TEACHING NSE AS A
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE
Courtney Pace Lyons, Ph.D.
Louis Maze
Why It Works
• Eagerness and vulnerability
• Values of a liberal education
– Critical thinking
– Interdisciplinary connections
– What do I know, and why does it matter?
Difficulties
• “Have to” take this class
• Juggling multiple demands
Pace Lyons Framework
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Academic rigor
Purposeful engagement with diversity
Intentional connections to their world
Authenticity
Academic Rigor
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“College Level”
Motivating challenges
Critical-thinking skills
Communication skills
Diversity
• Readings from a variety of
perspectives
• Class dialogue
– Inclusivity set as an expectation
Connecting with Their World
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Humor
Relevant media clips
Helpful analogies (pop culture, etc)
Connecting class material to their lives
and goals
MLC NSE
• A cohort of fellow students who share the
common goal of learning the TL.
• A relationship with a Baylor professor with
whom the student may talk, solve problems,
and become an engaged member of the
community of scholars and TL speakers.
• Rigorous study habits for learning the TL
that will add to the student’s success in
other classes and other areas.
• Reading, writing, listening, and
speaking skills in the TL that will transfer
into success in other areas of study.
• Cultural sensitivity to other languages,
cultures, and ethnicities through the
study of the TL.
• Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS):
cognitive skills through the process of
language learning.
• The first year student experience in the target
language as much as possible.
• An awareness of the TL in the workplace,
different vocations where second language
acquisition is essential, bilingualism in the
world, and professional goals for the TL
speakers throughout the semester.