Social Justice in LCTL Classrooms: Understanding Teacher Knowledge

Teaching for social justice is a relatively recent imperative in postsecondary world language education and the critical pedagogies that support it are new to many practicing teachers. Although research is beginning to address teacher understanding and enactment of social justice and critical pedagogies, the focus has primarily been on teachers of English and more commonly taught languages; little is known about how teachers of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) carry out this work. Yet LCTL teachers face unique challenges related to materials, professional development, and collaboration; understanding how they approach teaching for social justice is thus crucial for addressing these challenges. This presentation provides insights into three LCTL teachers’ conceptualizations of social justice in language education based on their participation in a curriculum development project. After discussing the study’s findings, we explore practical implications for professional development and teaching materials that meet LCTL teachers’ needs and support widespread adoption of critical and social justice pedagogies in language education.

Presenters
Mandy Menke is an Associate Professor of Hispanic Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies. She is a co-leader of the Literacies in Language Education and Social Justice in Language Education initiatives.
Kate Paesani is the Director of CARLA and an Associate Professor in the Department of French and Italian. She is a co-leader of the Language Program Direction, Literacies in Language Education and Social Justice in Language Education initiatives.