EDUCATIONAL LINGUISTICS IN THE TEACHING EXPERIENCE

According to Sposky (1999,p,1), educational linguistics could be understood as the confluence of multiple tributaries where applied linguistics has connections with education and psycholinguistics. At the same time, The Concise Encyclopedia of Educational Linguistics defines it as the intersection of language and education, where its task is to define the knowledge of varied branches or areas of study that range from pronunciation and intonation of words and phrases to sentence grammar, to different types of the text of the scientific study of language including formal and informal education. In other words, educational linguistics is concerned with every aspect of educational activity where language is involved.

Education, it could be defined in individual development or in social terms. Halliday(1999,p.2) mentions that education means enabling people to learn in an organized, progressive, and systematic manner. In a similar vein, Stenhouse(1967,p.60) considers that education is conscious, and planned by someone who recognizes his responsibility and is persistently purposeful. It implies choice and decisions about what knowledge and skills individuals and society need to have and be able to use based on values and the possibility to change.

 

A shared understanding among researchers in the field of educational linguistics is that the significance of diversity is not entirely driven by discipline-internal paradigms, but on the other side, it is problem-oriented. In that sense, educational problems and challenges integrate theory and practice as a dynamic process.

 In education, we do not value and teach everything and anything. On the contrary, the selection of topic is in charge of researchers that would investigate linguistic phenomena, by looking at their own focuses and interests in relation to the context. So, Do researchers work with an imposed agenda or do they choose? To answer this question, it is necessary to examine the relationship between structure and agency, where structure can be understood as society and agency is going to be referred to as people, in the context of a similar question: Do people make society or does society make people?

Society will be known as an organized and patterned system of human activities involving social interactions that generate bodies of valued knowledge and patterns of its use. It is often cemented into social institutions such as family, education, and professions. In this way “structure ” does not exist as a thing-like phenomenon until and unless affiliated bodies of valued knowledge and practices. The structure provides the rules and resources for its own production and reproduction. On the other hand,  Agency refers to human beings (people), and their needs, intentions, aspirations, and desires in social action. As people are not completely subservient to structure there is a high possibility of modification of structure in the process of enactment and reproduction.

Structure does not exist independently of human enactment. In principle, people can reconstitute structure. In that sense, research work in educational linguistics can be characterized as being supportive of structure. but also can be non-conforming or oppositional to the structure. However educational linguistics does not fit easily into this bipolar position with and against structure. It is not permanent because it depends on policy uptake which can change over time. About this kind of research with and against structure, we are going to find many examples in different areas such as Curriculum and pedagogy; Assessment; Ethnicity, identity, and interaction in and out of the classroom; pedagogic language and literacy models; teacher professionalism.

The kind of educational linguistics research described here is part of a complex interactive process of structures and agencies. where the human agency could be understood as open possibilities in a structure of established practices of the research community. A community that has values, preferences, traditions, and ideological dispositions that will guide the type of engagement, with or against structure, or both at the moment of making decisions and choices.

Research in educational linguistics can be incorporated into schooling education structure and this is an act of ideological selection enacted through the agencies of policy makers. The research output of educational linguistics itself can form part of the disciplinary structure that influences further work. And on the other side, educational policies change as part of the structure by human enactment. In this way, research in educational linguistics has the potential to help conserve, inform, and transform existing knowledge and educational practices. Also, it can provide the essential instruments for designing language education policy and for implementing language education management. In order words, research itself can contribute to changing policy and practices by pushing their agendas in particular directions.

Here is where it is important to take into account the teacher’s role as part of the agency and as a researcher itself, who has the responsibility to take decisions based on their own values, preferences, traditions, and ideological dispositions to guide the type of topic that is going to be taught base on him as a linguistic researcher focuses and interests in relation to the context that he will investigate and the linguistic phenomena. Making decisions and choices about a position with or against structure, or both at the moment of teaching English as a second language.

Particularly in my own experience, as an English teacher in different private institutions with a large variety of ages in my public I have evidence of the importance of reflecting about what we are going to teach and to whom it is directed in our class. Because it could be the same topic directed to a kids group and to an adults group. but both classes are going to be totally different no matter that it is the same topic and communication abilities work on it. You have to understand that what motivates adults to learn English is something totally different from that of kids. In this way also you have to pay attention to the cognitive process that each group is going to follow, for example in the kids group you are going to need more dynamic activities and a larger number of them.

In conclusion, reflective teaching is an essential part of professional development for language teachers as linguistic researchers. It allows teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching practices, develop new strategies, and continually improve their skills and knowledge. Through the cyclical process of observation, analysis, and action, language teachers can become more effective and efficient in their teaching and research practices.