Teaching English in Cuellaje, Ecuador

Erica Stabley

Omprakash Capstone Project

April 2015

As the world becomes more globalized, the use of a lingua franca becomes more

important because it will ultimately allow people from different countries and cultures to

effectively communicate with each other. English is not only the second or third most popular

language in the world spoken by native speakers, but it is also a common language spoken by

non-native speakers and over a quarter of the world’s population has some basic understanding

of it (Mastin 2011. Due to the large number of people who speak English and its widespread use

in the fields of business, science, aviation, computing, education, politics and entertainment,

English is a considered to be a common lingua franca around the world.

The lingua franca status of English has encouraged people all around the world to study

English for a variety of reasons, in a variety of settings, which may be related to work, education,

or personal reasons. All of these different reasons, however, have a common thread, which

relates to the fact that studying English will allow people to advance in some way that is specific

to their own lives and culture. English language learning, therefore, is surrounded by cross-

cultural values that are a result of the diverse backgrounds of language learners and their various

needs, goals, and motivations. In all English language learning classrooms, whether they are

English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, these

cross-cultural values influence students, teachers, and the learning environment in general. As a

result, it is important for English language teachers to develop cultural competence, which will

allow them to better understand their students’ needs, goals, values, and attitudes that are

connected to the ultimate reasons behind learning English. This is especially significant in EFL

settings because it can help teachers break down and begin to understand some of the

complexities that surround English language learning.

One of these complexities involves the fact that in an EFL setting, direct target needs

often do not exist simply because there is no immediate and direct use for English outside of the

classroom. This can pose challenges for teachers in an EFL setting because without direct needs,

students and teachers may become less motivated to learn and use English if there is not a direct

connection to their lives outside of the classroom. Developing cultural competence and

identifying a need for English that is specific to a community and culture, however, may help

both teachers and students balance some of these challenges and find a renewed motivation when

it comes to English language learning. This paper attempts to explore some of these underlying

issues in regard to general education as well as English language learning in the remote region of

Cuellaje, Ecuador where I was teaching EFL from January 2015 to March 2015.

I. Cuellaje, Ecuador

Cuellaje, located to the north of Otavalo, is

amongst the cloud forests and borders the Cotacachi-

Cayapas nature reserve. It is one of the seven parishes

that make up Intag district, which is the name

commonly used to describe the sub-tropical zone of

Imbabura province, and lies north of the capitol, Quito.

The parish of Cuellaje encompasses the village of

Cuellaje and eight additional surrounding communities. Each community has its own primary

school, but after primary school students from all of the communities must attend the high school

in Cuellaje village. The school in Cuellaje village has about 270 children who are between the

ages of 5 and 18. Cuellaje village is in a very remote region of Ecuador and, as a result, job

opportunities are limited mainly to agriculture and farming. Spanish is the primary language of

this region.

In Ecuador in general, the Human Development Report indicated that the average years

of schooling was only 7.6 years in 2013 (United Nations Development Programme, 2013). This

average is often significantly lower in rural areas because high dropout rates are more prevalent

where there are high rates of poverty. Although primary school enrollment is above 97 percent,

only about half of all Ecuadorian students continue on to secondary school (UNICEF, 2003).

According to the World Bank, both urban and rural regions of Ecuador have high poverty rates,

however, the causes of poverty are different in each setting. In rural regions poverty levels are

higher with 2 out of 3 people being poor, which is associated with low quality education, little

access to land, and lack of employment opportunities outside the farm-sector (The World Bank,

2011). Thus, poverty causes substandard quality of education and a substandard quality of

education causes poverty, resulting in a recurrent cycle.

When it comes to education, more often than not, Ecuadorian students do not have the

opportunity to be a part of a sustainable educational system that would help them get out of

poverty, especially in rural areas. Lucas (2000) describes the experience in Ecuadorian schools

as being “a repressive, repetitive, empiricist pedagogical exercise, without creative, without

constructive experimentation” (p. 42). Others indicated that the common teaching methodology

is based on repetition and routine and regurgitation of material, which leaves students feeling

under stimulated (Lucas, 2000). These are general educational challenges and social issues in

Ecuador and while Cuellaje also shares some of these, there are many challenges and issues that

are specific to this region in general.

II. Educational Challenges in Cuellaje

Teaching English in Cuellaje gave me the

opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of

some of the educational challenges and social

issues in this particular region. Its remote

location, higher rates of poverty, low motivation

levels of students, and limit in educational

resources all influence one another and create

challenges within the education system.

Cuellaje is a very remote village with the

closest city being about three hours away by bus on incredibly windy and taxing roads.

Although there is now internet in the main village of Cuellaje, the eight surrounding

communities of the parish are even more remote and people live very minimally and often

without electricity. Some of these communities are located an hour or more away from the main

village of Cuellaje and when students from surrounding communities finish primary school, they

must make the journey to Cuellaje to attend school. This can pose challenges when it comes to

attending school, especially during the rainy season which makes the already windy and bumpy

dirt roads even more difficult to drive on.

Throughout the entire parish, many of the

communities exist solely on farming because of its

remote location and the fact that the region is very

lush and fertile. On one hand, this is advantageous

because families have the option of growing their

THE VILLAGE OF CUELLAJE

own food and have a more sustainable lifestyle that aligns with the environment around them.

On the other hand, farming is physically and mentally demanding and requires the help of all

family members, including children. Thus, in place of attending school, children often end up

dropping out early to work on their family farms which narrows their opportunities to step

outside of the farming cycle through a strong education. As stated above, not having access to a

strong education ultimately continues to exacerbate the poverty cycle.

Higher levels of poverty also directly affect the quality of education because it limits

access to educational resources. Although the government is making positive educational

changes, rural schools are often some of the last schools to see these changes. Classrooms are

basic and resources are sometimes limited, which lowers the quality of education and can

negatively affect teachers, students, and school systems as a whole.

In addition to these outside influences, as mentioned above, common teaching methods in

Ecuador can also negatively affect the quality of education. If teachers are limited in resources,

such as text books or their access to effective material, they may resort to a methodology that is

based on repetition and regurgitation of material, which leaves students feeling as though they

are not getting a worthwhile education. Without student agency and exploration within the

learning environment, students may find it difficult to be self-motivated and this may shape their

view of education to be negative. Their lack of motivation ultimately affects teachers’ levels of

motivation as well, which results in a detrimental cycle.

Although there are various teachers in Cuellaje who go beyond these typical methods of

teaching and who challenge their students in various ways, the reality for many students is that

high school marks the end of their studies because attending university is not a part of their

future vision, whether for financial or personal reasons. This has a negative influence on

students and teachers in Cuellaje, which I learned more about through the relationships I build

with local teachers and students.

III. Insight from Local Teachers

As I built relationships with

some of the teachers and members of

the community in the Cuellaje school

district, I learned more about their

personal opinions and insights in

regard to the educational system.

Two of the English teachers, Wilmer

and Nancy, approached me to discuss

possible strategies that would help

them make their students more motivated when it came to their studies and to English

specifically. My initial answer was to somehow adapt the objectives, goals, and materials of

their classes to their students’ individual lives, needs, and goals, which would allow students to

better relate to what they are learning and would hopefully increase motivation. This, however,

is much easier said than done, and after hearing Wilmer’s concerns and opinions, I was able to

clearly see how teachers become frustrated and feel helpless in settings such as Cuellaje.

Wilmer, has been teaching English for over ten years, making him very experienced and

knowledgeable. During the first six years of his teaching career, Wilmer taught in Otavalo,

which is a large city and is therefore a much different setting than teaching in Cuellaje. For the

last four years, he has been teaching English in Cuellaje and shared some of the difficulties he

MONDAY MORNING LINEUP AT CUELLAJE HIGH SCHOOL

has encountered including low motivation levels, limited resources, and balancing environmental

challenges.

Wilmer explained that the majority of students are unable to see an educational future

that extends beyond high school and either are not motivated to attend university or cannot

attend university because of financial situations. Because students do not have an educational

future, they do not have specific goals or aspirations when it comes to their studies.

To be fair to the students, their lack of motivation is not just a personal issue, but is

related to the local culture and their immediate environment. As previously mentioned, families

often make a living by farming, and in a rural setting such as Cuellaje, this is often the only

option. Families have been farming for generations and even students of today’s generation have

parents who did not attend school at all. As a result, students grow up in an environment where

farming is the main priority and less priority is placed on higher education. The remote location

of Cuellaje means that students are surrounded only by this way of life, making it difficult for

them to imagine a life outside of what they are accustomed to. In addition, the remote location

means that in order to attend college, students would have to travel to and live in a larger city,

which requires money as they would be far from their families. Even though public university is

free in Ecuador, many families do not have the funds they would need to send their children

away for college. These realities can absolutely be overcome and there are students who do go

on to college, however, the majority of students cannot see past the realities that they are faced

with daily. As a result, they may not be as motivated in high school because their post-high

school aspirations do not revolve around attending college. School may then be taken less

seriously, which is a challenge that Wilmer and other teachers have been experiencing.

In addition to this challenge, the location of Cuellaje also places a limit on available

educational resources. The three hour bumpy, windy drive to Cuellaje is the sole route to

Cuellaje, meaning that resources must also travel this road. Textbooks, paper, pencils, and other

resources that are typically found in classrooms are scarce and difficult to obtain. Since Cuellaje

is a rural school, it is often one of the last to see government funding.

All of these environmental challenges also

indirectly effect the teacher population in Cuellaje.

Wilmer explained that just recently, Cuellaje was

short four or five teachers because many teachers do

not want to teach in such a remote location where they

would have to live and work during the weeks. They

were able to find several new teachers, but only half

way through the school year, which placed a great

deal of stress on existing teachers while they tried to

compensate for this. Overall, this challenge can lower the quality of education because well-

qualified teachers may not be available or may not want to teach in such a setting. Once again,

lower standards of education exacerbate the cycle of poverty.

These are just some of the challenges that teachers and students face in the village of

Cuellaje. The most major question I have is: how can current teachers and future volunteers help

to balance some of these challenges by creating a system that aligns with the local culture and

community of Cuellaje? After teaching in Cuellaje, I have a more profound understanding of the

way that the goals of the community as a whole, and students and teachers within, should be

used as an overarching theme in the creation of an effective system. The need for English as a

CUELLAJE HIGH SCHOOL

foreign language is also directly linked to these goals and by understanding the larger system,

English teaching has great potential in this region and could give students concrete and realistic

goals to work towards during their educational careers as well as post-education.

IV. Balancing Challenges

A. Government Funding in Cuellaje

I learned from speaking with local teachers and with Ned, the owner of Intag, that the

government has recently been making changes in the education system and has increased

funding for schools all over Ecuador, including the rural schools. Unfortunately, the rural

schools are typically the last schools to see this increase in funding, but eventually it does reach

them. When I arrived, the high school in Cuellaje had recently received an internet connection,

which is an open network for teachers and students to use. The fact that it is an open network is

both advantageous and disadvantageous, with the disadvantage being that students abuse the

internet availability by using Facebook during class (Facebook is new to Cuellaje). Although the

advantage is that the internet connects students to the larger world around them, it may be more

of distracting while they are in classes. Another government change is that they have recently

started providing mid-day snacks to students which is especially helpful for the younger grades

who may not have the ability to bring food with them. This may help students maintain their

focus during the day and increase their ability to be more attentive.

One possible governmental change that could be most effective is providing public bus

transport for students who live very rurally and must travel an hour or more to get to school each

day. This would encourage students to attend school longer and could potentially decrease

dropout rates, but it is something that Cuellaje has not seen yet and teachers are unsure if it will

actually happen. In addition, teachers and locals fear that if there is a bus system, the government

may try to close the rural primary schools because they believe that higher quality education

requires large schools. Once again, this would introduce a whole new set of challenges.

In addition, an increase in government funding may give regions like Cuellaje the

opportunity to plan and complete educational projects that they would otherwise not have the

money for. For instance, some of the English for Tourism students have created project

proposals to receive funding to plant a specific type of tree that would attract rare and nearly

extinct bird species. This, in return, would hopefully attract more tourists to the region which

would give more potential to the tourism sector in Cuellaje.

Overall, an increase in government funding is a positive change and has the potential to

help balance some of the challenges that are a result of the remote location of Cuellaje. With

more resources and proper allocation of these resources, it may shift priorities and perspectives

so that education is viewed as more valuable and worthwhile.

B. English for Tourism

How can the education in general and the EFL classroom be oriented towards the community

needs and goals in Cuellaje? From my experience in Cuellaje as well as other volunteer

experiences, I have learned that the most effective and efficient approach is to explore and learn

about a community and their needs and goals. This, of course, takes time, effort, and energy and,

most importantly, developing positive relationships with community members. I spent a great

amount of time learning about the education system in Cuellaje, by talking with local teachers

and administrators as well as community members. This opened up lines of communications and

through open communication I learned how English would be most beneficial to students and the

community, which helped me understand my overall reason for teaching English in Cuellaje.

One of the main reasons for learning English in Cuellaje is related to English for tourism.

English for tourism has the potential to help minimize the previously mentioned educational

challenges that arise from Cuellaje’s remote location, low student motivation levels, and higher

rates of poverty.

With English for Tourism, the remote and unique location of Cuellaje can be viewed as an

advantage rather than a disadvantage. Cuellaje is located in the Intag region and borders the

Cotacatchi Cayapas Ecological reserve, which is internationally recognized for biodiversity and

its unique ecology. The fact that Cuellaje is so remote means that this region is a pristine reserve

and the development of major industry is minimal, with the exception of mining. Between rare

and exotic plant and animal species, the infamous cloud forests, the impressive way that the

locals farm on mountain sides, and the lush and fertile environment that gives rise to a large

number of agricultural products, Cuellaje and the Intag region are a popular destination for eco-

tourists. Eco-tourism, therefore, has been developing into an important part of the economy and

supports local communities within the region. Cuellaje is one such region and has seen an

increase when it comes to eco-tourism. With an increase in eco-tourism, the need for English

speakers also increases, revealing a direct need for EFL in Cuellaje.

This direct need for EFL in Cuellaje aligns with specific goals of the community in Cuellaje

which has the potential to increase motivation of students as well as teachers. Because students

can see that learning English has immediate benefits for them, they may be more motivated when

it comes to their education. If the goals and objectives of the EFL classroom align with the need

for eco-tourism, students will be able to visualize English as being more important in their daily

lives rather than having a detached, unrealistic perspective. Learning English becomes much

more worthwhile and valuable because students are able to relate to what they are learning.

Students would therefore have concrete goals to work towards, that are not only realistic, but that

directly relate to their culture and environment. Eco-tourism places importance on students’

surroundings, which students have a personal connection which may shift their perspectives of

education.

In addition, eco-tourism results in positive developments for the local economy. Eco-tourism

gives the community another sustainable way of making an income which has the potential to

lower rates of poverty. Students may be able to that eco-tourism gives them another option

outside of farming, but that still connects to their local environment. Simply having another

option gives students the ability to visualize a different type of future that is within their reach

and may increase their motivation to do well in school.

While I was teaching in Cuellaje, I was able to become a part of the English for Tourism

class and co-taught with the local teacher, Lenin. We were able to plan a tourism project for

these students that would give them the opportunity to see how English relates to their lives and

eco-tourism in the region. Even though this project was short-term, I was able to see positive

shifts in the mindsets of the English for tourism students.

V. Tour of the Parish of Cuellaje

The tour that Lenin, the English for tourism students, and I organized was a mini tour of the

parish of Cuellaje. I knew that my parents were planning on visiting, so we decided to create a

tour for the ‘tourists,’ who were my parents and me. Having real ‘tourists’ as part of this project

gave my students a renewed motivation and a real goal to work towards. Initially, I was unsure

how the project would transpire, but was more than pleased by the hard work of my students.

The mini-tour began in the village of Cuellaje and explored some of the other communities

within the parish. We visited Magdalena where we learned about a historical water mill that has

been run by an ingenious local family for generations and then rode on horse-back to another

community called San Joaquin. Around San Joaquin, we zip-lined amongst the cloud forest and

visited local trout farms. The students even organized a traditional, local dish for lunch, which

we ate in the house of a local family. Different groups of students explained, in English, each of

the different points of the tour, which we had worked on during their classes.

On tour day, I learned that my parents and I were the first foreigners that some of my

students had ever spoken with. This alone is so powerful because the students gained a new

sense of confidence when it came to interacting with foreigners. More importantly, I realized

how much this small tour meant to my students. I sensed a new energy among them and they

became much more interactive with my parents and me. In addition, our outside interest gave

them the opportunity to share about an environment that they know so well, giving them a

newfound sense of pride in their community and culture.

Overall, English for tourism has the potential to balance some of the educational

challenges that students and teachers face in Cuellaje, such as the remote location, low

motivation levels and higher rates of poverty. More importantly, English for tourism can be

tailored to meet the needs and abilities of students and teachers as well as the overall community.

In this sense, it directly connects to local culture and can be that much more relevant to the

people surrounding that culture. If students, teachers, and volunteers can continue to tap into

local resources that surround eco-tourism, education could be positively affected which would

carry over to the standard of life as a whole.