The Foreign Language Educator in Society Toward A Critical Pedagogy

This text brings together two significant domains of educational practice: foreign language education and critical pedagogy--linking them in a way that can help foreign language educators develop a critical awareness of the nature, purposes, and challenges facing foreign language pedagogy. Unique among texts in the field, this is the first to deal explicitly with the social, political, ideological, and economic aspects of language, language learning, and language teaching in our society and to connect the practice of foreign language education with these critical, and crucial, aspects of language and language use. The Foreign Language Educator in Society: Toward A Critical Pedagogy:
*emphasizes what teachers and future teachers of foreign languages in this country ought to know and understand about language-- language attitudes, practices, rights, and policy-- and related issues;
*focuses on helping students to move beyond pragmatic pedagogical concerns to the social and political concerns relevant to their teaching; and
*provides students with the opportunity to develop critical perspectives on the central facets of the language education process.

Intended for foreign language education programs at both basic and advanced levels, as well as courses in critical pedagogy, critical language awareness, sociolinguistics, and social and cultural foundations of education, the text provides helpful pedagogical features to direct the reader in applying the content of each chapter to his or her own context.

Contents: Preface. When Methodology Fails: A Critical Look at Foreign Language Education. From Reflective Practice to Emancipatory Knowledge in Foreign Language Education. Whose Language Is Real? Language Variation and Language Legitimacy. Constructivist Epistemology and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. Critical Curriculum Development in the Foreign Language Classroom. Foreign Language Teaching as Social Activism. Language Rights as Human Rights: Social and Educational Implications. When in Rome (or Pretoria): Language Policy in International Perspective. Toward a Critical Foreign Language Pedagogy.