This paper describes one approach to focusing on Connections, one of the five Cs from the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, as a means of exposing introductory language students to culturally diverse authentic texts through drama-based pedagogy. Our approach focuses on an instructor working within an established departmental curriculum for introductory language courses. Despite these constraints, the instructor was able to create a two-day instructional sequence that allowed students to interact with each other through their engagement with the work of the Francophone playwright Charles Moravia (1875-1938). The activity sequence was embedded in the grammar and vocabulary presented in the assigned textbook chapter, aligned with the communicative goals for the unit, and also integrated the graduate student instructor’s own doctoral research interests in a way that was energizing for instructor and students alike. The authors demonstrate the viability of expanding a given syllabus to offer novice language students a more culturally diverse range of authentic texts, including a range of genres, all while consistently serving the needs of a proficiency-based classroom.
In 2013, the North Carolina state Task Force on Global Education put forth a goal of preparing students to be globally prepared for the twenty-first century. This study explored, through interviews with officials from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) as well as NCDPI’s website, the influence of that global initiative on dual language (DL) programs and the Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) in the state through the lens of culturally and linguistically diverse learners’ (CLD) involvement. For other states seeking ways in which to increase DL programming and the number of students earning the SoBL while simultaneously ensuring the inclusion of CLD learners, this article illuminates ways in which NC is working towards this goal and provides concrete ideas that other states may seek to emulate.
There is no clear-cut division between orality and literacy (Street, 1993). This idea is central to literacy development in the Spanish heritage language (SHL) context because the opportunities to use heritage language (HL) skills are often oral, not written. Furthermore, the cultural situations that speakers find for their language are less extensive since they are in an environment where their HL is not the dominant language. This paper surveys the research on the writing of SHL learners (SHLLs) and proposes an integrated approach of product, process and post-process writing within a critical pedagogy that allows SHL writers to own the development of their HL literacy.
Heritage language learners (HLLs) need to be exposed to different genres of academic texts (Chevalier, 2004; Correa, 2016) and instructors need to find resources to maximize HLLs’ learning experiences. There are multiple gains in improving HLLs’ writing to create an awareness of the power of the HL through the use of authentic resources with a meaningful goal. Since HLLs should be able to distinguish between registers and genres (Chevalier, 2004), writing chronicles is an effective way to master their communicative competence (Fuentes, 2018). Finally, HLLs’ writing is assessed holistically through rubrics moving from a focus on content to language.
The rise in Spanish heritage language and Spanish native speaker (SHL/SNS) learners in language programs traditionally designed for second language (L2) learners has prompted an interest in the development of a more inclusive placement exam for diverse learners. Some practitioners opt for an instrument that compiles a comprehensive profile of the learner’s ability. Taking the perspective of the natural acquisition of SHL/SNS of select linguistic areas as well as background information on the learners’ exposure to Spanish, we developed a simplified placement exam that efficiently identifies learners of different backgrounds and abilities. A one-way ANOVA demonstrates that the small number of items developed in the test effectively index different levels of ability. Additional informal analyses indicate that once the parameters for course recommendations are applied, levels of ability can still be observed after the SHL/SNS and L2 learners are separated. The present article outlines the approach and outcomes of the placement test to illustrate how an in-house instrument can be designed to meet the needs of an institution’s programs and diverse learners.
Foreign language (FL) acquisition requires not only the development of target language skills, but also a cultural understanding of the region and its people. While this article addresses the development of an advanced Chinese language and culture course using film, the principles illustrated can be adapted for use in other advanced-level FL courses. Teaching language and culture using authentic film materials provides students with a variety of pedagogical learning opportunities. It not only encourages students to immerse themselves in the authentic language and culture of the area, but also motivates them to research the historical, political, and societal aspects of the period. This learning process stimulates critical thinking skills, requires students to compare and contrast the familiar with the unfamiliar, and enhances language and culture proficiencies through the use of the target language.
Even in this digital age, as educational technologies are increasingly integrated into teaching and learning, textbooks continue to play a significant role within language classrooms. Many textbooks maintain a traditional approach to presenting grammar, including using grammatical terminology. However, students seem to have little knowledge of these terms, which may make grammar explanations difficult to comprehend. This investigation examines data from eight widely-used beginning-level French textbooks to investigate how grammatical terminology is employed. The findings confirm that grammar explanations in beginning-level French textbooks feature a large number of grammatical terms and many of these terms are not defined. An instructional approach that allows for the use of a simplified set of grammatical terminology is proposed.
This article demonstrates the ways in which the Spanish curriculum at one private university integrated social justice learning targets guided by the ACTFL 21st Century Skills Map and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in a Living Learning Community (LLC) course called “Social Consciousness and Developing 21st Century Skills.” The LLC interdisciplinary approach combined an intermediate Spanish course with a compulsory one credit course for all first year students. Examples from four thematic units in the Spanish intermediate class illustrate activities intended to foster learners’ social consciousness, empathy, collaboration, diversity appreciation, civic engagement, personal responsibility, and leadership. This article draws on the existing literature, the curriculum design process and product, qualitative data collection, as well as instructor reflections to make suggestions on how language educators can inspire students not only to understand the complexity of the world we live in, but also to take action by targeting 21st Century Skills through thematic units and authentic resources.
This chapter bridges theories of social justice (e.g., Osborn, 2006) and intercultural citizenship (e.g. Byram, 2008) to classroom practices in an introductory German course at a research university. By interpreting a fairy tale [Cinderella], 16 university students reflected on issues of gender roles and (in)equality both in historical and current contexts. Several activities in a 75-minute online session are described. In this brief intervention, students demonstrated the ability to contemplate complex, real-life issues such as gender roles and stereotypes using the target language.
In this paper, we draw on the current literature to argue that access to world language study for students from minoritized groups, students from under-resourced schools, and students with disabilities is a significant social justice issue. This inequitable access is exacerbated by three key issues: the devaluation of students’ languages and cultures in schools; the elitist nature of language study; and the one-sided nature of the curriculum. However, in response, we offer four concrete suggestions, at the classroom, school/ district, and policy levels, that can disrupt these historic trends and ensure that all students have access to advanced study of world languages and cultures.
Research on the acquisition of foreign languages by at-risk students has primarily focused on the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (Horwitz, 2000). Recently, there has been a growing discussion regarding the effects of learning style rigidity (Castro, 2006; Castro and Peck, 2005; Corbitt, 2011; Sparks, 2006) and metacognitive awareness (Corbitt, 2013) on the acquisition of Spanish by at-risk students in Modified Foreign Language Programs (MFLPs). This pilot study seeks to expand the conversation to include a discussion on foreign language listening. MFLP and non-MFLP participants completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (Vandergrift, Goh, Mareschal, & Tafaghodtari; 2006) and the Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Learning Styles (Cohen, Oxford, & Chi, 2001). The data were subjected to independent sample t-tests, ANOVAs, and a linear regression analysis to determine the relationship between and differences in learning styles and perceived metacognitive listening strategy use for each group. The findings suggest that MFLP and non-MFLP students diverge in their perceived usage of metacognitive listening strategies and MFLP students have a very strong visual learning style preference (p < .05). Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
