1. Researching Multilingually at the
Borders of Language, the Body, Law
and the State
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) through the Translating Cultures Programme
[grant reference AH/L006936/1]
Brussels Symposium, June 2015
Gaza teaches back:
online critical participatory action research
with pre-service English teachers
from the Gaza Strip
Maria Grazia Imperiale
m.imperiale.1@research.gla.ac.uk
(PhD candidate, School of Education, University of Glasgow)

2. Overview
- Literature review
- Research questions
- Methodology: Critical Participatory Action Research
- Field work: Teacher training course at IUG, ‘Using Art of
Resistance in English language teaching’.

3. Literature review
- Post-colonial studies: Orientalism (Said, 1978; 1979;
2003)
- Critical applied linguistics:
• English linguistic imperialism and linguicism (Phillipson, 1992);
• ELT: construction of counter-discourses (Pennycook 1998)
• Appropriate methodology (Holliday, 1994)
• Linguistic resistance (Canagarajah, 2003)
- Refugee education and education in emergency
(UNHCR, 2011; UNRWA, 2009; Talbot, 2005)
- Capabilities approach (Nussbaum, 2000; Sen, 1985;
2001) in language education (Crosbie, 2012)

4. Research questions
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) through the Translating Cultures Programme
[grant reference AH/L006936/1]
-How can a grounded framework be devised for language education
in contexts of occupation and in the precarious instability of the
Middle East?
Auxiliary questions:
- What are the goals of foreign language education in the context of
occupation of Gaza Strip, Palestine?
- Which capabilities for language education in context of occupation
can be identified?
- How does the context of siege influence the teaching-learning
process?
- How can ‘Art of Resistance’ be used in English language teaching
as a localized, creative, and critical approach to language education?

5. Methodology: critical participatory
action research (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2014)
- “Social practice”: a practice changing practice,
and changing practice architectures (Kemmis
and McTaggart, 2014)
- Teacher Training Course ‘Using Art of
Resistance in ELT’ – 24 hours, 7 workshops.
- Participants: 13 graduates or senior students
of the Islamic University of Gaza

6. Methodology: critical participatory
action research (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2014)
Planning:
Face-to-face
course
Re-planning:
online course
Action: course
implementation
Observation:
monitoring
and feedback
Reflection: evaluation
and knowledge
transfer
Access to the Gaza
Strip: denied

7. Online course:
challenges with technology

8. Setting: a virtual classroom?

9. To what extent is the study participatory
when it is developed online?

10. The course:
Using Art of Resistance in ELT
Thinking and thinking what to
write
Thinking of rhythm
Thinking of rhyme
What can I say
A lecture or three hours of living
with nature beauty
My soul was flying with the skylark
I was like seeing the rivers and
the seas
I was walking under the trees
Yet,
I remembered Palestine
Where is my land
I feel so sad
(A.A)
Going to nature
Going to life
Going to the green
Going to Palestine
We have just sea
We have also a dream
Being in love
And being free
Give us back our right
And we give you your siege
By our hope and heart
Palestine will be free (N.A)
The world with its countries in Palestinian Way
The world with its countries
mountains and trees
rivers and fields
are looking at us with blind eye and deaf ear
the fish in the water
the birds in the air
are all calling for freedom
screaming in one voice:
"What is happening to Palestinians is unfair"
The birds were lookng for food
the bees were looking for honey
but they were attacked by bullets
so they fled away
these treasures
roses, Shrubberies and trees,
was bringing to our soul all sorts of pleasure
but by their beauty, the Israeli army bother
so they cut off the trees, and the roses withered
the bird's voice scattered (A.W.)

11. The course:
Using Art of Resistance in ELT
This course has been extremely relevant for
teaching English as it has not just related to
the political side, but also to the wishing
lessons for a better day and being introduced
to other nations, cultures, and lifestyle. (N.A)
The first gate for being a good teacher is smile, so you
surly capture others’ minds and hearts (N.A)
it has been the outstanding real course that broke the
borders and obstacles. It was over my expectations
since it came with different ideas for the same topic in
amazing methods (N.A).

12. Conclusions
- CPAR: a practice changing practice?
- CPAR: a practice changing practice architectures?
- Outcomes: ‘Gaza teaches back’?

13. Researching Multilingually at the
Borders of Language, the Body, Law
and the State
Thank you for your attention!
‫شكرا‬
Maria Grazia Imperiale
m.imperiale.1@research.gla.ac.uk
(PhD candidate, School of Education, University of Glasgow)