Education as a Radical Act

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Members Total Members: 130 Latest: Deeferulp Stats Total Posts: 1292 Total Topics: 1094 Online Today: 4 Online Ever: 53 (February 11, 2009, 07:09:49 AM) Users Online Users: 0 Guests: 4 Total: 4

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[Kenneth]

Why are we teaching? A good friend of mine once said that we teach despite the pay! I want to see myself as making a contribution to society when I step into the classroom, or when I write an article for publication.

Recently a colleague from the American Midwest spoke of being disheartened by academia, saying that professors publish just for career promotion. Few (he alleges) publish out of a love for the subject.

What's your take on your role as an educator, and the influence of academia upon society?

[larry]

I have no background in TESOL/TEFL publishing, but came out of the Behaviorial Psychology stream back in the 70's and tasted academia first hand. It left a revolting taste in my mouth and all I can say is that the teachers here in China are require to publish or perish in their own way.

If I had a penny for most of the research collecting dust in archives around the world with no connection to applied fields, I would be a wealthy educator who could tell the APA or whatever "style" is in vogue now to go and fly a kite!! I hate to be negative, because without research we would have no progress, but utilizing it needs to be front and center.

Larry

[admin]

If I had a penny for most of the research collecting dust in archives around the world with no connection to applied fields, I would be a wealthy educator who could tell the APA or whatever "style" is in vogue now to go and fly a kite!! I hate to be negative, because without research we would have no progress, but utilizing it needs to be front and center.

Larry

Could it be that the utilisation of knowledge requires two sets of skills...?

The first that creates the knowledge; and the second that applies it to the 'real world'. Neither knowledge set could exist without the other... yet in academic worlds, only the first set really has any value; while in the 'real world', knowledge could be mined more appreciatively...

Just my 2cents...
Kenneth

[larry]

Kenneth,

I couldn't say it any better.Cheers,as the Brits or Aussies might say.I am learning another dialect now and broadening my unfortunate Canadian arrogance, bred mostly by isolation from these other communities.As for our neighbours to the South, they have more dialects than all of China.Hmmm......

Larry

[ana]

Larry and Kenneth,
                           Most interesting discussion.I  believe that as a Teacher of English  as a Foreign Language,I can offer students a lot more than just the language itself.We  teach with words and with words culture and education,communication are ,I think the only means to try to change the world we live in.This is what I try to do.

As far as research is concerned,I would say that both kinds of knowledge feed on each other ,otherwise the English language teaching world wouldn't have gone the long way it has.Other fields have come in to help us:Psychology,Linguistics,semantics and so on and I think we have grown the wiser by all of them.

Ana