- Education, Languages and Linguistics, Literature, Religion, Sociology, TESOL, and 37 moreReligion and Education, Spirituality and Education, Spirituality and Language Education, Evangelicalism, Teachers' professional development, Teacher Development, Professional Development, Adult Education, Adult Education, Professional Development, Narrative Inquiry, Aesthetic Education, John Dewey, Dewey, John Dewey's Aesthetics, Listening, Silence, Football (soccer), Soccer, Christian witness, Church ESL, Cheating and Plagiarism, Plagiarism, Immigration and Education, Large Classes, Multilevel Classes, Small Groups, Academic Writing, Teacher knowledge, Teacher Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices, Teachers Beliefs, Applied Linguistics, Second Language Acquisiton, Sociolinguistics, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Reflective Practice, Pedagogic Identity, Qualitative Research, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), and English As a Second Language (ESL)edit
- Now at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Bradley Baurain has taught for more than 30 years in the United States, Cana... moreNow at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Bradley Baurain has taught for more than 30 years in the United States, Canada, China, and Vietnam. He has written or co-edited three books and published articles in journals including ELT Journal, TESOL Journal, and the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education. His scholarly interests also include teacher development, narrative inquiry, and literature in language education.edit
For most of its history, the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has focussed much of its attention on teaching methods and curricula to the exclusion of the person who must deliver them. In this article we... more
For most of its history, the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has focussed much of its attention on teaching methods and curricula to the exclusion of the person who must deliver them. In this article we propose that TESOL recognize the inner lives of teachers through understanding their spirituality from the perspective of the teacher's personal and professional being and becoming. We encourage teachers to reflect on the spiritual dimensions of practice and propose how these might interface with standard disciplinary knowledge to produce more integrated language teachers.
Research Interests: Language Education, Spirituality, TESOL, English language teaching, Reflective Teaching, and 10 moreTeacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Spirituality in Higher Education, Spirituality and Education, Tesol Education, Religion and Education, Teacher Reflection, Reflective Practices, English As a Second Language (ESL), EFL/ESL/TESOL, and Spiritual Reflection
The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore stories of teacher development experienced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a graduate seminar in Vietnam. The author was the instructor for the course, entitled... more
The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore stories of teacher development experienced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a graduate seminar in Vietnam. The author was the instructor for the course, entitled Literature and Language Teaching. Three types of data were collected: course documents, a professional diary kept by the author, and student portfolios, including diary entries, writing assignments, lesson plans, and group projects. Within a narrative framework, this study reveals the authoring processes underlying professional development in lived experience. Specifically, three narratives are (re)constructed around the theme of expectations— a collective seminar participants’ story about overturned expectations, an individual participant’s story about revived expectations, and a curricular story about fused personal and professional expectations. Teacher development is thus perceived not as a linear process of skill-building, but rather as a multidimensional process of narrative construction that problematizes boundaries between the personal and the professional and emerges as a story of coming to understand experience in ways that promote teacher praxis.
Research Interests: Teacher Education, Narrative, Praxis, TESOL, Non-Native English Speaking Professionals in TESOL, and 19 moreTeacher Research, Narrative Methods, Narrative and Identity, Vietnam, Professional Development, Teachers' professional development, Narrative Inquiry, Narrative Research, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Nonnative and Native speaking English professionals in TESOL, Literature in the language classroom, TEFL, ELT, TESoL, The integration of Language and Literature, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, education TESOL CULTURE, Teaching of English Language and Literature, EFL/ESL/TESOL, and Reflexive Praxis
In the field of teacher knowledge, “beliefs” is a large term narrowly constructed. The beliefs theorized, researched, and discussed are beliefs about technique, methodology, curriculum, classroom management, professional development, and... more
In the field of teacher knowledge, “beliefs” is a large term narrowly constructed. The beliefs theorized, researched, and discussed are beliefs about technique, methodology, curriculum, classroom management, professional development, and similarly. Spiritual and religious beliefs are for the most part omitted. This study argues that they should be included, especially because they already fit the area of inquiry the field has defined for itself. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative questionnaire study is to explore how Christian ESOL teachers perceive and describe putting their personal religious beliefs into practice in their professional lives. This study found that as a result of their religious beliefs, respondents believed they should (a) act in a loving or charitable manner toward their students; (b) respect all students as intrinsically valuable human beings; (c) teach in student-centered ways; and (d) witness to their Christian faith. Participants’ responses illuminate the interrelationships and interactions among personal and professional beliefs in the formation of teacher knowledge.
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Authentic listening understands the importance of contexts, relationships, and silence. The purpose of this essay is to explore speaking silences and silent silences and to frame these understandings in terms of classroom pedagogy.... more
Authentic listening understands the importance of contexts, relationships, and silence. The purpose of this essay is to explore speaking silences and silent silences and to frame these understandings in terms of classroom pedagogy. Speaking silences are meaningful and generative. They create space for listening to others and should themselves be listened to, as testified to within various traditions of spirituality. Silent silences, however, suggest withdrawing or withholding. These might be chosen or unchosen expressions of dominance or resistance, depending on the situation. Acknowledging both risks and rewards, teachers are called to cultivate silence in their personal and professional lives and spaces.
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In A Common Faith, Dewey rejects organized religion and belief in the supernatural, instead arguing for an authentically “religious” attitude which this interpretive essay analyzes in terms of four propositions: (1) Knowledge is unified.... more
In A Common Faith, Dewey rejects organized religion and belief in the supernatural, instead arguing for an authentically “religious” attitude which this interpretive essay analyzes in terms of four propositions: (1) Knowledge is unified. (2) Knowledge is democratic. (3) The pursuit of moral ideals requires moral faith. (4) The authority for moral ideals is experience as explored via inquiry. The author responds from the perspective of his own religious faith and outlines conceptual relationships with modern spirituality in education writers. The common ground is that the “religious” must be seen as a significant way of being and becoming in education.
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Listening pedagogy in language education treats listening proficiency almost exclusively as a function or skill, the purpose of which is to generate products or outcomes desired by language users. Though listening is rhetorically... more
Listening pedagogy in language education treats listening proficiency almost exclusively as a function or skill, the purpose of which is to generate products or outcomes desired by language users. Though listening is rhetorically acknowledged to be an active and complex process of making meanings within contexts and relationships, in practice teacher education and pedagogical discourse treat listening simply as a linguistic transaction and listening pedagogy as a technical and instrumental process of skill building, with the goal of enabling learners fluently to perform such transactions. Such a means-to-ends orientation, however, is inadequate or insufficient to encompass holistic moral and relational dimensions inherent in listening.These dimensions might be added to language listening pedagogy by, for example, broadening the idea of “dialogue” to include more open-ended perspectives from other disciplines, contextualizing the relationality of typical coursebook listening passages, and working with metaphors such as hospitality that encourage a high attentiveness to communication accompanied by a high moral respect for persons.
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Research Interests: Literature, TESOL, Second Language Teacher Education, Vietnam, Professional Development, and 9 moreTeachers' professional development, Teacher Development, Materials development, Education in Vietnam, Course design, Diary Study, Efl and Esol Teaching, Teaching Culture In the EFL Classroom, and Developing Conversation and Vocabulary Skills
Soccer fans will not be surprised that understanding "the beautiful game" can contribute to understandings of teaching and learning. After all, at least one theorist sees "the nature of all social life" to be reflected in soccer: "The... more
Soccer fans will not be surprised that understanding "the beautiful game" can contribute to understandings of teaching and learning. After all, at least one theorist sees "the nature of all social life" to be reflected in soccer: "The unfolding match between team-mates and opponents [illustrates] ⦠the interdependency of human beings, and the 'flexible lattice-work of tensions' generated through their social bonds. Power flows fluidly between players, jockeying for possession and moving between attack and defence." Another finds striking parallels between cultural history and tactics of play in soccer, including a "modernist" period emphasizing cautious ball control and defense-oriented player formations, and the current "postmodern" style emphasizing creativity and fluidity; he even identifies the history of the free kick as a microcosm of the whole.
The idea I explore in this essay is in a sense simply an extended analogy: A well-played soccer game has much in common with a well-taught lesson or course.
The idea I explore in this essay is in a sense simply an extended analogy: A well-played soccer game has much in common with a well-taught lesson or course.
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Respect for persons has been widely acknowledged and discussed as a key moral dimension in education and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Christians believe in this value, particularly as it is articulated within scripture... more
Respect for persons has been widely acknowledged and discussed as a key moral dimension in education and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Christians believe in this value, particularly as it is articulated within scripture and tradition. Recent critics, however, seem to perceive a basic incompatibility between a Christian religious imperative to bear witness to one’s faith and a moral imperative to respect other persons. Beginning from an argument that all teaching is teaching for change, this essay makes a case that the two are not only not contradictory, but in fact should be consanguineous. Key issues explored include what it means to believe in absolute truths, why such belief paradoxically requires humility, and the moral/interpersonal conditions for witnessing and conversion.
Research Interests: Religion, Christianity, Sociolinguistics, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, and 11 moreBeliefs, Evangelical movements, Conversion, Morality, Respect, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Spirituality and Education, Religion and Education, Second Language Acquisiton, Christian witness, and English As a Second Language (ESL)
Faced with the challenge of teaching American literature to large, multilevel classes in Vietnam, the writer developed a flexible small group framework called ‘multitasking’. ‘Multitasking’ sets up stable task categories which rotate... more
Faced with the challenge of teaching American literature to large, multilevel classes in Vietnam, the writer developed a flexible small group framework called ‘multitasking’. ‘Multitasking’ sets up stable task categories which rotate among small groups from lesson to lesson. This framework enabled students to work cooperatively in a variety of formats and the teacher to generate a wide range of materials and activities efficiently. It also spurred students to develop more independent learning skills and the teacher to experiment more freely with new techniques. In a narrative and reflective format, in terms both of what he expected and what he experienced, the writer presents the structure, goals, problems, and benefits of this approach.
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Research Interests: Learner Centered Approach, TESOL, Non-Native English Speaking Professionals in TESOL, Learner-centered teaching, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, and 15 moreTeacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Tesol Education, Humility, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Learner-Centered Education, Learner centered pedagogy, Intellectual Humility, English As a Second Language (ESL), EFL/ESL/TESOL, Teaching ESL/EFL, Learner centered Education, Honesty/Humility, Learner-centered EFL, and Humility of God
This qualitative and instrumental case study explores how volunteer Christian ESOL tutors describe putting their religious beliefs into practice in a church-run adult ESOL ministry. Data was gathered by means of teacher interviews and... more
This qualitative and instrumental case study explores how volunteer Christian ESOL tutors describe putting their religious beliefs into practice in a church-run adult ESOL ministry. Data was gathered by means of teacher interviews and classroom observations. Theory and research from community ESOL, spirituality in education, and Christian scholarship in language education help provide a background against which the study’s data is analyzed and interpreted. Emergent findings include relationality and empathy, Christian love and care, practical service, and learner-centeredness as professional values or priorities which participants connected with their religious beliefs. Additional issues discussed include proselytizing or witnessing and the non-exclusive nature of the findings.
Research Interests: Adult Education, Sociolinguistics, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Volunteers, volunteering, & voluntarism, and 8 moreSpirituality and Language Education, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Spirituality and Education, Religion and Education, Second Language Acquisiton, Church Leadership & Ministry, ESL Tutoring, and English As a Second Language (ESL)
The purpose of this essay is to interrogate the concept of plagiarism, particularly from within the field of TESOL and from a moral and cross-cultural vantage point. Putting the spotlight on how plagiarism in academic writing is perceived... more
The purpose of this essay is to interrogate the concept of plagiarism, particularly from within the field of TESOL and from a moral and cross-cultural vantage point. Putting the spotlight on how plagiarism in academic writing is perceived and responded to, especially when the plagiarists are international students, reveals an intricately interwoven and multilayered fabric of moral issues. While much of my onion-peeling is deconstructive in that prevailing currents of thought are challenged, my overarching purpose is to work towards a more constructive, tentative shift in the frame of reference from within which plagiarism is understood and addressed.
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ISBN 1-4438-8262-3 The field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) stands at an active crossroads – issues of language, culture, learning, identity, morality, and spirituality mix daily in classrooms around the... more
ISBN 1-4438-8262-3
The field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) stands at an active crossroads – issues of language, culture, learning, identity, morality, and spirituality mix daily in classrooms around the world. What roles might teachers’ personal religious beliefs play in their professional activities and contexts?
Until recently, such questions had been largely excluded from academic conversations in TESOL. Yet the qualitative research at the core of this book, framed and presented within a teacher knowledge paradigm, demonstrates that personal faith and professional identities and practices can, and do, interact and interrelate in ways that are both meaningful and problematic. This study’s Christian TESOL teacher participants, working overseas in Southeast Asia, perceived, explained, and interpreted a variety of such connections within their lived experience.
As a result, the beliefs-practices nexus deserves to be further theorized, researched, and discussed. Religious beliefs and human spirituality, as foundational and enduring aspects of human thought and culture, and thus of teaching and learning, deserve a place at the TESOL table.
The field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) stands at an active crossroads – issues of language, culture, learning, identity, morality, and spirituality mix daily in classrooms around the world. What roles might teachers’ personal religious beliefs play in their professional activities and contexts?
Until recently, such questions had been largely excluded from academic conversations in TESOL. Yet the qualitative research at the core of this book, framed and presented within a teacher knowledge paradigm, demonstrates that personal faith and professional identities and practices can, and do, interact and interrelate in ways that are both meaningful and problematic. This study’s Christian TESOL teacher participants, working overseas in Southeast Asia, perceived, explained, and interpreted a variety of such connections within their lived experience.
As a result, the beliefs-practices nexus deserves to be further theorized, researched, and discussed. Religious beliefs and human spirituality, as foundational and enduring aspects of human thought and culture, and thus of teaching and learning, deserve a place at the TESOL table.
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, Teacher Education, TESOL, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Teaching EFL, and 23 moreEnglish language teaching, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Spirituality and Language Education, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teacher knowledge, Teacher Beliefs, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), English Language Teaching (ELT), Spirituality and Education, Tesol Education, Religion and Education, Teacher Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices, Teachers Beliefs, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Spirituality and Adult Education, Teacher Cognition and beliefs, English Language Teaching, Relation Between Teachers Beliefs and Practice, Spirituality and Adult Learning, Teachers Knowledge and Beliefs, English As a Second Language (ESL), and EFL/ESL/TESOL
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This article is part of a special issue on "Teaching in China" (that is, foreign teachers in China).
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, TESOL, Faith Based Organizations, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Faith and Education, and 15 moreEnglish language teaching, Reflective Teaching, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), ESL-EFL- EAP-Teachers' education, Tesol Education, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Faith-Based Organisation and Education, English As a Second Language (ESL), EFL/ESL/TESOL, Teaching ESL/EFL, Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Christianity and Language Teaching, and Christanity and English Language Teaching
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Book review of: Muriel I. Elmer and Duane H. Elmer, The Learning Cycle: Insights for Faithful Teaching from Neuroscience and the Social Sciences (IVP Academic, 2020).
Research Interests: Education, Transformative Learning, Teacher Education, E-learning, Learning and Teaching, and 10 moreSocial Learning Theory, Teaching Methodology, Learning theories, Learning Theory, Transformative Learning and Faith Formation, Teaching method, Faith-based Development and Learning, Faith and Learning Integration, Integration of Faith and Learning, and Faith and Learning
Book review of: David I. Smith, On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom (Eerdmans, 2018).
Research Interests: Language Education, Teaching English as a Second Language, TESOL, Pedagogy, Second Language Teacher Education, and 15 moreClassroom Management, Language and Education, Second Language Pedagogy, English language teaching, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Classroom, TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Tesol Education, Curriculum and Pedagogy, English Language Teaching, Faith and Learning Integration, Scholarship and Christian Faith, EFL/ESL/TESOL, Christianity and Language Teaching, and Christian Teaching
Book review of: Kitty Barnhouse Purgason, Professional Guidelines for Christian English Teachers: How to Be a Teacher with Convictions while Respecting Those of Your Students (William Carey Library, 2016).
Research Interests: Christianity, Education, Teacher Education, Curriculum Design, Higher Education, and 27 moreTESOL, EFL coursebooks, Curriculum Development, Faith and Education, Teaching EFL, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Teaching EFL and Teacher Training, ESL-EFL- EAP-Teachers' education, Tesol Education, Religion and Education, methodology of teaching EFL, English EFL TEFL learning, Esl Lesson Plans, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Efl and Esol Teaching, ESL/EFL Writing, EFL Classrooms, English As a Second Language (ESL), Song In TESOL, EFL/ESL/TESOL, Teaching ESL/EFL, ESL Curriculum Design, and Teaching Culture In the EFL Classroom
Book review of: Christine Pearson Casanave, Journal Writing in Second Language Education (University of Michigan Press, 2013).
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, TESOL, Second Language Writing, Second Language Teacher Education, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, and 6 moreSecond Language Learning, Second Language Pedagogy, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Second Language Teaching, Teaching Second Language Writing, and Journal writing
Book review of: Eric Ortlund, Dead Petals: An Apocalypse (Fingerpress, 2013).
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Guest blog at Master Teaching on teaching and adapting in the midst of the pandemic.
Research Interests: TESOL, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), Tesol Education, English As a Second Language (ESL), Teaching ESL/EFL, and 10 moreCovid-19, Coronavirus COVID-19, Pandemic Coronavirus COVID19, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PANDEMIA Covid 19, Education and Covid-19, COVID-19 Impact on Education, Effects of Covid 19 on education, Teaching in a pandemic, and Teaching and Learning under Covid-19 Pandemic
Guest blog at Master Teaching on learner motivation.
Research Interests: Student Achievement Motivation, Student Motivation And Engagement, TESOL, Motivation (Education), Student Motivation, and 10 moreStudents Motivation, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Tesol Education, English As a Second Language (ESL), EFL/ESL/TESOL, Teaching ESL/EFL, Daniel Pink, and EDUCATION: MOTIVATION. LEARNING AND TEACHING LANGUAGES. SOCIOFORMATION
Guest blog at Master Teaching on learning about teaching and professional development from Jesus' parable about wineskins and clothing patches.
Research Interests: Faith and Education, Teaching EFL, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), and 15 moreTeaching EFL and Teacher Training, Parable, Tesol Education, Parables of Jesus, methodology of teaching EFL, English EFL TEFL learning, Parables, Esl Lesson Plans, Efl and Esol Teaching, FIGURES OF SPEECH: parables, English As a Second Language (ESL), EFL/ESL/TESOL, Jesus’ Parables, Teaching ESL/EFL, and Gospel Parables
Guest blog at Master Teaching on learning about integrating relational listening skills with linguistic-functional listening skills.
Research Interests: TESOL, Deep Listening, Effective Listening, Teaching Listening, Metacognitive Strategies in Listening, and 16 moreTESOL, Applied Linguistics, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Listening, Tesol Education, Defining Listening, Importance of listening, Listening Skills, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Listening and Speaking of English Language Learners (teaching and assessment), Listening Strategies, EFL/ESL/TESOL, Teaching Listening Skills, Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Language and Christianity, and Christianity and Language Teaching
Guest blog at Master Teaching on learning about language teaching from other disciplines and experiences.
Research Interests: Teaching and Learning, Teacher Education, Higher Education, Educational Psychology, Learning and Teaching, and 9 moreTESOL, Applied Linguistics, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Tesol Education, Applied Linguistics and TESOL, EFL/ESL/TESOL, Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Christianity and Language Teaching, and Christanity and English Language Teaching
Guest blog at Master Teaching on the sin of worry and Christian faith in teaching.
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Guest blog at Master Teaching on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of "flow" and its interaction with Christian faith in teaching.
Research Interests: Education, Teacher Education, Higher Education, Educational Psychology, TESOL, and 13 moreTESOL, Applied Linguistics, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, Tesol Education, Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow, Csikszentmihalyi, Autotelic, EFL/ESL/TESOL, Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Teaching English as a Second Language Teaching English As A Foreign Language TESOL Non-Native English Speaking Professionals in TESOL, Religion, Learning, and Teaching Process, Christianity and Language Teaching, and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
Editor's introduction to Volume 7 of the International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching (open-access, peer reviewed).
Research Interests: Teacher Education, TESOL, TESL, Faith and Education, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, and 15 moreProfessional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), TESOL Curriculum Pedagogy Methods, TESL/TEFL, Tesol Education, TESL(Teaching English as Second Language), Teacher Education in ESL, Adult Education, ESL, Education, Esl, EFL, ESL, Teacher Education, Scholarship and Christian Faith, English As a Second Language (ESL), ESL Teacher Education, EFL/ESL/TESOL, and Teaching ESL/EFL
Editor's introduction to Volume 5 of the International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching (open-access, peer reviewed).