Reimagining the Classroom as a Space for Radical Inclusion: An ESL Teacher’s Autoethnographic Reflection on Intercultural Praxis

Abstract

Reflecting on my journey as a student in a world filled with diverse educational challenges, teaching methods, and content has been a thought-provoking and difficult pursuit of knowledge. Discovering effective strategies for seeking knowledge and understanding our educational shortcomings requires time. I am inspired by the most impactful approaches to education—those that transcend class, ethnicity, race, and power dynamics. Are today’s teachers as influential and capable of sowing the seeds of knowledge and thought? Are they prepared to tackle the challenges of the modern world? What is the best way to achieve this? What defines effective teaching? These are some of the questions I wish to explore in this autobiographical paper. My analytical approach is comprehensive and addresses many aspects of classroom education. I have examined significant concepts, such as politics and power structures, that shape today’s global language learning. Furthermore, critical discussions about race are crucial in defining the identities of students and teachers. Within these overarching themes, it is vital to focus on the needs and diversity of students in the classroom, which requires a thoughtful methodology, and this reflection mirrors my graduate school journey in the U.S. Additionally, the writings of Freire, Giroux, McLaren, Street, and Ladson-Billings provide a theoretical foundation for applying these practices. There is an urgent need for critical, political, and innovative approaches to education. Globalisation and neoliberalism have introduced numerous issues that must be addressed through meaningful education, and the responsibility for shaping our future increasingly rests on how we prepare our younger generations.