"Using ‘Texts’ to Mediate Culture and Language Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom"
FLARE invited Dr. Gwendolyn Barnes-Karol and Dr. Maggie Broner from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. They gave us a public lecture entitled "Using ‘Texts’ to Mediate Culture and Language Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom" on Friday, October 7, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. in 214 Phillips Hall.
Abstract of the Talk
The push to make culture a more important element of the language curriculum has generated a wealth of classroom activities, strategies, and materials. These efforts have fostered learner interest in culture in general and in the culture(s) of the target language while also increasing classroom interaction. However, in many cases, new culturally oriented activities have been introduced without reference to language learning objectives or to a holistic curricular framework. At St. Olaf College, we have found that the judicious and systematic use of cultural “texts,” integrated into an overall sequence of instruction, can help students use their developing language proficiency to become skilled observers and analysts of cultures. Presenters will demonstrate the use of selected cultural “texts” and their integration into a content-based framework.