Promoting Critical Language Awareness in Spanish teaching programs

1547 

Research-Oriented Paper 

Spanish 

English 

Silvia Perez-Cortes  
Rutgers University Camden

Silvia Perez-Cortes  
Rutgers University Camden

With the number of bilingual students on the rise, there is a pressing need to incorporate pedagogical practices that foster inclusion and challenge dominant language ideologies. This study examines the preexisting linguistic beliefs of 20 pre and in-service Spanish teachers and explores their development during a 15-week course focused on Spanish dialectal variation. Data from weekly reflections and reading annotations, as well as results from a course survey (implemented before and after the course) will be presented to show how participants increased their awareness about key issues in the study of language and communication, such as linguistic prescriptivism, stigmatization or raciolinguistic ideologies. This presentation highlights the importance of integrating critical language awareness (CLA) in teaching preparation programs and provides practical examples of how to effectively assess -and challenge- teachers' pre-existing linguistic beliefs.

This presentation examines the linguistic beliefs of 20 pre and in-service Spanish teachers and explores their development during a 15-week course exploring Spanish dialectal variation. Data will be presented to show how those enrolled increased their critical language awareness on key issues in the study and teaching of Spanish.

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Equitable and Inclusive Practices