Values in English Language Teaching

Abstract

Teaching English (ELT) is not just a matter of teaching students a certain set of skills. On the contrary, the ELT profession is deeply embedded in values, and these values are also complex and have dilemmas and contradictions. This article offers an expanded analysis of the underlying values of our work on ELT. I believe that many teachers will resonate with what I say with their own experiences and perspectives; I hope so, and I don’t believe what I’m writing here is “new,” meaning no one thought of it before. However, according to my knowledge of ELT literature, these issues are rarely raised in professional communication in our field and are not given due attention.