[etni] Re: goal of English as a Second language in Israe

Hi,

A note on the discussion so far.

First of all, Aviva, I think you misunderstood Doron a bit. L1 proficiency is something that our pupils cannot achieve by definition (with the exception of those who have immigrated from English speaking countries, who have already achieved it, by that same definition). To illustrate the point - I consider my own level of proficiency in English to be quite good. Apart from teaching English and writing academic papers in English, I've even been translating various materials to English, and have done that well enough. So what? I'm still not a native speaker, and get constantly reminded of that when in contact with native speakers. I haven't reached L1 proficiency, and probably never will (perhaps only if I immigrate to an English-speaking country and stay there for a few decades).

You say many Americans (and I guess you refer to English-speaking Americans and not immigrants and members of non-English speaking communities in the US) don't speak correct English. I wonder who legislated those standards of correctness you are measuring their English against. They are the native speakers of English, and if they talk this way - this IS the correct manner of speaking English.

But now in reply directly to Doron's remarks -

Israel is not in the ESL belt the way India is. There really is no Israeli brand of English, because English is a foreign language here. There is no environment in Israel in which English actually lives as a language, the way Hebrew, Arabic and Russian are. You might, perhaps, speak of the brand of English cultivated by English-speaking immigrants, but that's not what you had in mind.

The problem with discussing the purposes of teaching English in Israeli schools is that in Israeli schools English is far more than just English. It so happens that in this collapsing educational system, English is, and for many years now has been, the only systematically well-taught subject (especially in periphery regions). Math teaching in Israel is a joke, literature and history - a farce. Hebrew composition? Nobody touches that until 12th grade (under strict Ministry orders). School here is conceived as a state-run babysitter. Occasionally you find a teacher, who initiates something worthy of the word 'teaching'. Such teachers are the ones most likely to be kicked out of the system, of course.

And on this setting, we have English teaching in Israel, which really is on a good level. With all our criticisms of some points in the curriculum and the matriculation system and all, it's a whole different ballgame compared to other subjects. English teachers are the only ones teaching proper reading comprehension and some composition skills. English teachers are the only ones who have to do some creative work interpreting their curriculum. English classes are the one place in the whole Israeli education system, where actual learning is actually required by the system throughout. I mean learning, not just spending time under somebody's supervision or memorising some 'material' with no intention to understand it.

So, in this context, our responsibility as English teachers becomes far greater than for just teaching English. Our classes are often the only place in school where reading comprehension skills are taught, where creative writing is encouraged, where literature might actually spur discussion, where school offers academic instruction of any sort. So, for me, the purpose of teaching English in Israel is and should be that of teaching in general. English is just the vehicle. It is, of course, lamentable that this is the state of affairs, but it's pointless to just sit and wait until the rest of the system changes. It's not likely to change, at least not for the better.

All the best,
Sergeiy.

PS: Zvi's points made about the questions in matriculation exams are right on, as are his practical suggestions, which, I hope, will be implemented.
--------------------------------------------
Visit the ETNI site - http://www.etni.org
Send a message to the ETNI list: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Send queries and questions to: ask@xxxxxxxx
--------------------------------------------

Other related posts: