Editorial: What is at the Heart of Teaching and Learning in a Post-pandemic Recovery World?

Abstract

At this time last year, just as we were transitioning from a COVID-19 pandemic to a COVID-19 endemic world, I was writing the editorial for the December 2021 issue of the RELC Journal. I celebrated the agility, resilience, and professionalism of teachers around the region who did their best to provide learning opportunities during periods of lockdown. I also raised concerns about learning loss and the increasing digital divide, as well as the blurring of boundaries between teachers’ personal and professional lives. Thankfully, most countries have now entered a post-pandemic recovery phase with the resumption of face-to-face teaching or at least some form of hybrid teaching. Not surprisingly, the digital transformation that occurred over the past two years has continued. As many institutions and teachers witnessed first-hand the power of technology in engaging learners and providing useful data to inform teaching improvement, we are keen to continue to use tools and technologies. As language teachers, teacher educators, and researchers, we may be wondering and worrying about this emphasis on technology, asking basic questions such as Can my school afford new technology? How can I find out about the latest tools? How do I choose from the multitude of tools? How do I learn to use these tools effectively? We may even be asking important pedagogical questions: How can I use this tool to improve teaching and learning? How will I know if the technology I use has made a difference to my students? We can take heart by remembering that it is less about technology and more about the learners and their learning. At the recent BETTS Asia 2022 Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, this was the overwhelming message – that humans, not technology – must be at the heart of teaching and learning. At the end of the day, language teaching and language teacher education are not about technology or how it is used. It is about