Dr. Thomas S.C. Farrell – Plenary Speaker @ KOTESOL 2026
Plenary Session
10 Principles of Effective Teaching for Teacher Well-Being
Teaching can be a very rewarding experience for most teachers, but it also can be tiring after following the same routines for a number of years, and as such, we can "plateau" at various times during our career, thus effecting our overall well-being. Such plateauing is marked by feelings of sameness, frustration, disillusionment, and career stagnation. It can happen when we least expect it – after two years, five years, ten years, and even beyond that – resulting in many teachers losing the joy, excitement, and wonder of teaching that makes us so effective in providing opportunities for our students to learn. This plenary will show how language teachers can overcome plateauing by considering ten principles of effective teaching and thus improving their overall well-being.
Biosketch
Thomas S.C. Farrell is a professor of applied linguistics at Brock University, Canada. His professional interests include reflective practice, and language teacher education and development. Professor Farrell has published widely in academic journals and has presented at major conferences worldwide on these topics. He is recognized in Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientists in their respective fields (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), with a 70 h-index on Google Scholar.
Professor Farrell's most recent books include Reflective Language Teaching (2022: Cambridge University Press, UK). Insights into Professional Development in Language Teaching (2022: Castledown, UK). Doing Reflective Practice in English Language Teaching (2022: Routledge, US), TESOL Teacher Education: A Reflective Approach (2022: Edinburgh University Press, UK), Surviving the Induction Years of Language Teaching: The Importance of Reflective Practice (Equinox, UK), Reflective Practice for Language Teachers (2024, British Council, UK), and Reflective Practice for Early Career Language Teachers (2025, Cambridge University Press, UK).
Professor Farrell was the first editor of the Korea TESOL Journal, is the founder of KOTESOL's Reflective Language Teacher Award, and is a Patron of Korea TESOL.
Web Link
Dr. Farrell's Personal Website: www.reflectiveinquiry.ca
Recent Publications
Tajeddin, Z., & Farrell, T.S.C. (Eds.). (2025). Handbook of language teacher education: Critical review and research synthesis. Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-47310-4
Farrell, T.S.C. (2025). Reflective practice for early career language teachers. Cambridge University Press. https://www.amazon.ca/Reflective-Practice-Career-Language-Teachers-ebook...
Farrell. T.S.C. (2025). "Bending back" to move forward: Contemplating reflective practice in TESOL. TESL-EJ, 29(2), 1–13. https://tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej114/s1.pdf
Kamali, J., Freeman, D., Larsen-Freeman, D., Norton, B., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2025). Editorial: Language teacher education research – Key trends, challenges, and questions. Language Teacher Education Research, 1, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.32038/lter.2024.01.01
Farrell, T. S. C. (2024). Reflective practice for language teachers. British Council. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/2024-03/Farrell_...
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