Too Much Tech? Teaching English in a New Educational Environment

We as teachers are only too aware of the sudden and dramatic changes affecting society (and our work) in the present era. We have all adapted our techniques of instruction to the requirements of online teaching, and we have quickly learned to make use of (some of) the vast array of software and hardware available to us. At the same time, we find ourselves dealing with the significant social and political pressures exerted by a difficult international situation and an ever-changing media and social media environment. This paper attempts to take stock of what we have learned as teachers over the last few years, what new skills we have, and what genuinely useful devices we have at our disposal. But it aims to ask a series of further questions: what are the central points in language teaching? What are our core values as language teachers, and how can these inform our practice in the classroom? How does the present political and economic climate affect the role of teachers? What should language teachers really be doing in the second phase of the 21st century? The paper suggests possible answers to these questions, emphasising the particular importance of language teaching in developing, not only the capacity for communication and interaction, but also modes of thought. The modest solutions proposed aim to marry the socio-cultural and political needs of our students with cognitive aspects of language learning, suggesting a new approach to English language teaching and the process of learning. Ideas such as the learner as a social agent and the role(s) of the English language internationally are taken into consideration. Keywords: Techniques; core values; social-cognitive learning