This is a scholarly dialogical space aimed at those English teachers who are interested in furthering the growth of their profession and enhancing the quality of the educational service.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Language teacher education in the age of ambiguity
DIRECTIONS: Listen to the following podcast made by Magdalena Kubanyiova, and write a response to the rationale and ways she suggests for educating language teachers as meaning makers in the world:
I will responde to the scholar's claim by citing Emmanuel Wallerstein, who states that every social being should at the same time be an intelectual, political,and ethical agent of those social spheres they belong to, being the world itself the most general one. In that sense, teachers themselves-no matter their field -should first develop these roles as members of their social circles and then make their students aware of the need to develop their own roles in society
I think she mentions a very important issue we have also been discussing in class in relation to the gap between educational pedagogy and the actual teaching practice. Educating meaning makers requires teachers’ commitment to understand and be part of a community that inquires in the language learning goals and that cannot be decontextualized.
In my view, what Kubanyiova calls education in the age of ambiguity, is a similar landscape to the one we have in our education system. For instance, all the inconsistencies that we found in the guidelines that the government stated for teaching English in the country. Even worse, the policies for teaching in the rural area that seem inconsistent in terms of teaching. Hence, the rationale that she offers is very accurate and well grounded.
On the other hand, she insists that we need teachers who do not shy away from the politics of the social world in which their practices are located. What is interesting for me is the growth of teachers who are committed to improve their practices and somehow modify those national guidelines to offer their students a better understanding of the real world. To conclude, the next step is to develop a pedagogy that allows us as teachers, to educate and transform those responsive meaning makers, which result even much more difficult but not impossible if we become more engaged with our educational context.
I really liked the claims the authors makes in her article Language Teacher Education in the Age of Ambiguity: Educating Responsive Meaning Makers in the World. I think that language teaching and learning, despite the theoretical and practical shifts during the last 50 years, still needs concrete actions where the mind is to be decolonized, informed by the foundations of the critical pedagogy. New roles from the stakeholders immersed in the educational field are required to boost language teaching and learning taking into account the periphery realities, where harsh cultural and sociopolitical phenomena coexist. The author claims that language teachers are called to be responsive meaning makers in the world, and not shy away from the politics of the social worlds in which their practices are located, but who are, at the same time, committed to growing their capacity of knowing what to do. To sum up, I feel this as a personal call to continue researching and reflecting upon my pedagogical practices.
I consider that Magdalena Kubanyiova emphasizes on a particular aspect of language teacher education that is left aside sometimes and that is crucial for teachers to see education as a huge responsibility we have in our hands. This relevant aspect has to do with the responsive meaning-making of teachers in everyone’s context. Knowing and being aware of the capacity we have to transform our students’ realities, where cannot be detached from our background, from the politics of our social environments and also from knowing what to do in particular moments of education. If we as teachers are conscious of this role we play in society, then we can help our students to play their role in the best way.
Kubanyova brings into the discussion the need of understanding the contexts and the shifts that have been happening in it. As well, I feel that she invites me to be aware of the huge responsaibility that I have as a teacher and citizen. Finally, she higlights the impotance of teachers as meaning makers in the world, which means that every day we have to feel the need of being more critical, curious and reflective upon what is around us and what is our real role as a teacher in our specific context.
The Author invites teachers to become agents of change in order to improve teaching practices and the learning process taking into consideration the context. She also invites to deal with educational policies in order to do something more despite government policies.
There is a huge call from Kubanyova to be aware of the situation we are living in the Colombian Context: We perceive the educational system from the pedagogy we learn at the university, police makers create guidelines without knowing what really happens in a classroom, and we as teacher have to breach the gap between the way we are supposed to teach (University learning) and the way the students behave in a classroom, attending a system created by peoplo who has no idea of teachong a lesson, or people who doesn't even have a title related to education.
The author makes us aware that we have a great responsability, since students put their hopes in the group of people coming to their classrooms every single day. This is why our system makes that strong task so diffucult, still, picking on our pround as humans beings.
We must have the ability to overcome all those difficulties, even if we are not in agreement with the policies shaping our educational environment, because eventually, our students will be reproducing a vicious circle without improving our society (wich will always be the gist of education)
I will responde to the scholar's claim by citing Emmanuel Wallerstein, who states that every social being should at the same time be an intelectual, political,and ethical agent of those social spheres they belong to, being the world itself the most general one. In that sense, teachers themselves-no matter their field -should first develop these roles as members of their social circles and then make their students aware of the need to develop their own roles in society
ReplyDeleteI think she mentions a very important issue we have also been discussing in class in relation to the gap between educational pedagogy and the actual teaching practice. Educating meaning makers requires teachers’ commitment to understand and be part of a community that inquires in the language learning goals and that cannot be decontextualized.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, what Kubanyiova calls education in the age of ambiguity, is a similar landscape to the one we have in our education system. For instance, all the inconsistencies that we found in the guidelines that the government stated for teaching English in the country. Even worse, the policies for teaching in the rural area that seem inconsistent in terms of teaching. Hence, the rationale that she offers is very accurate and well grounded.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, she insists that we need teachers who do not shy away from the politics of the social world in which their practices are located. What is interesting for me is the growth of teachers who are committed to improve their practices and somehow modify those national guidelines to offer their students a better understanding of the real world. To conclude, the next step is to develop a pedagogy that allows us as teachers, to educate and transform those responsive meaning makers, which result even much more difficult but not impossible if we become more engaged with our educational context.
I really liked the claims the authors makes in her article Language Teacher Education in the Age of Ambiguity: Educating Responsive Meaning Makers in the World. I think that language teaching and learning, despite the theoretical and practical shifts during the last 50 years, still needs concrete actions where the mind is to be decolonized, informed by the foundations of the critical pedagogy. New roles from the stakeholders immersed in the educational field are required to boost language teaching and learning taking into account the periphery realities, where harsh cultural and sociopolitical phenomena coexist. The author claims that language teachers are called to be responsive meaning makers in the world, and not shy away from the politics of the social worlds in which their practices are located, but who are, at the same time, committed to growing their capacity of knowing what to do. To sum up, I feel this as a personal call to continue researching and reflecting upon my pedagogical practices.
ReplyDeleteI consider that Magdalena Kubanyiova emphasizes on a particular aspect of language teacher education that is left aside sometimes and that is crucial for teachers to see education as a huge responsibility we have in our hands. This relevant aspect has to do with the responsive meaning-making of teachers in everyone’s context. Knowing and being aware of the capacity we have to transform our students’ realities, where cannot be detached from our background, from the politics of our social environments and also from knowing what to do in particular moments of education. If we as teachers are conscious of this role we play in society, then we can help our students to play their role in the best way.
ReplyDeleteKubanyova brings into the discussion the need of understanding the contexts and the shifts that have been happening in it. As well, I feel that she invites me to be aware of the huge responsaibility that I have as a teacher and citizen.
ReplyDeleteFinally, she higlights the impotance of teachers as meaning makers in the world, which means that every day we have to feel the need of being more critical, curious and reflective upon what is around us and what is our real role as a teacher in our specific context.
The Author invites teachers to become agents of change in order to improve teaching practices and the learning process taking into consideration the context. She also invites to deal with educational policies in order to do something more despite government policies.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge call from Kubanyova to be aware of the situation we are living in the Colombian Context: We perceive the educational system from the pedagogy we learn at the university, police makers create guidelines without knowing what really happens in a classroom, and we as teacher have to breach the gap between the way we are supposed to teach (University learning) and the way the students behave in a classroom, attending a system created by peoplo who has no idea of teachong a lesson, or people who doesn't even have a title related to education.
ReplyDeleteThe author makes us aware that we have a great responsability, since students put their hopes in the group of people coming to their classrooms every single day. This is why our system makes that strong task so diffucult, still, picking on our pround as humans beings.
We must have the ability to overcome all those difficulties, even if we are not in agreement with the policies shaping our educational environment, because eventually, our students will be reproducing a vicious circle without improving our society (wich will always be the gist of education)