Embodied Cognitive Experiential Learning in a Multicultural Foreign Language Classroom

Béatrice Boufoy-Bastick, Trinidad and Tobago

Dr. Béatrice Boufoy-Bastick lectures in French at the Department of Liberal Arts, the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. She has wide cross-cultural experience of teaching and she has an interest in developing innovative culturally sensitive language teaching methods. Her latest book "Academic Attainments and Cultural Values" explores the interaction of language teaching and culture. Email: bboufoybastick@gmail.com, bbastick@fhe.uwi.tt

Menu

Abstract
Introduction
Using subjectivist pedagogy for enhanced foreign language learning
Utilising multi-modal subjectivist pedagogy in a French as a foreign language class
The six integrative multi-modal activities
Conclusion
References

Abstract

This paper discusses the need for language learning methods designed to capitalize on the rich cultural diversity of students in today's multicultural societies. It introduces psycho-pedagogical principles from embodied cognition theory and shows how these were successfully applied to enhance the learning of French as a foreign language in a multicultural class.

The paper underlines the importance of promoting language proficiency by designing language curricula aimed to maximise educational attainments for all students. European political integration together with the economic globalisation of trade with its inherent labour movements now makes it an imperative to speak a foreign language for professional recognition and social mobility. Foreign language teaching is no longer the preserve of elitist schools and increasing numbers of culturally diverse students are expected to develop functional competence in English and at least in another language. European national educational systems are now mandated to devise inclusive foreign language curricula which are responsive to the cognitive needs of all students. This mandate has major pedagogical implications and is a challenge to language teachers who need to develop techniques to utilise effectively this student diversity. In response to such a pedagogical challenge, a culturally responsive language teaching approach using multimodal subjectivist techniques is presented. This paper presents these powerful techniques aimed at empowering students through enhancing positive feelings of learning using illustrative examples from a subjectivist French as a foreign language lesson.

Introduction

This paper recognises the importance of language competence for social, economic and political development within an increasingly globalised world. While the last quarter of the 20^th century recognised the status of regional and national languages (European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, 1992) as fundamental tools for cultural recognition and social unification, the 21^st century is set to place greater emphasis on the role of foreign languages within an increasingly economically and politically integrated Europe. A major implication for European national education systems is the need to devise language curricula which maximize attainments for all students not only in their mother tongue but also in at least one foreign language. Providing quality language learning to large culturally and intellectually diverse student populations is a pedagogical challenge which can be met through a culturally responsive subjectivist language teaching methodology. This paper presents such a methodology and shows how its integral powerful multimodal subjectivist techniques were successfully tested in a multi-ethnic, multi-ability and multi-age French foreign language class.

Using subjectivist pedagogy for enhanced foreign language learning

Subjectivist language teaching is a psycho-pedagogical response to educational changes. It aims to provide empowering experiences for all students through engrossing learning tasks. Its main characteristics are described below.

Theoretical stance of subjectivist language pedagogy

Subjectivist language teaching is an application of Bastick's (1998; 1999a; 1999b, 1999c) 'Subjectivism' to language teaching. Subjectivism is an Embodied-Cognitive Theory (Brown & Reid, 2006; Niedenthal, Barsalou, Winkielman, Krauth-Gruber & Ric 2005), and Subjective teaching is one of its applications to Education (Bastick, 2003). Subjectivist teaching aims to enhance learning by utilising the personal 'subjective' feelings that accompany learning, that is it uses affect-structured constructivist language methodology to emphasise feelings and emotions that increase cognitive learning (Kramsch, 1997; Lozanov, 1979; McCarthy, Mejia & Liu, 2000). Fundamental characteristics of multi-modal language pedagogy are the indivisibility of affect and cognition of all learning experiences that occur in the language classroom. These methods utilise developmentally appropriate cognitive and affective activities and the use of techniques of 'enculturation' for learner 'empowerment' (Bastick, 2003, p. 210).

Enculturation is the process through which competent language users develop their linguistic skills and their socio-cultural understanding. This enculturation is a natural process which is enhanced in the classroom by designing learning activities that enable the language learner to rapidly internalise the culture of the subject (Jacobson, 1996). The use of 'enculturation' techniques in the classroom is intended to sensitise the learner to the values inherent to the culture of the discipline.

Learner 'empowerment' is the process by which the learner grows as a self-directed life-long learner (Martinez, 2001). The process of empowerment is demonstrated by the learner's autonomy in choosing what best to learn and how best to learn it. To this end, the role of the language educator is to provide sufficient diverse learning experiences from which the learner can make informed decisions towards empowerment.

The two theoretical principles of 'enculturation' and 'empowerment' are articulated in pedagogic activities designed to guarantee the learner's success (Salmon, 1996). These activities, called 'surface purposes', range from simple rote-learning games to complex needs-driven social communication tasks. These surface purpose activities distract students' attention from the 'pedagogic purpose' of the teacher by focusing the learner's awareness on the surface purpose of the activity. These activities use three subjectivist affect-structuring techniques. These are: an emotional anchor (for task-focusing), a cognitive direction (for learner guidance) and a motivator (for activity engagement). These three techniques are demonstrated in the French foreign language class described below.

Utilising multi-modal subjectivist pedagogy in a French as a foreign language class

Subjectivist language pedagogy was successfully used in the experiential French foreign language class presented here.

Methodological design

Participants: This multi-modal experiential French lesson was taught to a multi-cultural, mixed-age and mixed-ability class. The participants were 23 students and 3 adults from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The students were from grades 9 to 13 of a local International School. It is important to stress that the multi-facetted diversity of the participants is an exaggeration of the diversity found in traditional streamed single-age classrooms. This extreme diversity is to show more clearly how subjectivist language pedagogy can be used to positively utilise the diversity that is found to be problematic in more traditional language classrooms.

The participants were divided into two proto-groups ('Conservative For' and 'Green Against'), which were further divided into two smaller working sub-groups. The participants' division into four small groups of 5 or 6 was to optimise involvement and facilitate in-group convivial communication and inter-group competition. Description of the learning situation: The context of the learning situation was the main setting for the lesson followed by six integrated activities culminating in a 'For vs. Against' debate and ballot on French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The methodological design for each activity is a mini-example of the methodological design of the whole lesson. The whole lesson was choreographed so as to maximise students' participation as befitting their varied levels of linguistic and cognitive development. One student proto-group was encouraged to represent the Conservative party in favour of nuclear testing, whereas the other proto-group chose the ecological Green party and were against nuclear testing. Students wrote their names on iconic labels and wore them to enhance identification with their roles.

Identifying the surface and pedagogic purposes: The culminating surface purpose of the lesson was a debate and a ballot on nuclear testing. This surface purpose was chosen because learners were self-motivated by the opportunity to express their disapproval of nuclear testing. The personal involvement and strong feelings of the French learners in this newsworthy topic were utilised for the initial setting of the lesson which consisted of the main emotional anchor to hold their emotion for the duration of the lesson, the main motivator making them want to participate, showing them how to participate and confirming that they can successfully do so, and the cognitive direction carrying the motivation into showing them how to start. The emotional anchor was a commercial video news clip of an official spokesperson, a General, supporting arguments on nuclear testing and showing the bomb blast rupturing their peaceful South Pacific paradise.

This was chosen as the highly arousing emotional anchor for the lesson because it was a current news issue about which all students had recently demonstrated and felt vehemently abhorrent. An interview with a popular member of the class had been edited into the prepared video of the official pro-spokesperson as a motivator with w