Posicionamiento docente y prácticas humanizantes en el salón de Inglés

Abstract

Teachers’ positioning in their EFL classroom determines their teaching practices because it allows and limits the range of actions teachers may perform. According to Davies and Harré (1990), positioning is a group of rights and duties the individuals appropriate and perform according to the social context in which they are. In this context, contrary to the dehumanizing positions promoted by policies in language institutes, teachers positioning as humanizing educators may foster teaching practices aimed at raising critical consciousness and promoting social transformation. Additionally, reflection is key for teachers to understand their performance and improve it regarding their humanizing purposes. This qualitative case study aimed at examining how EFL teachers in language institutions position themselves within a humanizing framework while reflecting on their practice. Data included teachers’ oral and written productions taken from their participation in a pedagogical implementation to apply humanizing principles. Thematic analysis revealed teachers transitions from regular practices to a positioning process that fostered more humanizing ones as they progressed on their self-reflections. Also, some of the teachers’ humanizing positions evinced to lead to social change and transformation. In conclusion, it was evident that the interactive and reflexive context in which a humanizing pedagogy is promoted makes positions that lead to humanization available for teachers to take. Thus, I expand the knowledge of positioning applied to educational contexts as well as the practices a humanizing positioning may foster, so that we can transform our teaching practice.