EAP as a Political Arena
A report from the field: doing Critical EAP
Christopher Macallister Durham University English
Language Centre
What is Critical EAP (CEAP)?
 Critical Theory – Critical Pedagogy – Critical EAP
 The EAP classroom is political: 1990s - Benesch & Pennycook
∂ of political and social change
 The EAP classroom is an opportunity
 CEAP is debated (a lot) and done classrooms (a little)
The Hazards & the Dilemma of
CEAP
 What gives EAP practitioners the right to liberate anyone?
 Do students need/want liberating?
∂
 The opportunity cost of doing CEAP
The critical dilemma: does the politically aware EAP practitioner simply
forget about politics and teach for results. Or can you do CEAP without
imposing yet another hegemonic discourse?
Three paths to CEAP in the
classroom:
1. The political/social/economic controversial topic
2. A Critical needs analysis: ask not how you can shape students to
university, rather how can you shape the university to the students
∂
3. Undertaking real political action
The research project
2 PG EAP classes –
 1 drawn from across Durham in-sessional students: class advertised as
academic skills – CEAP covert
 1 drawn from MA TESOL students:
∂ CEAP overt – badged as an
experimental class
Data:
 focus groups with the classes
 Interviews with the teachers and a teacher observer
The lesson: aims...
Critical aims:
to enable the students to see themselves as political actors during their
studies in the UK with:
 Responsibilities
 Rights
∂
Expressed through doing political action
EAP aims - opportunities to practice:
Seminar skills
Email writing
The lesson: structure...
Part 1. awareness raising tasks:
 Political participation in the UK
 Chains of delegation and accountability
 Where do international students fit in – rights and responsibilities
∂
Part 2. Political action
 Setting the scene – PMQs listening
 Writing a question for Jeremy Corbyn to ask Teresa May
 Sending the question by email
What happened: the students’
stories
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
The lesson was interesting – “we learnt more about the UK, its culture
and our role”
There wasn’t enough language or skills – “I enjoyed it, but why did we
do it?”
“I wanted to learn how to write an∂email”
“Why don’t we do this on pre-sessional”
I’m walking out after 5 minutes
“Could we do more on our legal right and human rights”
“A reading before the class, you did this on pre-sessional, would have
made it more challenging and we could have got more from the lesson”
The students on empowerment &
indoctrination
i.
“We are powerful – I’m Chinese!”
ii.
“Yes the teacher has a strong voice but I’m an international
postgraduate – I have my own mind”
∂
iii. “Its uncomfortable and embarrassing if the teachers goes on and on
telling us about their political views... I cringe”
What happened 2: the teachers’
tales
i.
“I enjoyed it, it was challenging but doable”
ii.
“I liked the way the materials were about their political context... It
wasn’t about teaching an ideology”
∂
iii. “I was surprised how well the students took to it. Their home countries’
politics didn’t seem to matter”
iv. “I felt I was teaching a subject...civics or citizenship... Was it an EAP
class?”
Stories from the teacher/observer,
& a manager/teacher
i.
“Its interesting but I’m not sure I would have put in a timetable”
ii.
“There’s P, but not enough E & A”
∂ classroom should be focused on
iii. “Where’s the language? I think the
the language, they didn’t learn anything”
iv. “It humanised the students...I saw them differently”
The researcher’s view:
i.
Critical aims were achieved
ii.
The students engaged with political concepts and situated themselves
as political actors
∂
iii. They engaged in a political act in class
iv. The academic language tasks weren’t challenging enough
v. Both teachers delivered the political theory element successfully
CEAP: a response to the hazards
and the critical dilemma
i.
You can avoid the dilemma – facilitate – don’t preach
ii.
Add more E and A – with sufficiently challenging materials there will be
E and A to engage with
∂
iii. Or accept using a session (or several?) to be political
A Union of Results & Politics
 EAP is results orientated – the most high stakes form of ELT
 EAP is political
∂ gains:
 Engaging with the political offers real
 Students can become more engaged with the structures they live in – a
more critical student
 Awareness of rights and political role results in HE institutions that are
more responsive to their international students
 We the EAP practitioner see our students in a more holistic light