Finding voice in the foreign language classroom: Reading, writing, and performing slam poetry to develop critical literacies

Abstract

This study expands on existing notions of foreign language literacy and critical literacies by positing students’ voices as central to the development of critical literacies in a foreign language. From this expanded definition, a pedagogical approach using the slam poetry art form was designed and integrated into a standard intermediate curriculum (French 201) to foster critical literacies. Students were asked to analyze and (re)produce slam poems, and qualitative data were collected to investigate how the pedagogical approach influenced student learning. Findings indicated that most students valued the opportunity to practice linguistic features (i.e., grammar points) by producing work that was of personal importance to them. While students were not always aware of their own linguistic progress and critical literacies development, their final slam poems revealed important efforts to convey their sense of self as well as their “cross-cultural awareness” in a way that was often linguistically appropriate and stylistically sophisticated. Student development of critical literacies in a foreign language is ongoing and extends well beyond one semester of instructed learning, but this study illustrates potential learning outcomes, should such a pedagogy be implemented. Finally, practical implications for LPDs’ supervisory work and suggestions for future research are discussed.