Overview

The legacy of English teaching and Christian missionaries is a flashpoint within the field of English language teaching. This critical examination of the place of Christianity in the field is unique in presenting the voices of TESOL professionals from a wide range of religious and spiritual perspectives. About half identify themselves as ""Christian"" while the others identify themselves as Buddhist, atheist, spiritualist, and variations of these and other faiths. What is common for all the authors is their belief that values have an important place in the classroom. What they disagree on is whether and how spiritual values should find expression in learning and teaching. This volume dramatizes how scholars in the profession wrestle with ideological, pedagogical, and spiritual dilemmas as they seek to understand the place of faith in education. To sustain this conversation, the book is structured dialogically. Each section includes a set of position chapters in which authors explain their views of faith/pedagogy integration, a set of chapters by authors responding to these positions while articulating their own views on the subject, and discussion questions to engage readers in comparing the positions of all the authors, reflecting on their own experiences and values, and advancing the dialogue in fresh and personal directions.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mary Shepard Wong (Azusa Pacific University, USA) ,  Suresh Canagarajah (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.610kg
ISBN:  

9780415504676

ISBN 10:   0415504678
Pages:   326
Publication Date:   10 June 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Preface Acknowledgments Contributors’ Spiritual Identification Statements Abbreviations Introduction 1 New Possibilities for the Spiritual and the Critical in Pedagogy Suresh Canagarajah, Pennsylvania State University Part I. Setting the Tone: Dialogue and Discourse 2 Nonjudgmental Steps on a Road to Understanding Julian Edge, University of Manchester, UK 3 Is Dialogue Possible? Challenges to Evangelicals and Non-Evangelicals in English Language Teaching Bill Johnston, Indiana University, US 4 First the Log in Your Own Eye: Missionaries and their Critics Michael Chamberlain, Azusa Pacific University, US 5 A Preliminary Survey of Christian English Language Teachers in Countries that Restrict Missionary Activity Karen Asenavage Loptes, University of Pennsylvania, US Responses 6 Is Dialogue Possible? Anti-Intellectualism, Relativism, Politics and Linguistic Ideologies Alastair Pennycook, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia 7 Dialogue and Discourse Robert Phillipson, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark 8 Questioning Religious ""Ideals"" and Intentionalities: Staving off Religious Arrogance and Bigotry in ELT Vaidehi Ramanathan, The University of California, Davis, US 9 Can We Talk? Finding a Platform for Dialogue among Values-based Professionals in Post-Positivist Education Suresh Canagarajah, Pennsylvania State University, US Discussion Questions Part II. Ideological and Political Dilemmas 10 Deconstructing/Reconstructing the Missionary English Teacher Identity Mary Shepard Wong, Azusa Pacific University, US 11 English and Education in Anglophone Africa: Historical and Current Realities Sinfree Makoni and Busi Makoni, Pennsylvania State University, US 12 Confronting the Empire: Language Teachers as Charitable Guests Myrrl Byler, Mennonite Partners in China, US 13 Christian English Teacher’s Presence: Reflecting Constantine or Christ? James Stabler-Havener, Sichuan Normal University, PR China Responses 14 A Former ""Missionary Kid"" Responds Stephanie Vandrick, University of San Francisco, US 15 Caught between Poststructuralist Relativism and Materialism or Liberal and Critical Multiculturalism? Manka M. Varghese, University of Washington, US 16 The English Language and the Word of God Zoltán Dörnyei, University of Nottingham, UK Discussion Questions Part III. Pedagogical AND PROFESSIONAL Dilemmas 17 The Courage to Teach as a Non-Native teacher: The Confession of a Christian Teacher John Liang, Biola University, US 18 English Teachers, Language Learning, and the Issue of Power Don Snow, University of Nanjing, PR China 19 Classroom Guidelines for Teachers with Convictions Kitty B. Purgason, Biola University, US Responses 20 The Pedagogical Dilemmas of Faith in ELT: A Dialogic Response Brian Morgan, York University, Canada 21 Power and Change in ELT: Thoughts from a Fellow Traveler Dana R. Ferris, University of California, Davis, US 22 Reconsidering Roadside Assistance: The Problem with Christian Approaches to Teaching the English Language Terry A. Osborn, Fordham University, US Discussion Questions Part IV. Spiritual AND ETHICAL Dilemmas 23 Spiritual Dimensions in Language Teaching: A Personal Reflection Ryuko Kubota, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 24 Spiritual Lessons Learned from a Language Teacher Christopher A. Bradley, Siebold University of Nagaski, Japan 25 The Spiritual Ecology of Second Language Pedagogy David I. Smith, Calvin College, US 26 Truth in Teaching English Richard E. Robison, Azusa Pacific Universit, US Responses 27 Imperatives, Dilemmas, and Conundrums in Spiritual Dimensions of ELT H. Douglas Brown, San Francisco State University, US 28 Additive Perspective on Religion or Growing Hearts with Wisdom Ahmar Mahboob, University of Sydney, Australia 29 A Question of Priorities Andy Curtis, Chinese University of Hong Kong, SAR, China Discussion Questions Conclusion 30 Christian and Critical Language Educators in Dialogue: Imagining Possibilities Mary Shepard Wong, Azusa Pacific University, US & Suresh Canagarajah, Pennsylvania State University, US Afterword The Dilemma Earl Stevick with Carolyn Kristjánsson, Trinity Western University, Canada"

Reviews

Christian and Critical English Language Educators in Dialogue addresses some of the ethical issues considered by TESOL professionals, especially critics of Christian English teachers who engage in teaching English as a means of gaining entry to countries, where Christian missionaries per se are not welcomed, for the purpose of evangelism...This book is helpful in pointing out the struggles of one group of Christian professionals, as they wrestle with this dilemma and with their critics. It can inform us all. --SIL International Christian and Critical English Language Educators in Dialogue is an ambitious and effective book, bringing together well-known figures and some who are newer to the field to address topics about which they are passionate. This is a laudable, major accomplishment. --Christian Scholar's Review This book is an excellent resource for theorists and practitioners who wish to develop useful, appropriate ways of bringing mindfulness of religious/spiritual perspectives into an ever more inclusive professional discourse, as well as for those who think the whole thing is a terrible idea. All can benefit. --TESOL Quarterly

""Christian and Critical English Language Educators in Dialogue is an ambitious and effective book, bringing together well-known figures and some who are newer to the field to address topics about which they are passionate. This is a laudable, major accomplishment.""--Christian Scholar's Review ""This book is an excellent resource for theorists and practitioners who wish to develop useful, appropriate ways of bringing mindfulness of religious/spiritual perspectives into an ever more inclusive professional discourse, as well as for those who think the whole thing is a terrible idea. All can benefit.""--TESOL Quarterly

Christian and Critical English Language Educators in Dialogue is an ambitious and effective book, bringing together well-known figures and some who are newer to the field to address topics about which they are passionate. This is a laudable, major accomplishment. --Christian Scholar's Review This book is an excellent resource for theorists and practitioners who wish to develop useful, appropriate ways of bringing mindfulness of religious/spiritual perspectives into an ever more inclusive professional discourse, as well as for those who think the whole thing is a terrible idea. All can benefit. --TESOL Quarterly

Author Information

Mary Shepard Wong is Associate Professor and Director of the graduate Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Field-based Programs at Azusa Pacific University. She is past chair of the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (2004-2005). Suresh Canagarajah is Kirby Professor of Language Learning at Pennsylvania State University. He is the editor of the journal TESOL Quarterly.

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