Promoting Critical Multiculturalism in the Japanese EFL Classroom: Conceptualization, Design, and Delivery

Promoting Critical Multiculturalism in the Japanese EFL Classroom: Conceptualization, Design, and Delivery

Sunday, October 8, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

In an era of social justice and racial reckoning, teachers have been increasingly addressing topics related to race/racism, ethnicity, and identity. However, some may consider tackling such issues as daunting, complex, and too controversial to broach in Japanese EFL settings. This may be due to not only vague student background knowledge but also teacher uncertainty with respect to course design and implementation. This workshop will demonstrate how Kubota's (2012) basic concepts of critical multiculturalism can be applied to design a university CLIL course. Activities from the course will be simulated, and discussions that reflect on those activities will be facilitated. Any questions or concerns about best practices when it comes to the promotion of diversity, intercultural awareness, and inclusion in ELT course creation will be addressed.

Gregory Paul Glasgow is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Kanda University of International Studies. He is a critical applied linguist who draws on social theory to examine the politics of Global English(es) in language teaching in contemporary society. Most specifically, he is interested in issues of language, race, and identity as they relate to the implementation of English language education policy and pedagogical practice. Glasgow holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Queensland in Australia and previously served as an English Language Specialist for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

ZOOM Online presentation *registration required*
Contact: fujimotodonna@gmail.com to get the Zoom link; and with any questions.
This event is co-sponsored with SIETAR-Kansai.