Pedagogy for Social Justice
The MAFLT Program allowed me to complete many different tasks that were designed to connect the theories I have encountered with my pedagogical practices. The links below go to projects that demonstrate my emerging expertise in key areas of language teaching.
Through the MAFLT program as a whole and more specifically, through my work in my Experiential Module, I have developed a passion for crafting pedagogy for social justice. To learn more about how I weave social justice themes into my French curriculum, click on "Experiential Module" below.
This section also gives evidence of my skills in teaching intercultural competence, utilizing educational technology, and assessing student learning. In all areas of my teaching, I strive for equitable, just teaching practices that cultivate students' critical thinking skills and open-minded perspectives.
EXPERIENTIAL MODULE
My Experiential Module was an action research project that explored the impact of a Social Justice Education unit on student Intercultural Communicative Competence development. For this project, I crafted a Social Justice Education unit based around the theme of identity with the Les Origines de la Beauté video series as the focal point. I then carried out my unit virtually through Canvas and Zoom with my Advanced French IV class. Finally, I collected quantitative and qualitative data and analyzed it to better understand the role of my Social Justice Education unit on my students' Intercultural Communicative Competence development.
In order to successfully interact with the target language community, students need a robust Intercultural Competence. Intercultural Competence allows students to interact with empathy, open-mindedness, and critical cultural awareness in an unfamiliar cultural environment. Deepening my understanding of Intercultural Competence and how to help students to develop it is perhaps my biggest takeaway from the MAFLT program.
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
TECHNOLOGY
With each passing year, technology becomes more and more prevalent in our daily lives. My students, as Generation Z teenagers, were practically raised on technology. Therefore, in my view, it is non-negotiable to regularly incorporate educational technology in my classroom. Through a variety of modern tools, the use of technology in my classroom helps students to expand their worldview, engage with the target language community, and improve their language proficiency.
In order to assure that students are meeting the standards, it is imperative that teachers assess student learning and adjust instruction accordingly. In my classroom, I frequently assess students both formatively and summatively. I also use a variety of assessment techniques to "bias for the best" or, to give students every opportunity to show their communicative skills. After assessing my students, I am then able to analyze the data I've gathered, upon which I can modify instruction as needed.
