Grand challenges and great potential in foreign language teaching and learning

Abstract

This article argues for the field of foreign languages to begin to identify and define our Grand Challenges, which are difficult yet solvable problems facing our field. Seeking answers to these challenges can provide new opportunities for collaboration and can spur new directions and innovation within language learning and teaching. Researchable questions that emerge from these Grand Challenges can form a research trajectory, build community support, and contribute to changing public opinion about the role of languages in greater society.

Grammar Learning At Tertiary Level In Indonesia: A Curriculum Development Of Genre-Task Based Approach

“…Third, longitudinal study and in-depth analysis are urgently required to investigate such innovations to shed more light on language teaching and learning in Indonesian context. Such analysis might be initiated by investigating the guiding tools used in the classroom such as foreign/second language planning, instruction, and assessment which are still getting scant attentions from the researchers (Larsen-Freeman & Tedick, 2016 as cited in Hlas, 2018).…”

Heritage language education in the United States: A national survey of college‐level Chinese language programs

“…Finally, while the vast majority of CHL instructors recognizes the importance of receiving special training for teaching CHL learners and welcomes systematic professional development in both theory and practice, it is widely acknowledged that professional development opportunities specifically designed for HL instructors in general and CHL education in particular are rather limited. While instructors are encouraged to seek out such specialized professional development, many of the “grand challenges” (Hlas, ) that confront Chinese instructors are also of central importance across all world languages. Chinese instructors must work to keep abreast of the most recent research, theoretical developments, and commonly recognized best practices in both foreign language instruction and the general field of HL education and analyze their relevance to the CHL context.…”

Facing reality: A survey of methods instructors’ perspectives on world language teacher development

“…The identification of model programs and the rising percentage of teacher preparation programs that meet the PS testify to the impact that they have had in promoting reform (Dhonau, McAlpine, & Shrum, ; Glisan, Swender, & Surface, ; Huhn, ; Shrum & Fox, ). Notwithstanding, researchers continued to identify impediments in the crucial areas of collaboration, language proficiency, and external accountability, claiming that the profession remained in crisis by “repeating the past” (García, ; García & Davis‐Wiley, , p. 33) and suffering from “historical amnesia” (Hlas, , p. 47). Even 10 years after the Modern Language Association report (Geisler et al, ), Lomicka and Lord () noted that language‐as‐subject and traditional instruction in WL courses still characterized post‐secondary education.…”

“…Even 10 years after the Modern Language Association report (Geisler et al, ), Lomicka and Lord () noted that language‐as‐subject and traditional instruction in WL courses still characterized post‐secondary education. Others have lamented that such practices are unlikely to assist candidates in attaining the required levels of language proficiency (Cooper, ; Hlas, ; Swanson & Hildebrandt, ) that may have led to professional fragmentation (García & Davis‐Wiley, ; Geisler et al, ; Hlas, ; Tedick, ) as well as disparate expectations (Chambless, ) for teacher certification candidates and other language students who are not seeking licensure (McAlpine & Dhonau, ).…”