ELT teachers and the July revolution: identity, pedagogy, and wisdom

Abstract This qualitative case study explores how ELT teachers in Bangladesh reconfigured their professional identities during the July Revolution, focusing on the nuanced role of negotiations that unfolded in classrooms amid political upheaval and emotional strain. Drawing on interviews with five university teachers and the analysis of multimodal artefacts, the study employs translanguaging pedagogy and social and emotional learning (SEL) as intersecting frameworks. The findings reveal a spectrum of teacher roles, from cautious witnesses to empathetic mentors, who responded to crisis through translanguaging practices, trauma-informed approaches, and creative multimodal strategies. This relational and ethical stance foregrounds care, presence, and cultural responsiveness as central to teaching in times of disruption. The study calls for embedding emotional literacy and context-sensitive pedagogies in teacher education to support educators in sustaining learning during periods of crisis.