学习语言、学习文化:基于全人教育理念的语言教学

Learning Language,Learning Culture:Teaching Language to the Whole Student

本文基于全人教育的理念提出了一种语言教学法概念,即不应该仅仅把语言当作语法和词汇来教,而是要将其延伸到生活的各个方面并使学习者全身心投入其中。本文建立了一个关于语言学习与教学的原创性概念——将语言学习视为发展全人教育的一项工具。本文整合了以语言开展文化学习的相关研究与文化历史活动理论(CHAT),勾勒出一个有关语言学习和人类发展的愿景。在教授语言时,我们应该帮助人们参与其生活的各个方面。这不仅超越了具体学科的知识,也超越了简单的福祉概念。语言学习可以让学生沉浸在他人的世界中,培养他们的同理心与理解力,进而跨越社会和政治分歧。但只有当我们的研究和教学充分建基于语言和文化的交互作用时,语言教学才能做到这点。在这个瞬息万变又普遍联系的当代世界,语言教学设计需要一个更具活力的文化概念。本文基于文化历史活动理论,尤其是其中有关对话和批判的思想,试图开发一种立足于全人教育视角的语言教学法。

This article develops a conceptualization of language pedagogy that engages the whole student.Instead of teaching language as if it were just a collection of grammar and vocabulary,we need to think about language as extending into many aspects of life and engaging whole people.This article builds an original conceptualization of language learning and teaching that imagines language learning as a tool for developing whole people.It brings together research on learning culture through language,together with cultural-historical activity theory(CHAT),to develop a vision for language learning and human development.When we teach language,we should be helping people participate in ways of life.This goes beyond knowledge of subject matter,and it goes beyond any simple type of well-being.Language learning can immerse students in others’worlds,and it can foster empathy and understanding across social and political divides.But it can do so only if we base our research and pedagogy on an adequate account of language and culture.In our rapidly changing,increasingly interconnected contemporary world,we need a more dynamic conception of culture than has typically been used to design language teaching and learning.This article draws on CHAT,especially the ideas of dialogue and critique,to develop an account of language pedagogy that can engage the whole student.