Mixed • Room 204 • 11:00
Using Critical Language Pedagogy in the EFL Classroom
“101” Topics
Since the 1970 English translation of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, both it and subsequent texts on critical pedagogy have become ubiquitous in teacher education programs. Many linguists and educators have expanded on this framework to adopt it for the EFL classroom, dubbing it “critical language pedagogy (CLP).” Although research on CLP in Korean contexts is limited, Crookes (2010) demonstrated that Korean high school students welcomed opportunities to engage in critical, non-authoritarian dialogues with their teachers despite stereotypes about East Asian cultures. Furthermore, Ooiwa-Yoshizawa (2012) argues, critical EFL educators ought to highlight changing norms in English language usage, as well as heighten student awareness of marginalized populations’ lived experiences through classroom activities. DeWaelsche (2015) echoes these sentiments, finding that Korean university students will successfully overcome perceived socio-cultural limitations to critical dialogue, thereby developing critical thinking skills. Participants in this workshop will explore the meaning and impact of critical language pedagogy, and explore ways to use it in their classrooms.
About Luis
Born in Mexico and educated in the United States, Luis has many experiences teaching English & Spanish in high schools, universities, non-profits, and corporations around the world. He holds a Bachelors degree in speech & linguistics, as well as a Masters in higher education. His teaching passion lies in developing critical thinking & public speaking skills in English language learners. Luis has been in Korea since 2015 and currently works as a Foreign Language Instructor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST). He is KOTESOL’s newly appointed Diversity Chair, as well as Program Director for the 2019 International Conference.
