Chhayankdhar Singh Rathore
Konan Women's University, Kobe, Japan
About
Chhayankdhar Singh Rathore is a lecturer in the Department of English for Global Communication at Konan Women’s University, Kobe, where he teaches and is an advisor and manager of the Self-Access Learning Center, e-space. He is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, where he read English Literature & Political Science, and of the M.A. TESOL program at Soka University, Japan. His areas of interest include Reflective Practice, Self-Access Learning, Drama-in-Education, Speech & Debate, and World Englishes. In the ELT community, Chhayankdhar is known by his nickname, C.D.Sessions
Synchronous (Onsite) Professional growth through critical friendships: Cases from Japan more
Sun, Apr 30, 09:30-10:50 Asia/Seoul
Teachers across Japan recognize the importance of professional development (PD), but many are at a loss for what to do since many report feeling isolated or compartmentalized. While recent government initiatives are encouraging more PD, without specific measures being implemented, institutions and individuals remain responsible for creating change. In the absence of formalized PD, many teachers in Japan end up looking beyond institutions to build relationships like critical friendships that, through reflective practice, provide support and encourage growth. A “critical friend” or “trusted other” is someone with whom an educator can engage reflectively and collaboratively about their beliefs, practices and identity (Hatton & Smith, 1995; Stenhouse, 1975). This panel will showcase the experiences of several EFL professionals in Japan through research conducted on, and through, critical friendships. Panelists will share their approach to researching their critical friendship research and what they gained, broadly and in terms of their personal growth.
