This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship of religious identity and English Language Teaching (ELT). The chapters broaden a topic which has traditionally focused on Christianity by including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and non-religious perspectives. They address the ways in which faith and ELT intersect in the realms of teacher identity, pedagogy and the context and content of ELT, and explore a diverse range of geographical contexts, making use of a number of different research methodologies. The book will be of particular interest to researchers in TESOL and EFL, as well as teachers and teacher trainers.

About the Author

Mary Shepard Wong is a Professor in the Global Studies, Sociology and TESOL Department, Azusa Pacific University, USA. She is the co-editor of Christian Faith and English Language Teaching and Learning (with C. Kristjansson and Z. Doernyei, 2013, Routledge) and Christian and Critical English Language Educators in Dialogue (with A.S. Canagarajah, 2009, Routledge).

Ahmar Mahboob is Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is the co-editor of Language and Identity across Modes of Communication (with D.N. Djenar and K. Cruickshank, 2015, Mouton De Gruyter) and English in Multilingual Contexts (with L. Barratt, 2014, Springer).

Reviews

This much-needed collection provides abundant and valuable support for English teachers thinking through the significance of their spirituality in their professional practice. The authors illuminate ways teachers' belief systems - whether under the guise of formal religion, ethically informed value system, political or ideological stance, or philosophy explicitly detached from organized religion - weave themselves intractably into every corner of their pedagogical lives.

* Suhanthie Motha, University of Washington, USA *

This anthology is a relevant and insightful guide, addressing concerns about teacher identity, critical pedagogy and classroom practices. It is a useful pedagogical resource and provides encouragement to those of us who promote interfaith dialogue and understanding in our classes.

* Tom Scovel, Professor Emeritus, San Francisco State University, USA *

Spirituality and English Language Teaching will benefit any language teacher or researcher by helping them to better understand the impact that faith has on language teaching. This text will challenge readers' perceptions of the benefits or dangers of faith in language teaching and will motivate them to consider the possibility that their faith can have a positive impact on their teacher identity and pedagogy. Highly recommended!

-- International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching, Volume 6 (2019) * Frank Tuzi, Liberty University, USA *

I am grateful for all I learned through this collection about Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity as they relate to TESOL, and, while there are obvious differences, I was encouraged by how much religious or spiritual language teachers and teacher trainers actually have in common. This book is highly recommended and should be in the library of every CCCU institution with a TESOL program.

-- Michael Lessard-Clouston, Biola University, USA * Christian Scholar's Review, 2020 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781788921527
Author Mary Shepard Wong
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint Multilingual Matters
Publisher Multilingual Matters
Weight(grams) 385g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 13mm