Concourse: social connectivity

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Monday, January 29, 2024

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS on Title Social-Emotional Undercurrents in #ELT Advocacy: Insights and Implications-Edited Volume being prepared for Routledge:

Advocacy in English Language Teaching (ELT), as comprehensively defined by Staehr Fenner (2014), is the pursuit of equitable and excellent education for English learners—a principle acknowledged as foundational for progressive educational practices and policies. The recognized necessity of advocacy within ELT professionals’ roles, thoroughly documented by scholars such as Athanases and de Oliveira (2008), and Linville and Whiting (2019), has traditionally been discussed with a strong focus on structural and pedagogical aspects. This emphasis on structural and pedagogical dimensions has laid the groundwork for language educators to ardently advocate for equitable access and the adoption of innovative methodologies, highlighted in the contributions of Linville (2020) and Linville and Pentón Herrera (2022). Such research underscores advocacy’s pivotal role in curriculum development, teaching methodologies, and policy implementation across diverse educational settings, showcasing its transformative power in creating inclusive and dynamic ELT environments. Building on this foundation, a select but growing body of literature has ventured beyond traditional classroom

boundaries to explore advocacy's reach within community organizations (Pentón Herrera, 2019) and among language teacher associations (Pentón Herrera, 2022), thus broadening the understanding and impact of advocacy in the ELT Field.

Despite the robust literature on advocacy in ELT and its advancements, there remains a significant gap in understanding the interplay of social and emotional factors with(in) advocacy eΛorts.

Emotional intelligence, empathy, and social awareness—previously labeled as ‘soft skills’ (Staehr Fenner, 2014)—are pivotal components that inΟuence educators’ ability to advocate eΛectively. Yet, these essential aspects have garnered limited attention in academic discourse. This oversight highlights a critical area for exploration: How do social and emotional elements underpin and impact advocacy eΛorts in ELT? Addressing this question is not just about adding another layer to our comprehension of advocacy; it is about unveiling the human elements that drive advocacy efforts.

Further, this question invites an examination of how social-emotional skills facilitate connections between educators, students, and communities, and how they can be harnessed to champion more

nuanced and impactful advocacy strategies. Ultimately, delving into the social-emotional dimension can lead to a more holistic understanding of advocacy, one that fully embraces the emotional and social dynamics at play, thus enriching the discourse and practice of advocacy in ELT.

Motivated by the opportunity to expand our knowledge and benefit the Field as a whole, we invite contributions for our upcoming edited volume, Social-Emotional Undercurrents in ELT

Advocacy: Insights and Implications. In this edited collection, we seek to explore the multifaceted social and emotional dimensions of advocacy in ELT, examining how these factors influence, shape,

and energize advocacy efforts.

This project aims to fill the existing gap by providing a platform for discussions onempathy, emotional resilience, social connectivity, and their roles in ELT advocacy.

We welcome a range of chapter contributions, including empirical research (i.e., qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods), theoretical explorations, case studies, and reΟective narratives that shed light on the social-emotional aspects of ELT advocacy in diΛerent contexts around the world.

We highly encourage non-traditional/decolonial methodologies and critical lenses. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

● The impact of teachers’ emotional intelligence on shaping advocacy strategies and policies in ELT

● Empathy and social-emotional learning in teacher education and its role in curating spaces for equitable ELT practices and fostering advocacy

●Challenges and eΛective practices at the intersection of professional development and advocacy initiatives

● The interplay of social-emotional competencies in successful ELT advocacy efforts

● Innovative insights and practices bridging social-emotional aspects with ELT advocacy, both in pedagogy and community engagement

● The role of social, cultural, and emotional norms in ELT advocacy, including societal influences on advocacy approaches and strategies

● Building and leveraging social-emotional support networks to reinforce collaborative advocacy among ELT practitioners, community organizations, and language teacher associations

● Personal accounts that traverse the social-emotional landscape of ELT advocacy, documenting challenges and achievements in the field

● Contributions of language teacher associations to the development of social-emotional skills, fostering robust networks for advocacy within and beyond educational institutions.