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Restorative & community‐building practices as social justice for English learners

Written by: Luis Javier Pentón Herrera and Robin L. McNair
Published on: Apr 19, 2021

community building teaching circle
Image credit: Anton Prado PHOTOGRAPHY/iStockphoto

In this theory‐based practice article, the authors introduce restorative and community‐building practices as social justice for English learners.

As circle keepers and educators of English learners, the authors emphasize the necessity for reimagining English for speakers of other languages classrooms as not only places of learning English, but places of meditation, reflection, and healing for our students and ourselves.

The article is divided into four main sections.

In the first section, the authors define restorative and community‐building practices. In the second section, they investigate how and why restorative practices involve social justice. In the third section, they reflect on their work as restorative practices educators by sharing insights on some things teachers should consider when hoping to adopt restorative practices in their classes. In the fourth section, they share a sample of a restorative and community‐building circle educators can use with their English learners.

TESOL Journal