SKA Winter Workshop with Rakesh Bhanot: Teaching English is More than Language Skills

SCELTSeminar, SKA Teacher Development, Teacher Training

When: 2.30-4.30pm, Friday, 27 FebruaryRakesh Bhanot
Where: Filozoficka fakulta UK, Bratislava, Gondova 2, rm 104

Fee: 3 EUR (or what you can afford – university students attend free)
Coffee, tea, mineral water and cookies included
Registration required! http://goo.gl/forms/33XBpaHoSv (space limited!)

Hosts: Lynda Steyne & Lucia Otrisalova

Teaching English is More than Language Skills

“We are not in an innocent business!” (Prof. Harold Rosen in reference to teaching English as a Second Language in the UK)

How often do we stop to think about what we as English teachers are (really) doing when we teach others, be they children or adults? Teaching is always about ‘something’. Consciously or not, we transmit our own values, beliefs, biases, and prejudices (among other things) through both what we include in our lessons and classrooms and what we exclude. No matter our aims and objectives, our students ARE influenced by our choice of materials and how we use them.

Rakesh’s workshop will reflect on the English language we teach (i.e. critical reading) and share some ideas and activities designed to address some of the more sensitive and challenging issues we usually don’t deal with such as racism, sexism, and bullying.

Being an English teacher can be more than just presenting the rules of grammar.

RakeshRakesh started teaching English in Spain in 1972 and since then has been involved in (nearly) all aspects of ELT. In 1986 he founded LANGUAGE ISSUES – the Journal of the ‘National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults’ in the UK. He has published/co-edited several books and contributed to many national/international conferences including ELT Forum.sk 2013 and 2014. This has taken him to 42 countries around the world in order to deliver seminars and workshops on behalf of various institutions including the British Council, Pilgrims and Sharing One Language. Retired from full-time teaching, he spends most of his time doing teacher training, writing haikus, and looking for good pints of beer and excellent cups of coffee.