Context
Large, multinational, privately owned English language teaching organisation
Textbook and online materials publishing
China, Indonesia and Russia are the principle markets for these materials
House style - PARSNIPs (no Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, Isms or Pork), teenage audience so everything should have a PG rating
Frontrunner is one of the in-house published products for 14-17 year olds
Issue with global textbooks
Aspirational content
Travel and tourism are typical 'safe' topics chosen by publishers
Is this realistic for our students?
Social issues are excluded from the classroom (Pennycook)
Need to establish a “joint goal” between L2 resources and social role (Rashidi and Safari)
Research
Can content based on Critical Pedagogy be successfully incorporated into an ELT textbook series for teenage learners?
Research questions
1. What is the extent of knowledge of critical pedagogy through the hierarchy of senior managers, Directors of Studies, Senior Teachers and students (a hierarchy I refer to as the 'product trajectory')?
2. What is the reaction to a critical issues lesson supplement, one which extends an existing mainstream textbook unit but focuses on issues of a critical nature, in this case, homelessness?
Methodology
Critical action research methodology
Cycle of problem identification, reflection, intervention planning, action and reporting.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews with members of the ‘product trajectory’
Delivering the critical issues lesson supplement via a planned lesson to a group of teenage students
A short focus group with the students
Summary of findings
Knowledge of Critical Pedagogy was quite varied.
The participants from one school were quite familiar with it whereas that was not the case at the other school.
Extensive training required to bring knowledge levels up.
Critical issues lesson supplement: opportunities for students to question more, consider their social situation and challenge should they choose to do so.
BUT: we operate in China, challenging the status quo can be dangerous, this could be a ‘business killer’
Discussion
Disruptive Innovation: an innovation that would likely be ignored by an organisation as it would not be profit making and quite niche. However, at some point in the future the organisation would have to take notice of it, especially if competitors are adopting it. It would be disruptive in terms of the change required to accommodate the innovation.
The way forward? There is potential to incorporate the critical issues supplement as part of a separate study abroad program as that would likely be more acceptable to both parents and the business.
Large, multinational, privately owned English language teaching organisation
Textbook and online materials publishing
China, Indonesia and Russia are the principle markets for these materials
House style - PARSNIPs (no Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, Isms or Pork), teenage audience so everything should have a PG rating
Frontrunner is one of the in-house published products for 14-17 year olds
Issue with global textbooks
Aspirational content
Travel and tourism are typical 'safe' topics chosen by publishers
Is this realistic for our students?
Social issues are excluded from the classroom (Pennycook)
Need to establish a “joint goal” between L2 resources and social role (Rashidi and Safari)
Research
Can content based on Critical Pedagogy be successfully incorporated into an ELT textbook series for teenage learners?
Research questions
1. What is the extent of knowledge of critical pedagogy through the hierarchy of senior managers, Directors of Studies, Senior Teachers and students (a hierarchy I refer to as the 'product trajectory')?
2. What is the reaction to a critical issues lesson supplement, one which extends an existing mainstream textbook unit but focuses on issues of a critical nature, in this case, homelessness?
Methodology
Critical action research methodology
Cycle of problem identification, reflection, intervention planning, action and reporting.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews with members of the ‘product trajectory’
Delivering the critical issues lesson supplement via a planned lesson to a group of teenage students
A short focus group with the students
Summary of findings
Knowledge of Critical Pedagogy was quite varied.
The participants from one school were quite familiar with it whereas that was not the case at the other school.
Extensive training required to bring knowledge levels up.
Critical issues lesson supplement: opportunities for students to question more, consider their social situation and challenge should they choose to do so.
BUT: we operate in China, challenging the status quo can be dangerous, this could be a ‘business killer’
Discussion
Disruptive Innovation: an innovation that would likely be ignored by an organisation as it would not be profit making and quite niche. However, at some point in the future the organisation would have to take notice of it, especially if competitors are adopting it. It would be disruptive in terms of the change required to accommodate the innovation.
The way forward? There is potential to incorporate the critical issues supplement as part of a separate study abroad program as that would likely be more acceptable to both parents and the business.