I became aware of the term PARSNIP by attending one of the BBELT forums a few years ago. I have to confess that even though I was not satisfied with some of the topics in the book since I considered they were not engaging for my learners' context and background, I never dared to veer from the contents of the program. Little did I know how much my students would have profited from using more critical thinking than focusing on language skills and structures in this mild environment.
But what does PARSNIP stand for?
It is not entirely clear when and by who this term was coined. However, it is commonly attributed to Scott Thornbury, a prominent ELT expert. Thornbury introduced the term in a blog post in 2006 where he discussed the taboo topics that ELT materials often avoided. He used the acronym PARSNIP to refer to these topics, as they included Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, -Isms, (e.g. communism, feminism, etc.), and Pork. Since then, the term has become widely used in the ELT community to describe potentially sensitive topics that teachers may wish to avoid in their lessons.
First and foremost, PARSNIP topics can be sensitive because they are deeply embedded in culture and can be highly personal. Topics such as political beliefs, religious practices, and values are often intertwined with an individual's identity which can lead to strong emotions when discussed especially in a language that is not the student's first language.
However, I strongly believe that despite these challenges, PARSNIP topics can be a rich source of opportunities for language learning and cultural exchange. Teachers take the risk of creating artificial language tasks that do not reflect real-world issues.
So how can teachers approach PARSNIP topics in the EFL classroom?
- First, conduct a survey about how comfortable your students would feel by discussing these topics. They can also suggest and vote for the ones they would like to include in their lessons.
- Then, create a safe and respectful learning environment. It is important to establish ground rules for respectful communication and boundaries.
- Provide appropriate language support since some of these topics may include complex vocabulary or references beyond your students' knowledge. Conduct a pre-teaching vocabulary stage or provide cultural context to help learners understand and express their ideas better.
- Use authentic materials such as videos, podcasts, or articles that can provide real-world examples.
- Finally, focus on functional language rather than simply discussing a controversial topic for the sake of debate. Language functions such as expressing opinions, agreeing or disagreeing, and making suggestions could be addressed to help your student develop practical language skills.
We can conclude that by discussing sensitive topics in a safe and respectful manner, students can learn to express themselves more effectively and develop critical thinking skills.
References.
Ur, P. (2016). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 8: Dealing with controversial topics, pp. 211-229).
Thornbury, S. (2010). T is for Taboo. Retrieved from https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/t-is-for-taboo/
