Values in English Language Teaching

Review of
Values in English Language Teaching

Author : Bill Johnston
Copyright : Book edition; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 2003
E-book edition; Taylor & Francis e-Library. 2008
Pages : xii + 139

A. Introduction
This book, Values in English Language Teaching, explores and explains the complex and often contradictory moral opinion or view of the language classroom, gradually revealing how teaching is not a matter of clear-cut choices but of wrestling with problems and making difficult decisions in situations often given with conflict. The author of this book, Johnston, examines the underlying values that teachers hold as individuals and as members of their profession, and demonstrates how those values is reflected in the real world of language classrooms. Matters addressed include connections between the moral and political dimensions in English language teaching, and between values and religious beliefs; relationships between teacher identity and values; the meaning of professionalism; and how it is associated with morality and values; the ways in which teacher development is a moral issue; and the marginality of English language teaching.
The focus of this book is on the values and morals that play a role in English language teaching (ELT), primarily concerning the role of the teacher. The author cautions the reader by stating that he is not in way using this book as a soapbox for imposing his personal values. Rather, the arguments of the book are taken from real-life examples in an attempt to raise English language teachers’ consciousness concerning their own values in the decisions they make concerning their teaching.


B. Content
I. Chapter One
In this chapter, the writer sets out the basic claim that he substantiate throughout the book: that ELT is a value-laden occupation; that the values underlying it are complex, conflicting, and rooted in the details of context; and that it is important to bring to consciousness the moral dimensions of English teaching.
The author gives a definition of important terms such as values and morals from a general educational perspective as well as in the context of English language instruction. The rationale for this book is that every teacher has a set of values that determines how he/she handles the various that occur in the classroom, but until now, there has not been a focus on such issues in the English language classroom. Based on the premise that it is impossible to teach without values, the author contends that “it is only by confronting the moral complexity and ambiguity of our teaching that we can hope to identify the good and right things to do in any given set of circumstances, that is, to know the right way to teach”.
Then the author ends this chapter by surveying existing research on the moral dimensions of teaching in general education and by suggesting that in some ways ELT is comparable but that in others it has its own peculiar moral aspects that must be explored and be understood on its own terms.

II. Chapter Two
This chapter focuses on moral decisions that English language teachers must make as they interact with students, with the curriculum and with their role as a representative of their school. These categories include such issues as classroom rules, teachers’ expectations of their students, cross-cultural issues between the culture of the teacher and that of the students, values in the textbook, choosing which variety of English will be taught and the teacher’s role as agent of the school or other institution versus the teacher to the students. Perhaps the most important argument made in this chapter is that teachers cannot make general, blanket decisions on these issues, but that decisions must be made based on the teacher’s own values along with how these values interact with each individual context or situation.
This chapter contains the author test of the moral dimensions of ELT classroom interaction. This includes things that teachers and students say and do, the ways in which they interact, and the materials they use. Johnston begins by taking a detailed look at the moral meanings encoded in examples of classroom discourse, focusing on four aspects: rules and regulations, curricular substructure, expressive morality, and voice. Then he looks at three aspects of the ELT curriculum that are charged with values: values in the textbook, moral choices that have to be made in pronunciation teaching, and the clash of values that underlies the process-product debate in the teaching of writing. Last, he analyzes an important yet often overlooked moral dynamic: the clash between the teacher’s role as individual and teacher and her position as de facto representative of the institution in and for which she teaches.

III. Chapter Three
In this chapter, the author explains the relationship of values with politics in ELT. The author defines politics as “anything that has to do with power and the control of resources of every conceivable kind.” (p. 53) He identifies and discusses five major areas where ELT is affected by politics: language education associated with colonization, the imposition of the English language on indigenous peoples, the education of immigrants and refugees, the use of the English language in the advancement of technology (for example the internet) and the use of English in the process of globalization. The author presents one potential approach to the problems that come with the politics of ELT: critical pedagogy, which is defined as education that has social change as its desired outcome. He cautions, however, that such an approach still requires certain moral choices which some may not find appropriate.
The author analyzes the moral aspects of an example of critical pedagogy in action in an ESL setting, and then he considers the moral underpinnings of the question of whether critical pedagogy can be enacted in EFL contexts. After presenting a short critique of critical pedagogy from the standpoint of values, he analyze the central Preface x moral dilemma that dwells in the political dimension of ELT: the clash between the good inherent in the act of teaching someone another language and our participation through this teaching in global processes of cultural, linguistic, and economic imperialism.
IV. Chapter Four
This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of the moral significance of one aspect of teachers’ work: testing and assessment. He begins by considering the value-laden nature of evaluation. He then looks at the moral dimensions of widely accepted forms of student evaluation practiced in ELT programs. The author moves on to consider the issues of values raised by standardized tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the moral dilemmas that inhere in alternative forms of as-assessment.
The author presents two paradoxes that are a part of testing in ELT. The first is that testing will always be subjective regardless of the desire to make it objective. The second is that most teachers feel the need to evaluate their students, yet do not like giving tests for various reasons. There are several ways that testing is value-laden: it places a value on students (i.e. a grade), it compares students to others, it can affect their present and future lives and lastly, despite what one might think, testing is not just about the content being tested, but it includes the real world surrounding the student.
The author also argues that the distinction between formative and summative evaluation is rather blurry. The next section of this chapter explores various types of assessment, including how assessment is related to the teacher-student relationship, how to assess a student’s knowledge of the language, and even going beyond the student’s knowledge to assess the student’s effort, participation and attitude. The author also raises the dilemma of determining who is a good student and who is a bad student. The next section tackles standardized testing, and in particular TOEFL, claiming that the major problem with such tests is that it is impersonal and does not take into account any individual circumstances.
The final section of this chapter discusses the issue of alternative or authentic assessment, including such things as journals, portfolios, and other types of writing assignments. While the author admits that he believes this latter form of assessment to be more desirable, he acknowledges that it is also value-laden. The primary argument of the author is that the educational experience is contextual and individual, and assessment should also follow suit. The author closes this chapter by posing the question of whether morally justifiable forms of evaluation are possible.
V. Chapter Five
The author, Bill Johnston, considers three facets of teacher identity that particularly bound up with values and moral judgment. They are teacher-student relations, the professional role of the teacher and the place of religious beliefs in the classroom. The first argument is that each teacher will face the moral dilemma of how much to become involved in students’ lives. Some involvement is inevitable, but much of the teacher-student relationship is based on moral choices. Another choice teachers must make is to determine the balance between the authority and respect as the teacher and yet remain approachable to the students.
The issue of professionalism raises the question of how English language teachers see themselves, as well as how others (e.g. administrators and other colleagues) see English language teachers. Religion plays a part in teacher identity for several reasons. The author presents the historical background on religion and education in general. It is also noted that teachers’ personal beliefs do affect how they conduct their classes. Others may even make moral choices in deciding whether to talk about their religious beliefs and practices. Lastly, there are the issue of students’ beliefs and how teachers must prepare to students’ beliefs that is different from their.

VI. Chapter Six
The author raises the issue of teacher development as a moral choice. The author has defined teacher development from a European perspective. It is professional and personal growth “that teachers themselves undertake and that is guided by the teachers concerned.” (p. 120). This is in contrast to the typical North American teacher development which is usually conducted by a teacher educator, presented to teachers. Teachers make a moral choice for teacher development in order to become better teachers, to understand their students, what occurs in their classroom, and simply to care for themselves, not as teachers, but as individual people.
Teachers have been engaging in their own research over the last several years with the idea that university researchers are too removed from the classroom, allowing the teacher to gather information and then to make sense of the data. This type of research promotes collaboration with both colleagues and learners. The author states that this type of research brings with it a set of values about teaching and further allows teachers to explore the interaction of morals in the classroom that may not be apparent to outside researchers. One of the major themes of this chapter is the perception of ELT, on the part of the English language teacher and the outsider. One important question is: Is ELT a career/profession? The issue of the marginalization of ELT is also discussed. It is also expressed that many of the debates surrounding ELT and teaching as a whole are due to differing values. There is also the question of values in teacher education. Again, the author closes by considering some of the consequences of my perspective on language teaching for the practice of teacher education.

VII. Chapter Seven
This chapter contains a summary and conclusion to the book. The major dilemmas presented in the previous chapters are reviewed. In other words, this chapter constitutes a taking stock in which the author reflect on the significance of the analysis presented in this book for the practice of language teaching. In particular, he revisits and summarizes the principal moral dilemmas of the field that I have identified throughout the book; consider the foundational values underlying our decision making in situations of moral dilemmas; and revisit the teacher-student relation, the core of the moral life of the ELT classroom

C. Conclusion
Overall, this book is written with a nice balance between the scholarly support of current research literature and real-life situations of the author’s friends and colleagues. The author has written with a very personal style and very upfront about his own beliefs and experiences, without imposing those beliefs on the reader. The author admits that what is presented in this book is nothing new or surprising, but that English language teachers often avoid but need to address these issues openly. He also suggests that further research is needed on several of the issue raised in the book in order to understand further their impact on ELT.
The topics selected for this book are indeed important and popular topics in the profession of language teaching. While the author indicates that the book is addressed to practicing teachers, I believe this book would also be beneficial as a supplemental text in various types of language methods classes, in particular ESL/EFL methods. What is more, the author has included several discussion questions at the end of each chapter which would contribute to a classroom setting. The questions might also be used for introspection of the practicing teacher.
This book offers a new perspective on language teaching by placing moral issues--that is, questions of values--at the core of what it is to be a teacher. The teacher-student relation is central to this view, rather than the concept of language teaching as merely a technical matter of managing students acquisition of language. The message is that all language teaching involves an interplay of deeply held values, but in each teaching situation these values are played out in different ways. Johnston does not tell readers what to think, but only suggests what to think about.

D. Comment
Overall, I like this book because of its simplicity and the topic itself, writing style, and the way the author explains his ideas. The subject had been rarely discussed before in ELT field, and thus this thoughtful discussion is very welcome. I regard this as being at least as significant as the 'critical approach' movement. As an awareness-raiser, and as a link to broader issues, the book will work very well among teacher groups, in courses, and in the profession in general.
It seems for me that this book will make a great contribution to the field of ELT. The author is convincing in his argument that moral values are an extremely important part of teaching even when we are not necessarily aware that we are acting on them.
The examples are taken from real-life teaching situations. The complexity and messiness of these situations are always acknowledged, including both individual influences and broader social, cultural, and political forces at play in English language classrooms. By using actual situations as the starting point for analysis, Johnston offers a philosophy based in practice, and recognizes the primacy of lived experience as a basis for moral analysis. Examples come from teaching contexts around the world, including Brazil, Thailand, Poland, Japan, Central African Republic, Turkey, and Taiwan, as well as various settings in the United States.
I think this book will change the way teachers see language classrooms, their own or those of others. It is a valuable resource for teachers of ESL and EFL and all those who work with them, especially teacher educators, researchers, and administrators. As a candidate teacher, I get a lot of knowledge from this book. So many thing that I need to understand, because there are so many subject of discussion in this book that are new for me.