Beyond Linguistic Imperialism: Learner Resistance in the University Foreign Language Classroom
Robin Worth
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Beloit College
4:00-5:00 pm
Thursday, September 28
254 Van Hise Hall
Abstract
Critical resistance to language learning has been a major focus of scholarship in the field of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) due to the global spread of English and to the related issues of
linguistic and cultural imperialism often attributed to ESOL. Yet many of the features and concerns related to critical resistance to dominant language learning can also be detected in situations involving the teaching
and learning of non-dominant languages, in this case, in the American university foreign language (FL) classroom. Despite significant differences between the two contexts, data from a recent study suggests that critical resistance is indeed relevant to the latter situation. By viewing the university FL classroom with a critical perspective, that is, in terms of power and resistance, classroom behaviors typically viewed as "oppositional" may instead be interpreted in more enlightening and positive ways, serving as calls for the negotiation of learner-empowering pedagogies. Resultant implications for predominant teaching approaches, program articulation and the goals of university FL learning will be discussed.
Robin Worth, PhD (SLA, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2006) specializes in post-secondary foreign language pedagogy and has taught Italian for 15 years. Her research interests include critical resistance in the foreign language classroom, learner differences, and critical pedagogical responses to pedagogical resistance. She is currently a visiting professor at Beloit College and a Curriculum Development Specialist for the
National Online LCTL Teacher Training Initiative, a joint project of the UW-Madison Language Institute and the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages.
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