Discussing Language and Discrimination

Discussing Language and Discrimination: Toward Anti-discriminatory Instructional Strategies in the Spanish Language Classroom Paola Guerrero-Rodriguez 1. Introduction In the United States, Spanish is the most common language for which students pursue a minor or fulfill language requirements in higher education (e.g., Looney and Lusin 2018). In this context, it is not uncommon to find second language (L2) learners and heritage speakers (HSs) of the language enrolled in the same classes (i.e., mixed classrooms). Regardless of the type of educational setting (e.g., content courses, beginning language classes), efforts to include discussions on diversity/inclusion in language courses (see Kubota et al. 2003) have become more frequent. Nonetheless, discussions on anti-discriminatory terms in the L2 or heritage language (HL) seem less common. Considering this, the present article proposes a set of instructional strategies to encourage discussions, in a Spanish learning setting, about the effects of one's discriminatory linguistic choices (i.e., words that exhibit preconceived judgements) in the target/HL to foster a critical-thinking (CT) process, in an effort to stop perpetuating discriminatory discourses. The present work builds on the CT Framework proposed by Duron et al. (2006) and the Critical Anti-Discriminatory Pedagogy (CADP) offered by Blanchet Garneau et al. (2017). The need for promoting CT in language teaching is not new (e.g., Floyd 2011). In the early 90s, scholars suggested that reflection was not usually encouraged by the many communicative activities carried out in the language classroom (e.g., Tarvin and Al-Arishi 1991). A shift in this teaching approach urged that "learning a language [should be] closely connected to learning to think critically in specific subject matters" (Dong 2006: 23). Thus, language educators are central in fostering an environment where CT is cultivated (e.g., Ennis 2013; Pithers and Soden 2000), and training teachers on CT-oriented instruction is necessary (e.g., Petek and Bedir 2018). Although there is not an agreed upon definition of CT, for the purposes of the present article, CT is understood as the ability to gather, analyze, and evaluate information in order "to think open-mindedly and communicate effectively with others" (Duron et al. 2006: 89). As mentioned previously, educators should encourage students to become critical thinkers in order to discourage uninformed, partial, distorted, prejudiced and/or biased thinking (Scriven and Paul 2004). In this sense, CADP highlights the notion that "being aware of racism and discrimination is not enough, and CADP helps learners to articulate this critical consciousness with action" (Blanchet Garneau et al. 2017: 5). CADP also stresses the importance of not only encouraging students to develop a critical conscious but also to act against discrimination and racism. Preventing the perpetuation of stereotypes and discriminatory discourses in the target/ HL represents the core of the present proposal as it also interrelates with the objectives of CADP. 2. Anti-discriminatory Instructional Strategies (ADIS) in the Spanish Classroom ADIS builds on the CT framework for all disciplines (Duron et al. 2006) and CADP (Blanchet Garneau et al. 2017). Based on Bloom's taxonomy (1956), the CT framework presents educators with a guide to teach, encourage and assess CT in education. Briefly, the CT framework is based [End Page 17] on a five-step model: 1) determine learning objectives; 2) teach through questioning; 3) practice before you assess; 4) review, refine and improve; and 5) provide feedback and assessment of learning. When educators encourage CT, they are fostering a set of processes that include a) evaluating evidence; b) being able to read between the lines; c) reflecting on issues; and d) identifying others' positions and presenting one's position in a well-reasoned manner (Cottrell 2017). CADP, on the other hand, aims to help students "analyze the power relations, and dynamics of oppression and privilege in health care and to act upon structural inequities such as discrimination and structural racism" (5). CADP was originally intended to be implemented in health care education; however, discrimination and racism are not constrained to the field of health care, and systemic inequality is widespread across disciplines and social contexts. Importantly, language is one of the ways through which discrimination is visible, perpetuated and challenged. Taken together, CT and CADP

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