Abdullah Al-Mamun

Abdullah Al-Mamun is an Applied Linguist. He obtained his Bachelor degree in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the Institute of Modern Languages (IML), University of Dhaka. His research interests include critical pedagogy, environmental pedagogy, inclusive education, politics of scholarship, teacher identity, critical discourse analysis, postmodernist curriculum, edupreneurship, translanguaging, and raciolinguistics, revolt linguistics etc. Mamun is the Editorial Manager of TESOL Bangladesh Journal.

Teaching Philosophy

I always dream to change the world. I believe that education is the sector where I can make the greatest impact. The job of a teacher is similar to the job of a clay artist. A teacher can shape students’ thoughts. I want to take that opportunity. Students are the future of a society. By giving them a positive perception towards life, I want to contribute in building a strong foundation for a better future of our nation.

I wholeheartedly endorse what the Russian educational psychologist Lev Vygotsky said about learning – ‘it is socially constructed’. Thus, my students will get opportunities to collaborate with each other, as well as with me, to learn and gain expertise about the facts of different subject matters. To be an effective teacher, I have to encourage my students to have the opportunity to take responsibility for becoming life-long learners. This means sharing with others what they learn and realizing all the things that they have not yet discovered. I want my students to become empowered by their own learning. I am willing to create situations where students can take charge for what they learn and how it is applicable in their own lives. As a language expert, I want to quote what Charlemagne said about language learning. He asserted, “to have a language is to possess a soul.” So, in my teaching, the matter of cultural assimilation will be a subject to emphasize. My goal is to teach the whole person, i.e., the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of the human being. I can remember a classic film named ‘The Wizard of Oz’. I want to be like a wizard. An effective teacher is supposed to be like a wizard who must help each individual by appreciating the potentials that reside within all of us - the potentials to make the best use of our minds, our hearts, and those behaviors that can make the world a better place.

Education is a simple and complex equation in which 50% is provided by the instructor (teaching) and 50% is supplied by the students (learning). Without this symbiosis, education cannot take place. It is basically a two-way process. It is quite important for my students to understand that I don't have all the answers and I must deal with contradictions about teaching and life just as they do. Embracing these contradictions and gaps in knowledge creates the opportunity for new understandings and new ways of looking at the world. I want to develop a sense of community in my classes. As a member of that community, a student is responsible not only to him/herself, but also to the other members of the community, including me. Mostly, people emphasize the applied science model of teaching that refers to the theoretical aspect of teaching. But along with the applied science model, integration of reflective teaching models is necessary for creating a complete impact on teaching and learning. I believe in reflection that will give me the opportunity to upgrade me according to the demands of the situation. I’m ending it with a quote from John Dewey, an educational philosopher, which exactly reflects my philosophy of teaching.

“I believe, finally, that a teacher is engaged, not simply in the training of individuals, but also in the formation of a proper social life.”