Just-in-Time Teaching: A Tool for Enhancing Student Engagement in Advanced Foreign Language Learning
Abstract
Scholars have indicated a need for further research on effective pedagogical strategies designed for advanced foreign language courses in the postsecondary setting, especially in light of decreased enrollments at this level and the elimination of foreign language programs altogether in some institutions (Paesani & Allen, 2012). This article seeks to contribute to the growing discussion regarding instruction in upper-level foreign language courses. The authors present how the pedagogical technique "Just-in-Time Teaching" (Novak, Patterson, Gavrin, & Christian, 1999), which has been successfully implemented in a wide array of academic disciplines for over a decade (Simkins & Maier, 2010a), could be integrated in different upper-division foreign language classes. Preliminary analysis reveals that Just-in-Time Teaching not only facilitates the learning of content material in advanced foreign language courses, but also can help create more opportunities for oral and written language production, which are often lacking at the advanced level (Darhower, in press; Donato & Brooks, 2004).