The Joint Research Symposium on Transformative Teacher Education in Different Contexts contributed by Virginia Commonwealth University, UIC, and other universities was held online on 27-28 May 2021. UIC teachers Dr. Edith Yan and Dr. Robyn Bray made great presentations. Panel recordings and slides could be found via this link.

About Dr. Edith Yan

Dr. Edith Yan is an Associate Professor in the English Language and Literature Studies (ELLS) Programme. She earned her BSc from the University of Hong Kong, her MA in TESOL from Central Michigan University in USA and her PhD from City University of Hong Kong.

Topic: Preparing Pre-service English Teachers for Equity-oriented Instruction: The Case of an Undergraduate Program in China

Abstract: Pedagogical disparity can frequently be found in the English classrooms in China, where higher-proficiency learners are provided with more opportunities of communicative use of English and lower-proficiency learners mainly use their first language to study the subject. In this paper, I will first discuss the techniques for teaching English to students of diverse proficiency levels, which are part of the training provided for pre-service English teachers of an undergraduate program. Then I will examine the reflections from the pre-service English teachers who have engaged in language-teaching practicum at a middle school for their own equity practices and their attitudes towards existing inequity practices. Emphasis will be placed on devising better ways to support pre-service English teachers to address students of diverse backgrounds in their classroom teaching.

About Dr. Robyn Bray

Dr. Robyn Bray is the Director of the English Language Centre in UIC, she holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Letters, and Master of Arts in English language from the University of Glasgow, as well as a Master of Science from Robert Gordon University in the field of digital curation.

Topic: EFL in China: Past to Present Perspectives

Abstract: This paper provides a brief summary of recent developments in English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction in China and then seeks to illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has both expedited the requirement for change and fundamentally altered the Chinese EFL landscape. The historical development of teaching English in China, as with elsewhere in the world, has always been influenced by social, political, and economic factors. With the ongoing COVID pandemic influencing all aspects of life for people internationally, it is inevitable that it will have an impact on attitudes to teaching and learning English in China in the future. Although the eventual impacts and outcomes are, as yet, still not clear, Dr. Bray discuss some early ideas about how the pandemic may have expedited trends in EFL teaching in China that were already apparent and make some suggestions about how teacher training may be able to respond to some of these issues.