Claudia Finkbeiner - Böcker

This collection argues that being aware of and reflecting on language form and language use is a powerful tool, not only in language learning, but also in wider society. It adopts an interdisciplinary stance: one chapter argues the need for Language Awareness in business contexts, while another examines the role of critical cultural awareness and Language Awareness in education as ‘bildung’. Others report on research studies in language classrooms and in teacher education. Language Awareness is interrogated from a range of perspectives such as peer interaction, teaching young learners, learner strategies and strategies for writing, online reading, and oral fluency training. The scope is global, including contributions from Canada, Germany, Iran, Japan, Spain, and the UK, and covers bilingual as well as multilingual contexts. The book will be of interest to language teachers, language teacher educators, other language professionals, and generally to the language aware.This book was originally published as a special issue of Language Awareness.

This collection argues that being aware of and reflecting on language form and language use is a powerful tool, not only in language learning, but also in wider society. It adopts an interdisciplinary stance: one chapter argues the need for Language Awareness in business contexts, while another examines the role of critical cultural awareness and Language Awareness in education as ‘bildung’. Others report on research studies in language classrooms and in teacher education. Language Awareness is interrogated from a range of perspectives such as peer interaction, teaching young learners, learner strategies and strategies for writing, online reading, and oral fluency training. The scope is global, including contributions from Canada, Germany, Iran, Japan, Spain, and the UK, and covers bilingual as well as multilingual contexts. The book will be of interest to language teachers, language teacher educators, other language professionals, and generally to the language aware.This book was originally published as a special issue of Language Awareness.

This book is a valuable one for teacher educators and teacher education programs in the United States and Europe, since it is organized around numerous data sources. It contains national and international adaptations of the ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication. Authors for this book represent many languages and cultures and know, first hand, the socially constructed issues related to language, culture, and ethnicity. This book promises to make a significant contribution to preparing teachers to work with families and children. It should be read by all teacher educators as well as preservice and inservice teachers. In the new millennium teachers must redefine their responsibilities to ensure that ALL children have the opportunity to succeed. ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations is a perfect place to start.

This book is a valuable one for teacher educators and teacher education programs in the United States and Europe, since it is organized around numerous data sources. It contains national and international adaptations of the ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication. Authors for this book represent many languages and cultures and know, first hand, the socially constructed issues related to language, culture, and ethnicity. This book promises to make a significant contribution to preparing teachers to work with families and children. It should be read by all teacher educators as well as preservice and inservice teachers. In the new millennium teachers must redefine their responsibilities to ensure that ALL children have the opportunity to succeed. ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations is a perfect place to start.

This book is a valuable resource for teachers and other professionals who are looking for a proven way to increase cultural appreciation and awareness. New applications of the ABCs model of Cultural Understanding and Communication are presented and discussed in this new volume, based on studies done in the United States, and Canada and Europe. In this ground-breaking project, the authors describe how the ABCs model complicated and challenged and changed the cultural perceptions of those who participated in it, even those who were initially highly resistant to such possibilities. At the heart of the project is the exchange of narratives – life stories that give insight into the cultural worlds of selves and others. In addition to the narratives, other instruments including the Transcultural Competence Scale (TCC), provide further evidence of the positive impact of the ABCs on participants' receptivity toward cultural differences.In the TRANSABCs project, researchers from both sides of the Atlantic invited teacher candidates, students who will become workplace and other professionals to write an autobiography (A) of themselves from various cultural perspectives, a biography (B) of an individual who is culturally different from themselves along particular dimensions, and to use these documents to conduct cross-cultural comparisons (C) between themselves and the person they interviewed. Furthermore, candidates developed culturally responsive ideas for the school or the workplace (C). These exchanges and analyses produced epiphanies and insights that translated into specific actions to improve cultural understanding and communication in classrooms and workplaces. Educators and professionals can take from these examples to inspire their own personal journey toward greater cultural understanding and sensitivity.

This book is a valuable resource for teachers and other professionals who are looking for a proven way to increase cultural appreciation and awareness. New applications of the ABCs model of Cultural Understanding and Communication are presented and discussed in this new volume, based on studies done in the United States, and Canada and Europe. In this ground-breaking project, the authors describe how the ABCs model complicated and challenged and changed the cultural perceptions of those who participated in it, even those who were initially highly resistant to such possibilities. At the heart of the project is the exchange of narratives – life stories that give insight into the cultural worlds of selves and others. In addition to the narratives, other instruments including the Transcultural Competence Scale (TCC), provide further evidence of the positive impact of the ABCs on participants' receptivity toward cultural differences.In the TRANSABCs project, researchers from both sides of the Atlantic invited teacher candidates, students who will become workplace and other professionals to write an autobiography (A) of themselves from various cultural perspectives, a biography (B) of an individual who is culturally different from themselves along particular dimensions, and to use these documents to conduct cross-cultural comparisons (C) between themselves and the person they interviewed. Furthermore, candidates developed culturally responsive ideas for the school or the workplace (C). These exchanges and analyses produced epiphanies and insights that translated into specific actions to improve cultural understanding and communication in classrooms and workplaces. Educators and professionals can take from these examples to inspire their own personal journey toward greater cultural understanding and sensitivity.

The current turbulent global political climate has led to unprecedented numbers of economic migrants and refugees seeking asylum, many of whom are school-aged children in need of linguistic, cultural, and emotional support. The title of this volume, Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures, reflects an intentional effort to challenge Western hegemonic traditions and promote an inclusive, pluralistic vision of language, culture, and identity—one that foregrounds the transformative potential of multilingualism and intercultural awareness. This collection reimagines literacy learning through diverse cultural frameworks and linguistic systems, offering alternative pathways for education that are responsive to global realities. The contributing chapters showcase innovative autobiographical methodologies and research designs grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogies. The contributors—experienced educators and scholars with rich linguistic and cultural backgrounds—offer insights of particular relevance to teacher education programs across varied educational contexts. Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures affirms the foundational premise that students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds bring invaluable knowledge to the classroom and to the teaching and learning process. The volume interrogates and illuminates critical themes such as language awareness, cultural competence, and the implementation of pedagogical practices that sustain diverse identities. Collectively, the scholars in this volume share a commitment to advancing methodological approaches that recognize identity as a central component of learning—an aspect too often overlooked in contemporary classrooms. The book ultimately advocates for culturally sustaining pedagogies, critical language awareness, and educational practices rooted in social justice.

The current turbulent global political climate has led to unprecedented numbers of economic migrants and refugees seeking asylum, many of whom are school-aged children in need of linguistic, cultural, and emotional support. The title of this volume, Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures, reflects an intentional effort to challenge Western hegemonic traditions and promote an inclusive, pluralistic vision of language, culture, and identity—one that foregrounds the transformative potential of multilingualism and intercultural awareness. This collection reimagines literacy learning through diverse cultural frameworks and linguistic systems, offering alternative pathways for education that are responsive to global realities. The contributing chapters showcase innovative autobiographical methodologies and research designs grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogies. The contributors—experienced educators and scholars with rich linguistic and cultural backgrounds—offer insights of particular relevance to teacher education programs across varied educational contexts. Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures affirms the foundational premise that students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds bring invaluable knowledge to the classroom and to the teaching and learning process. The volume interrogates and illuminates critical themes such as language awareness, cultural competence, and the implementation of pedagogical practices that sustain diverse identities. Collectively, the scholars in this volume share a commitment to advancing methodological approaches that recognize identity as a central component of learning—an aspect too often overlooked in contemporary classrooms. The book ultimately advocates for culturally sustaining pedagogies, critical language awareness, and educational practices rooted in social justice.

The book explores the novel field of lexical and conceptual awareness in L2 reading from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. The theoretical part consists of a thorough literature review of the key terms. The empirical part presents an in-depth analysis of L2 learners’ lexical and conceptual awareness/challenges based on text and worksheet data as well as 110 hours of video material. In total, data from 156 L2 learners participating in video-taped collaborative reading scenarios and the corresponding stimulated recall sessions have been analyzed in a primarily qualitative manner. The results demonstrate the multidimensionality of the two major constructs and highlight learners’ need for further support. Theoretical, methodological and practical recommendations are provided.

This monograph aims to stimulate thinking and increase consciousness about the cultural dimension of foreign language teaching.　The author draws from the theoretical framework of Schmidt’s «ABCs of Cultural Understanding and Communication» (Schmidt, 1998; Schmidt & Finkbeiner, 2006) to support and advocate for expanding awareness in relation to the influence of culture on the perception of self and other. She interrogates how language learners acquire interpretative skills to gain a deeper reflexive understanding of different cultures and how electronic communication can be effectively utilised in teaching for intercultural learning. Learning how to interrogate diverse cultural practices using multiple cultural frameworks has been shown to facilitate authentic engagement with the complexities of diverse pluralistic societies. This qualitative research study explores how culture can be taught in the foreign language classroom and school setting.