The Hidden Curriculum of Survival ESL

The Hidden Curriculum of Survival ESL:
The author refers to survival ESL as “literacy and prevocational and basic skills for students with zero to intermediate language proficiency.”
The article states that the survival approach to ESL, although being acclaimed as “state of the art”, has largely been overlooked when it comes to critical analyses of its “theoretical assumptions and implications”, and it particular, its survival texts. It is argued that survival ESL represents curriculum that should be evaluated in terms of “communicative” character. Many new materials focus on forms instead of language interaction. In evaluating survival curricula, the article suggests that it should be examined in terms of how well they live up to the goal of being realistic. In effect, the efficiency of survival ESL is all about how relevant the content is in terms of what students will actually encounter outside the classroom, in an actual L2 context. The article outlines many examples of irrelevant survival texts. For example, in most cases a “newcomer” wouldn’t realistically be able to use the dialogue about doctor’s visits (example 8). This text is misleading in that a “newcomer” would be more likely to go to a community clinic or an emergency room than to a private physician. Survival texts about finding an apartment often reflect middle class perspectives, which is an assumption that causes a gap in the actual survival issues faced by newcomers. I found it interesting that in many cases of survival texts, suggestions are very vague. They are also presented as universal guidelines when in reality, they may not be appropriate in all cases. It is argued that survival curricula doesn’t prepare students for the reality of getting a job or finding an apartment. These experiences can and do lead to people being treated disrespectfully and can cause frustration and disappointment. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have much experience in using a survival language on the same scale that is described in the article, but I have wished at times that I would have been more prepared for experiences that other people take for granted. Anytime I have traveled to another country, there is always the possibility of something going differently than you’d planned, and it’s in those times that you sometimes say to yourself “If someone had only warned me that this could happen!” For people that need to use survival ESL, I believe it’s important to be informed about the reality of the situations they may encounter, and these realities need to be included in survival texts. I also think that it’s important to note the power dynamic that’s described in the article. I find it absolutely true that there is a delicate balance of power in almost any work place, and that someone who is not aware of this balance could run into trouble (they may be ridiculed or ostracized). I agree with what the article says about promoting methods that teach students to think critically and problem solve. This makes sense seeing that life isn’t going to be like a rehearsed dialogue found in a survival text. Although they help to prepare students in the types of situation they may find themselves in, we should remember that as teachers it’s also important to help students to think on their own. In other words “give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.”