Vol. 4 Issue 50 – Book Review – 'English Language Teaching in India: The Shifting Paradigms' by S P Dhanavel

** This book review is submitted by Mr. Ravindra B. Tasildar, Assistant Professor, Department of English, S.N. Arts, D.J.M. Commerce and B.N.S. Science College, Sangamner, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra..

English Language Teaching in India: The Shifting Paradigms by S P Dhanavel is a book (New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Ltd., 2012, pp. 137) aimed to meet the requirements of ELT practitioners in the country. It is an innovative addition to the ELT resources in India. The book deals with the classroom experiences of the author. In a sense, this book obliquely suggests that since Indian teachers are equally innovative there is no need to look to the West for models of teaching English.

The book comprises of nineteen chapters mainly highlights developments in ELT scenario in India in the first decade of twenty-first century. The first two chapters deal with importance of English in India while the next three chapters cover use of technology in the teaching of English.  Chapters seven and eight provide innovative approaches to the teaching of vocabulary and grammar. The component of spoken English has been part of chapters nine to eleven.  Chapters twelve and thirteen deal with teaching of reading and writing skills respectively.  Chapters fourteen and fifteen focus on teaching of communication skills and soft skills whereas chapter sixteen includes teaching and testing of non-verbal communication skills.

The unique feature of this book is that each chapter begins with ‘Learning Objectives’ and ends with ‘Summary’.  Besides, references provided at the end of every chapter will be useful for ELT practitioners.

The book deserves appreciation for its mention of some innovative ideas of vocabulary development (chapter seven). The activities like list of makes of bikes can be useful at every level of education in India. Similarly, the chapters on use of quotations and proverbs (chapters six and seventeen) are noteworthy. These are motivational too. The book also makes a passing reference to an Indian experiment of ESP in India (chapter eighteen). Among other aspects, in one of the papers author also seeks our attention to the untrained teachers English in India.  Thus, the authors’ attempt to cover almost all the aspects of ELT in India is praiseworthy. However, in continuance with the tradition of ELT in India, teaching of listening skills remains a neglected aspect.

Since the focus in on language teaching, the chapters are largely confined to teaching of English in professional colleges. However, the author accepts the fact that teaching of technical English in engineering colleges lack human values. The only chapter (19) on literature teaching – Reading of Milton’s On his Blindness – seems to be an unnecessary inclusion in this book. Nevertheless, this book provides insights for prospective as well as practicing college teachers of English. Moreover, the innovative practices mentioned in the book can also be useful for high school teachers of English.

Despite the above positives, there are some negatives as well.  Though the writer has tried to cater to the needs of ELT practitioners across the country, in the light of several constrains in the implementation of such innovative practices in the rural contexts and conventional degree programmes like BA, the relevance of  this book can be questioned. Besides, though attractive, font size may become a constraint for senior teachers of English. The book may also appear rather costly for students (i.e. prospective teachers of English in India).

This book is the result of papers presented in seminars and conferences. It not only reveals the contribution of seminars and conferences in the professional development of an Indian teacher of English but also indicates various phases in journey of an Indian teacher of English. The book also stresses the need for teachers of English in India to document and share classroom experiences. There is a dire need to inculcate this attitude among teachers of English in India.