Creating Experiential Learning Opportunities for Language Learners

Melanie Bloom is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA. Her research interests include experiential learning, study abroad, second language writing and the teaching and learning of culture.Carolyn Gascoigne is Dean of Arts & Humanities at Angelo State University, USA. Her research interests include second language reading and hybrid language instruction.

• Contributor BiosMelanie Bloom and Carolyn Gascoigne: IntroductionPart I Experiential Learning through Community Engagement1. Adrian J. Wurr: Multilingual Learners and Leaders2. Josef Hellebrandt: Community Engagement in Spanish Departments at US Colleges and Universities: Where is it?3. Annie Abbott: Civic Engagement and Community Service Learning: Connecting Students’ Experiences to Policy and Advocacy4. C. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch and Laura C. Walls: Service-learning as an Ecological Resource: Providing Learning Opportunities for Mixed Second- and Heritage-Language Classrooms5. Frédérique Grim: Experiential Learning for L2 Students: Steps Toward a French Service-learning Program in the CommunityPart II Experiential Learning through Professional Engagement6. Carolyn Gascoigne: Externship Opportunities for French: An Initial Response to Pedagogical Climate Change7. Melanie Bloom: Developing Internship Programming for Second Language Students8. Carmen King de Ramírez and Barbara A. Lafford: Mentors’ Perspectives on Professional Internships: Rewards, Challenges, and Future Directions9. Leticia T. McDoniel: Internship Programs: A Platform for Locally-Based Cultural Immersion ProgramsPart III Experiential Learning in other Local Contexts10. Brigid Moira Burke: Using Expeditionary Learning Design for Secondary and College-Level World Language Curriculum and Instruction11. Jessica S. Miller: Creative Placemaking in Cajun Louisiana: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Teaching and Learning Environmental, Cultural, and Linguistic Diversity in the United States12. S. Marina Jones: Engaging Students through Foreign Language Campus Housing: A Case Study of a Small German Language Program13. Jacqueline Thomas: Language Camps: By Teaching We Learn14. Melanie Bloom: Conclusion: Future Directions in Experiential Learning

Through a blend of research findings, program examples, lesson plans, and survey questionnaires, the authors offer first-hand accounts of how community-based, experiential learning enhanced the goals of their language learning programs. The broad coverage of issues and topics, spanning kindergarten through higher education, make this a useful volume, not just for language educators, but for all educators interested in strengthening students’ capacities to act 'glocally' in multilingual contexts.