Transformative intercultural learning and place-based pedagogy: The Connecting Borderlands Project
Wednesday, March 6th
10:45am-11:45am
Zoom link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/94834923165
This presentation introduces the principles of place-based language teaching, illustrating how foregrounding locality and local culture(s) and practices in second language (L2) classes can catalyze transformative intercultural learning experiences for language learners. We will explore the MAPS model of intercultural learning (Klimanova & Hellmich, 2021), a framework that facilitates deep cultural and semiotic engagement with local languages, cultures, and communities through the exploration of both physical and digital environments. Central to this discussion is the Connecting Borderlands Project, an innovative program that immerses language learners in local communities via critical virtual exchange and intercultural dialogue. This initiative prioritizes the investigation of local cultural and language practices in second language instruction, offering participants a platform to explore cultural and language practices in borderland regions. Through this immersive experience, learners critically analyze the relationship between identity, language, and space across both tangible and virtual settings, deepening their comprehension of intercultural nuances and local cultural perspectives. Selected examples from the project data will show how integrating place-based pedagogy in L2 language classes can counter the monolithic culture bias in today’s language education (Kramsch, 2014).
Presenter Bio
Liudmila Klimanova is Assistant Professor of Second Language Acquisition and Technology at the University of Arizona and a faculty member at the doctoral program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT). Her doctoral dissertation was devoted to the issues of identity enactment in language exchange chatrooms and social networking platforms. She is a recipient of 2015 ACTFL/MLJ Emma Marie Birkmeier Award for Best Doctoral Dissertation Research in Foreign Language Education. Her current research focuses on social and psychological aspects of multimodal identity representation in multilingual online chat, telecollaboration, and the digital humanistic frameworks of learning. Dr. Klimanova’s recent projects examine the role of digital experience in cultural learning within the framework of digital humanistic pedagogy. She currently serves as associate chair of CALICO CMC SIG, and executive committee officer and sector head at AAUSC (American Association of University Supervisors, Coordinators, and Directors of Language Programs).