https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/22326 2026-08-23T01:33:02Z 2026-08-23T01:33:02Z Vassallo, Odette Xerri, Daniel https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148543 2026-08-19T08:29:38Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: EMI teachers in European coastal linguistic contexts : lived experiences Authors: Vassallo, Odette; Xerri, Daniel Abstract: This chapter investigates the lived experiences of higher education academics implementing English Medium Instruction (EMI) across eight coastal European universities. Utilizing a qualitative research design based on three focus groups (n = 16) conducted during an international staff training week in Malta, the study examines the challenges academics face when teaching in English, the strategies they employ, and the impact of EMI on their professional identity and pedagogical practices. Key findings reveal that academics experience linguistic insecurities, reduced spontaneity, and difficulties with classroom management discourse, alongside navigating the dual challenge of delivering complex disciplinary content while supporting students' language needs. The study also highlights emerging challenges, including student disengagement and the disruptive impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on written assignments. In response, teachers demonstrate adaptability by employing multimodal resources, scaffolding techniques, and collaborative strategies. The authors argue that effective EMI implementation requires moving beyond a purely linguistic focus to embrace a holistic pedagogical framework that provides targeted professional development, student EAP support, and formal recognition of multilingual practices.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri, Daniel https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148455 2026-08-10T09:23:58Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: 'Poetry is not just about decoding meaning’ : Kate Lilley on poetry education Authors: Xerri, Daniel Abstract: This article examines contemporary approaches to poetry education through an in-depth interview with Australian poet and academic Kate Lilley, whose distinguished career spans creative and scholarly domains. The interview investigates several critical dimensions of poetry pedagogy: the genre’s position within contemporary cultural discourse; structural challenges within the Australian educational framework; and optimal instructional methodologies. Lilley articulates the necessity of transcending conventional meaning-centred analytical approaches in favour of material and experiential engagement with poetic texts. She advocates for increased integration of contemporary poetry into curriculums, universal access to poet visits in schools and experiential writing opportunities for students. The discussion encompasses teacher education, emphasising the imperative for enhanced professional development in contemporary poetics. Lilley’s perspective challenges exclusionary pedagogical practices while promoting methodological innovations that facilitate engagement across the full spectrum of student abilities and backgrounds rather than restricting poetry education to academically privileged cohorts.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri, Daniel https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148325 2026-07-29T10:16:34Z 2027-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Educators on the front lines of armed conflict : well-being, roles, and agency Authors: Xerri, Daniel Abstract: This chapter examines educators’ well- being, roles, and agency in contexts of armed conflict. Its purpose is to show how teaching on the front lines involves not only the continuation of schooling but also the maintenance of care, hope, identity, and social continuity amid violence and institutional disruption. Drawing on literature from diverse conflict and post- conflict settings, the chapter first explores the psychological effects of war on teachers, including trauma, burnout, resilience, and the dual burden of supporting learners while also experiencing insecurity themselves. It then analyses how teachers’ roles expand beyond instruction to include trauma-sensitive care, psychosocial support, community stabilisation, peacebuilding, and learning design. Lastly, it examines teacher agency as a situated and uneven practice shaped by survival, resistance, silence, advocacy, and risk. The chapter argues that teachers’ resilience and commitment cannot substitute for sustained institutional, professional, and psychosocial support.

2027-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri, Daniel https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148186 2026-07-22T08:31:58Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Digital technologies as epistemic tools for teacher inquiry Authors: Xerri, Daniel Abstract: This article examines the role of digital technologies as epistemic tools that support teacher inquiry, reflective practice, and professional identity formation. It understands teacher inquiry as a broad field of practitioner-led classroom research, within which action research is one prominent but not exclusive example. The article argues that digital tools enable teachers to move beyond the use of technology for instructional delivery and towards the systematic investigation of teaching and learning. It discusses how video recordings, digital artefacts, learning analytics, decision-support applications, social media, online platforms, and collaborative digital spaces can help teachers collect, analyse, share, and interpret classroom-based evidence. Particular attention is given to how these tools can support iterative cycles of reflection, action, observation, and pedagogical refinement, while also making teacher inquiry more collaborative, visible, and professionally sustained. The article further considers how technology-mediated professional learning can strengthen teacher agency by supporting evidence-informed decision-making and practitioner-led investigation. It concludes that digital technologies should be embedded within human-centred, ethically grounded, and teacher-led inquiry processes so that they affirm teachers as legitimate knowledge producers rather than reinforcing technocentric models of professional development.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z