Chapter 28: Activism and Community Engagement: An Introduction

Engagement is a key part of the language learning experience, whether in a second-grade language classroom or a university senior seminar. Indeed, according to Kuh and Schneider (2008), high-impact practices increase engagement of students with class material, and many educators place community engagement at the center of this material. In the language classroom, community-based service learning is where language learning often becomes “relevant” (Baker, 2019) for students or where student goals seem to dovetail with language learning objectives (Magnan, 2014; Magnan et al., 2012). However, the implementation of learning objectives that address the ideological and often political nature of topics related to activism and engagement is a complex process that goes beyond reading a story or organizing an event to learn about other cultures. Menacker (2001) details the depth and breadth of learning experiences to be found when engaging with language communities, while Clifford and Reisinger (2019) emphasize the need for a strong structure to approach community-based learning experiences in a conscientious and pedagogically sound manner, thus leading to transformative learning (Johnson, 2015; Mezirow, 1991).