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Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

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Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Educational Methods

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

Critical Cultural Awareness In The Foreign Language Classroom, Kristen Nugent, Theresa Catalano Jan 2015

Critical Cultural Awareness In The Foreign Language Classroom, Kristen Nugent, Theresa Catalano

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Preparing learners to interact appropriately and effectively while participating in intercultural relationships is a key component of foreign language curricula. The notion of critical cultural awareness, which is embedded within the framework of intercultural communicative competence, encourages language educators to craft learning opportunities that guide learners in observing clear connections between classroom lessons and real-world issues while exercising critical thinking skills throughout the process. Although research by Byram (1997, 2012) has demonstrated the importance of critical cultural awareness, few studies have illustrated how critical cultural awareness can be developed in a classroom setting while working to achieve language proficiency. This …


Foreign Language Teaching And Learning, Aleidine Kramer Moeller, Theresa Catalano Jan 2015

Foreign Language Teaching And Learning, Aleidine Kramer Moeller, Theresa Catalano

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Foreign language teaching and learning have changed from teacher-centered to learner/learning-centered environments. Relying on language theories, research findings, and experiences, educators developed teaching strategies and learning environments that engaged learners in interactive communicative language tasks. A shift in foreign language pedagogy from a specific foreign language method to the measurement of language performance/competency has resulted in a change in the role of the teacher from one of authority/expert to that of facilitator/guide and agent of change. Current developments point to public pedagogy, social media, and action research as additional ways to foster intercultural competence and language learning.