Date of Submission
7-13-2024
Document Type
DiP
Degree
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
Keywords
Critical Pedagogy, Conscientization, English as an Additional Language, Change Path Model, Appreciative Inquiry, Ethically Important Moments
Abstract
Teaching English to speakers of other languages involves the transfer of embedded neoliberal cultural values along with knowledge of the language itself. English as an Additional Language schools have been and continue to be used as a tool of neocolonial expansionism, and as a result they are complex sites of cultural, economic, personal, and political exchange. As sites of active, complex interaction, English as an Additional Language schools present a powerful opportunity for teaching practitioners to disrupt instances of unquestioned cultural value adoption using critical pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching techniques. Personal critical reflexivity and peer learning activities can support the development of conscientization among teaching professionals, and teachers can and should also encourage greater conscientization among their students. Opportunities for this development and support exist in both significant and fleeting instances: teachers of English must be prepared to recognize and employ these opportunities to advance social justice through both planned, broadly implemented teaching practice and through ethically important moments that arise spontaneously. In this Dissertation in Practice, I advocate for the importance of approaching socially just change with a critical lens, as a means of thinking and acting beyond the limitations of one’s personal lived experience. Coupled with criticality, an authentic and shared leadership stance creates the conditions of trust and empowerment that allow for meaningful pedagogical change. I propose a multi-stage change plan built on a synthesized model incorporating elements of both the Change Path Model and Appreciative Inquiry to promote the use of critical pedagogy and to advance ethical change.
Recommended Citation
Scott Adams, E. (2024). Unsettling the Settler Language: Reducing Neocolonial Impact in an English as an Additional Language School. The Organizational Improvement Plan at Western University, 411. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/oip/411
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons