Teaching the Untouchables: PARSNIP

• When sensitive topics arise, do your students have the language to handle them safely?
• How can we prepare learners with practical, usable language for real classroom and workplace tension?
• What language helps students disagree, set boundaries, and move on, without conflict taking over the room?

This session explores the PARSNIP framework (Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, Isms, and Pork) and its impact on language teaching. Participants will reflect on whether to avoid, adapt, or address controversial topics in ELT classrooms, with practical strategies for navigating inclusion, safety, and critical engagement in diverse learning contexts.

Key points to be covered:

• Unpack the hidden power of PARSNIP in shaping classroom content.
• Challenge assumptions about ‘taboo’ topics in ELT.
• Discover bold, inclusive strategies to engage learners while fostering safe, brave spaces for real-world conversations.

Webinar Type: Teaching Best Practices

Categories: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Teaching Sectors: All sectors

Participant Level: All levels

About the Presenter

Ruba Kallab (she/her) is a TESL-certified teacher trainer and EAP college instructor in Ontario’s public colleges. She holds a Cambridge DELTA certificate and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from York University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ruba-kallab-3b4b82190

* Members must be a member of the TESL Ontario group on Tutela.

Please note: TESL Canada and TESL Ontario are separate entities. Your TESL Canada membership does not include free access to TESL Ontario webinars. To learn more about TESL Ontario Standard Membership, please click HERE.