Reframing my practices: reconsidering post-secondary World Language education

Reviewed by: Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity and Justice: Pushing Boundaries in US Contexts ed. by Beth Wassell and Cassandra Glynn Diana Ruggiero Wassell, Beth, and Cassandra Glynn, editors. Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity and Justice: Pushing Boundaries in US Contexts. Multilingual Matters, 2022. Pp. 202. ISBN 978-1-78892-650-8. In Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education, editors Beth Wassell and Cassandra Glynn alongside contributing authors to this edited volume illuminate the ways in which educators are working toward greater social equity and justice in the world language classroom. In the process, they also critically reflect on how the structural and institutional dynamics of the field as well as their own respective backgrounds are complicit in upholding and perpetuating systemic injustice and inequity in world language education. Consciously drawing on a diverse range of perspectives from scholars on the margins of the field, many of them first-time authors, the chapters provide a snapshot of world language education in a state of transformation as scholars rethink the assumptions that inform how educators think about and approach world language teaching today. Introspective, critical, and bold in its honest assessment of and efforts to reform world language education, this book and its conclusions are both timely and relevant for a field in need of such critical reassessment and transformation. The volume consists of ten chapters, including an introduction, and is divided into two main sections. The introduction provides the premise for and approach to the book as well as a brief synopsis of the book’s contents relative to the major arguments. The remainder of the chapters are divided into two equal parts, the first part addressing systemic challenges to equity and social justice in world language programs as well as responses to them by educators, presenting theoretical frameworks and curricular models based on authors experiences and [End Page 164] research along the way. The second part similarly addresses more directly ways in which world language educators on the margins of world language education are addressing curricular reform. For instance, Dorie Conlon Perugini and Manuela Wagner present a model for integrating and foregrounding intercultural citizenship in world language education as a way of moving beyond a focus on vocabulary and grammar and engaging issues of social justice in the classroom. Similarly, Mary Curan and Joan Clifford in their respective chapters discuss the significance of community engagement in redressing issues of social justice in world education; Curran through a presentation of her pre-service Urban Social Justice Teacher Education Program at Rutgers University, and Clifford through the presentation of a curricular model that blends community-based language learning and global health to likewise enact greater equity and social justice in the world language curriculum. Though there are many books and edited volumes now calling for change and transformation in world language education, this book is unique in its call for and focus on critical self-reflection. Indeed, as a framing device for the book’s contents and approach, Wassell and Glynn use the tropes of “calling out” and “calling in.” By “calling out,” they mean looking at how educators themselves may be complicit in the process of maintaining and perpetuating systemic racism and social inequities in the classroom. This could include biases and unquestioned standards and norms in teaching world languages stemming from one’s own privilege (stemming from gender, race, ethnicity, etc.). By “calling in” they mean similarly reflecting on the ways in which the field itself is likewise complicit in perpetuating systemic racism, social inequity, and injustice. This includes an assessment of the field as a whole as well as the curriculum, standards, and approaches at the local, state, and national levels of world language teaching. While this level of critical self-reflection is not new in the field, Wassell and Glynn remind us that a positive first step in redressing these problems begins with recognizing that there is indeed a problem and that we, as educators trained within a field founded and situated within a specific historical context worth examining for its shortcomings, have much to rethink in order to and as we move forward. While the book presents...

UNESCO and the Education Policy Center at American Institutes for Research have reported massive teacher shortages to exist around the globe. In the United States, an estimated 44 states and Washington, D.C. have experienced shortages of qualified world language (WL) teachers for decades. Limited research has addressed the reasons for this shortage and ways to remedy it. Out of concern about reduced enrollments specifically for WL teacher preparation programs, this study investigated recruitment and retention strategies used at two US Midwestern universities. Analysis of questionnaire data from preservice teachers and alumni revealed reasons why candidates chose WL education and persisted in the program. To improve the US WL teacher shortage, WL teachers, teacher educators, preservice teachers, and local, state, and national organizations must understand that they need to develop a symbiotic mutualistic relationship and collaborate more strategically to preserve, promote, and perpetuate WL education for global citizenship.

The lack of multilingual individuals in the United States is affecting the 21st century workforce as well as global relations and national security. It is known that the U.S. needs more multilingual individuals and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act states that world languages is a core content. Despite these known facts, school districts fail to prioritize world language education, mainly due to other prioritized demands from the state level. The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve the implementation of world language education in earlier grades at the research organization and provide opportunities for students to further develop their second language proficiency as a means of reaching multilingualism. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of middle school teachers and administrators that would help to understand the implications and solutions for implementing a world language program in the middle school. Action steps including listening to student voice through alumni participants and taking those suggestions to the teacher participants for an interdisciplinary project involving world languages were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to provide additional opportunities to expand their world language learning. Findings confirmed that multilingualism is essential in our 21st century society, language learning needs to begin in the elementary years, and that there are substantial barriers to expanding a world language program. Further on findings unveiled that the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Frameworks encourages and supports interdisciplinary curriculum and in order to sustain teacher motivation to collaborate on these projects, the teachers need to stay consistent in communication, organized, and find spaces of time for common planning. Implications for the organization included a creative way to implement more world language to sustain the expansion of the program. The study concluded that schools and districts should make every effort to implement world language education beginning in elementary school and when not possible, to start small and collaborate with other teachers to enhance the WL curriculum through interdisciplinary lessons. --Author's abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of current research on two of the original ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) research priorities areas, model teacher preparation programs and teacher oral proficiency, as well as a look at future directions for research in these areas. Driven by the call for continued research in the original articles, this article lays the foundation for future research on effective world language (WL) teacher preparation programs. Despite the premise from the original articles and the growth of teacher preparation programs built around the ACTFL/CAEP Standards, further research is necessary to fully realize the effects of teacher's proficiency levels on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes.

The complex concept of “culture,” especially as it is commonly used in the context of world language education, is the focus of Chapter 12. The chapter begins with an examination of the distinction between the conceptions of aesthetic culture (C) and anthropological culture (c). It identifies some of the major components of anthropological culture, including language, values and beliefs, history, family and kinship systems, foods, traditional art and music, and taboos, and discusses the relationship among culture, language, and identity, especially as this relationship is manifested in the world language classroom. It considers the nature, purposes, and goals of teaching about culture in world language education. It describes what have been labeled the “four Fs” of culture (foods, fairs, folklore, and statistical facts), as well as the “three Ps” of teaching about culture (practices, products, and perspectives) in the world language classroom. The chapter offers an analysis of some of the challenges presented by the essentialization and reification of culture in the context of the world language classroom. It also offers a way to distinguish between cultural diversity and cultural pluralism, and presents a conceptual and historical model identifying different “ideologies of cultural diversity,” with particular focus on how each has been manifested in the US context. Finally, the chapter closes with a discussion of the central characteristics of multicultural education, and explores the implications of such an approach to educational practice for world language education.

Professional isolation, a familiar issue in world language education, has been exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. This article addresses this issue by providing world language educators with practical guidance related to establishing high‐functioning professional networks online. Empirical findings related to computer‐mediated communication (CMC) in language learning and teacher training contexts support the articulation of four critical considerations for successful online professional communities: that participants (a) possess requisite technical knowledge to navigate the platforms being utilized; (b) develop requisite reflective and evaluative competencies; (c) exhibit ongoing, sustained engagement; and (d) engage collaboratively with other participants. In concert, successful treatment of these considerations not only provides practitioners with a temporary solution to engage in physically distant collaboration, but also may help establish a more robust, sustainable professional development infrastructure for world language teachers in the future.

Project based learning (PBL) has increasingly been promoted as a way to increase student interest in the STEM related fields. One such curriculum, Project Lead The Way (PLTW), has gained increasing popularity in middle schools and high schools. A key objective of the PLTW engineering curriculum is to create a more seamless transition for students from secondary school into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics post-secondary programs. PLTW has been implemented in all fifty states; however, there has been sparse research to-date that has rigorously measured the impact of PLTW or other PBL curricula on the student’s choice to persist into postsecondary education We used Iowa’s statewide longitudinal data system to follow multiple cohorts of PLTW participants and nonparticipants from 8 grade into secondary education. We derived a comparable treatment and control group by matching students based on their propensity to enter PLTW, permitting a stronger interpretation of the program’s impact than prior studies. Specifically, the students were matched based on 8 grade standardized test math and science scores, gender, ethnicity, and SES information. We found statistically significant evidence that PLTW increases the odds of a student attending a 2-year college by 64% (p = 0.007) and increases the odds that they attend a 4-year college or university by 52% (p = 0.024). Further studies are being carried out to examine the majors selected by these students and their persistence in post-secondary education. This study has implications for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers regarding the comprehensive evaluation design and the critical role that PBL curricula can play to increase the participation, both generally and within nontraditional groups, in postsecondary STEM education in the U.S.

“Research Informing Practice—Practice Informing Research: Innovative Teaching Methodologies for World Language Educators” is an edited volume that focuses on innovative, nontraditional methods of teaching and learning world languages. Using teacher-research projects, each author in the volume guides readers through their own personal journey and exploration of teaching methods, novelty, risk-taking, and reflection. Chapters include guiding questions, vignettes, and thick descriptions of classroom-based research in an assortment of instructional settings. Theoretical issues and an array of practical applications are presented, as well as additional research opportunities and guidelines for implementation in a variety of teaching and learning venues.While not professing to be a panacea for world language learning, this book provides various lines of theory, research, and practice as they interact with each other through teacher-research narratives. As a well-known African proverb asserts, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Similarly, it takes a village to develop a master teacher, and it takes a community to create an exceptional classroom. Throughout this volume, authors share their voices, experiences, and expertise as a means of strengthening the village. They then invite readers to embark on their own methodological journeys. The text thus serves as a stimulus for further discussion and pedagogical development in world language settings. Teachers and researchers are challenged to think critically and reflectively about world language education, encouraged to design innovative methods, approaches, and techniques for their world language classes, and ultimately asked to share their findings with students, parents, peers, communities, and the village.

Autonomy, competence, and relatedness—the three basic psychological needs of self-determination theory (SDT)—have consistently been shown to underlie language learners’ intrinsic motivation, engagement, and persistence in language learning. Synthesizing findings of recent studies in the world (i.e., “foreign”) language teaching and learning, this article presents a hypothesized framework for a “needs-supportive world language pedagogy” through which world language learners’ basic needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are satisfied in an interdependent and mutually-facilitatory way. To bridge theory and practice, we illustrate four examples of world language activities and strategies which could be classified as “needs-supportive” for the use and adaptation of world and foreign language educators in internationally diverse language learning contexts.

As a result of current legislation and labor market trends, the number of students with disabilities has risen to 17% students attending postsecondary education programs [42]. It is well documented that students with disabilities often experience limited access to and success within postsecondary education programs, which subsequently limits their employment. Understanding the educational supports and accommodations needed by students with disabilities to progress and succeed in postsecondary programs appears to be of critical importance. To address this need, the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports (NCSPES) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa completed a national survey of educational support provision. The focus of this study was on the provision of targeted (types of supports & frequency of provision) educational supports for students with disabilities. Survey methods and statistical analyses were used to describe the range and nature of educational supports provided for students with disabilities. Specific areas of support provision were explored, including the role of assistive technology, special learning centers, and the transfer of supports from educational settings to employment. The findings provide a national foundation of information regarding the provision of educational supports for students with disabilities in a diverse range of postsecondary education settings.

Beyond communicative language teaching: What's ahead?

During the past twenty years, there have been a number of important changes in the teaching of world languages, and nowhere is this more evident than in the growing efforts to implement and integrate concerns of critical pedagogy and social justice into the classroom. However, it is not clear that concerns with critical pedagogy and social justice in world language settings have had the kind of impact that critical educators had initially hoped. In this chapter, we begin the conversation necessary to make critical pedagogy more successful and effective in the context of the world language classroom.

As a result of globalization, World Language Education has experienced considerable changes within recent decades. With these changes, there is a need for new approaches to teaching and learning a world language, as there is a growing mismatch between language use in the real world and the approach to teaching a world language in the classroom. This chapter, then, presents a pedagogical model that was implemented in an Introduction to Second Language Acquisition course in order to adequately prepare teacher candidates for their future careers as educators in a globalized society. In particular, the model in this chapter discusses authentic experiences grounded in inquiry-based learning that provide opportunities for teacher candidates to collaboratively research current trends in the field of World Language Education and put them into practice through undergraduate research projects.

Teaching Literature in the World Language Classroom presents a five-stage methodology for teaching literature in language curriculum that repurposes Bloom’s original and revised taxonomy to promote the language acquisition process and spark other types of learning.   The first step of text selection, preparation, and initiation asks students to: recognize familiar words, structures, and concepts; contextualize the reading; and remember the main details of the text. The second stage of beginning literary analysis gets target-language learners to describe, identify, and understand the basic elements of plot, character, setting, and narration. The third phase of intermediate literary analysis prompts students to interpret, analyze, and examine major themes, key passages, and the overall commentary. The fourth step of advanced literary analysis teaches students to synthesize multiple and conflicting interpretations, compare assigned texts across units or themes, and evaluate works through essay writing. The fifth stage of reflective and creative engagement challenges students to relate the assigned texts to themselves through personal and intercultural reflection, create new artistic works, and produce unique texts in the target language. The concluding chapter showcases all five stages of the methodology by applying them to a sample text, thereby inviting world language educators to assess the potential usefulness of Comfort and Scharf’s approach to their own language courses.   This is an ideal resource for world language educators teaching literature as well as undergraduate and graduate education students focusing on target-language literature instruction and its role in the language acquisition process.

ABSTRACTThis article examines students' choices in a postsecondary dance major curriculum where students selected to study one or more of five dance practices (African and Diaspora Movement Practices, Contemporary Ballet, Movement Language Sources, Postmodern Contemporary Dance, and Urban Movement Practices) each semester along with required coursework centered on inquiry, the ability to pose and pursue informed questions, and creativity, the process of making something new. Using a qualitative research approach, the study investigated three main questions: What factors drive students' course selections?; How do students fuse information from diverse dance practices?; and What do students learn through taking courses with peers who study diverse dance practices? The study's findings suggest that the selection and study of diverse dance practices in combination with a curricular emphasis on creativity and inquiry led students to feel empowered in their dance education, develop and articulate individualized movement approaches, and increased awareness of dance and creative problem-solving ability. Postsecondary dance programs prepare future citizens, artists, educators, and administrators who may find themselves in leadership or other positions that require a re-thinking and implementation of arts policies in public schools and other settings. As such, the study's findings also speak to the potential for arts policies and their implementation to evolve in a way that situates dance as a critical component of a comprehensive education.