[etni] NBA
- From: Ronald Green <greenelt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 12:35:04 +0200
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We are flogging a dead horse, the NBA. No amount of carrots, sticks, goodies
or even good will can revive something that is comatose. The problem is that
it was never viable in the first place. Unfortunately the Inspectorate still
does not get it and has a vested interest in continuing. Faith, though, is
not enough. And for the "let's wait and give it a chance" brigade, their
faith might be justified if real, live victims - the students - weren't
involved. The result of faith in the NBA is a whole generation of students
who are not given the basics of English, i.e. they are simply not learning
English.
I like a good academic argument as much as anyone. But the theory behind a
pedagogical system is more than academic one-upmanship. The theory has to
work in practice. And the NBA is patently not working. Can we tell that it
isn't working? Of course we can: just ask ourselves if the standard of
English is rising or deteriorating.
I find it astounding that it can be acceptable for a new method to be
unleashed on schools without it being tested beforehand. I find it
astounding that there are those who are willing to say "let's see what
happens next year." If there are problems, they should have been foreseen;
that is the responsibility of the Ministry - not the teachers. We have a
right to know where the NBA was tested (not to mention the theoretical
arguments behind it) and what the results are. I do not know of any country
that has implemented the system for EFL, although I do know that country
after country has gone back to teaching basics. While Krashen is still
preaching, his constituencies have quietly moved away.
Ronald Green
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