ABSTRACT
In this final chapter, we stress that we are not suggesting that world language educators cease to teach the target language, nor are we suggesting that such teaching is not merely worthwhile in its own right, but invaluable. We strongly believe that world language education can and should play a central role in every individual’s education. What we are suggesting, though, is that as world language educators we need to continue our efforts to move beyond what might be called “technicist” concerns about the teaching of world languages. Debates and discussions about alternative teaching methodologies certainly have value, but we must also address the social, cultural, political and ideological contexts in which we teach, and in which languages are used. We began this book by suggesting that world language educators need critical pedagogy, perhaps now more than ever. After exploring contemporary practice in world language education from a variety of different perspectives and through multiple lenses, we hope that you will agree with us. The real challenge that faces us as critical educators is not so much revamping the curriculum, rethinking how students are assessed, or changing our goals and objectives – although all of these things are both necessary and important. Nor, we would suggest, is our task merely to “speak truth to power,” although that, too, is essential. Rather, we are increasingly faced with the job of simply identifying the truth, and the lies, and helping our students learn to do the sameThe challenge before us now is to advocate the study of world languages not only for the reasons that we historically offered, but to expand our efforts to include increasing student understanding and awareness of language, broadly conceived, as an outcome of the study of world languages. Language study, in short, must become a core element in the teaching of critical perspectives for life in a democratic society.
