Ema Ushioda : Biography
Ema Ushioda has been working in language education since 1982. She is an associate professor in ELT and applied linguistics at the Centre for English Language Teacher Education, University of Warwick. She obtained her PhD from Trinity College, Dublin, where she was involved in running institution-wide language programmes, and in developing an Irish version of the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio, working closely with David Little. She has taught English in Japan, and has conducted in-service courses and workshops on autonomy and motivation. Her main research interests are language learner motivation, autonomy, sociocultural theory and teacher development.
Motivating
learners from within
Ema Ushioda, University of Warwick
Motivation has traditionally been regarded as something that teachers 'do' or 'give' to learners through a variety of motivational tricks and strategies. However, current theoretical and research insights emphasize the importance of fostering learners' own motivation from within. Drawing on these insights I discuss some implications for what teachers can do to help learners find their own motivation, and how teachers can support learners in sustaining and regulating their motivation from within.
Motivation
as a Critical Issue in Learning English
Ema Ushioda, University of Warwick, UK
Friday, March 14th, 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
The dominant status of English as a global lingua franca is changing the way in which language learning motivation is theorized. Traditional concepts such as integrative motivation lose their explanatory power (a) when English is being reframed as a 'must-have' basic skill like numeracy or literacy, and (b) when there is no clearly defined target language community (UK? US? The world?). This talk will examine how motivation to learn English is currently being re-theorized in light of these developments, and discuss implications for classroom practice.