FUTURE OF ELT IN COLOMBIA

Yeidis Espinosa Martinez

Esp. en Enseanza del Ingles

For many years the impact that globalization had brought to countries was a matter of
permanent studies. Such phenomenon is still crucial for all the states, participants or not
participants of international market, because of the multiples implications. But not to accept
these events with resistance is likely justified by the dramatics results, the increasing of
poverty, environment problem and worldwide conflicts (Santos, 2003). Moreover
globalizations are processes fully interconnected that eventually are determine by the power
of the countries which get the control over the market and all the productions including
human manifestation.
From this perspective every state play a role into global culture in which any citizen
would be embroiled, regardless their ethnic condition. As a policy of domination the
culture is in the agenda to gain effectiveness in the market. In this dynamic is possible to
find the language as the axis that strengthens the communication due to the economy
needs, flow of information and cultural globalization.
In this setting is easy to understand that in Colombia the decision -making taken by the
State aim to accept all the international postulates without any concern about the identities,
benefits or welfare. That is why national projects are, in most of the cases, conducted for
political power interest that out of any pertinence, concrete actions that never impact the
population in their progress.
This adoption of foreign and natives languages should be gathered into a national project
that gives prevalence to interaction and thinking skills where people may acquire a
sociolinguistics framework to enhance their culture. According to this statement is
recommended to reoriented, in Colombia, the culture and languages in terms of human
development and idiosyncrasy in instead of market.
First of all is important to redefine the concept of bilingualism because at the moment is
understood as the promotion of a foreign language, specially: English. In fact foreign
language is English for Bilingual National Project. (Quintero, 2009). The chance to spread
out other languages are not possible, due to they do not represent any capital.(Guerrero,
2008). In consequences the social imaginaries around foreign language is related to
economy position, globalization opportunities or the necessity of this tongue because it is
the universal language. In exchange, the appropriate argument of becoming bilingual
should be supported in the acquisition of abilities, mechanism for human interaction and the
development of metalinguistic consciousness.
Following the discussion started above, a recent study about analysis discourse of the
National Bilingual Project Guerrero (2008) posits that:
the previous category showed that for the promoter of the PNB, being bilingual means speaking
English; the promoters of the project oversimplified the amount of languages that could be learned
in a bilingual project and reduce it to one. ( p.35 )
Although the Political Constitution has given the rules to promote and preserve the other
languages spoken by minoritaries groups, it happens that the educational system has never
held up such project. Although the opportunity to recover the socio-historical legacy and
include it into the most important promotion throughout the society, would be somehow
that possibly strength the participation of this minorities in the future. In this point of view
Pulido (2012) says:
the indigenous not only must concentrate their efforts for an education that conserve and preserve
their culture, they must also have an education that allow them to understand and get interaction
with the culture and language of the country in which they are immersed, so that, their social,
political and economical destiny is composing with the interaction toward the rest of population of
the country (p.248)
That is the model which the European Council established for Europe, where learning,
teaching and evaluation are part of a general linguistic project with the aim of unifying
parameters for developing multilingual and multicultural Europe that break all the
boundaries for communication to all the nations (Council for cultural Cooperation, (2001).
Observing this experience in this continent is comprehensible that an impacting national
project might be giving into a vision of cultural competences approach that in the case of
Colombia could fit well modeling the Europes principle because of the diversity of
subculture as a result of the historical legacy.
This ambition of including all the languages should begin with sociolinguistic studies as a
based to determine decisions around which languages have to be taught in Colombias
educational system (Quintero, 2009). This planning must prompt to establish the
position and role that all the languages play in a national culture. The truth is that many
different dimensions have to get into account at the moment to plan languages in a society.
One of the most significant aspects, to set up such organization, is to understand the real
conditions of teaching English language as well as the sociocultural problematic. Under this
view policy has to act against the inequality of accessing to education due to not allthe
children enjoy the same opportunity or access to education, especially in a society like the
Colombian one afflicted by so many social and economic problems (Guerrero, (2008),
p36). The quality of education demands many factors, for that reason the family
economy situation influences the conditions for learning. By misfortune a great amount of
children cannot access to a high standard of education, and then the majority of the best
schools are bilingual. It means that just the upper class kids have the chance to learn a
second language since childhood

On the other hand the role of government should change, because so far, the bilingual
conditions and teaching have never gotten a clear vision around what the bilingualism
imply, as Solarte (2008) also says: therefore it must be clarified that the problem in Colombia is
not the adoption of foreign language policy and standards, but the learning and teaching conditions
which the government seems to overlook (page 189). As a result some decisions never
benefit all the population because the personal interest is above the human and cultural
development which is the essence of a project of such magnitude.

In the same line is necessary to improve the context for developing bilingual program; the
access to resources, materials, technology, and infrastructure and network platform in order
to contribute to a better learning condition by increasing the exposure to a second language.
Moreover the teachers qualification have to be at the timetable because most of the
English teachers have low level management of their target language, and management of
methods is not evident in their practice. In contracts, to be effective in teaching language
require the improvements in language proficiency and training in method as well as the
constant updating about reflective approaches for controlling the learners processes.
Another aspect to consider is that teaching of languages should focus all its attention to
learning, in this way Solarte (2008) says that:teacher do not teach what they may be familiar
with (grammar, vocabulary), but what learners need in order to perform different
functions(p.186). Hence the implementation of a program must include the needs analysis
and target needs for designing courses that guarantee the effectiveness of teaching and
learning
For managing the situation about the English position in the world is understandable that is
part of the market strategy, then is actually true that the language spoken for the most
powerful countries looks more desirable for the learners with specific interest in the market
(David Graddol, 2000). But he point is not to avoid the expansion or intromission of the
English language because there are some economic engagements. But if the state follows
this adoption, the idea is that it reflects the non-native speaker interest to interact and
communicate with others. (David Graddol, 2007)
Certainty, English will follow arising in the world as an important language because the
trajectory carried out during many decades, but in the next scenarios will be space for other
languages occupying the top of pyramid. There will be a new hierarchy that declares a
new status to English (David Graddol, 2000)
A new vision of the English in Colombia, would be a consideration of this language as a
references for some special labors inside or outside the country, it accounts consequently
because of the opportunities it could bring in the commercial field. On the other side is
important not to lose sight of the fact that developing interaction, immersion and
participation in other culture and events can also enhance the own experience, driving
people to a new adventures in life. Another attractiveness of people who is bilingual is the
advancement in their mental processes that allow active cognition and permanent executive
control.
Taken into account the attractiveness of a bilingual person is significant to explain some
consequences related to the brain; the experience that a learner has toward a language
determines the representation in the brain. The context and the conditions in ages and
manner of acquisition of a language influence the process and its development in abilities
(Ekiert, 2006). This finding could be clear doing comparison in learners, so that the
children might have more possibilities to manage the same areas. The opposite happens
with late bilingual who needs to retrieve more information and activate other parts of the
brain. Although this variation, the permanent practice and synapses permit the neurons
to get stronger and as a result the mental activities might become more effective: memory,
classification, syntax, create input and output, logical thinking, critical thinking. That is
why the educational system should bet for an education that is more engage with the
promotion of critical thinking and creativity.
There is no doubt that for having effects around bilingualism the improvement in teaching
languages is an imperative. Thus, obviously is pertinent to rethink the English teaching and
other languages, involving students into a real communication, giving new chances to
students to develop accuracy and fluency and center the attention to communicative
competences (Richards). Above this method some methodologies are also important and
useful for bilingual school or universities with international programs, such: content- based
instruction.
The importance of using method for teaching stem in the consolidation of rules that can be
better connected with the students needs and because these theories are the emergency of
scientific processes, and after that such theories have been proved in the experience, So
teachers should not avoid using them. Although the possibilities for other methodologies,
that can be adapt to the context in which the teaching is going to be executed, should be
flexible. Finally the most important thing is to dominate science inside the classroom and
the reflective approach to rethink what is happening in class, this prompts teacher to
improve managements of this field, due to teaching languages is another world.
Is actually important to pay attention to the sociolinguistic environment for planning the
languages in which the countrys population participates to enrich culturally the tradition
and all forms of human interactions. In fact the communication in another language might
help to provide sense to every single context. Nevertheless other reasons should be
negotiated and include into the development of national plan, but with the concern of
making policies that really promote the cultural diversity and the use of English for specific
purposes. Clearly the promotion of English will remain for many decades so that many
forces are hopeful of the national and international possibilities given by this language;
however is time to wake up acting against the changes that are no really powerful changes.

References
Council for cultural Cooperation. (2002). Common European Framework for languages:
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Ekiert, M. ( 2008). The Bilingual Brain.Columbia university. 1-8.

Guerrero, C. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What does It Mean to Be Bilingual within
The Framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism?Redalyc.26-46.Colo

Graddol, D. ( 2000). The future of English. UK. The English Company.

Graddol, D. ( 2006). English Next. U.K. The English company.

Richard, J. (2006). The communicative Language Teaching today. 1-47
Santos, B. (2002). The process of Globalisation, Eurozine. 67-130.
Solarte, S. (2008).Is Colombia Ready for Bilingualism?.Redalyc.181-195.

Quintero, A. (2009). Es usted Bilinge? Concepciones y alternativas para la educacin en
idiomas en el contexto colombiano. El educador. 4-10.
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