Tourist or Explorer? Reflection in the Foreign Language Classroom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8937575 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gerhard Fischer (0000-0002-7856-8777, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 73-81 |
| Publication date | 1996-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Foreign Language Annals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0015-718X • E-ISSN: 1944-9720 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1944-9720.1996.tb00844.x |
| OpenAlex | W2098252263 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 2 |
The primacy of form over content has long dominated the teaching of foreign languages, and in a predominantly positivistic educational environment the acquisition of content has often been equated with the learning of facts. Such learning and teaching is at odds with John Dewey's views of education in general and with his philosophy of language in particular. This paper uses the metaphors of “tourist” and “explorer” to illuminate the distinction between acquiring linguistic forms and cultural facts on the one hand and using a second language to construct an understanding of another social reality on the other hand. E‐mail messages of German and U.S. students are used to illustrate this point. The paper argues that students and teachers should not take received messages at face value, but that careful reading and asking questions can lead to an understanding of another and of one's own culture. It does not really matter which topics the students discuss under the guidance of their teachers, as long as the students are inquisitive and curious. Such an approach views language as a tool that gives access to another culture, and it is compatible with ethnographic methods of research. Reflection and thought/illness is both a prerequisite and an outgrowth of foreign language instruction that is based on the assumptions outlined in the paper. This can be achieved at fairly low proficiency levels
Construct (python library · Ethnography · Foreign language · German · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Reading (process · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,14 |
| Citation span | 1997 - 2026 (30) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |