The Almighty
Critical Look at Critical Language Teacher
Education
An Overview
Perhaps the most popular paradigms that challenge
traditional views of language, teaching and
learning are sociocultural and critical approaches
(Lantolf, 2005, p.1 ). In this presentation, I provide
a brief discussion of what critical mean in applied
linguistics theory, and practice, in discourse
analysis and what it means in language teacher
education. Next, I talk about current pedagogies
and practices in language teacher education across
diverse contexts. Then, we will conclude with a
Critical Look at Critical Language Teacher
Education
Defining Critical
Critical Theory
According to Habermas (1976, cited in Hawkins and
Norton, 2009), critical theory challenges constructs such
as naturalism, rationality, and neutrality and highlights
instead the subjective, the social nature of reality
Critical Pedagogy
While critical theory is abstract, critical pedagogy is
directly concerned with social action and educational
change.
Critical Discourse Analysis
According to Fiarclough (1995), critical discourse analysis
is a set of methodological tools that enables researchers to
describe and analyze the relationship between language
and social world (p. 224).
Critical Applied Linguistics
Pennycook (2001) offers the concept of critical applied
linguistics arguing for the importance of relating micro
relations of applied linguistics to macro relations of
society.
Why critical language teacher education?
The concept of critical is especially salient for
language teachers. Why? Because language,
culture, and identity are integrally related and
language teachers are central to address
educational inequality, because of the particular
learners they serve, many of whom are
marginalized and because of the subject matter
they teach- language and language can both
empower and marginalize.
Critical language teacher education
practices
McDonald and Zeichner (2008, cited in Hawkins
& Norton) discuss the current move from
multicultural education to social justice teacher
education. Social justice teacher education seeks
to address institutionalized as well as individual
power differentials, with the goal of promoting
teacher's recognition and ownership of their
roles as social activities. These accounts can be
categorized as critical awareness, critical selfreflection, and critical pedagogical relations.
Critical Awareness
A major focus of critical teacher educators is to
promote critical awareness by raising
consciousness about the ways in which power
relations are constructed and function in society,
and the extent to which historical, social, and
political practices structure educational inequity.
Critical Self-reflection
Critical language teacher educators encourage
teacher-learners to critically reflect on their own
identities and positioning in society. Selfreflection provides a window on the relationship
between the individual and the social world,
highlighting both constrains on and
possibilities for social change.
Critical pedagogical relations
If the goal of critical pedagogy is to empower
learners, pedagogical relations between
teacher educators and teacher-learners must
be structured on equitable terms. Indeed,
teacher educators should reflect on their
attempts to restructure power relations
between themselves and their teacherlearners.
The post-method teacher educator
The task of the postmethod teacher educator is to
create conditions for prospective teachers to
acquire necessary authority and autonomy that
will enable them to reflect on and shape their own
pedagogic experiences, and in certain cases
transform such experiences. From a post-method
perspective, teacher education is treated not as
the experience and interpretation of a
predetermined, prescribed pedagogic practice,
but rather as an ongoing, dialogically constructed
entity involving critically reflective participants.
A critical look at critical teacher
education
From the critical teacher education, language teachers
are not simply teaching language as a neutral vehicle
for the expression of meanings and ideas, but are
engaged both in reflecting upon the ideological forces
that are present in their classrooms, schools, and
communities and in empowering their learners with
the language knowledge and skills they need to be
able to function as moral agents in society.
(Kumaravadivelu, 1999).
Conclusion
As Kumar (2006) remarks, since critical practice is
situated, responsive and contextual, it is clear that the
pursuit of a one-size-fits-all model of critical teacher
education is inadequate. However, the absence of
prescriptive models encourages the language teacher
educator to reflect on the possibilities and limitations
of any given context, and creatively seek enhanced
opportunities for language learners through
educational and social change.
Thank You!
Wish You All Good Luck and Success!