Indeed, one can transcend separation only through sincere interactive thinking, not by winning hearts and minds by convincing them that one idea is right and the other is wrong (Susan Gardner, 2009).
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Original paper at KELES 2023.06:
Kanazawa, Y. (2023). Theories behind P4ELT: A uniter of fostering 21st century skills and caring emotion beyond valence. Proceedings of the 2023 Kansai English Language Education Society 29th Annual Conference (pp. 2-3), KELES.
Enriched version presented at LET-FMT-SIG P4ELT Day March 2024:
Kanazawa, Y. (2024, March 23). P4ELT: Its theoretical background [Paper presentation]. P4ELT Day of LET-FMT-SIG, Zoom, Japan. https://let-kansai-fmt-sig.blogspot.com/2023/11/march-23-2024-symposium-p4elt-day.html
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Published paper version: TBA
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Theories behind P4ELT: A uniter of fostering 21st century skills and caring emotion beyond valence
Yu Kanazawa (Osaka University)
Abstract
This theoretical paper delineates the founding lines of facts behind the idea of P4ELT (Philosophy for English Language Teaching/Teachers/Trainees), a slogan of applying P4C (Philosophy for Children/Colleges/Communities) insights to EFL education. Previous theories and attempts in the fields of applied linguistics and foreign language education tend to have the following limitations. First, although deep active learning educational approaches that aim at fostering the 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, collaborating) have increasingly been appreciated, they usually focus mostly on the cognitive aspects and fail in organically integrating the affective aspects (Koul et al., 2021; Matsushita (Ed), 2018; Scoular & Care, 2018). Second, although many previous studies in language learning psychology have shed light on the affective aspects of learning, they have typically been trapped in the dualistic epistemology concerning the emotional valence, i.e., minimizing negative emotions such as anxiety while maximizing positive emotions such as enjoyment (Derakhshan, 2022; Dewaele et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2021). In reality, however, educationally important moments – such as aporia (Candiotto, 2015), epiphany (Denzin, 2014), and perezhivanie (Xu & Zheng, 2023) – are filled with subtle and elusive micro-level emotions that deny naïve identification as either positive or negative (Kanazawa, 2016). Furthermore, ambivalent epistemic emotions such as intellectual surprise constitute Triadic Emotions, which enable higher learning and development supported by rational, emotion-involved conduct (Kanazawa, 2022a). Interdisciplinarily integrating P4C insights, such as Lipman’s (2003) 3Cs into foreign language teaching will pave the way for better pedagogical frameworks and practices, as have been corroborated by the successful practical attempts in undergraduate dialogic ELT activities (Kanazawa, 2021; 2022b). Moreover, P4ELT could be another blue ocean in which philosophers and language researchers collaborate for better practices supported by more sophisticated theories (Chiba, 2023), ... and to prepare students well for the age of VUCA and increasing separation, with Peircean fallibilism in mind.
References
Candiotto, L. (2015). Aporetic state and extended emotions: The shameful recognition of contradictions in the Socratic elenchus. Etica & Politica, 17(2), 233-248.
Chiba, M. (2023). [Review of the book Eigo gakushu no kagaku, by T. Nakata & Y. Suzuki (Eds.)]. Tokyo Academic Review of Books, 54. https://doi.org/10.52509/tarb0054
Denzin, N. K. (2014). Interpretive autoethnography (2nd ed.). Sage.
Derakhshan, A. (2022). The 5Cs positive teacher interpersonal behaviors. Springer.
Dewaele, J, -M., Chen, X., Padilla, A. M., & Lake, J. (2019). The flowering of Positive Psychology in foreign language teaching and acquisition research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2128.
Gardner, S. T. (2009). Thinking your way to freedom: A guide to owning your own practical reasoning. Temple University Press.
Lipman, M. (2003). Thinking in education (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Kanazawa, Y. (2016). Micro-level emotion as a factor of L2 vocabulary memory: The effect of lexical emotional valence on incidental recall performance. Language Education & Technology, 53, 23-52. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305729873_Awarded_paper_Micro-level_emotion_as_a_factor_of_L2_vocabulary_memory_The_effect_of_lexical_emotional_valence_on_incidental_recall_performance
Kanazawa, Y. (2021). An attempt of applying P4C to college English education using Dialectical Silent Dialogue (DSD). Proceedings of the 3rd Congress of the Japanese Society for Philosophical Practice (pp. 12-13). Japanese Society for Philosophical Practice. https://philopracticejapan.jp/workshop/2021%e5%b9%b4%e5%ba%a6%e7%ac%ac3%e5%9b%9e%e5%a4%a7%e4%bc%9a/
Kanazawa, Y. (2022a). Monadic Emotions, Dyadic Emotions, Triadic Emotions: The 1-2-3 Emotion Model (Peircean Kainopythagorean Phaneroscopic Model of Emotion) and the fundamental questions to the Emotion-Involved Processing Hypothesis. SAGE Advance. https://doi.org/10.31124/advance.20486262
Kanazawa, Y. (2022b). P4ELT: An attempt of applying P4C to college English language teaching using Fishbowl Discussion and Concept Game. Proceedings of the 20th Biennial International ICPIC Conference: Day 2 (pp. 26-27). International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children.
Koul, R. B., Sheffield, R., & McIlvenny, L. (2021). Teaching 21st century skills. Springer.
Matsushita, K. (Ed.) (2018). Deep active learning: Toward greater depth in university education. Springer.
Scoular, C., & Care, E. (2018). Teaching twenty-first century skills. In E. Care, P. Griffin, & M. Wilson (Eds.), Assessment and Teaching of 21st century skills (pp. 145-162). Springer.
Wang, Y., Derakhshan, A., & Zhang, L. J. (2021). Researching and practicing positive psychology in second/foreign language learning and teaching: The past, current status and future directions. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 731721.
Xu, J., & Zhang, S. (2023). The effect of the cognitive–emotional dialectic on L2 development: Enhancing our understanding of perezhivanie. The Modern Language Journal, 107(S1), 161-178.
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cf. P4ELT Day (LET-FMT-SIG) on March 23, 2024 https://let-kansai-fmt-sig.blogspot.com/2023/11/march-23-2024-symposium-p4elt-day.html
Matsushima, K., Shimizu, S., Kanazawa, Y., & Shirai, T. (2023). Philosophical dialogue in English education: P4C, CLIL, and P4ELT. Japanese Journal of Philosophical Practice, 5, 48-59. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372364652_Philosophical_Dialogue_in_English_Education_P4C_CLIL_and_P4ELT
Researchmap link: https://researchmap.jp/yu-kanazawa/P4ELT?lang=en
Yu Kanazawa's social links https://sites.google.com/view/goldstreamyu2/home