Curriculum Design and Praxis in Language Teaching: A Globally Informed Approach ed. by Fernanda Carra-Salsberg, Maria Figueredo and Mihyon Jeon

Abstract

Reviewed by: Curriculum Design and Praxis in Language Teaching: A Globally Informed Approach ed. by Fernanda Carra-Salsberg, Maria Figueredo and Mihyon Jeon Emily Spinelli Carra-Salsberg, Fernanda, Maria Figueredo, and Mihyon Jeon, editors. Curriculum Design and Praxis in Language Teaching: A Globally Informed Approach. U of Toronto P, 2022. Pp. 278. ISBN 978-1-4875-2890-4. Curriculum Design and Praxis in Language Teaching: A Globally Informed Approach is designed to aid university faculty and administrators design programs and curriculum in light of the changing academic landscape with its more multilingual and diverse student body, technology-driven infrastructure, and the need for more collaboration across university departments and programs. The twenty chapters of this volume are placed within six thematic units that treat theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical issues in the three areas of language, literature, and linguistics. The content of this volume is innovative and research-based and is intended to bridge the gap between the previous era in language education that emphasized world language education as a discrete, unconnected discipline to a new era that combines language teaching with other disciplines and programs and stresses multilingualism and multiculturalism. This volume provides a guide for the development of students’ language skills in conjunction with the development of critical thinking, intercultural awareness, and socio-political consciousness. The contributors to this volume are researchers and practitioners who work on educational curriculum for language students and teacher candidates in several countries including the United States and Canada. Their contributions represent various languages including English, German, Hindi-Urdu, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Even though the articles may have been developed with reference to a specific language or country, the information can easily be adapted to other languages and situations. The chapters range from theoretical to practical application and employ case-study research, description of curricular changes, and detailed lesson plans and activities. The volume begins with a section consisting of three chapters dealing with curriculum and pedagogy in pre-service teacher education for foreign and heritage language learning. The three articles stress the increasing diversity of the student body and the resultant need to internationalize the curriculum and train students to become global citizens. The second article explores “Socratic Circles” which allow students to discuss issues in a judgment-free environment that is not concerned with proving points but with broadening the discussion by bringing forward as many ideas as possible. The final article in Section I discusses the need to develop critical language awareness so that future educators can act as moral agents of change. The four chapters of Section II focus on designing classroom resources, activities, and assessments for optimum student engagement in language learning. Chapter 4, “Teaching with Case Studies,” centers on using a problem or question involving a real-world situation so that students develop their analytical and decision-making skills in courses devoted to linguistics and applied linguistics. This chapter highlights the fact that the use of case studies increases students’ interest, in-class participation, and involvement. Chapter 5 discusses the significance of studying translingual, autobiographic narratives such as essays, memoirs, and poems that describe second-language learning and encourage self-reflection. Examples of in-class exercises and assessment are provided to advance students’ reading, critical thinking, oral expression, and academic writing. Chapter 6 analyzes a qualitative study and analysis of assessment practices in college-level Korean language classes. Interviews of instructors of Korean to gain their perspectives on assessment practices are used to improve the multi-faceted nature of assessment. Chapter 7 provides two well-designed activities to use in an intermediate language class in order to develop the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The “5 Minutes” activity involves the showing of a Korean-language YouTube video such as a commercial, an [End Page 157] interview with a Korean celebrity, or an advertisement to promote cultural events. The video is shown five minutes prior to class and helps prepare students for class by having them discuss the content in Korean. The second activity is a student-produced survey project to teach the four language skills. The project takes place over several class periods and begins with the instructor providing the students with the...