Chapter 34: We Are Stronger Together: Community Generating Pedagogies

In language learning, community-engaged learning (CEL) is a powerful means to move students along a continuum of transformation from cross-cultural awareness to critical knowledge and even activism (Hellebrandt & Varona, 1999; Hellebrandt et al., 2003). In 2010, our department began Spanish CEL with an initial course and the hiring of a director to develop the program. Since then, we have grown to a cohort of six faculty who offer six or more CEL classes each year that span intermediate to advanced levels. Our efforts suggest that this student transformation can be accomplished through what we are calling community-generating pedagogy (K. Barry, personal communication, February 14, 2019). In community-generating pedagogy, CEL shifts from learning based in the community to a process of building community in classrooms and society.