The Community of Learning for Foreign Language Learners: Two Language Projects for Learning Spanish

If communicative competence is defined by and organized around culturally-framed and linguistically-patterned communicative plans and goals and the linguistic resources of interactive practices, then interaction in the classroom is employed to create social engagement in regularly occurring interact...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPennsylvania Language Forum Vol. 69; pp. 7 - 16
Main Author Shieh, Robert J. J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 1997
Subjects
Adult Education
Classroom Techniques
Communicative Competence (Languages)
Ethnography
Interaction
Language Acquisition Device
Language Experience Approach
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Social Cognition
Spanish
Teaching Methods
Vygotsky (Lev S)
Whole Language Approach
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Summary:If communicative competence is defined by and organized around culturally-framed and linguistically-patterned communicative plans and goals and the linguistic resources of interactive practices, then interaction in the classroom is employed to create social engagement in regularly occurring interactive practices where communicative learning can be realized. The critical property in foreign language learning, therefore, is an environment where social interaction helps learners construct frameworks of interaction and participation. The purpose of this paper is to offer two projects for Spanish language learners that serve as a vehicle for creating these interactive practices where communicative competence is exercised. The two projects are called "Language Learners as Ethnographers" and "Language Learners as Co-playwrights." The target learners are adults of intermediate or adult Spanish. Both projects provide cognitive demands designed to appeal to adults, are collaborative in nature, and employ the whole language approach. It is essential that learner interaction be meaningful interaction. Not all group work creates equally useful or productive interaction. The projects described here put students to work doing something appropriate to their interests and level of skill, maturity, and life experience. A literature review and extensive scholarly references are included into the fabric of the article. (KFT)