Uncovering Hidden Meaning in our Teaching Materials

Author and Teacher Trainer Katherine Reilly Κάθριν Ράιλι explores the role of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in English language teaching and materials. Katherine explains how CDA can help educators identify hidden meanings, assumptions, and power dynamics within their teaching materials so we can make changes that foster a more inclusive and supportive environment.

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Key talking points

Understanding Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
CDA is an approach that examines how language and imagery in teaching materials can shape social realities, reinforce stereotypes, and influence ideologies. Katherine emphasises the importance of ensuring materials reflect diverse voices, backgrounds, and experiences.

Gender and Stereotypes in Textbooks
Katherine shares examples of how textbooks can reinforce outdated gender roles, such as referring to professionals as "policemen" or "firemen" instead of using gender-neutral terms. She discusses how such representations can limit students' perceptions of their future potential.

Adapting Materials for Inclusivity
Katherine stresses that no single textbook can fully meet the needs of all learners. Teachers should adapt materials to reflect different cultures, abilities, and perspectives. She encourages educators to use inclusive visuals, update resources, and incorporate diverse voices.

Actionable Steps for Teachers
Katherine’s top tips for educators:

• Evaluate your materials to ensure they are inclusive and cater to all students’ needs.

• Research to find materials that promote diversity and foster greater diversity and inclusion.

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About Katherine

Katherine Reilly Κάθριν Ράιλι is an ELT Teacher Trainer and Author of numerous publications in children’s literature, teaching materials and ICT. She has taught Language Methodology and Materials Development at the University of Athens, previously at the Technological University of Cyprus and finally, at the Oxford TEFL Training Center for the Innovate ELT Conference. Her expertise includes training school faculties in inclusive teaching methodology, diverse educational materials adaptation, and the application of Critical Discourse Analysis to examine socio-cultural dimensions. Discover more about Katherine’s work here.

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Watch the video with closed captions or refer to the transcript below.

Transcript

00:00:00:05 - 00:00:21:12

Laura

TESOL pop season ten, episode six. Hello and welcome to TESOL Pop the mini podcast for busy teachers. My name is Laura and joining me today to talk about uncovering hidden meaning in our materials is author and teacher trainer Katherine Reilly. In this episode, Katherine talks about the importance of evaluating our materials as a means of fostering an inclusive and supportive classroom.

00:00:21:14 - 00:00:36:09

Laura

What's more, she shares loads of examples from her experience as an academic, a teacher, trainer, and a teacher. So I'm sure there's going to be lots in here that you can relate to. Let's join the conversation where I ask Katherine to tell me more about critical discourse analysis.

00:00:36:11 - 00:01:13:02

Katherine

Critical discourse analysis, or as we call it, CDA In English language teaching is an approach that examines how language is used to construct social realities, shape power relations, and influencing ideologies. It actually involves analysing imagery, text spoken or written to uncover hidden meanings, assumptions and power dynamics within them. So in other words, when we are using critical discourse analysis, we must ask ourselves, do our textbooks or the materials that we have at our disposal,

00:01:13:02 - 00:01:48:02

Katherine

do they reflect different voices, backgrounds, experiences, ethnicity, or gender? The materials that are visual in our textbooks, are they inclusive? So in these cases, we have to try to adapt our teaching materials in such a way that they're more inclusive to all learners, regardless of background. And in some cases, we have to cater not only to their special educational needs, but also to their abilities so as to foster, you know, a more inclusive learning environment.

00:01:48:04 - 00:02:08:19

Laura

You know, you mentioned that it's not just in the images and the resources, but also the words itself. I wonder if you have any examples of texts that you've worked with without maybe naming, authors and publishers where you've noticed it's reinforcing a particular reality, but not necessarily being inclusive? Do you have an example?

00:02:08:21 - 00:02:42:10

Katherine

I actually have many examples of such issues. For example, we have many textbooks in which they present professions. Instead of saying police officer, which is more inclusive. They cater to the more stereotypical male profession policemen instead of firefighter. They say firemen, etc. and there are some occupations that they usually associate only with, the female gender. For example, why always represent the doctor as male and the nurse as female?

00:02:42:12 - 00:03:07:10

Katherine

I mean, it could be the other way around. Simple as that. Or when we are trying to use, you know, vocabulary that in many cases reinforces the sort of typical patriarchy that, a man is in charge of a family and he must make the final decision. So I remember there was this listening that, was in the book of a known publisher.

00:03:07:12 - 00:03:27:12

Katherine

And I remember they were having dinner. And so the father was like, okay, Scott and I will go, to the garden and do some chores. You and mum wash the dishes. He stated to his daughter and his wife. So that was another thing that clicked inside man was like, why? Why couldn't the son help the mother with the dishes?

00:03:27:12 - 00:03:48:00

Katherine

Or why couldn't they work on the car, for example? So these there's these little things that imply what the role of each person is in society. And these are the things that, you know, really bother me when it has to do with, it let's not forget that guilt is not only a means of teaching a foreign language.

00:03:48:04 - 00:04:01:18

Katherine

It's also, you know, the values and the mannerisms that we want our students, our children to adapt and adapt later on in life.

00:04:01:20 - 00:04:32:17

Laura

Thinking also for those that work with young learners, if with that example of gender roles reinforcement there that can really taper what learners think is possible for them and what their futures could look like if there's certain stereotypical gender roles being reinforced, I'm thinking about that also as my own experience. You know, as as a young person in the 90s when I was in school and what impact that had on me before I realised that I could have other options in my career.

00:04:32:19 - 00:04:37:18

Laura

Is that something that you see is particularly problematic in addition to other things?

00:04:37:20 - 00:05:06:22

Katherine

I can say that that's the that's the most severe issue that we have today, Neal team. We are actually, you know, placing our students in specific roles pertaining to their gender or to their, that have to do with their nationality or their culture. And these are things that should be, you know, diminished completely. And I'll be more specific.

00:05:06:24 - 00:05:29:05

Katherine

There are some countries that do not accept the voice of women. And this is something that we see frequently, not only in books but, you know, on social media. There are countries in which, you know, women are not allowed to voice their concerns, their opinions. And we can see that education is a privilege that mostly men, you know, have the benefit.

00:05:29:07 - 00:05:57:05

Katherine

And these are things that we should, you know, try to demolish in any way we can. Some of these ideas and mannerisms are used, you know, within, you know, our textbooks. There's some, you know, sentences that imply what the role of, you know, the male should be in a family and, you know, instead of the female. But I remember another text, it was like, I think it was it was actually a practice test book.

00:05:57:05 - 00:06:23:04

Katherine

It wasn't a course book in which there was a reading comprehension. And I remember that within the text there were scientists. All of them were male. And this could demolish the dreams of a girl who would wish to follow, you know, medicine or science in the future. And this approach that Eli does today applies to various, you know, ethnic groups, cultures, ideologies.

00:06:23:08 - 00:06:34:08

Katherine

It's not only specific to gender. So we have to stress how important it is to keep an open mind through our teachings, through the materials that are at our disposal.

00:06:34:10 - 00:06:51:16

Laura

I think that's so important, Katherine, that you raised us and how exclusionary our materials and teaching as a result can be without us even realising. It can feel quite powerful when you're holding a book that's been assigned to you as a teacher, that that's kind of the gospel. I remember as a young teacher starting out and still learning how to teach.

00:06:51:21 - 00:07:15:07

Laura

When I was given the materials, I hadn't really thought about this because I trusted the publishers and what was written there, and the thought of me being able to adapt. It was quite a big jump for me. It wasn't until I gained a lot more confidence in my teaching that I began to kind of realise things that were happening around me and be able to critique, critique things and have the confidence to critique things and change things as well.

00:07:15:09 - 00:07:45:01

Katherine

You know what the problem is, okay? My experience as an educator and an author has taught me one thing that a textbook alone cannot cater to the specific needs of a class. It must be adapted and tailored to the needs of the students. So this is something that we'll talk about. Of course, the teachers should not expect to teach based on the book itself upon entering class, and something that they have to keep in mind.

00:07:45:03 - 00:08:06:04

Katherine

Many a times we talk about lesson plans or have a lesson plan. So I'm going to teach them, you know, the first two exercises from page two, do the reading on page three and then know move on to vocabulary. It doesn't exactly work that way because a lesson plan is mostly technocratic, if I dare say, with a limited scope.

00:08:06:06 - 00:08:34:03

Katherine

On the other hand, if they apply an educational scenario which is based on social, communicative, real life circumstances, that they're personal based and are broader and deeper and meaning in these cases, you can actually pull it off. And this is what we call, you know, adapting your teaching materials to meet the special educational needs or abilities of students.

00:08:34:05 - 00:09:02:15

Katherine

I don't like to use the words good student or bad student or weak student or strong student. There is no such thing as a weak or strong student. There are students with various abilities. For example, a student might not be good at, you know, rote learning. He might not be good at, you know, learning things by heart. On the other hand, he can he or she can, you know, actually prevail when it has to do with delivering a speech or a presentation.

00:09:02:17 - 00:09:33:13

Katherine

Other students throughout the years that I've had the honour of teaching, were quite, well, quite fluent and efficient. In writing, instead of speaking, everyone can, you know, excel at something. We should not, you know, degrade someone for not being the best at a specific aspect of the language. And that's why it's so important, you know, to offer students various, you know, perspectives of what we teach them, not only culture wise but knowledge wise.

00:09:33:15 - 00:10:03:07

Katherine

And that's why we should, you know, actually, you know, adapt our lessons. And many a time as a teacher, trainer, I tell, you know, other teachers try to use inclusive visual materials. For example, you can have a family that has, you know, same sex couple. You can update your libraries with visual material representing the clothing, the mannerisms, festivities of other cultures and countries.

00:10:03:09 - 00:10:42:00

Katherine

You can actually incorporate cultural affairs within the lesson, you know, have a specific lesson you know about the music, food, closure tradition of one of the students. You can have diversity through clue lessons or scheme. Why not talk about a famous gay Japanese inventor and, you know, actually learn the language through this? So the whole idea is to update, you know, your materials in such a way that you can, you know, reflect upon all the students their experiences and make them feel that they're part of the lesson and that they are accepted.

00:10:42:02 - 00:10:54:02

Katherine

I think that's the most important, you know, aspect of teaching, fostering an environment of love, inclusion and motivating them to participate.

00:10:54:04 - 00:11:06:22

Laura

That's lovely. Catherine, before we close today's episode, do you have any tips or a top tip you'd like to share for listeners who are thinking, oh, I've really enjoyed this conversation. I want to take action, but what should I do next? What would you say?

00:11:06:24 - 00:11:38:01

Katherine

Okay. I think that the most important is to follow two steps. First step evaluate the teaching material. Is it inclusive? Does it cater to the students of your class to other educational needs or abilities? And the second step is to do your research and try to incorporate all these materials that can actually boost the lesson. And of course, to benefit our kids, because this is the most important part about teaching.

00:11:38:03 - 00:11:41:16

Katherine

It's the welfare of our students.

00:11:41:18 - 00:11:46:10

Laura

Wonderful words to close on, Katherine. It's been a delight talking to you today. Thank you so much for your time.

00:11:46:12 - 00:11:50:21

Katherine

Thank you so much for having me here. It was a pleasure.

00:11:50:23 - 00:12:07:09

Laura

To learn more about Katherine's work, including blogs and publications and training, she delivers. Go to her blog space. That's katherinereilly.blog. As always, I've included that link in the show notes so you can find that easily. If you've got a question or an idea that you'd like to pitch to the podcast, and you can go to the website.

00:12:07:11 - 00:12:23:19

Finally, you can support the work we do by leaving a rating, a review wherever you listen to the podcast, by sharing today's episode with your teaching community, or by even buying as a coffee, by going to ko-fi.com/tesolpop

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