TESOL International: Problem-Posing Perspectives in TESOL and Materials Development

Name: TESOL International: Problem-Posing Perspectives in TESOL and Materials Development
Start: 2025-03-03T00:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-03-03T23:59:59-07:00
Location: Virtual event

Problem-Posing Perspectives in TESOL and Materials Development

Problem-posing is one way to describe the Freirean approach in Adult ESL, established several decades ago by Elsa Auerbach and Nina Wallerstein. In this perspective, teachers help adult ESL students develop the language they need to address real-world problems arising from their lives and experiences, with a larger social justice focus in view. A key aspect of this is materials; although a participatory approach implies joint construction of curriculum, teachers cannot be expected to move in this direction without at least some sample materials, or preferably a bank of pre-prepared materials that can be adapted to students’ varying needs and concerns. A characteristic element of problem-posing pedagogy is the “code”, an element of materials, often visual, that acts as a stimulus or “projective device”. These should be easier to develop in an era of image-oriented AI. Codes can also be elements of text, fragments of dialog, and more. The webinar will introduce the basic concepts of problem-posing pedagogy, drawing on classic concepts, and also illustrate materials using the work of Auerbach & Wallerstein. It will then suggest design actions and possible tools or apps. Small group discussion and sharing using zoom breakout rooms will be scheduled with a final phase that should allow experiences and options to be broadly shared across all attendees.

Presenter

Graham V. Crookes is Professor, Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he has been since 1988. His primary interests include transformative and problem-posing L2 pedagogies. His most recent book is English for a Critical Mind: Language Pedagogy for Social Justice (Delta/Klett).