Teaching Through Culture

Drawing from the philosophy that shapes the College's Isabelle Kaplan Center for Languages and Cultures, the MATSL program teaches fluency through cultural content rather than language mechanics. Candidates develop speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills by exploring specific cultural issues that interest them. Pursuing topics they’ve chosen, participants learn the fluency they need to answer questions that most interest them.

The program addresses topics such as technology in the classroom, second language acquisition, assessing language competence, and teaching to state and national standards. As they explore these issues, participants wrestle with the more immediate questions raised by teaching a second language, such as: How do I get my students to think in a foreign language instead of merely translating into it? How do I make another culture come alive for my students? or more simply, What is good language teaching? Throughout this process, MATSL students hone their powers of observation, deepen their ability to reflect on their own teaching, and learn what it takes to become leaders in their fields.