Philosophy-based Language Teaching Approach on the Horizon: A Revolutionary Pathway to Put Applied ELT into Practice

Abstract

Abstract-As a unique approach in today's language teaching methodology, Philosophy-based Language Teaching (PBLT) engages learners in dialogues using philosophical question and answer activities to tackle the process of language learning in ELT classes. Accordingly, the present study sought to illuminate the practical ways through which PBLT could be utilized to put Applied ELT into practice. In so doing, the key is to redefine the inherent roles of both English learners and practitioners in an Applied ELT classroom. Bringing a bulk of sample philosophical questions, the paper provides the following recommendations to implement PBLT in Applied ELT classes. First, ELT life syllabus can be designed using the principles of PBLT approach. Second, while dealing with language skills, material designers might reshape the common pre and post task activities including life-related philosophical questions. Moreover, as males and females have different points of view towards life issues, materials should provide a platform to augment learners' thoughts through sharing ideas of both genders in the classroom in answering philosophical questions. Third, along with cross-cultural approaches, PBLT can aid life syllabus design which assists learners to consider themselves as an active member of local and global communities all around the world.

Burundian Teachers’ Conceptualisations of Philosophy-Based Language Teaching Approach in Developing EFL Students’ Speaking Skill

“…Finally, more recently, the study by Hemmati and Hoomanfard (2014), reported in Dabbagh and Noshadi (2016), shows that applying the PBLT approach in the EFL classroom can improve the students' speaking skill and their willingness to communicate. The authors of the same study concluded that the observed effectiveness of PBLT in improving the students' speaking skill and their willingness to speak is a sign that PBLT could be the alternative approach to the traditionally used IRF (Initiation-Response-Follow up) approach in teaching the speaking skill.…”

“…Consequently, a new theoretical approach to EFL classroom practices was needed. It is in that perspective that the PBLT, which "engages learners in dialogues using philosophical questions and answer activities to tackle the process of language learning in ELT classes", came as an application tool of Applied ELT in EFL contexts (Dabbagh & Noshadi, 2016, p. 1022. As was observed by Shahini and Riazi (2011), EFL learners become automatically ready and motivated to participate in classroom discussions whenever a philosophical question is raised.…”

“…Needless to state, the EFL class is here considered a social community where life is to be experienced holistically through language and where language (English) is used as a thinking tool (Shahini & Riazi, 2011). This rather comprehensive view of EFL education is backed in Dabbagh andNoshadi (2016, p. 1023), who reporting studies by Dewey (1897), Freire (1998), Krishnamurti (1981), andWalters (1997), states that "the true function of education is to make people ready to face life challenges and be autonomous in seeking personal gain". It is worth mentioning that the word "philosophy", which is central to PBLT, is not the big "P" for complex philosophical questions as would be referred to in the Socratic or Platonic sense, but rather the little "p" intended to encourage ordinary EFL students to approach the world around them creatively and critically, by thinking deeply about it without blindly accepting what is taught or told to them (Shahini & Riazi, 2011).…”

“…Thus, the communicative language teaching (CLT) and the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approaches are seen to be more important in the development of the oral skills, while the genre-based pedagogy has its focus mainly put on the written texts (Graves & Carton, 2017). More recently, a new language teaching approach under the name of philosophy-based language teaching (PBLT) has appeared in the literature (Gholamhossein & Siamak, 2010;Shahini & Riazi, 2011;Dabbagh & Noshadi, 2016) and was found to help EFL learners develop not only speaking and writing skills but also thinking skills. The PBLT approach is based on the two main elements, namely the philosophical questions and the consideration of the classroom as a community of inquiry.…”

Hidden Curriculum in Schools: A Comparison of Religious Otherness in Pakistani ELT Textbooks

“…However, the main area of focus has been of identification of sexism and gender representations in ELT/EFL textbooks. Dabbahg and Noshadi (2016), Craeynest (2015), Hall (2014), Lee (2014), Lee and Collins (2008) have been generally carried out on firstness, omission, visibility linguistic biases in the selection of nouns and adjectives associated with each gender. These studies have found gender biases in textbooks and have recommended fair representation of female gender by the authors.…”