Research Informing Practice - Practice Informing Research

Innovative Teaching Methologies for World Language Teachers

Edited by:
David Schwarzer, Montclair State University
Mary Petrón, Sam Houston State University
Christopher Luke, Ball State University

A volume in the series: Research in Second Language Learning. Editor(s): Bogum Yoon, State University of New York at Binghamton.

Published 2011

“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.

CONTENTS
Foreword, Judith L. Shrum. Introduction, David Schwarzer, Mary Petrón, and Christopher Luke. SECTION I: EXTENDING THE WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM BEYOND ITS WALLS: GLOBAL/GLOCAL COMPETENCIES 1. Innovations in Assessment: Portfolio Assessment in the Novice Language Classroom, Melanie Bloom. 2. Using Children’s Literature in the College-Level World Language Classroom, Maripaz García. 3. Crossing the Digital Divide: Language Learning in Virtual Environments, Christopher Luke. 4. Extending a Hebrew Class Beyond the Classroom: A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Taly Schwarzer. SECTION II: TRANSLINGUAL AND TRANSCULTURAL VIEWS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING 5. Shared Reading in the Hoikuen: Applying Whole Language Theory and Practice to World Language Learning in Japanese Nursery Schools, Daniel E. Ferguson. 6. Practice Informing Theory: A Retrospective Approach, Mary Petrón. 7. Inventing a Whole Language World Language Learning Community, David Schwarzer. SECTION III: “FROM FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER” TO “WORLD-MINDED LANGUAGE EDUCATOR” 8. Engaged Scholarship: Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom, Clarena Larrotta. 9. From Linguistic Imperialism to Linguistic Conscientización: Learning From Heritage Language Speakers, Howard L. Smith, Patricia Sánchez, Lucila D. Ek, and Margarita Machado-Casas. Conclusion, David Schwarzer, Mary Petrón, and Christopher Luke. About the Authors.