The Humanizing Power of Narrative in Academic EFL Teaching as Response to COVID-19 Post-pandemic Education Challenges

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic enforced rapid changes in teaching methodology, practically revising the widely applied academic practices and traditional approaches. Upon entering the spaces of classrooms after demanding remote learning, academic teachers and students encounter several challenges that pertain to building humanizing learning environments, as times differ from those before the pandemic. Therefore, promoting humanizing pedagogy in higher education is critically needed right now. The purpose of the article is to detail theoretical and practical solutions for academic teachers to inspire them to implement a narrative approach in their academic classrooms. Empirical studies support that when humanizing pedagogy is put into practice, it can strengthen reflective and dialogic approaches to teaching English, including teaching a specialist language. The practical suggestions on how to implement these approaches into teaching EFL and ESP in the context of Polish higher education distinctively show the potential of narratives and storytelling as didactic tools translating into an opportunity to design modern, high-quality English language courses.