Complexity & ELT

In this talk, I will use Complex Systems Theory as an analytical lens to interpret the resilience of traditional modes of pedagogy in a language school in Greece. In doing so, I attempt to answer a paradox, namely why CLT appears to be resisted in language teaching in Greece, despite the hegemonic influences emanating from the Anglophone West.

 

I begin by noting that language school share features with complex adaptive systems and by discussing the implications of this similarity. Following that, I suggest that pedagogical activity in the language school is driven by intentionalities, which I exemplify, using empirically grounded examples. I argue that while some intentionalities in the language school are associated with the global ELT culture and thus privilege Comunicative Language Teaching (CLT), others align with local traditional pedagogical traditions. Finally, I posit that the prevailing dynamics of the system fluctuate dynamically, depending on lesson type, the level of instruction, and as part of the year-to-year evolution of the school. Many of these configurations, I argue, are not conducive to the adoption of CLT.

 

In making this argument, I show how complex systems theory can provide us with useful conceptual tools and a technical vocabulary for understanding and describing phenomena in language learning.