Decolonizing the Curriculum: Enacting Land-Based Pedagogies in an Adult English Language Program

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Raciolinguistics, Translanguaging, and Indigenous Language Revitalization (Table 38)

Abstract

This study provides a critical look at an adult English language program as a site for curriculum innovation. Informed by decolonial perspectives (Mignolo & Walsh, 2018), a new course was developed around land-based pedagogical approaches as a means for incorporating Indigenous knowledge into English language teaching. The course employs a decolonial option, allowing students to traverse the walled boundaries of a classroom and creating space for Indigenous knowledge in an adult English language education. Data indicate that the course supports the development of language skills and content knowledge, and it facilitates sustainable understanding of social issues affecting local and global communities.

Authors

• Jason Litzenberg, Pennsylvania State University

• Chelsea Benton-Monahan, Pennsylvania State University

• Di Liang, Pennsylvania State University