Diversity without Borders: Social Justice in the World

Language Classroom

Raquel OxfordWAFLT

November 7, 2009

Oxford, WAFLT 2009

World language curriculum

Shaped by standards from ACTFL and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

Issues such as equity and access Economic realities District priorities

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National Standards Communication: Communicate in Languages

Other Than English (1.1, 1.2, 1.3) Cultures: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of

Other Cultures (2.1, 2.2) Connections: Connect With Other Disciplines

and Acquire Information (3.1, 3.2) Comparisons: Develop Insight Into the Nature of

Language and Culture (4.1, 4.2) Communities: Participate in Multilingual

Communities at Home and Around the World (5.1, 5.2)

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NBPTS revised standards 2008

Knowledge of students

Knowledge of language

Knowledge of culture

Knowledge of language acquisition

Fair and equitable learning environments

Designing curriculum and planning instruction

Assessment Reflection Professionalism

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Fair and equitable environment

Accomplished teachers of world languages demonstrate their commitment to the principles of equity, strength through diversity, and fairness. Teachers welcome diverse learners who represent our multiracial, multilingual, and multiethnic society, and create inclusive, caring, challenging, and stimulating classroom environments in which all students can actively learn. Oxford, WAFLT 2009

Social justice “Social justice has much to do with

ideas about legitimacy, about fairness and impartiality, about welfare and mutual advantage, and about political and social consensus” (Corson, 1993, p. 27).

Nieto (2008) “defines social justice as a philosophy, an approach, and actions that embody treating all people with fairness, respect, dignity, and generosity.”

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Empowering our students

Freire (1970) defines “the practice of freedom: the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” (p.15)

Change~

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Waiting for the World to Change

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How can we embrace diversity and incorporate issues of social justice into our classrooms?

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Diversity by design

Focus on larger essential questions (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005) or big ideas defined as “a concept, theme, or issue that gives meaning and connection to discrete facts and skills” (5)

What are some examples of big ideas or themes in the world language classroom?

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Essential questions

Beginning level “Who am I?”/”Who are you?” or “What is my/your life like?”

Higher levels of language development with “How do we look at the world?” (Sandrock, 2002)

“Why do people eat what they do?” or “How do our food choices impact our lives and the lives of others?”

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Glastonbury Public Schools: K-12 language for many years!

Essential questions were tied as much as possible to social studies or language arts curriculum

Meaningful to students, many student generated

Age appropriate

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Essential questions/big ideas/thematic units

Grade 1: How do we name things in a different language?

Grade 2: Who are my neighbors? Grade 3: Why is my day the way it

is? Is it different from other countries?

Grade 4: Why do we explore and what do we find?

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Big ideas/Unit themes (continued)

Grade 5: Who are the peoples of the Americas? How do they live?

Grade 6: How do you unlock the mystery of travel?

Grade 7: What is culture? Grade 8: What is foreign?

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Big ideas/Unit themes (continued)

Grade 9: What happens when two cultures meet?

Grade 10: Who are the Spanish/French/Latin/Russians?

Grade 11: Who are we? What is self-identity, especially in diverse societies?

Grade 12: How are we transformed by our study of language and culture?

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Recall for a moment and share with a partner (think, pair, share)

Did you encounter any social justice themes when you first began learning another language?

What were those themes and how did they impact you?

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Thematic planning

Makes instruction comprehensible Focus becomes use of language Rich context Natural setting Engaging activities Makes connections

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Culture

How would you define culture? What challenges are faced when

exploring culture in the classroom? Consider products, practices and

perspectives

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As you get started

Embrace diversity by having broad multicultural representation in your classroom

Create a safe learning environment Design as thematically as possible

with essential questions

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Teaching World Languages for Social Justice: A Sourcebook for Principles and Practices

Osborn encourages problem-posing at the center of the curriculum so

students can be more critical thinkers

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Osborn’s Four Thematic Pillars

Identity Social architecture Language choices Activism

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Identity Identity (Who am I? Who are we?) Affiliation (Who are we? Who are they?) Conflict, struggle, and discrimination Socioeconomic class The language choices related to self

and other impact issues of social justice significantly.

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Social architecture What we believe: ideology Historical perspectives (dialectic format) Schools and languages: hidden curricula Media: entertainment Learning to question one’s own

perspectives critically is a prerequisite to positioning oneself to make a difference.

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Language choices Beyond manners: register and political

power relations Whose culture is whose? Hybridity Media: journalism and politicians Who is in control? Hegemony Language serves to reflect, resist,

and recreate social realities.

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Activism Law, rights, resistance, and

marginalization Activism brings the learning to a

point having personal meaning and social impact—creating a more socially just society.

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Sample structural, grammar or vocabulary themes

Identity: personal pronouns present tense verbs direct and indirect objects adjectives vocabulary about the students’ everyday

worlds (identities): family, friends, self, possessions, and daily life (food, drink, residence, city/region, etc), stating opinions

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Sample structural, grammar or vocabulary themes

Social Architecture: past tense verbs (historical perspectives,

etc), modal verbs (should, must, can, want, etc) formal vs. informal speech passive voice and agency vocabulary that would help demonstrate

the architecture of different societies (school, clothing, health)

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Sample structural, grammar or vocabulary themes

Language choices: subjunctive and conditional verbs

sociolinguistics of educational language politeness and etiquette expression of “realities vs. ‘alternate’ realities”

(dialectics) advanced constructions of thoughts and desires

in differing perspectives writing reading speaking

vocabulary that is specific to various sociopolitical topics (environment, government, labor, economics) Oxford, WAFLT 2009

Sample structural, grammar or vocabulary themes

Activism specifics of composition and speech mechanics

essays letter writing debates

transitions and conjunctions imperative mode and future tense informative and persuasive structures literature and advanced authentic texts vocabulary that is specific to sociopolitical

topics Oxford, WAFLT 2009

Four corners activity

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For your pillar

Brainstorm specific social justice topics and connections, vocabulary and structures as well as activities

Be prepared to share Ballad of the Two Grandfathers by

Nicholas Guillen Zouk Skinheads

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Kubota’s “Four D’s” of a critical approach to teaching culture

Descriptive rather than prescriptive understandings of culture

Acknowledgement of diversity within culture

A view of culture as dynamic rather than permanent

An exploration of the discursive (deliberate) elements in our construction of cultural selves and others

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Viva La Causa from Teaching Tolerance

Focuses on the grape strike and boycott led by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta in the 1960s.

What are some of the common themes in our classroom that could be connected to this event?

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Lessons included Lesson 1: Exploring the Film Lesson 2: Economic Injustice Affects Us All Lesson 3: Farmworkers and the Union Lesson 4: Committing to Nonviolence Lesson 5: Allies for Justice Lesson 6: Injustice on Our Plates Lesson 7: Worker Exploitation Today Lesson 8: The Immigration Debate Recommended Resources

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From surviving to thriving!

Nieto (2009) teachers need collaborative relationships to nurture action from dispositions Action 1: Learning about themselves Action 2: Learning about their students Action 3: Developing allies

Actively engage in your professional development beyond survival

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References and resources Derman-Sparks, L. (1989). Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering

Young Children. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Nieto, S. (2009). From Surviving to Thriving. Educational Leadership, 66(5), 8-13.

Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming diversity the sociopolitical context of multicultural education. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Osborn, T. (2006). Teaching world languages for social justice: a sourcebook of principles and practices. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum.

Petovello, L. R., Taranko, D., & Nichols, S. (1998). The Spirit that moves us a literature-based resource guide: teaching about diversity, prejudice, human rights, and the Holocaust: volume I, grades kindergarten through four. Gardiner, Me: Tilbury House Pub.

Rethinking Schools http://www.rethinkingschools.org/ Teaching Tolerance http://www.tolerance.org Wiggins, G. P. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.Oxford, WAFLT 2009