Regarding "Teaching English Overseas: An Introduction " by Sandra Lee McKay

In Teaching English Overseas: An Introduction, McKay introduces two perspectives used in studying culture: “emic,” which states that culture should be studied from the viewpoint of the members of the culture in question; and “etic,” referring to the study of cultures from an external perspective. She goes on to discuss the implications of teaching EFL using an etic perspective, and notes that “The idea of teaching English through the exposure of second language learners to English culture should be abandoned.” (57) I understand that certain concepts or objects may be completely alien to people in some parts of the world, for example, a refrigerator or keeping shoes in a closet. However, I believe it’s nearly impossible to teach a language without teaching the culture associated with it. For example, when teaching American English, one cannot help but introduce concepts such as euphemisms, directness, and competitiveness. In addition, it is necessary that one teach the social conventions associated with the language being taught. It’s unacceptable, for example, for an American to speak ill of the dead. It’s also common courtesy not to ask someone how much money they make or how old they are.

McKay does redeem herself by noting that it is the teacher’s responsibility to discover (through a needs analysis or Q&A session) the reasons behind the students’ desire to learn English. For example, when preparing Japanese businessmen to travel abroad for a meeting, it’s not necessary to teach prepositions of place by asking the question “Where do we keep our shoes?” Rather, they need to know how to politely introduce themselves, how to make small talk, proper greetings, and perhaps language associated with giving a presentation or negotiating. It would also be of utmost importance that the businessman would need to know which topics to avoid in conversation. This is where McKay fails us—she doesn’t seem to show any respect for the expat teacher’s home culture. She merely makes suggestions as to ways to acclimate oneself once abroad. Surely she could’ve recommended that teachers ask the students about their cultural norms, then explain how, for example, American cultural norms are the same or different.

I do agree that EFL teachers need to learn as much as they can about their host country. When teaching in China, it’s crucial that EFL teachers not broach the “Three T’s:” Tianmen, Taiwan, and Tibet. To do so could get you fired, deported, or arrested. Of course, teachers are usually told what to avoid prior to signing an employment contract.

McKay says that the three steps of Pragmatic Ethnography are inquiry (studying assumptions about classroom behavior), reflection (considering one’s own values), and application (using one’s findings to develop appropriate materials and lesson plans). (64) It should be noted that many schools that employ foreign teachers have their own curriculum for teachers to follow. Some are quite strict regarding adhering to their set of standards. Other schools, particularly universities, of course allow the teacher much more leeway in this regard. I believe it is here that EFL teachers should take Pragmatic Ethnography to heart, as the teacher in Japan did when she discovered that Japanese students felt it was necessary to respond in silence.

However, in the case of Japanese university students, the teacher did in fact impose a “Western” approach to classroom participation by informing her students “that they needed speak English to learn it.” (65) So while the teacher did go through the first two steps of Pragmatic Ethnography, she did little more than expect American behavior from her students for the third step. By putting the students into groups and requiring that students ask for clarification and participate, she merely employed the Communicative Approach to language teaching.

To summarize, it is very important that EFL teachers become aware of student and teacher expectations, taboo topics, foreign concepts, and acceptable behaviors of their host country. It’s also critical that teachers know the reasons why their students want to learn English, whether for conversational, business, academic, or vocational purposes. The foreign classroom should be a place of cultural exchange, with respect given to etic and emic views alike. This is the only way in which real learning can take place.