Presenter: Graham Crookes, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Title: Critical Language Pedagogy and Chinese as a Second (Additional, Heritage) Language

Time: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM, Thursday, November 11 

Zoom link: https://virginia.zoom.us/j/95883849039(link is external) Password: IWL

This talk provides an introduction to the concepts and practices associated with critical language pedagogy, as applied or applicable to the teaching of Chinese as an L2. The presenter will first consider the matter of teachers' values and societal responsibilities. He will then address basic ideas from the educational tradition known as critical pedagogy, and point out some ways these have been realized in the practices of critical language pedagogy. These have mostly been tried out on a small scale primarily with English as a second and as a foreign language classes. Among world languages, Spanish is almost the only other language to receive substantial attention from critical language pedagogy experts. The remainder of the talk will pose the question of whether, and if so how, and to what extent, such ideas can be explored by teachers of Chinese as an additional language. Here the emphasis will be on aspects of syllabus design and materials content and format, and the challenge of assessment.

Graham V. Crookes is Professor, Department of Second Languages, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. His primary research and publication interests are critical language pedagogy and the philosophy of education as applied to second language studies. Most recently he has revived an earlier research interest in L2 motivation. Originally from London, UK, and a graduate of University College, London, he has spent most of his professional life in the Pacific, with periods of residence in Malaysia and Japan, prior to graduate degrees and a professional career at the University of Hawai'i. His most recent book (with Arman Abednia) is Starting points in critical language pedagogy, in press with Information Age Publishing. His previous work on critical language pedagogy was Critical ELT in Action, with Routledge.