Event Details

Two seminars in one, both looking at different aspects of English Language education.

Seminar 1 - by Sophia Kapcia

Intersectional Pedagogy - Its place in the English Language Secondary Classroom

Equity within English classrooms is a great concern and Teachers of English are challenged to develop a more distinctive account of educational achievement or underachievement which encapsulates an intersectionality approach as it pertains to English lessons. Intersectional Pedagogy is a methodology of teaching and learning where the inequality and marginalisation caused from intersecting social identities are understood, clarified, and interrogated. The aim of the study reported here is to understand how Teachers of English use and apply their knowledge of the intersection of gender, race, and class and intersectional pedagogy in their classrooms to respond to the issue of the inequality and inequity currently existing in English classrooms.

This thesis utilises unstructured interviews and focus group discussions to assess the impact on pupils' attainment of embedding intersectional pedagogy within the English curriculum and the extent to which teachers incorporate an intersectional approach by using activities within their classrooms to support this.

It is relevant for the purposes of this research to consider the reason why the concept of intersectionality is pertinent and applicable today for teachers and schools, more to the point, why Teachers of English need to have more than a passing awareness of how to use an intersectionality framework to understand how historical and contemporary manifestations of identity, difference, and disadvantage continue to shape life chances and outcomes for pupils in the UK. It is hoped that having classroom strategies that embrace intersectional pedagogy within the English classroom will be an effective tool in addressing race, class, and gender inequalities that will further help to closely focus the teaching and learning process.

Seminar 2 - by Lee Mackenzie

English and development: A view from Colombia

English language education (ELE) is compulsory for most higher education students in Colombia, but little is known regarding the impact of such education on the lives of economically vulnerable students. This seminar reports on an investigation into the contribution that ELE makes to human flourishing in the lives of Colombian graduates from low-income backgrounds. To do so it brings to bear core concepts from the capability approach and the theory of linguistic imperialism.

There will be a chance to ask questions at the end of the seminar presentation via Zoom

Here is a link where participants can test their device prior to a Zoom meeting.