Faculty Publications and Conference Presentations

Link to the published blog / article:

https://theory-into-practice.weebly.com/tip-blog/dissolving-the-theory-practice-divide-highlights-from-hong-kong

The 2024 CLE-TCA Conference on Dissolving the Theory-Practice Divide in Language Education : Highlights from Hong Kong

The recent shift in institutional priorities is characterized with a greater emphasis on promoting scholarship in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This change recognizes EAP as a dynamic discipline, evolving to meet student needs and align with the goals of higher education (Davis, 2019; Ding & Bruce, 2017; Webster, 2022; Whong, 2023). At the Center for Language Education (CLE) within The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), this trend has found expression under the leadership of Director Melinda Whong, playing a pivotal role in driving scholarship within the field. 
 
A crucial aspect of this emphasis on scholarly engagement in EAP is the recognition of theory-informed teaching practices (Bruce, 2021; Walková, 2021). Educators now understand the importance of a strong theoretical foundation and evidence-based pedagogical strategies to create effective language learning experiences. Against this backdrop, I share highlights from our conference, "Dissolving the theory-practice dualism in language education," held on April 13, 2024, at our Center. 
 
The conference attracted language teachers, researchers, and academics from universities, colleges and schools in Hong Kong, Macau, and neighbouring cities. Despite limited livestreamed keynotes, these were watched by more than 8,000 people in China. Approximately 150 attendees physically visited the conference venue on campus.
 
In the following paragraphs, I reflect on the keynotes, parallel sessions, and the roundtable, illustrating how the conference addressed the theory-practice divide.
 
Keynotes
 
The conference aimed to foster meaningful discussions and explore the crucial connection between theory and practice in the domains of translanguaging, English Medium Instruction (EMI), and World Englishes. Through thought-provoking talks, it challenged conventional notions and sparked critical reflection, examining translanguaging as a pedagogical practice where students alternate between languages for receptive or productive use (Garcia  & Li Wei, 2014), while highlighting World Englishes as indigenized varieties of English in their local contexts of use (Jenkins, 2006).
 
Our first keynote speaker, Prof. James Simpson from HKUST, delved into the concept of translanguaging, urging us to reconsider established ideas of cultural and linguistic homogeneity while emphasizing the importance of belonging(see: here). He argued that the theory and practice divide in learning English is evident in the discrepancy between societal expectations of assimilation through language proficiency and the negotiated nature of belonging and suggested moving beyond language as the sole determinant of integration. 
 
Our second speaker, Prof. Michelle Gu (EduHK), shed light on the significance of Family Language Policy (FLP) in the digital era, as she highlighted the role of social media in the effective collaboration between families and schools. She demonstrated how language practices on social media platforms could bolster multilingual development and stressed the importance of professional support in establishing FLPs that uphold cultural values. These insights align with asset-based pedagogies (Flint & Jaggers, 2021), which recognize and build upon students' existing strengths, including their linguistic diversity and literacy skills.
 
The next keynote was delivered by Prof. Guangwei Hu (HKPolyU) who pointed out that little attention has been given to EMI teacher experiences and described his study investigating how Chinese university teachers navigated their classrooms. His findings challenged the notion of EMI as an English-only space and highlighted the importance of empowering teachers to reconstruct instructional settings as multilingual spaces, especially where English is taught as a Foreign Language.  
 
Lastly, Prof. Heath Rose shared his research on the identities of 400 researchers. His findings suggested that the perceived divide might be superficial as a significant number of EAP researchers began their careers as teachers. He concluded by advocating for stronger partnerships between practitioners and researchers (see: here).
 
Parallel sessions
 
As both a participant and organizer of the conference, I was particularly pleased with the unique format of the parallel sessions. While the researcher sessions encouraged discussions around the practical implications of applied linguistic theories, the practitioner sessions focused on participants exploring pedagogical issues through a theoretical lens. 
 
The researcher sessions had speakers highlighting the role of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as well as Digital Media Compositions (DMCs) in translanguaging. While I couldn't attend every session, I was able to learn from Prof. Wen's research on digital language portraits and the power of synchronous Computer-Mediated Communicationplatforms in facilitating interactive translanguaging (see here.). Prof. Tai's emphasis on creating technological sub-spaces in translanguaging for social justice also resonated with me. Other talks focused on the technological affordances of GenAI for critical text analysis, issues of academic integrity, and the use of Appraisal framework to develop critical writing skills. Presentations that dealt with the challenges faced by EMI institutions in terms of teaching English in the Disciplines and for students’ listening activities, were also extremely engaging. 
 
The practitioner sessions were highly impactful too. These sessions explored the widespread application of GenAI tools and their potential to create digital translanguaging spaces within classrooms. They demonstrated how ChatGPT could be utilized to familiarize students with World Englishes, highlighted the role of learning analytics in guiding language learning theory and shed light on the challenges faced by English language teachers in self-financed institutions, who strive to stay abreast of scholarly advancements despite demanding teaching schedules and limited funding opportunities. The disparity between theoretical developments and classroom practices regarding World Englishes was a notable feature of these sessions as it became evident that classroom practices are still predominantly influenced by standard English and native speaker ideologies. 
 
Roundtable
 
The talks and discussions culminated in a highly anticipated roundtable forum. This primarily touched upon the distinction between teachers on research track and teaching track positions within universities, highlighting the differing expectations for academic staff belonging to the two groups. It also reiterated the argument that an effective teacher is also a scholar, engaging in inquiry into language teaching practices and disseminating practitioner scholarship outputs to advance knowledge in their field. The forum thus fostered shared learning and exploration of digital translanguaging spaces, teacher and student challenges in EMI contexts, and the concept of criticality. 
 
Final thoughts
 
The conference has laid the groundwork for future endeavours. The connections made and discussions sparked during the event will facilitate ongoing collaborations in the Greater Bay Area and beyond. I would recommend that similar events based on theory-informed practice (TiP) approach be held and people invited from around the globe to submit proposals to include an even greater range of perspectives and participants.
 
For conference details visit https://bit.ly/cletca2024 and to view the event photos click Conference photos
 
References

Bruce, I. (2021). Towards an EAP without borders: Developing knowledge, practitioners, and communities. International Journal of English for Academic Purposes: Research and Practice, 2021(Spring), 23-36.

da Costa, N., & Rose, H. (2024). The impact of Global Englishes classroom-based innovation on school-aged language learners' perceptions of English: An exercise in practitioner and researcher partnership. System, 121, 103263.

Davis, M. (2019). Publishing research as an EAP practitioner: Opportunities and threats. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 39, 72-86.

Ding, A., & Bruce, I. (2017). The English for academic purposes practitioner. Palgrave Macmillan.

Flint, A. S., & Jaggers, W. (2021). You matter here: The impact of asset-based pedagogies on learning. Theory Into Practice, 60(3), 254-264.

García, O., & Wei, L. (2018). Book Review Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education, by. Bellaterra J Teach Learn Lang Lit, 85.

Jenkins, J. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching world Englishes and English as a lingua franca. TESOL quarterly, 40(1), 157-181.

Mu, S., Li, A., Shen, L., Han, L., & Wen, Z. (2023). Linguistic repertoires embodied and digitalized: a computer-vision-aided analysis of the language portraits by multilingual youth. Sustainability, 15(3), 2194.

Simpson, J., & Bradley, J. (2024). Belonging-in-Interaction: Expressing and Performing Translocal Belongings Through Language and Arts Practice. Applied Linguistics, 45(3), 464-480.
Walková, M. (2021). Scholarship is a journey. The Language Scholar, 9, 97-104.

Webster, S. (2022). The transition of EAP practitioners into scholarship writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 57, 101091. 

Whong, M. (2023). Scholarship in its own right. Scholarship of Teaching in Language Education, 1(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.59936/stile.v1i1.78
 

Authors: Maisie Glofcheski and Rosita Cheng

Presentation Context:

Now that our pilot project is complete, we are currently testing some materials and ideas in the LANG4030 course, which will no longer be offered after this year. Moving forward, our current plan is to create short 1-2 credit courses with an innovative structure. Our plan is to start with in-class lessons during the add/drop period to help students understand how the course works, followed by out-of-class learning through microlearning modules, scaffolded by student peer-review activities, and face-to face consultations with the instructor. Students will then be invited back to the classroom at the end of the course. The timing will be strategically aligned with their needs during major final year project deadlines.

Based on the feedback and recommendations from the discussion and survey conducted during our Wednesday session, here is a summary of the comments:

Short Report Writing Courses:

• Course Structure: The majority of colleagues (83%) believe that writing courses should be 1 credit, discipline-specific (for Engineering only), and graded on a pass/fail basis.
• Consultations: Many colleagues suggested integrating one-on-one consultations midway through the course as a scaffolding measure, inspired by the LANG4030 design.
• Workshop Offerings: Some colleagues recommended that the CLE also offer some general writing workshops for students looking to build foundational skills, as indicated by CSE faculty in the student needs analysis survey.
• Microlearning Modules: There was unanimous support for combining discipline-specific microlearning modules with face-to-face elements.

Short Oral Presentation Courses:

• Discipline Specificity: Colleagues were divided on whether these courses should be discipline-specific (40% in favour, 60% against). Many noted that essential presentation skills and techniques are common across disciplines.
• Course Offerings: Some colleagues suggested that both discipline-specific and general courses should be available in the future, although FYP presentation skills should be prioritized in the short term.
• Instructional Methods: There was a consensus that microlearning modules are more suitable for written reports, while a heavier emphasis on face-to-face instruction is necessary for oral presentation courses to facilitate instant feedback. Suggestions included using pre-recorded videos and authentic student video examples, as mentioned by CSE faculty in the student needs analysis survey.

Additional Suggestions

• Multimodal Video Courses: Several colleagues highlighted the need for 1 credit short courses on designing multimodal videos, as video creation has become a replacement for poster presentations in CSE/CPEG and potentially other sub-departments in Engineering and related disciplines. This course may not need to be discipline-specific, so we will investigate which departments require videos for their final year projects.
• Resource Reutilization: It was proposed that many resources from the retired LANG1403 course could be repurposed for this initiative, maximizing the value of existing materials.