SESSION 2C

Louise Townsin
Language teaching as complicated entanglement: caring for self and caring for others

Abstract
In the current neo-liberal climate, language teaching is often simplified to drill and test modes of pedagogy, where outcomes are prioritized over processes. Such approaches to language teaching do not recognize education as a relational activity that has transformative power for all in the classroom. This workshop introduces a pedagogical model that encourages students and educators to harness their capacities to engage in and co-construct desirable futures. Providing concrete examples of how practices of self-care and care for others can be utilized in the classroom, this collaborative session will stimulate your imagination to celebrate language teaching as a precious opportunity for interconnectedness and dialogue.

Bio
Louise Townsin is a PhD student at Torrens University Australia. Her area of interest is intercultural learning in tertiary contexts. Her research has involved the creation and evaluation of a pedagogical model that works to cultivate dispositions for living together-in-difference. Louise currently teaches within undergraduate courses at Torrens University Australia, and has extensive experience working as an English teacher with international university students in the development of academic literacy skills.