The Emergence of Cultural Learning Shift in English Language Pedagogy and Teacher Education

Education does not occur in a vacuum – it is the product of the context in which it takes place. Language education is of no exception. In the context of Asia, a common discourse relating to English language education is its presumed relationship with Asian learning culture. As a general term, Asian learning culture has come to mean the pervasive traditional view on the importance of literary education and the little value placed on knowledge acquisition for practical purposes. The authority of teachers as the purveyor of knowledge is usually unquestioned, as is the role of students as the mere recipients of knowledge. Corollaries of this perspective are the focus on literacy and the prevalence of teacher-centred learning. Rote learning, repetition and focus on the instruction given by the teacher are by way of implications important features of this allegedly established Asian cultural learning perspective.