scholarly journals Language Pedagogy and Teacher Identity: A Decolonial Lens to English Language Teaching From a Teacher Educator’s Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-214
Author(s):  
Diego Ubaque-Casallas
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public University ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Ways Of Being

This paper describes a narrative study that emerged from various conversations with an English language teacher at a public university in Bogotá, Colombia. This research is based on intersectional narratives to locate the intersections between English language pedagogy and the identities of English language teachers. Second, the study examined discourses that can construct English language pedagogy and teachers’ identities by avoiding simplistic generalizations and essentialisms. Findings suggest that although there are still colonial roots that repress other ways of being and doing, English language pedagogy goes beyond the instrumental sense of teaching. As such, English language pedagogy is about transformation as it is never static because it is an extension of identity.

scholarly journals Becoming mentors: a narrative exercise to unveil struggles guiding an english language teaching practicum

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 312-324
Author(s):  
Pilar Méndez-Rivera ◽  
Francisco Pérez-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Collaborative Reflection ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
English Language Teachers

This paper analyses the memories of two English language teachers recollected about their struggles to break through as practicum mentors in two public universities. This small- scale narrative study emerged from the constant and collaborative reflection upon their long years of experience advising primary and secondary schools’ mentees, and upon the different situations mentors had to experience while performing their job. Findings revealed that despite having worked in two allegedly different settings, both mentors faced similar issues regarding their vision of education, their view on language and their own identity as teachers, which affected their guidance. They also found that the feedback they provided their mentees perpetuated or contradicted dominant visions where inclusion and diversity were neutralized.

scholarly journals Editorial

HOW ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (27) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
The World ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Ethics In Research

New ways of thinking are constantly emerging in English language teachers around the world, new ways that open windows to other horizons in English language teaching and learning. In this first issue of HOW Journal in 2020, the English language teacher-authors articulate themes related to colonial issues, ethics in research, self-reflection, and novel implementations concerning teaching progress.

scholarly journals (Re)constructing Teacher Identity through the Contesting Narratives of ELT Associations

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-141
Author(s):  
Ramesh Nair ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Multimodal Texts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
English Language Teachers

Discussions in the mainstream media about the declining standard of English in Malaysia have focused on a variety of contributing factors, one of the more prominent being the quality of teaching. English language teachers have been central actors in these narratives and are often easy targets for assigning blame. Left uncontested, such narratives have the capacity to shape a damaging image of Malaysian English language teachers which can have lasting implications for the ELT profession in the country. Fortunately, alternative voices emerge to challenge narratives describing Malaysian English language teachers as inept and incompetent. In this paper, I examine such narratives as they are presented through multimodal texts published and circulated in the public domain by the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association. Drawing on the frameworks of Systemic-Functional Linguistics and visual grammar, I examine a series of posters disseminated through the association’s social media platforms. The analysis unpacks the language and images used in the posters, and reveals an alternative discourse in which these teachers are presented as trained professionals with expertise in their field of ELT. The study highlights the important role of ELT associations in representing its members by challenging emerging discourses which threaten the reputation of the profession.

scholarly journals Queer English Language Teacher Identity: A Narrative Exploration in Colombia

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Roderick Lander
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Queer Identity ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Gay Male ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Language Teacher Identity

This article presents partial results of research exploring links between language teacher identity and queer identity in English language teachers working in Colombia. Three gay male teachers participated in a narrative research project framed within a poststructural perspective on identity. I conducted and recorded semi-structured interviews with the participants and then carried out a thematic analysis of these interviews which led to the emergence of three main themes. Here, I present the most prevalent theme, that of being a gay language teacher in the Colombian context which reveals that the participants all live their queer identity alongside their language teacher identity with ease although they do recount instances of homophobia which have impacted their day-to-day lives and their careers.

scholarly journals Teacher’s Perception of “A good English Language Teacher”

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Viet Hung
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Competency Framework ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Competence Framework

This article, as a part of a bigger research project on teachers' perceptions about the role of the teacher in teaching English in Vietnam, is to contribute a voice in clarifying the competence of a language teacher (teaching language) in view of ELT methodologists in the world. First author presents different perspectives on English teacher competence framework, then makes analysis of the competence frameworks, caregorizes them into groups, so that readers easily find the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Then the article summarizes the results of a study on the perception of secondary school teachers in Hanoi about “a good English language teacher” and necessary competences of English language teachers. Theoretical framework for data analysis is based on Dudzik's Competency Framework for English Language Teachers (2008) and the Guidebook for use of Competency Framework for English Language Teachers from NFL2020 (2015). Research results will bring new information and necessary knowledge to help teachers and administrators (especially NFL2020) make appropriate adjustments to improve the quality of English language teaching in Vietnam.

scholarly journals Rural English Language Teacher Identities: Alternative Narratives of Professional Success

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-453
Author(s):  
Ferney Cruz-Arcila
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Good Teaching ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Professional Success ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
English Language Teachers

This paper problematizes the notion of professional success in English language teaching as constructed in language policy in Colombia. This is done by examining one of the most underexplored social diversities in the field: rural schools. Stemming from a narrative study on how rural English language teachers configure their professional identities vis-à-vis the situated circumstances of their work settings and external pressures, this analysis shows that teachers’ sense of professional success is negotiated in creative, complex, and multiple—although not always consistent—ways, which represent alternative constructions of good teaching to those promulgated in policy. It is argued, then, that a reconfiguration of the belief systems of what teachers should know and do is necessary

scholarly journals “Is This a Safe Space?”: Examining an Emotionally Charged Eruption in Critical Language Pedagogy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Gordon Blaine West
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Feminist Theories ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Private Individual

Unexpected conflicts, or eruptions, in class during discussions of controversial issues are not uncommon in the field of English language teaching (ELT). This can be especially true for critical English language teachers who hope to address social justice issues in their classrooms. Existing literature of these events often mentions emotional responses of teachers and students, without fully analyzing the ways in which emotions are processed and constrained around these eruptions. This article examines a homophobic incident during an in-service English language teacher course taught by the author to illustrate ways in which emotions shaped the response to the incident, and how social justice aims can be achieved for critical language teachers in emotionally challenging environments, where there may be competing claims of injustice and narratives of oppression. Drawing on feminist theories of emotion, the case is made for a conceptualization of emotions not as private, individual experiences, but rather as public, socioculturally and materially mediated experiences. Social justice is theorized as an active fight against injustices that cannot be seen as an individual, isolated effort. Implications for critical language educators are shared.

scholarly journals MULTIMODALITY, MASS MIGRATION AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-622
Author(s):  
Vanderlei J. Zacchi
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Important Means ◽  
English Language Teachers

Abstract: This paper aims to discuss the use of multimodality in English language teaching. The corpus consists of a set of activities based on a series of pictures related to the seizure of two trucks carrying US-bound migrants in 2011. Two different groups, comprised of pre-service and in-service English language teachers, took part in the research. The first part of the activity involved loose interpretations of the pictures and a discussion about migration nowadays. Afterwards, other activities were carried out based on Luke and Freebody's four-resources model (1990). Some preliminary analyses lead us to conclude that the reading of images is very much culturally sensitive and that multimodal ways of meaning making are becoming more powerful in the globalized, digital era, turning them into an important means for English teaching nowadays.

scholarly journals Debates about Educational Issues: A Pedagogical Strategy to Explore Argumentative Skills in the EFL Classroom

HOW ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (27) ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Ángela Vanesa Duarte Infante ◽  
Sandra Milena Fonseca Velandia ◽  
Bertha Ramos Holguín
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Public University ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Pedagogical Intervention ◽  
Pedagogical Strategy ◽  
Educational Issues ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The Impact

This article describes a pedagogical proposal, based on debates, to determine the type of arguments that pre-service English language teachers constructed at a public university in Tunja, Colombia. We implemented a series of debate workshops about educational issues. Thirteen modern languages pre-service teachers in their sixth semester participated in the debates. In each debate, we collected data through recordings, focus groups, and field notes to understand the impact of the pedagogical intervention. Findings suggest that the arguments pre-service teachers built were based on examples. In this sense, the arguments built were based on their personal experiences and their partners’ opinions. We argue for the need to implement more research proposals that will contribute to the understanding and awareness of what argumentation implies.

scholarly journals Kuwaiti Instructors' Beliefs about English Language Teaching and Their Awareness of Global English

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Ahmad F. Alnwaiem ◽  
Abdullah M. Alazemi ◽  
Abdullah A. Alenezi
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Global English ◽  
English Language Teachers

The beliefs of EFL teachers are an essential term perceived in a number of educational fields. Especially in teacher education and behavioural research, this term is usually related to teachers' habits and practices in classes, considering their impact on each other. The aim of this study is to add to prior studies on the subject of teachers' beliefs and to concentrate on English language teachers (ELT). The objective is to merge the theory of instructors' beliefs with Global English (GE). The research question 'what are the Kuwaiti instructors' beliefs about ELT and their awareness of Global English?' formalizes these aims. To accomplish the research: To discover teachers' beliefs about ELT and their awareness of Global English. This research concentrates on English language teachers at the university level. The collection of data has been conducted over two months. For data collection and interpretation, this study adopted a qualitative research methodology. Surveys were chosen as the instrument for data collection. The study used qualitative content analysis in relation to the data analysis method. Moreover, the findings were evaluated based on a deductive and inductive approach to qualitative data analysis. Results indicated various kinds of teachers' beliefs about ELT. Including views about the English language, ELT in relation to the standards, ELT with regard to the GE context. English-language beliefs played a central role in shaping two other views, which were considered secondary beliefs. Except for the content of teachers' beliefs, the study's findings have shown two significant categories of influences: internal and external, that affect the development and application of teachers' beliefs in classrooms. In this study, the internal factor referred mainly to English-language teaching beliefs based on its ability to influence other cognitive constructs (i.e., different convictions, behaviours, sensitivity) and teaching practices. As far as external factors are concerned, the teachers' diverse experiences with individuals (e.g., parents and retired teachers) and administrative legislation (e.g., policy and curriculum) are the main factors. Finally, it was possible to conclude the findings of this analysis in the same manner as previous studies, which combined teacher cognition theory with the field of GE. In other words, teacher beliefs play a crucial part in the teacher's cognitive system as a decisive role in their teaching practice. This study proposes further research to reinforce the results of contemporary research in this area.

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