Edited collections and paper presentations by Melina Porto
Edited by DL Banegas, M López-Barrios, M Porto & MA Soto
Papers by Melina Porto
Foreign Language Annals, 2007
The aim of this study was to learn from students' frame of reference how they experience foreign ... more The aim of this study was to learn from students' frame of reference how they experience foreign language classes. Data include learning diaries written during 2005 for more than 35 weeks (March to November). Subjects were 95 Argentine, Caucasian, mostly female, middle-class, Spanish-speaking college students between 19 and 21 years of age who were enrolled in English Language II at the National University of La Plata in Argentina. The results of this study stress 1) the value of systematic learner introspection over time as a vehicle for reflection and autonomy in foreign and second language learning contexts; 2) uncovering learners' thoughts and beliefs in an effort to understand how these affect their engagement with language activities; and 3) using this information to make instructional decisions and monitor their adequacy and effectiveness.
Intercultural Education, 2014
Journal of Further and Higher Education, 2014
This article describes a cooperative writing response initiative designed to develop writing skil... more This article describes a cooperative writing response initiative designed to develop writing skills in foreign/second language contexts (hereafter L2). The strategy originated from my desire to cater for my learners" need to become better writers in English within a constrained educational environment in Argentina. In this article I describe this strategy and show how it has worked in my setting. First, I offer the rationale on which it rests, based on a sociocultural conception of reading and writing.
Cambridge Journal of Education, 2015
This article describes an online intercultural citizenship project about the environment in the p... more This article describes an online intercultural citizenship project about the environment in the primary English language classroom carried out in 2013/2014 between Argentina 2 and Denmark. It is part of a network of projects coordinated by Michael Byram (Durham University, UK) that involves teachers and researchers in Europe, the US and East Asia. The project is framed within the theory of intercultural citizenship in the foreign language classroom (Byram
This article describes a Model of Cultural Understanding used to explore cultural understanding i... more This article describes a Model of Cultural Understanding used to explore cultural understanding in English as a Foreign Language reading in a developing country, namely Argentina. The model is designed to investigate, analyze and describe EFL readers' processes of cultural understanding in a specific context. In general, cultural understanding in reading is investigated using inappropriate theoretical rationales framed for instance within static and essentialist notions of culture and identity.
This article describes a language teacher's reflections on her teaching through diary writing.
This paper explores the role of lexical phrases in language education in general (native language... more This paper explores the role of lexical phrases in language education in general (native language or L1; and second/foreign language or L2) and more specifically, in the education of English Learners in US and European contexts as well as in other English-speaking countries worldwide. Even though this topic has been addressed by researchers and linguists for over 30 years now, it does not seem to be a prominent one among classroom teachers, teacher educators, reading specialists, and others directly involved in the practicalities of classroom life. I suggest here that lexical phrases can contribute to serving the interests of these learners in the early 2 years, primary, middle and elementary schools. I argue that these phrases can serve not only their linguistic concerns, but also their literacy in general, identity, personal, and socio-cultural concerns while simultaneously attending those of native English-speaking children in these areas too. On this basis I propose that lexical phrases are an ideal unit for teaching children in linguistically and culturally diverse settings. I conclude the paper with a discussion of some pedagogic implications which are directly relevant to everyday classroom life.
This article describes a cooperative writing response initiative designed to develop writing skil... more This article describes a cooperative writing response initiative designed to develop writing skills in foreign/second language contexts (hereafter L2). The strategy originated from my desire to cater for my learners’ need to become better writers in English within a constrained educational environment in Argentina. In this article I describe this strategy and show how it has worked in my setting. First, I offer the rationale on which it rests, based on a sociocultural conception of reading and writing. This involves brief considerations about the notions of collaborative writing groups, social responses to texts, and coherence in L2 writing. Second, I describe and explain the strategy in detail, and include one handout with specific written instructions (as my learners received them) for the cooperative writing response groups with a focus on coherence, i.e. global aspects of the composing process. Finally, I exemplify the strategy using one learner’s written text as foundation (disclosed by permission). For a full description and exemplification, see Porto (2001, 2002).
Este trabajo describe una propuesta pedagógica para el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en la c... more Este trabajo describe una propuesta pedagógica para el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en la clase de inglés en la escuela primaria
This article reports an interview with Michael Byram, Professor Emeritus, University of Durham in... more This article reports an interview with Michael Byram, Professor Emeritus, University of Durham in the UK, during his visit to Argentina in September 2011. Michael Byram is one of the main international referents in intercultural education. The interview addresses issues such as language education, intercultural and citizenship education, education in general, formal schooling, critical pedagogies, political and economic factors involved in education, teacher education, and research in education, among others. Even though Byram specializes in foreign language education and focuses upon language education in particular at certain moments in the interview, the connection with other subjects in the school curriculum surfaces at all times, as does the connection with general aspects of education, which are relevant to all the actors involved in this field.
This interview is framed within current understandings of the cultural dimension of language education and education in general. In order to introduce the reader to this framework, the paper first addresses the connection between language and culture in a historical perspective, which makes Byram’s work relevant to all educators (not only language educators). It goes on to provide an outline of Byram’s model of intercultural competence for the description of cultural understanding. Topics of general interest emerge such as the role of emotion, affect and imagination in education as well as the interconnection among culture, language, imagination and literature - something that Byram and his colleagues have put forth. The discussion is permeated by identity issues which are involved in the learning and teaching of any language, and in the learning and teaching, in a given language, of any discipline. The centrality of language in education becomes manifest, and consequently the relevance of Byram’s work to all the actors involved in education in one way or another. Throughout the political and ideological dimensions of education are touched upon, along with a discussion of the pedagogical implications of the various theoretical considerations addressed in the paper.
Intercultural citizenship education in an EFL online project in Argentina Abstract In this articl... more Intercultural citizenship education in an EFL online project in Argentina Abstract In this article, I describe an online intercultural citizenship experience in an EFL classroom in Argentina. An action research project on the Malvinas/Falklands war fought between Argentina and the UK in 1982 was carried out in 2012. Through a comparative methodology involving Argentine and English foreign language classes, students develop a critical perspective on texts while they also create an international identification, different from their national/regional identifications. While the existing body of work on intercultural citizenship and criticality in the foreign language classroom is abundant in Europe, North America and Asia, empirical studies hardly exist in this region and one of the questions to be answered deals with the transferability of curriculum research across continents. After a description of the theoretical framework and the project itself, I present student samples and analysis that provide evidence that this intercultural citizenship project was fruitfully implemented for the first time in Argentinean Higher Education in the foreign language classroom. I then outline the significance of the project from the point of view of online intercultural communication and the theory of intercultural citizenship.
Language, Culture and Curriculum, 2015
The purpose of the project described here is to demonstrate how the introduction of subject matte... more The purpose of the project described here is to demonstrate how the introduction of subject matter and principles from citizenship education into foreign language education combines objectives from both in order to give meaning to language education on the one hand and extend citizenship education beyond a focus on the local and the national on the other. In doing so the educational aims of foreign language teachingas well as its instrumental purposescan be met and the scope of citizenship education is extended to include "intercultural citizenship". The project was located in Higher Education in Argentina, where students were learning English, and in Britain, where students were learning Spanish. It focused on human rights violations during the football World Cup that took place in Argentina in 1978 during a period of military dictatorship. This article describes the processes of the project and the ways in which students reacted, particularly the Argentinean students who felt personally involved, and demonstrates how the combination of language and citizenship education, when given the additional viewpoint of an insider and outsider perspective, leads to significant developments in learners lives: an identification with a transnational group and perspective, and a willingness to become directly and critically involved in "action in the community".
Journal editor by Melina Porto
Guest editor: Melina Porto
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Books by Melina Porto
This book series publishes top quality monographs and edited volumes containing empirical researc... more This book series publishes top quality monographs and edited volumes containing empirical research that prioritises the development of intercultural communicative competence in foreign language education as part of intercultural citizenship. It explores the development of critical cultural awareness broadly aimed at triggering and managing personal and social transformation through intercultural dialogue. Citizenship education and interculturally-oriented language education share an interest in fostering learner exploration, critical analysis and evaluation of other cultures within dynamic socio-political environments. To complement existing research on the development of intercultural communicative competence, this book series explores the techniques, processes and outcomes of intercultural language pedagogy and intercultural citizenship inside and outside the classroom. It also explores the nature, dynamics and impact of intercultural dialogue outside the classroom in real-world settings where various language codes are in use, including World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca. Further, this book series recognizes and explicitly attempts to overcome wide-ranging real-world barriers to intercultural dialogue and intercultural citizenship. This is especially important in the field of English language education considering the status of English as a global language and associated problems connected to linguistic imperialism, ideology and native-speakerism among others. To promote the development of deeper understandings of how such social problems connect to the use of foreign languages in general, contributions are also sought from disciplines outside foreign language education such as citizenship education, social justice, moral education, language policy and social psychology that shed light upon influential external social factors and internal psychological factors that need to be taken into account.
Articles by Melina Porto
This article describes public primary English language education in Argentina. I begin with backg... more This article describes public primary English language education in Argentina. I begin with background information about the country and a brief historical overview of education in general, accompanied by a portrait of primary schooling in particular. This overview involves local, political and economic considerations but also international influences that have played a key role in shaping the direction of language policies in primary education at the provincial and national levels in the country. I describe the national curriculum guidelines (Núcleos de aprendizaje prioritario, NAP) for foreign language education, contextualising them within the national education policies for primary school in force since 2003 and the new National Education Act (Ley Nacional de Educación 26.206). These guidelines and policies adopt an intercultural and plurilingual approach in the teaching of foreign languages, including English, at all levels of education and embrace a social justice conceptualisation of education in all cases. This approach has been materialised in ELT curriculum developments and programs in several of the 24 jurisdictions of the country with different degrees of development. I illustrate with the cases of the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Entre Ríos and Chubut using interview data collected in 2015. Program leaders in these provinces describe their local initiatives. The article closes with a brief account of the affordances observed and the challenges ahead.
E-books by Melina Porto
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Edited collections and paper presentations by Melina Porto
Papers by Melina Porto
This interview is framed within current understandings of the cultural dimension of language education and education in general. In order to introduce the reader to this framework, the paper first addresses the connection between language and culture in a historical perspective, which makes Byram’s work relevant to all educators (not only language educators). It goes on to provide an outline of Byram’s model of intercultural competence for the description of cultural understanding. Topics of general interest emerge such as the role of emotion, affect and imagination in education as well as the interconnection among culture, language, imagination and literature - something that Byram and his colleagues have put forth. The discussion is permeated by identity issues which are involved in the learning and teaching of any language, and in the learning and teaching, in a given language, of any discipline. The centrality of language in education becomes manifest, and consequently the relevance of Byram’s work to all the actors involved in education in one way or another. Throughout the political and ideological dimensions of education are touched upon, along with a discussion of the pedagogical implications of the various theoretical considerations addressed in the paper.
Journal editor by Melina Porto
Books by Melina Porto
Articles by Melina Porto
E-books by Melina Porto
This interview is framed within current understandings of the cultural dimension of language education and education in general. In order to introduce the reader to this framework, the paper first addresses the connection between language and culture in a historical perspective, which makes Byram’s work relevant to all educators (not only language educators). It goes on to provide an outline of Byram’s model of intercultural competence for the description of cultural understanding. Topics of general interest emerge such as the role of emotion, affect and imagination in education as well as the interconnection among culture, language, imagination and literature - something that Byram and his colleagues have put forth. The discussion is permeated by identity issues which are involved in the learning and teaching of any language, and in the learning and teaching, in a given language, of any discipline. The centrality of language in education becomes manifest, and consequently the relevance of Byram’s work to all the actors involved in education in one way or another. Throughout the political and ideological dimensions of education are touched upon, along with a discussion of the pedagogical implications of the various theoretical considerations addressed in the paper.