A Thorny Issue.
At my school this year, the language department, and particularly the
Spanish faculty, will see some significant changes. As a veteran
teacher enters her retirement or “Jubilation” (jubilación), we are compelled to find a teacher to replace
her who brings many of the same qualities and skills to the classroom.
As the department undergoes these changes, we
want to ensure that the quality of instruction across the language and
department remains strong. As the department evolves we must seek to
define our teaching of the Spanish language in ways that will lead to
increased student achievement and deep enjoyment and satisfaction in
language learning.
One significant language teaching component that we have enjoyed with
The retiring teacher is that Spanish is her native language. In fact, she is only
teacher of Spanish at our school who speaks as
her first language the material that she teaches. Over the years, she has
been be an excellent resource both to students and colleagues. As her
understanding of the language is so complete, she has long been a point of
reference for the department. For this reason, as we lose this veteran
teacher this year, we must consider how best to replace what she has
brought to the teaching of Spanish as a second language.
This brought up for me an essential question: as a language instructor, is
the best teacher a native or non-native speaker?
Native speakers have levels of language competence themselves which is
seldom matched by non-native speakers. Native speakers by definition have
a fundamental mastery of pronunciation and an ear for what "sounds
right". In other words, they hay a complete understanding of
descriptive, what Chomsky calls Deep, grammar. Truly great
native-speaking language teachers also develop in their professional
practice an understanding of Proscriptive grammar, as well, that is, what
the Real Academia Espanola deems officially correct usage.
Certainly, simply being a native Spanish speaker does not automatically
make you a competent teacher in general, nor a competent teacher of the
language. Being a great teacher is a learned skill, not a fixed or innate
quality. As Robert Phillipson (1996) has explained, “Teachers are made
rather than born, whether they are natives or non-natives.”
Non-native teachers have advantages too. Because they have gone through
the process of learning themselves, they have empathy for language
learners, and a very clear understanding of the problem areas for language
learners (such as using the “to be” verbs Ser and Estar in Spanish). They
also can present themselves as models to their students of successful
models of non-native speakers who have achieved language competence. A
great advantage of a non-native teacher is his language awareness. This
teacher, as a result of his or her own experience with learning the
language, can help language learners to think about the language and about
the process of language learning itself. Incidentally, these advantages
also apply to native Spanish speakers who have achieved a high level of
proficiency in English as language learners themselves. Because they
understand the process of learning a second language, they are able to
bring that knowledge to bear in the classroom.
In the hiring of a non-native teacher, however, one must also be vigilant
to ensure that the candidate is in fact truly competent in the language.
Sadly, a university degree in the language, or the accident of place of
birth does not always ensure competence in the language. Because not all
members of the hiring committee are necessarily experts in the language, it
is important that the candidates be vetted through an interview in the
native language by other department members who are known to be competent
in the language. I vividly remember being interviewed by
members of the department in Spanish for over an hour before my hire
eight years ago.
Student perceptions are important too. Hertel and Sunderman administered a
questionnaire to 292 students of Spanish at Florida State University. The
results revealed that “students perceive native speaking instructors to
possess advantages over non-native speaking instructors with regard to
pronunciation and culture, but not with regard to the teaching of grammar
or vocabulary.” English language learner forums on Englishbaby.com also
revealed some interesting perceptions. On this discussion board, the
overall consensus seemed to be that non-native teachers were often most
useful as lower-level classes because, “he can explain differences between
languages, he can clarify the basic rules, grammar etc. in you language.”
This same contributor also stated, “But a native speaker can help you
with pronunciation more then non native speaker, because his ears are used
to listening his own language, so he can easily correct your pronunciation.
Then you must talk with him in English, so you practice your speaking too.”
Clearly being a native speaker or non-native speaker does not predict your
success or competence as a teacher. In this sense, the question has an
easy comparison in sports: Who is the better coach: A former
professional athlete or a professionally trained coach who has played the
game recreationally? Certainly we can think of many examples where
successful coaches have come from either background (for example,
Barcelona’s Guardiola and Real Madrid’s Mourinho). In his work contrasting
Native and non-native English teachers, Medgyes (1992) has noted that both
native and non-native teachers bring different advantages and
disadvantages to the table, and in the end, they have essentially an equal
chance of becoming successful language instructors.
For me, the element that is most important in a teacher of any material,
be it language or anything else, is passion and enthusiasm. For a
language teacher, I believe the best teachers seek ways to be involved in
the langauge. Whether native speakers or not, these lifelong students
view the language in the context in which it most often appears: a life
skill and a pleasure. They make connections in music, friends, lifestyle,
entertainment, food that they can use to inspire their students to take a
true interest in the material.
In summary, the best language teachers have a combination of excellent
training, rich experience with the language, and enthusiasm about the
material, the culture, and learning itself. It is important that they love
the language they are teaching, whether they are native or non-native
speakers.
Phillipson, R. (1996). ELT: the native speaker’s burden ? Power, Pedagogy,
and Practice.
Oxford: OUP.
Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or non-native: Who's worth more? ELT Journal,
46, 340-49.
Hertel and Sunderman accessed February 10, 2012 at:
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~gsunderm/Research/Hertel%20and%20Sunderman.pdf
Englishbaby.com Forum topic: Native speaking teacher vs. non native
speaker http://www.englishbaby.com/forum/AskEnglish/thread/434175
