The Problem with the Current Publishing Paradigm
In my first year of teaching in Japan, fourteen years ago, it came as quite a shock when a respected colleague, who had been writing an article on the history of English teaching, told me that English language teaching really hasn't changed much from the times of Colonial America. "Most of what went on then is the same as what is going on now," he stated, meaning that students read out a few simulated conversations, study some grammar fragments and structures based on the dialogue and then move on to the next conversation and grammar aspect. The reason for this is that publishing is a risky business: one can lose a lot of money on a particular change that teachers or students may not like. Thus, publishers tend to be very conservative, viewing innovation as a risk and a problem; editors have fewer issues, questions, problems, and meetings with the "tried and true format."
This problem is further compounded by large corporations, which are only interested in making a "buck," instead of making the best textbook. For example, most large corporations do not want to print books with Japanese names and references as the Japanese market is simply "too small" and they want to sell to all of Asia. Higher level textbooks for advanced learners are also often rejected as the market is viewed as less profitable and because there are fewer advanced students. All of this leads to what I call a kind of "McDonaldization" of EFL education. Yes, there have been some changes in some textbooks, but the change is too slow.
In the end, the lack of progress does affect us as teachers. Textbooks are the gate to learning and roadway on which most learning takes place (being the basis for most classes), and so it is easy to see that this "tried and true" road can become quite monotonous, predictable, and culturally short-sighted. This is particularly true as very little material allows for students to explain their ideas, values, or culture, or allows for any meaningful cross-cultural interactions or simulations. It is, therefore, little wonder then that our students are bored with English, and the tendency has always been to blame the student and not the textbook.