Pennycook - The Concept of Method

■  What do I disagree with? What do I agree with?

Penny Cook’s opinion is that all education is political and all knowledge is in the interest of certain individuals or groups. However, I don't agree with this. It looks like there are no exceptions. He emphasizes all education and all knowledge, but how can he say this conclusively? He also mentions that schooling is a training ground for promoting obedience, punctuality, silence, industry and social reconstructions.

Does this mean that schooling is just a tool that maintains the system of society? Does it have only that reason of keeping the social requirement?

I don't think that Education exists as a tool in favor of keeping or maintaining an ideological position status.

However I agree with some parts of his previous claims. The purpose and function of schooling has been influenced by the tendency of political sociality. Political requirement should also be based on the general ideas of peoples. Through his claims, my basic belief of education has changed a bit.

Pure academics such as pure science and pure philosophy exist.  Penny Cook explains that all knowledge represents or reflects certain individuals or groups. He also mentions that it is related to social political power.

■ What do I like?

He says this argument is especially relevant to second language education. SLE is based on the political dimensions of the concept of language. The spread of English went parallel with the political power relevant with culture and economics. I think that knowledge and education have been considered an apolitical approach over the years.

An interesting part that I read was on page 599. About 500 years ago, the late 16th century, dialogues and the situation teaching method prevailed in the education field. This method of language teaching constantly reappears over the centuries. At that time, educators used realia, substitution tables, and dialogues. Many parts of teaching methods are quite similar in modern society.

It means that trends and shifts in language teaching tend to be a reordering of same basic options and reflect the social, cultural, political and philosophical environments.

■ What’s his point of view?

Penny cook says we need to always see knowledge as interested because it represents the interest of a certain group.

All knowledge is produced within a particular configuration of social, cultural, economic, political and historical circumstances.

Theory and practice cannot be separated; they are tied to each other. We cannot say which one is first. The concept of method is also changing in diverse ways and teachers are also influenced by the stream of change of society.

That's why we are needed to adjust our curriculum to social issues.

The newest curriculum content in Korea is comprised of students’ interests in order to help children progress through the natural stages of their development.