Why do language teachers need a philosophy of teaching?

With speaker Professor Graham Crookes from the University of Hawaii 

Seminar

From 10 - 11.30am

In the introductory talk of this one-day workshop, I will explore a proposition that the rapid changes in the 21st century society in which multilingualism is the norm have presented new challenges and questions with regards to the roles, tasks, and contributions of language teachers. I will introduce the concept of a philosophy of teaching as beneficial for any professional language teacher who is pondering the practical implications of these new questions. The talk will focus on key aspects of critical language pedagogy as exemplifying one of four major philosophies of schooling. I will illustrate this approach with sample materials from my own work with language educators around the world and report briefly on studies of critical language pedagogy in EFL settings.

Workshop participants will then have the opportunity to engage with developing their own philosophy of teaching statements, which are an increasing part of expectations for professional development documentation, a standard element in teaching portfolios in general, part of pre-service teacher education and increasingly found in language teaching. I will guide participants through a series of reflective exercises, pair dialogues, group discussions, sample statements and formal input with the aim to produce a short draft or outline of a philosophy of teaching statement that could be expanded by individual participants after the workshop is over.

Workshop

From 11.45 - 4pm (Lunch will be provided)

Workshop participants will then have the opportunity to engage with developing their own philosophy of teaching statements, which are an increasing part of expectations for professional development documentation, a standard element in teaching portfolios in general, part of pre-service teacher education and increasingly found in language teaching. I will guide participants through a series of reflective exercises, pair dialogues, group discussions, sample statements and formal input with the aim to produce a short draft or outline of a philosophy of teaching statement that could be expanded by individual participants after the workshop is over.

Biography

Graham Crookes is Professor in the Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawai’i. He has worked with language teachers in Colombia, Denmark, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Vietnam and has published widely on second language learning, second language pedagogy and language teacher development. His recent books include Values, philosophies, and beliefs in TESOL: making a statement (Cambridge University Press) and Critical ELT in action: Foundations, promises, praxis (Routledge).