Foreign Language Educator in Society

Timothy G. Reagan, Terry A. Osborn

"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 NuesselUniversity 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 AustinUniversity of Massachusetts

• 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.