Paper presented at the 7th British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Language Learning and Teaching SIG Conference “Theorising practice and practising theory: developing local pedagogies in language teaching”. Birmingham, UK: July 2011.
5. Informing theory Canagarajah, A. S. (1999). Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford: OUP. Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. L. (2008). Basics of qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Davis, B., & Sumara, D. J. (2006). Complexity and education. Mahwah, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Holliday, A. (1994). Appropriate methodology and social context. Cambridge: CUP. Mason, M. (2008). Complexity theory and the philosophy of education. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Critical ethnography Complexity ‘Thick’ description Grounded theory
7. International Exam Boards Imported Courseware Local Exam Boards Parents Local Courseware Students Local School System Management Teachers Educational Authority Oversight Local education traditions Teacher training Professional body Accreditation BANA methodology
10. Communicative teacher training Exam Boards Public school examinations Local coursebooks Lay beliefs about language Testing Accuracy Ethos Pressure for Certification Accountability
11. Global Influences Communicative teacher training Exam Boards Public school examinations Lay beliefs about language Local courses Accuracy Testing Local influences Certification
13. Communicative teacher training Emphasis on meaning Learner Attitudes Local coursebooks Accuracy Ethos Context awareness Examination Washback
14. Global influences Communicative teacher training Emphasis on meaning Attitudes Local courses Context awareness Accuracy Critical Influences Local influences Washback
18. How can local pedagogy strike an appropriate balance with global influences in order to avoid stasis? How can a theory of language pedagogy fostering the ideals we consider universally appropriate while remaining contextually sensitive?
19. Thank you for your attention Achilleas.Kostoulas@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
Initial coding took place in parallel with data generation. A large number of themes were identified in the data, which were then grouped into larger inductively derived categories. For instance, the influences that shape practice at the host institute were grouped into three concentric spheres: the host institute per se, its immediate context (broadly construed as the Greek educational setting), and the global context of TESOL.
Despite such ‘anomalies’, the cumulative effect of all these forces is that language pedagogy at the host institute is at a state of robust dynamical stability, and it is strongly oriented towards the local paradigm.