Journal Article

Putting local on the MAP: A model for engaging foreign language students with local cultures

Klimanova, Liudmila, Hellmich, Emily A.

2021

Overview

Culture in the teaching and learning of foreign languages tends to be stereotypical and monolithic, marginalizing the diversity of local cultures and practices and resulting in a monocultural and monolingual bias. Expanding on the ACTFL Cultures and Comparisons Standards, the current article presents the MAPS model for Exploring Local Cultures aimed at engaging students with local products, practices, and perspectives through the creation, exchange, and analysis of digital artifacts of local cultures. The article demonstrates how a complex pedagogical model can be constructed from existing research and theory as well as how to implement it: in addition to presenting the model and its underlying literature, the article details its implementation in two classes. The Challenge Despite the growing superdiversity of today's world, monolithic national cultures remain the norm in language education. How can foreign language instruction meaningfully highlight local cultures? How can instructors engage students in the local diversity of cultural products, practices, and perspectives in an era of virtual mobility and distant access?

• Publisher: Wiley,American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
• Subject: best practices / Collaboration / Comparative Analysis / Cross Cultural Studies / Cultural Awareness / cultural comparisons / Cultural differences / Cultural instruction / cultural practices / Cultural transmission / Foreign language learning / Foreign languages / Geographic information systems / Information Technology / Intercultural communication / Languages / Learner Engagement / Learning / Learning Processes / Local Issues / Monolingualism / National Standards / Pedagogy / products and perspectives / Second Language Instruction / Second Language Learning / Semiotics / standards‐based teaching / Stereotypes / Students / Teaching / Teaching Methods