Chapter 12: Integration of Critical Topics: An Introduction

Critical approaches to language instruction call educators to examine “how ideologies, politics, and social hierarchies are embedded, reproduced, and naturalized in language learning and teaching” (Leeman, 2014, p. 271). Engagement in critical topics allows students to make deep connections among the curriculum studied, the perspectives and lived experiences of others, and their own lives. In addition, exploration of critical topics sets the stage for a more meaningful classroom community, since such topics often require students to take risks and build trust with other classmates and the instructor as they explore topics that are deeply personal and often politicized or polemic. For many students, such an experience may even be the first time that they will have had these types of discussions in a classroom setting, or outside of their friend and family groups, or perhaps ever.