This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship of religious identity and English Language Teaching (ELT). The chapters broaden a topic which has traditionally focused on Christianity by including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and non-religious perspectives. They address the ways in which faith and ELT intersect in the realms of teacher identity, pedagogy and the context and content of ELT, and explore a diverse range of geographical contexts, making use of a number of different research methodologies. The book will be of particular interest to researchers in TESOL and EFL, as well as teachers and teacher trainers.

The field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) stands at an active crossroads – issues of language, culture, learning, identity, morality, and spirituality mix daily in classrooms around the world. What roles might teachers’ personal religious beliefs play in their professional activities and contexts? Until recently, such questions had been largely excluded from academic conversations in TESOL. Yet the qualitative research at the core of this book, framed and presented within a teacher knowledge paradigm, demonstrates that personal faith and professional identities and practices can, and do, interact and interrelate in ways that are both meaningful and problematic. This study’s Christian TESOL teacher participants, working overseas in Southeast Asia, perceived, explained, and interpreted a variety of such connections within their lived experience. As a result, the beliefs-practices nexus deserves to be further theorized, researched, and discussed. Religious beliefs and human spirituality, as foundational and enduring aspects of human thought and culture, and thus of teaching and learning, deserve a place at the TESOL table.

This book sets out to explore the intersections between matters not frequently yoked in academic discussions: spirituality, social justice, and the learning of world languages. The contributing authors contend not only that these intersections exist, but that they are the site of issues and realities that require the attention of language educators and point to avenues of growth for the language teaching profession. The essays included seek to indicate the possibilities of a neglected area of inquiry, not only in terms of theory but also in terms of the practices of language education. Given this aim of opening up fresh questions, the book is arranged so as to show the relevance of the nexus of spirituality and social justice to teacher education (chapters 3 and 4), language classroom practices (chapters 5 and 6), and the theoretical sources that inform scholarly discussion of language education (chapters 7 and 8). The opening chapters place these explorations in a larger context by showing how they fit into existing social contexts and academic discussions.

This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship of religious identity and English Language Teaching (ELT). The chapters broaden a topic which has traditionally focused on Christianity by including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and non-religious perspectives. They address the ways in which faith and ELT intersect in the realms of teacher identity, pedagogy and the context and content of ELT, and explore a diverse range of geographical contexts, making use of a number of different research methodologies. The book will be of particular interest to researchers in TESOL and EFL, as well as teachers and teacher trainers.

This work offers readers the insight and inspiration to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, the 'glad tidings to the poor,' here and now. Mich weaves together the biblical tradition and the wisdom of Catholic social teaching with the stories if saints and spiritual leaders, contemporary and historical.

Since "A Nation at Risk" in 1983, the "problem" of education in the United States has occupied a prominent space in the media, in the halls of government, and in the lives of those most involved in schools. Through experiences of parents, students, teachers and administrators who have sought to live out a spirituality of communion, Education's Highest Aim examines contemporary education in the light of a way of life rooted in love of neighbor, and presents the effects when such a value is lived out across a spectrum of educational milieus.

Spirituality, Action, & Pedagogy: Teaching from the Heart invites the reader to participate in a personal exploration of what it means to consciously seek the heart of education. The authors in this collection - practitioners in higher education and teaching in such diverse areas as educational foundations, communication, theater, sociology, reading and literacy, and performance studies - respond to this challenge by striking the most personal chords of their lived experience. As they relate their tales of spirituality and teaching, the reader will be coaxed into confronting the question of what it means to teach. Spirituality, Action, & Pedagogy addresses the integration of spirituality into pedagogical practice by providing cutting-edge examples of applications in classroom settings.

Exploring Spirituality and Culture in Adult and Higher Education is written from the unique perspective of teacher, researcher, and author Elizabeth Tisdell who has extensive experience dealing with culture, gender, and educational equity issues in secular adult and higher education classrooms, and formerly in pastoral and religious education settings on college campuses. This important book discusses how spiritual development is informed by culture and how this knowledge is relevant to teaching and learning. For educators, an understanding of how spirituality is informed by culture, and how spirituality assists in meaning-making, can aid in their efforts to help their students' educational experiences become more transformative and culturally relevant.

Searching for Spirituality in Higher Education brings together eclectic points of view on spirituality, drawing upon various theoretical perspectives to frame a discussion of spirituality in higher education. Following a comprehensive review of the current literature on spirituality, chapters examine the relationship between religion and spirituality and explore related legal issues. Subsequent theory chapters make no unified claims about the basis of spirituality, reflecting the speculative nature of an ethereal subject. The final section contains rich examples that explore ways to integrate spirituality in several academic disciplines as well as in student affairs. In its entirety, the book encompasses a comprehensive review of the salient issues related to spirituality in higher education. The volume will be useful in courses on religion, nursing, business, and the humanities.

How important is childhood in the spiritual formation of a person? How do children experience God in the context of their lives as they grow? What does God do in the lives of children to draw them to himself and help them grow into a vital relationship with him? How can adults who care about children better support their spiritual growth and direct it toward relationship with God through Jesus Christ? These are critical questions that church leaders face as they consider how best to nurture the faith of the children God brings into our lives. In this book, over two dozen Christian scholars and ministry leaders explore important issues about the spiritual life of children and ways parents, church leaders, and others who care about children can promote their spiritual formation.