Do We Need Native English Teachers?

Since English is taught internationally, the issue of native and non-native teachers have become the most widely issue to be studied by the experts. In English language teaching (ELT) context, a teacher is considered as an important role in improving student skills (listening, writing and speaking). They play important roles in teaching to recognize students understanding on the first language to the target language. But, some controversy issues reveal due to the effectiveness of native and non-native teacher in teaching English as the foreign language. As the result, there are different perspectives in ELT between native teacher and non-native teacher for teaching English in the country whose mother tongue is not English.
This article is written to give some point of view about to what extent English native teachers and non native teachers in teaching English are needed by students. However, the great question of this article is “Do We Need Native Teachers?”

A. Who is Native Speaker?
A native speaker of English is traditionally defined as someone who speaks English as his or her native language, also called mother tongue, first language, or Ll. The next question that comes accross my mind is: What are qualifies as a native speaker? Among the criteria for "native speakerhood," the most oft cited and, at first glance, most straightforward one is birth (Davies, 1991). That is to say, a native speaker of English is a person who was born and grown in an English-speaking country. In other hands, native speaker-hood is an intricate concept, which includes birth, education, environment in which he/she is exposed to English, the sequence in which languages are learned, levels of proficiency, self-confidence, cultural affiliation, self-identification, and political allegiance.

B. Native English Speaking Teacher and Non-Native English Speaking Teacher
Indeed, the native English speaking teacher (NEST) vs. non-native English speaking teacher (non-NEST) question has generated an argument, polemic, or controversy – as it has been variously termed – which is growing in significance as the importance of learning languages in general, and English in particular, is increasingly acknowledged. As stated by Madrid and Perez (2004), the fact that the native or non-native teacher issue has become a noteworthy topic of discussion is not surprising, given our profession’s current championing of multiculturalism, multilingualism, and diversity and the recent interest in attaining bilingualism as a feasible objective for the near future in our country.
Furthermore, Madgyes (1994) devides the basic assumption of NESTs and non-NESTs into several points to be understood, they are:

1. NESTs and non-NESTs differ in terms of their language proficiency.
2. They differ in terms of their teaching behavior
3. They discrepancy in language proficiency accounts for most of the differences found in their teaching behavior.
4. They can be equally good teachers on their own terms

It seems that both native English speakers and non-native English speakers can take steps to improve as teachers. Native English speakers who want to teach English as a Second Language need to study on their own or enroll in a course to help them improve in certain areas. They should keep reference material on hand so that they can find the answers to difficult questions when they arise and study the basics of the native language. Non-native speakers may have to get more practice speaking English but this has become much easier with the invention of programs like Skype. Both groups have valuable skill sets that benefit students in different ways.

C. Domain in Teaching English Language
1. Pronunciation
It has been argued that only native speakers should teach English because they have the best pronunciation. On the one hand, this is has some validity. In Japan, Japanese English teachers often have very little experience speaking English so their pronunciation can sometimes be quite poor. Assistant Language Teachers from English speaking countries have easily found work in Japan because the Boards of Education are trying to improve student pronunciation and native speakers have encouraged more pronunciation practice in Japanese public schools.
On the other hand, in countries such as the Netherlands, English teachers often have very good English pronunciation and therefore students do not really need a native speaker to model sentences for them. Good English pronunciation does not mean using a British or American accent; if a teacher is Italian, an Italian accent is perfectly acceptable as long as the words are being pronounced correctly. Accents are not an indication of poor teaching but of where a person is from. At any rate, audio and video clips demonstrating proper English pronunciation are readily available and should be used by every ESL teacher to give students a chance to hear other voices. This does not mean that recordings can replace native English speakers or teachers with good pronunciation; it is simply another tool that teachers can use in their classrooms.

2. Communication
In most school systems, the immersion method is not used to teach English but the goal of ESL teachers should be to speak English in the classroom whenever possible. While this is a good rule for teaching a language, this approach can be frustrating for students especially those who are older and beginners. It is often helpful for students to be able to ask questions in their native language or to draw parallels between their language (L1) and English. An English native speaker may not be able to clearly communicate more complex ideas and structures to students especially if his understanding of the local language is limited. In contrast a teacher who is fluent in the local language will have an easier time completing these tasks and will often be able to relate to and manage students more effectively too.

3. Experience
Most non-native speakers are trained teachers either in their country or the country they teach in which means that they often will have much more teaching experience than native speakers. It seems foolish to assume that just because someone speaks English they can teach it effectively. Without training in classroom management and lessons in English grammar, native speakers cannot be effective ESL instructors. They may be able to speak the language but explaining it is an entirely different matter. If a native speaker is a qualified educator, then they will have an advantage but when teaching abroad, as mentioned above, it is also beneficial to be able to communicate with students in their native language. When native English speakers are paired with local teachers, students have the best of both worlds

4. Differences in Teaching Behavior
In explaining the differences, many participants pointed out that non-NESTs are usually pre occupied with accuracy, the formal features of English, the nuts and bolts of grammar, the printed word, and formal registers. Many lack fluency, have a limited insight into the intricacies of meaning, are often in doubt about appropriate language use, have poor listening and speaking skills, and are not familiar with colloquial English. It is only logical to assume that non-NESTs place an emphasis on those aspects of the language that they have a better grasp of. If they have a restricted knowledge of context, they tend to teach unfamiliar language element in poor context.

Table: Perceived differences in teaching behavior between NEST and non-NEST

D. Do We Need a Native Teacher?
Do we need a native teacher? It is ok to work with non-native teacher? These are common question for many students who learn English language in ESL or EFL context. This question only can be answered by considering the goal that someone want to achieve learning English. The above table can explain the answer of this question.

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References
Davies, A. 1991. The Native Speaker in Applied Linguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
Madgye. P 2000. When a teacher is non native speaker.
Madrid, D., & Perez, L. 2004. Teacher and Student Preferences of Native and Nonnative Foreign Language Teacher. Granada: university of Granada.

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Regard,
ALFYD, English Language Teacher