Although teaching language through rich and authentic cultural content has been an ongoing practice in Carondelet’s language classrooms, it has become ever more imperative to ensure that these efforts are truly inclusive, diverse and widely representative of all members of those cultures. Just as we have (mostly:) left behind mindless and ineffective conjugation drills, we must take a close look at the “culture” we are teaching. Our department has been hard at work examining our content and resources, and including cultural contexts that reflect the speakers/signers of the languages that we teach.
Here are some examples of our work:
In our French 2 classes, our students learned about the rituals of Rosh Hashana, and its enduring significance in French Jewish culture.
In French 1 classes, students watched a video about breakfast preferences, and compared them to their own and that of other French-speaking countries.
In ASL, all classes discuss audism (the belief that one’s ability to hear or behave as one who hears is superior) and how it affects Deaf people in their everyday lives.
Kristin is preparing a fascinating unit for ASL 3 about BASL (Black American Sign Language) and its origins.
When black and white students went to separate schools, there were also separate Deaf Residential Schools. The Black-Deaf schools developed their own way of signing. These signs and culture are still passed on today in many families and communities.
Kristin is preparing a fascinating unit for ASL 3 about BASL (Black American Sign Language) and its origins.
When black and white students went to separate schools, there were also separate Deaf Residential Schools. The Black-Deaf schools developed their own way of signing. These signs and culture are still passed on today in many families and communities.
In Spanish, Kerry’s students discussed the importance of language diversity after watching and reacting to a video of a young woman who sings in Quechua an indigenous language of Peru, and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile.
In French 3, students explored the culture of protest of the disenfranchised through street art in Paris and Brussels. We explored graffiti and murals, discussed Art Vs. Vandalism, and created a wall mural to commemorate with words of love, courage and compassion, the victims of 9/11.
These are just a few of the many ways we show students that the world’s diversity comes in many hues and tones!
