Book Review: Studies and global perspectives of second language teaching and learning

The book Studies and global perspectives of second language teaching and learning edited by John W. Schwieter integrates research from the fields of language acquisition and insights from education from a global perspective. This review by Andrea Lypka gives details of the chapters and authors. Chapter three in particular is an interesting example of a popular peace education model applied to a language class. Lypka writes,

“A unique perspective on the role of peace in fostering critical thinking in the L2 classroom is explored in chapter 3. Michela Montevecchi uses the peace education framework promoted by UNESCO and the European Council to advocate for the integration of peace education in the L2 curricula to promote critical thinking and expression of ideas. Using the peace education principles and the theoretical framework of situated learning (Lave & Wenge r, 1991), twenty sixteen-year old students engaged in student-centered intercultural communication activities based on the topic of food using digital technologies and social media. For example, after students have identified some controversial issues related to the topic of food, including anorexia, famine, obesity, and waste, students joined online communities on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to explore these phenomena in-depth and create a class presentation on their findings. The peace strategy linked with activities with a focus on meaning challenged learners’ existing views, engaged them in online and offline knowledge sharing using multiple sources and perspectives in the target language, and enhanced vocabulary learning and critical thinking. The author suggests that if integrated in curriculum, scaffolding and ongoing support is provided, critical, participatory and transformative peace education can be an innovative teaching tool to create engaging course content and encourage student investment in the curriculum.”

The book is available from Information Age Publishing.