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.

Table of Contents:
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.

About the Author :
Timothy G. Reagan, Terry A. Osborn

Review :
"The clarity and accessibility of this book lends itself as a textbook in a methods course at the undergraduate or graduate level. In addition, its panoramic information, questions for reflection and discussion, and application to the classroom provide for an excellent reference for language supervisors, language planners, and practicing language educators and researchers. By examining a wide range of topics, the authors provide an insightful overview of the issues and concerns that foreign language educators face today....an important contribution to the field of language education, contributing to the growing knowledge base on critical pedagogy and methodology." —Critical Inquiry in Language Studies "...pleased and encouraged by th appearance of this work.Though intended (as the book jacket says) for use in Florida education programs and courses in "critical pedagogy, critical language awareness, sociolinguistics, and social and cultural foundations," and thus pitched particularly at the developing teacher, discussion questions and all, it is nevertheless a work of considerable scholarship." —Contemporary Psychology "A groundbreaking work in the field of foreign/second language pedagogy. The authors' innovative and brilliant analysis of the role of the foreign/second language educator in society...together with their perceptive discussion of the need for critical pedagogy provides a refreshing and constructive approach [that is] at the cutting edge of the field....It is unique in that it addresses essential curricular, methodological, and pedagogical issues that have long been ignored by the profession....This textbook ought to be required reading for all students enrolled in a foreign language education program, as well as for foreign/second language instructors, for their supervisors, and for those administrators directly involved in curriculum development and assessment." —Frank Nuessel University of Louisville "This noteworthy text provides the means for an extraordinary leap forward in educating language teachers or teacher educators from the foreign or second language ranks, and perhaps even reading and language arts teachers....It introduces a perspective on language and language learning that goes beyond the narrow linguistic view....The authors present a highly accessible and compelling argument to view language from a social cultural and political perspective and offer ways to improve instruction based on these insights." —Theresa Austin University of Massachusetts