Talking to Malba Barahona, language teacher and Research Fellow
Malba has recently come back to Chile after approving her PhD dissertation in Australia. Malba, formerly trained at Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (UMCE), is now attached to Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
Malba, Can you tell us where you were and what you did? What motivated you to go to that place? Tell us about your experience and how this all started.
I lived in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, for 5 and a half years. I migrated there without knowing much about the city. I just wanted to go to Australia because it seemed to be a great country to pursue doctoral studies and experience a radical change in my life. I was right! Australia is an amazing country with a hidden history and unique flora and fauna. It is a great place for bushwalking!
I travelled to Canberra at the end of September, 2009, arriving in the middle of a sand storm and just before one of the hottest summers (which was just before a very cold winter!). I started my PhD at the Australian National University (ANU, a prestigious research university) a few days later and settled in to a very different pattern of living and research. By the end of that year, I was struggling with defining the focus of my research project and adjusting to a very different lifestyle.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learnt so many things that it is very difficult to make a short list. However, I can say that I developed my resilience and my strength to cope with ambiguity and uncertainty. Professionally, I developed my skills and knowledge as a language educator and as an educational researcher. I also learnt about Australia, its history and people. I was touched by getting to know a bit of the history of Australian aborigines and the drastic effects of colonization on a nation with a history of over 45000 years.
Regarding Australian English, I can say that it is less “funny” than New Zealand's English, but it is still conspicuous. G’Day Mate, No worries, she'll be right, happy as larry, flat out as a lizard drinking, thongs, arvo, togs, dunny, servo are just some examples of lexical items that are characteristically Australian. However, the quintessential feature of Australian English is its accent. Watch this video https://youtu.be/yDb_WsAt_Z0 and see what you think!
What would you recommend to those who may go on a similar experience?
I´d recommend going overseas with an open mind to learn as much as possible not only from the new world they are going to encounter, but also from themselves and where they come from. Doing a PhD overseas is a challenging task. Your identity changes and the process can be daunting. However, the PhD experience can be a great learning opportunity to explore a phenomenon in detail and contribute to making our society more inclusive and tolerant. Learning to research is an activity in which you engage not only with methods or theoretical frameworks, but with the study and participants. Hopefully, this understanding will lead to transformations. I also recommend studying in countries other than the USA or the UK. The world is much bigger than that!
As a result of your studies, what do you intend to apply in your language teaching programme at your university or at any Chilean University?
Well, as a result of my studies in Australia, I am continuing to research the activity of learning to teach EFL in Chile. The results of my PhD studies are the basis of my understanding on how pre-service learn to teach. I am currently undertaking a research project on collaborative approaches between the school and university to more effectively support pre-service teachers. I hope that the results of this new study will shed light on this complex issue and contribute some strategies to support teachers more effectively.
How different do you think you are now that you are back in our country?
There is no doubt that I am not the same. I am more critical, reflexive and skeptical. The changes I have experienced correspond to my personal journey towards becoming an academic woman.
How do you think your learners will benefit from this experience?
Studying how pre-service teachers learn to teach EFL has changed my views on SLTE. Thus, I hope that understanding is revealed in my teaching as I try to articulate a sociocultural view on English language teaching.
I understand you were mainly concerned with language teacher education in your studies, so what challenges do you think our teacher education programmes face at the moment?
This is a question that requires a long answer, but for the sake of this interview I can mention some key issues that need to be confronted in English language teacher education programs in Chile:
Malba, Can you tell us where you were and what you did? What motivated you to go to that place? Tell us about your experience and how this all started.
I lived in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, for 5 and a half years. I migrated there without knowing much about the city. I just wanted to go to Australia because it seemed to be a great country to pursue doctoral studies and experience a radical change in my life. I was right! Australia is an amazing country with a hidden history and unique flora and fauna. It is a great place for bushwalking!
I travelled to Canberra at the end of September, 2009, arriving in the middle of a sand storm and just before one of the hottest summers (which was just before a very cold winter!). I started my PhD at the Australian National University (ANU, a prestigious research university) a few days later and settled in to a very different pattern of living and research. By the end of that year, I was struggling with defining the focus of my research project and adjusting to a very different lifestyle.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learnt so many things that it is very difficult to make a short list. However, I can say that I developed my resilience and my strength to cope with ambiguity and uncertainty. Professionally, I developed my skills and knowledge as a language educator and as an educational researcher. I also learnt about Australia, its history and people. I was touched by getting to know a bit of the history of Australian aborigines and the drastic effects of colonization on a nation with a history of over 45000 years.
Regarding Australian English, I can say that it is less “funny” than New Zealand's English, but it is still conspicuous. G’Day Mate, No worries, she'll be right, happy as larry, flat out as a lizard drinking, thongs, arvo, togs, dunny, servo are just some examples of lexical items that are characteristically Australian. However, the quintessential feature of Australian English is its accent. Watch this video https://youtu.be/yDb_WsAt_Z0 and see what you think!
What would you recommend to those who may go on a similar experience?
I´d recommend going overseas with an open mind to learn as much as possible not only from the new world they are going to encounter, but also from themselves and where they come from. Doing a PhD overseas is a challenging task. Your identity changes and the process can be daunting. However, the PhD experience can be a great learning opportunity to explore a phenomenon in detail and contribute to making our society more inclusive and tolerant. Learning to research is an activity in which you engage not only with methods or theoretical frameworks, but with the study and participants. Hopefully, this understanding will lead to transformations. I also recommend studying in countries other than the USA or the UK. The world is much bigger than that!
As a result of your studies, what do you intend to apply in your language teaching programme at your university or at any Chilean University?
Well, as a result of my studies in Australia, I am continuing to research the activity of learning to teach EFL in Chile. The results of my PhD studies are the basis of my understanding on how pre-service learn to teach. I am currently undertaking a research project on collaborative approaches between the school and university to more effectively support pre-service teachers. I hope that the results of this new study will shed light on this complex issue and contribute some strategies to support teachers more effectively.
How different do you think you are now that you are back in our country?
There is no doubt that I am not the same. I am more critical, reflexive and skeptical. The changes I have experienced correspond to my personal journey towards becoming an academic woman.
How do you think your learners will benefit from this experience?
Studying how pre-service teachers learn to teach EFL has changed my views on SLTE. Thus, I hope that understanding is revealed in my teaching as I try to articulate a sociocultural view on English language teaching.
I understand you were mainly concerned with language teacher education in your studies, so what challenges do you think our teacher education programmes face at the moment?
This is a question that requires a long answer, but for the sake of this interview I can mention some key issues that need to be confronted in English language teacher education programs in Chile:
- Implementation of sequential teaching practices in Chile
- School-based experience is not enough
- A clear divide between university knowledge and school teaching practices
- Lack of a developed system that supports school-based learning
- No shared understanding of what and how teachers should learn at school.
- School-university partnerships are often underdeveloped or non-existent
- Lack of qualified university and school teachers to perform the role of mentor
Course structure:
- A separation between English language subjects and pedagogical units
- An emphasis of English language acquisition over other educational disciplines
- A lack of critical view of ELT in Chile
- A lack of critical view of English language testing in Chile
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
My experience as a PhD student in Australia was challenging, but rewarding. Not only did I successfully finish my studies, but this experience also allowed me to disseminate my research by the publication of my book “English Language Teacher Education in Chile: a Cultural Historical Activity Theory Perspective”. I hope it contributes to the ongoing conversation of how to improve English language teacher education in Chile.
No doubt that living in Australia changed my life for good! I got to know myself and my country better and last, but not least, I met the love of my life who has followed me without any hesitations to the other side of the Pacific Ocean. What else can I ask for? I´m very grateful!
My experience as a PhD student in Australia was challenging, but rewarding. Not only did I successfully finish my studies, but this experience also allowed me to disseminate my research by the publication of my book “English Language Teacher Education in Chile: a Cultural Historical Activity Theory Perspective”. I hope it contributes to the ongoing conversation of how to improve English language teacher education in Chile.
No doubt that living in Australia changed my life for good! I got to know myself and my country better and last, but not least, I met the love of my life who has followed me without any hesitations to the other side of the Pacific Ocean. What else can I ask for? I´m very grateful!
