Literacies in Language Education: A Guide for Teachers and Teacher Educators

A practical and innovative guide to emphasizing literacies development when teaching world languages

Literacies in Language Education introduces multiliteracies pedagogy, which focuses on critical engagement with texts, intercultural understanding, and language proficiency development. Kate Paesani and Mandy Menke, seasoned workshop leaders and multiliteracies scholars, define what the approach is, its benefits, and how to create curricula grounded in it. In addition, they explain how to use the approach at all levels of language education and offer ideas for teacher professional development―each key components of pedagogical change. Melding text- and language-oriented learning goals, the authors embrace an expanded understanding of literacy to capture the dynamism of language and its contexts of use; the importance of preparing students to interact with the range of texts they will encounter in their academic, workplace, and personal lives; and the multicultural and multilingual landscape of secondary and postsecondary language classrooms.

Literacies in Language Education presents teachers with a tested approach for increasing learners’ proficiency and cultural awareness, along with practical implementation methods. This book provides teachers and program administrators with immediate steps to take toward designing and implementing a literacies approach in any language class and curriculum.

Published in partnership with CARLA.

Kate Paesani is the director for the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) and a professor in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on critical pedagogies, curriculum design, and teacher development.

Mandy Menke is a professor in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on second language acquisition, multiliteracies pedagogy, bilingualism, writing, and Spanish phonology.