without monopolizing the attention of his pupils. This contributed to a friendly environment for the students to learn, combining moments of cultural and linguistic acquisition, watching the teacher’s performance, interacting in the classroom, developing cultural consciousness in a language class, in fact. Anyway, she also warns the reader that such approach is limited if used in classes of young children and adds that it has limitations regarding communicative language use. Banerjee, as a teacher who lives in a foreign land, observed the Suggestopedia procedures through her own Indian descendant eyes. The fact that the observed classroom was formed by students who shared the same origin of hers helped her understand the relevance of the approach to broaden cultural horizons. The author built logical arguments about the importance of Suggestopedia in the educational field. It is true that it is an approach which does not allow the students to

fully express their creativity, for they have to play roles previously selected by the teacher.However, it provides the learners an input that is essential for any human being inserted in a globalized society: varied pieces of information contextualized in dramatizations within the classroom.The role play activity allows the students to take part in the educational process without remaining on their seats during the whole class, as it happens in more traditional learning environments. The audiovisual aids that are adopted in the classroom provide an atmosphere of promptitude to learning, because there is no boredom that sometimes takes place during traditional classes, where the teacher only makes use of the voice and chalkboard to teach. Also, it is significant to mention the relevance of the breathing exercises encouraged by Suggestopedia to reduce the level of stress, so present in everyone’s daily life; the more a student relaxes, the more he or she is likely to develop concentration, and consequently, promptitude to learn. On the other hand, the author’s conclusion about the inadequacy of Suggestopedia for very young students did not take into consideration the fact that the syllabus, the features of the main points of the course of study, may be prepared according to the characteristics of the respective students; for instance, a long play can be turned into a brief set of words to introduce a meaningful content to young learners. It is regrettable that Suggestopedia is not very popular in educational environments, due to the time it demands for the teachers to prepare the suitable material for the classes and on account of the obligation for the Communicative Approach use in language courses.But it is available for any teacher who wishes and has opportunity to make use of an interesting and efficient approach which is proved to be fruitful in language classes, as it could be attested throughout the lines of this article critique!