Literacy in the Foreign Language Classroom
Today marked the beginning of our 2009 Summer Teacher Institute for Technology and Curriculum Innovation, a series of 22 full-day workshops led by distinguished educators from MICDS and around the world. For our first session, Literacy in the Foreign Language Classroom, Elizabeth Helfant, Brigette Leschhorn, and I guided 20 language teachers from five local schools through an extensive array of tools and techniques that addressed vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, writing, and communicating/collaborating:
Using the framework of the TPCK Model (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), we explored how the aforementioned “traditional” language skills could be merged with Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Visual/Media Literacy, Intercultural Literacy, Network Literacy, and Citizenship and Ethical Literacy to create a truly modern language classroom:
As we stressed in the session, each tool/strategy presented has a different learning curve and serves a unique purpose; consider the needs of your program, begin with something manageable yet meaningful, and recognize that the shift from traditional to more contemporary curriculum and instruction takes time but the results are well worth the effort. Empowering students and teachers to utilize varied approaches leads to a deeper understanding of language and culture, and that universally translates to improved learning.
