New ESL methodology serves neither students nor teachers

Re: Unions can help teachers resist pointless fads — May 11

Michael Zwaagsrta’s column identified the phenomenon of teachers being required to implement methods that they know are ineffective. This resonated with me as I’m experiencing the same thing in publicly-funded adult education.

I have taught in adult education, teaching English as a second language (ESL), for over 20 years. We had a good system and it worked. Due to the implementation of a new methodology, I’m now struggling to accept that I can no longer prepare the learners put in my charge adequately. The new methodology is called portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA), which must be used by any adult ESL training program that receives funds from the government of Canada or the province of Ontario.

Having worked with PBLA in full implementation for two years (after two years of training and transitional implementation), my opinion is that although having some benefits at the lower levels, it’s disadvantages far outweigh its benefits at the upper levels.

My intention is not to go into all the problems with PBLA. It is simply to say that, in my opinion, PBLA is another fad that is costing Ontarians hundreds of millions of dollars, and far more nationally. I think it will be shown that it is largely unsuccessful at the upper levels, in terms of actual language acquisition versus paper accumulated in (taxpayer paid for) binders. To me, it’s real beneficiaries are the academics and government employees who developed it, marketed it to governments, were charged with implementing it and have employment on account of it.

Karen Sotiriou

Kitchener