Teaching English for Reconciliation ― Pursuing Peace Through Transformed Relationships in Language Learning and Teaching

How can an English class become a transformative space for both teachers and learners? When the teacher intentionally uses strategies and builds skills for peace-building and reconciliation, the classroom can be a place where relationships and communication transform people. This text encourages those engaged in the teaching of English as a second or foreign language to first consider why we might strive to teach English for reconciliation, and then addresses the contexts, individuals, and resources which are involved.

Jan Edwards Dormer teaches TESOL in the Graduate Program in Education at Messiah College, in Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in elementary education, an MA in TESOL, and a Doctorate in TESOL Curriculum and Instruction. She has lived and taught in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya.

Cheryl Woelk is a language instructor and peace educator, teaching and consulting in multicultural settings. She holds a BA in English, an MA in Education, and certificates in TESOL and Conflict Transformation. With roots in Saskatchewan, Canada, she teaches and coordinates the Language for Peace project from Seoul, South Korea.