We Teach Languages Episode 43: Common Misconceptions in English Language Teaching with Ryuko Kubota

In episode 43, Stacey asks Ryuko Kubota, a professor of language and literacy education at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver, Canada, about a recent publication in which she explores ten common misconceptions in English language teaching (ELT). Ryuko talks about several of those misconceptions, including how beliefs about native speakers, whiteness, and legitimate forms of language contribute to the general public’s understanding of who is a good language teacher. Although this interview centers on ELT, teachers of all languages will find points of relevance to their own work.

_________

Show Notes

We welcome feedback, resources, and diverse perspectives on this topic! To contribute to the conversation started here, leave us a voicemail or send a text message to (629)888-3398. Or you can follow us on Twitter @weteachlang or use this contact form to send us an email.

You can find Professor Ryuko Kubota at her faculty page.

The article we discussed in this episode…

…Kubota, R. (2016). A Critical Examination of Common Beliefs about Language Teaching:  From Research Insights to Professional Engagement. Epoch making in English language teaching and learning (pp. 348-365). Taipei: English Teachers’ Association-Republic of China (ETA-ROC). (available on academia.edu)

Resources to dive a bit deeper into the topics discussed here…

…Kubota, R. (2013). “Language is only a tool’”: Japanese expatriates working in China and implications for language teaching. Multilingual Education, 3(4). Available from http://www.multilingual-education.com/content/3/1/4

…Kubota, R. (in press). Unpacking research/practice gaps and complicities in WE and SLA research. World Englishes.

…Stanley, P. (2013). A critical ethnography of ‘Westerners’ teaching English in China: Shanghaied in Shanghai. New York, NY: Routledge.

Also check out episode 12 with Laurel Abreu for more on representation in language learning materials from the U.S. world languages perspective.

The first episode in our series on critical pedagogy and social justice was episode 42 with Daniel Woolsey.

And please check out the 2018 special issue of Dimension, SCOLT‘s peer-reviewed annual journal, available now online and open-access.