Visualising future foreign language education : from revision and supervision to vision

At the moment, foreign language teachers face, more than ever, the challenge of visualising future language teaching and learning. In this article, it is argued that foreign language education (FLE) cannot be properly developed unless we understand the recent past of FLE and, at the same time, have a fair command of certain futuristic instruments, such as vision, strategy, scenario and mission. This article thus aims to lead language teachers’ thinking towards a better understanding of futuristic perspectives, while reflecting on their past. Three research questions will be asked: 1) What kind of instruments might language teachers and teacher educators profit from when developing foreign language education (FLE), especially in order to better understand the future? 2) What sort of developmental trends can be seen when analysing the recent past of FLE? 3) How can the future of FLE be discussed if the recent past and the present are taken as starting points? A brief analysis of FLE history will be presented and some conclusions drawn based on the analysis. A preliminary grid of the possible scenario in 2020 will be presented, as visualised by some 20 Finnish language and media specialists. 1

[1]  M. Swan.  A Critical look at the Communicative Approach (2) , 1985 .

[2]  M. Swan.  A Critical Look at the Communicative Approach (1). , 1985 .

[3]  B. Vanpatten.  Communicative classrooms, processing instruction, and pedagogical norms , 2002 .

[4]  Rod Ellis,et al.  Instructed second language acquisition : learning in the classroom , 1990 .

[5]  J. Bruner.  The Culture of Education , 1996 .

[6]  J. Bruner.  Acts of meaning , 1990 .

[7]  Richard D. Lewis.  When Cultures Collide: Managing Successfully Across Cultures , 1996 .

[8]  R. Säljö.  Lärande i praktiken : ett sociokulturellt perspektiv , 2005 .

[9]  Heikki Kynäslahti,et al.  Virtuality and Digital Nomadism: Introduction to the LIVE Project (1997-2000) , 1998 .

[10]  J. Gibson.  The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception , 1979 .

[11]  M. Wittrock.  Handbook of research on teaching : a project of the American Educational Research Association / , 1986 .

[12]  David W. Johnson,et al.  Learning together and alone: Cooperation, competition, and individualization , 1975 .

[13]  Margaret D. Pusch.  Multicultural Education: A Cross-Cultural Training Approach , 2000 .

[14]  Ann Lieberman,et al.  Schools as Collaborative Cultures Creating the Future Now, Ann Lieberman. 1990. Falmer Press, New York, NY. 261 pages. ISBN: 1-85000-673-3. $29.95 , 1993 .

[15]  Michael H. Long,et al.  An introduction to second language acquisition research , 1990 .

[16]  Claire Kramsch.  Standard, norm, and variability in language learning: A view from foreign language research , 2002 .

[17]  Stuart Parker,et al.  Reflective teaching in the postmodern world : a manifesto for education in postmodernity , 1997 .

[18]  Vivian Cook,et al.  Second language learning and language teaching , 1991 .

[19]  Seppo Tella,et al.  Developing Dialogic Communication Culture in Media Education: Integrating Dialogism and Technology. Media Education Publication 7. , 1998 .