The concept of ＂equality＂ and the importance of ＂rational and critical thinking＂ are essential components of humanism. New English Curriculum for Chinese Primary Schools and Junior/Senior High Schools indicates En...The concept of ＂equality＂ and the importance of ＂rational and critical thinking＂ are essential components of humanism. New English Curriculum for Chinese Primary Schools and Junior/Senior High Schools indicates English is not only a ＂Tool＂, but also carries information and features of ＂Humanism＂. This article conducted one year-long qualitative case study of three high school English teachers from different districts in Beijing. Data were collected through class observation, teachers＇ office observation, and interviews with teachers, students, and parents Data analysis followed qualitative procedures. Findings show that the three English teachers do not have strong awareness of humanism： None of them believes students and teachers are equal. Two teachers incorporate ＂rational and critical thinking＂ when they work as head teachers, but neither applies it when they serve as English teachers. Humanistic education is not prevalent but effective in teachers＇ development training. More relevant trainings are expected to benefit more teachers.展开更多
The present study adopts a quantitative design to explore the effects of pre-designed teachers' questions as the mediation tool to scaffold the development of students' critical thinking and their discourse le...The present study adopts a quantitative design to explore the effects of pre-designed teachers' questions as the mediation tool to scaffold the development of students' critical thinking and their discourse level writing skills in English from a sociocultural perspective. The participants were 39 sophomores from two classes. The results showed that:(1) teachers' questions targeting specific critical thinking skill in the classroom and in after-class conferences, as well as in written homework feedback were effective;(2) students backslid a little while internalizing teachers' questions concerning critical thinking;(3) students improved reliably in terms of local and global coherence in their written production with the help of teachers' questions. The findings indicate that teachers' questions facilitate students' development of critical thinking and enhance their discourse level writing skill.展开更多
In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this...In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this degree course to students. Among in-service Business English teachers, some of them have transferred from teaching English for General Purposes. Business English teachers face many changes and challenges to their professional identity, yet few scholars have looked into the identity construction of these teachers. Using critical narrative as a method, this paper closely examines the identity construction experiences of the first author and two other Business English teachers. It is found that the participants, including the first author himself, have endured identity negotiations and various challenges in turning from a teacher of English for General Purposes to a teacher of Business English. These teachers' experiences and their perception of identity construction and professional development throw light on the changing pedagogy and practice of Business English in Chinese universities.展开更多
A growing number of recent studies in applied linguistics focus on teacher emotions in response to several major shifts within the field, expanding the scope of analyses to include the social and affective dimensions ...A growing number of recent studies in applied linguistics focus on teacher emotions in response to several major shifts within the field, expanding the scope of analyses to include the social and affective dimensions of second language education. This paper aims to expand the discussion on the emotions of non-native English speaking teachers(NNESTs) by examining their anxiety from the perspective of sociopolitical and socioeconomic theories. By introducing three theories on emotions developed by Raymond Williams(1977), Pierre Bourdieu(1986), and Sara Ahmed(2015), I demonstrate how their insights on the social construction and circulation of emotions can be applied to NNESTs’ emotional struggles in relation to structural inequalities. Then, I discuss theoretical and practical implications of this perspective on language teaching and teacher education, calling for criticality in the area of teacher emotions.展开更多
文摘The concept of ＂equality＂ and the importance of ＂rational and critical thinking＂ are essential components of humanism. New English Curriculum for Chinese Primary Schools and Junior/Senior High Schools indicates English is not only a ＂Tool＂, but also carries information and features of ＂Humanism＂. This article conducted one year-long qualitative case study of three high school English teachers from different districts in Beijing. Data were collected through class observation, teachers＇ office observation, and interviews with teachers, students, and parents Data analysis followed qualitative procedures. Findings show that the three English teachers do not have strong awareness of humanism： None of them believes students and teachers are equal. Two teachers incorporate ＂rational and critical thinking＂ when they work as head teachers, but neither applies it when they serve as English teachers. Humanistic education is not prevalent but effective in teachers＇ development training. More relevant trainings are expected to benefit more teachers.
文摘The present study adopts a quantitative design to explore the effects of pre-designed teachers' questions as the mediation tool to scaffold the development of students' critical thinking and their discourse level writing skills in English from a sociocultural perspective. The participants were 39 sophomores from two classes. The results showed that:(1) teachers' questions targeting specific critical thinking skill in the classroom and in after-class conferences, as well as in written homework feedback were effective;(2) students backslid a little while internalizing teachers' questions concerning critical thinking;(3) students improved reliably in terms of local and global coherence in their written production with the help of teachers' questions. The findings indicate that teachers' questions facilitate students' development of critical thinking and enhance their discourse level writing skill.
基金supported by Shanghai University of Finance and Economics [Grant No.2019110115]the National Research Fund for Social Sciences [Grant No.16BYY178]
文摘In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this degree course to students. Among in-service Business English teachers, some of them have transferred from teaching English for General Purposes. Business English teachers face many changes and challenges to their professional identity, yet few scholars have looked into the identity construction of these teachers. Using critical narrative as a method, this paper closely examines the identity construction experiences of the first author and two other Business English teachers. It is found that the participants, including the first author himself, have endured identity negotiations and various challenges in turning from a teacher of English for General Purposes to a teacher of Business English. These teachers' experiences and their perception of identity construction and professional development throw light on the changing pedagogy and practice of Business English in Chinese universities.
文摘A growing number of recent studies in applied linguistics focus on teacher emotions in response to several major shifts within the field, expanding the scope of analyses to include the social and affective dimensions of second language education. This paper aims to expand the discussion on the emotions of non-native English speaking teachers(NNESTs) by examining their anxiety from the perspective of sociopolitical and socioeconomic theories. By introducing three theories on emotions developed by Raymond Williams(1977), Pierre Bourdieu(1986), and Sara Ahmed(2015), I demonstrate how their insights on the social construction and circulation of emotions can be applied to NNESTs’ emotional struggles in relation to structural inequalities. Then, I discuss theoretical and practical implications of this perspective on language teaching and teacher education, calling for criticality in the area of teacher emotions.
