I was unable to attend ACTFL 2024, but lucky me, language teacher colleagues are nothing if not generous! After making the move over to Bluesky, I’ve been on the lookout for #langchat colleagues, and people I’ve met over the years on social media. I was able to reconnect with Dorie Conlon, whose work I really respect and admire, and saw this tweet about a session she attended by Cécile Lainé (another source of inspiration):
This post really struck me. Many who teach for proficiency acknowledge that language is too abstract and complex to teach explicitly, but we also work in a model of culture that focuses on three abstract nouns: Products, Practices, and Perspectives. The way culture emerges is with people, their actions, and their use of language, rather than by stepping outside of it. This is much like the acquisition of a language, which happens with communication and use, rather than by observing a languages features from outside of it.
Behind all these Ps are People! Through the experiences of individuals, we can see culture and the 3 Ps in action, and also develop empathy for others who are different from us. A “different” culture is easy to write off as “strange” to the Novice eye, but it’s possible to find commonalities with any individual human, learn from their experiences, and see cultures through their lives. Individual lived experiences are more memorable anyways, versus just learning “cultural tidbits” as they are strewn randomly through textbooks and class “Culture Days.”
I find it very important for my students to learn about historically marginalized communities to build their critical thinking and empathy. If students are only presented elements of culture and people that confirm their prior beliefs, which are often informed by cultural stereotypes, I have done nothing to build their ability to communicate competently with members of other cultures. The interactions of minoritized individuals with majority cultures reveal a fuller picture of those cultures, as well. I look to the ACTFL Intercultural Communication Benchmarks, which at the Superior level read as such for the “Investigate” strand:
“In my own and other cultures I can suspend judgment while critically examining products, practices, and perspectives.”
Furthermore, the “Interact” strand at the Superior level reads:
“I can interact in complex situations to ensure a shared understanding of culture.”
These are obviously skills that we are not expecting immediately from Novice learners. But in order to get to consistent “suspension of judgment” and “sharing understanding of culture,” students need practice being confronted with difference and engaging with the thinking of others. This supports working towards the Social Justice Standards of Learning for Justice, across all the four major strands, and builds their capacity for empathy.
So, I’m inspired. Here are some individuals I have shared with my classes, starting with level 1, and the activities I use to help students think more critically and empathetically about culture. The biographies are easy to share with students in the earliest stages of their language learning, and are easy to “level up” for higher levels by drawing in information and media from other sources. I think it’s important to follow up with reflection activities that help think more deeply about the individuals presented, and how their identities might affect their interactions within the Target Cultures.
Even if you aren’t a German teacher, maybe you will find some value in my thinking and planning for these experiences with German speakers!
Conchita Wurst
Student reactions to just seeing Conchita often quickly reveal their underlying assumptions and feelings towards the LGBTQ+ community. Students have sometimes been confused about the difference between a drag queen and a trans woman. Meeting Conchita, who presents both feminine and masculine personas, challenges students’ understandings of gender and sexuality.
I like to show Conchita’s Eurovision-winning performance to let her undeniable talent shine. Students are blown away by her artistry and the theatricality of the performance. The key question I ask students after getting to know Conchita and her talent is: “What do you think the reaction to Conchita was like?” If given time and space to think, students often speculate about potential backlash from groups connected to European countries competing in Eurovision, and what cultural factors might influence that backlash. Conchita’s Wikipedia page provides a lengthy catalogue of the vitriol that she faced, as well as her defiant and proud responses. All this, because she dares to put on a dress, put on some makeup, and sing.
Leo Neugebauer
I’m a huge Olympics fan, and was so excited to hear about a Black German Olympian who also studies at one my alma maters, UT-Austin! Even better – he has a YouTube channel where he makes content in German AND English! Introducing my students to Leo Neugebauer helps to challenge the notion that “German = white.” “What it means to be German” is a cultural discourse that has evolved drastically over the last few decades, and we get our first steps into that discourse by meeting Germans with identities that don’t match our preconceived notions.
After reading Leo’s biography, my classes and I defined the ten disciplines of the decathlon (which was a learning moment for me), and decided which we would ourselves ideally compete in. (I would probably do one of the running events!) Then, we watched his video “CULTURE SHOCK in America!” and discussed our reactions, which was a lot of fun. While I was absent one day, I had my students rewatch the video and write a 2+-sentence reflection on each of his culture shocks. I included the following questions:
- Does what he says surprise you? Why?
- Do you think there is truth to what he says?
- What do you think it says about Germany and German culture that these things stood out to him?
For me, the last question is key to help students build their inquiry into “what German culture is.” After we analyze whether or not his “culture shocks” align with our own local cultures, we can form hypotheses about how the shocks reflect Leo’s own cultural expectations. This opens us to testing those hypotheses in future meetings with German cultures.
Taliso Engel
My Olympics obsession also introduced me to many German-speaking Paralympians, including swimming phenom Taliso Engel. I have been working towards including more disabled people in my teaching, and learning about Taliso Engel helped me learn so much more about the Paralympics, the various classifications involved for different disabilities, and the athleticism required to be a top-tier competitor.
After reading Taliso’s biography, I found a couple videos that detailed Taliso’s training and reasons for getting into swimming. The first video on the slideshow above also shows an approximation of what he can see, which helps provide some nuances to students’ understandings of vision impairments. Then, we can stand up and play “Either / Or,” showing our preferences by moving to the side of the room corresponding to the image of our preference. These “either/or” questions are asked to the Paralympians in the final video, which provides students another opportunity to get to know German athletes with disabilities. Connecting their own preferences to those of disabled athletes helps build empathy and understanding.
Bonus: Heiko Burak
I don’t have a biography written of hard-of-hearing German Sign Language teacher Heiko Burak, but I found his videos very clear and easy for students to understand. For Disability History and Awareness Month in October, I showed my students the video above to learn 10 essential German signs. This gave us a good opportunity to talk about the various sign languages around the world (Austria and Switzerland don’t use deutsche Gebärdensprache – they have different sign languages!), as well as compare to what we know about ASL. (I’m currently learning ASL, and have a few students who know some sign, as well.) Finally, students learned and practiced all 10 signs, which was really cool to see. Some have even continued to use the signs in conversation in class, well over a month later, which is even cooler. The German sign for “no” got a lot of love from my class, which will make sense if you watch the video.
But Ben, I don’t teach German!
Pech für dich. 🙂 But really, I encourage you to be on the lookout for people from your Target Cultures to humanize student learning and build empathy. Ask your teacher communities if they are familiar with inspirational and interesting members of the Target Cultures, and expand the lens of who gets included in your classes. Do you know speakers of your Target Language that are People of Color? Members of the LGBTQ+ community? Disabled? We need language classes that center the lives of the historically marginalized so that our students can treat others with dignity, and create a more peaceful coexistence.