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NAATPl Panel on (Re)Using Old Polish Textbooks at 2024 AATSEEL Conference

The North American Association of Teachers of Polish (NAATPl) marked its presence at the 2024 American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) conference in Las Vegas with a critical pedagogy discussion on Polish-language textbooks. The panel, “New Approaches to the Old Discourse: How to (Re)Use Old Textbooks in Today’s Polish Language Classroom,” featured presentations by six Polish teaching professionals from American and Polish universities.

The idea behind the panel was to share insights and offer suggestions on how old textbook materials can be used—and reused—to foster valuable discussions in Polish-language classrooms. The presentations and the discussion that followed shed light on past and contemporary practices in language textbooks, inviting attendees to critically assess their content and coverage to reflect and respond to the needs of twenty-first-century language pedagogy.

Dr. Ewa Małachowska-Pasek (University of Michigan and panel convener) explored the evolution of women’s portrayal in Polish textbooks, noting a profound transformation of women’s role in Polish culture over the last several decades, including a departure from the stereotypical role of women as mothers, wives, and homemakers. At the same time, Dr. Małachowska-Pasek noted a visible lack of women in leadership positions and the prevalence of men as main textbook characters.

Dr. Justyna Zych (University of Warsaw) discussed the representations of contemporary Polish lifestyle in Polish-language textbooks, noting how they typically show upper-middle-class families with elitist pastimes, and how many of the Polish traditions presented, including food, are related to Roman Catholic rituals.

Dr. Tony Lin (Boston College) discussed the representation of ethnic minorities, suggesting that while they have become more visible in Polish textbooks, the presence of characters from different parts of the world (such as Asia) is still limited compared to the overrepresentation of European countries and their residents.

Dr. Christopher Caes (Columbia University) presented on the intersection of numerals and gender, suggesting that Polish numerical complexity is an example of diversity and grammatical egalitarianism with its gender-neutral collective pronoun constructions such as Jedna z nas ‘One [neuter] of us’, Dwoje z nas ‘Two [neuter] of us’, Które z nas? ‘Which [neuter] of us.’ Dr. Caes encouraged the use of gender-neutral pronouns in language games (e.g., Które z nas to ma?) as a way for Polish to participate in the gender-neutral global movement for gender equality.

Dr. Izolda Wolski-Moskoff (University of Illinois Chicago) discussed the incorporation of Polish heritage speakers into the language classroom without stigma. Dr. Wolski-Moskoff stressed the need for individualized instruction and metalinguistic discussion about Polish dialects in Poland and the United States, suggesting creating a Heritage Polish dialogue as an exercise for students to increase students’ awareness of their linguistic competence.

Finally, Dr. Krzysztof E. Borowski (University of Wisconsin–Madison) examined the issue of social class bias, pointing to the implicit assumption about students and their social capital in Polish textbooks, which tend to present the pursuit of knowledge and the arts as the superior goals.

One reply on “NAATPl Panel on (Re)Using Old Polish Textbooks at 2024 AATSEEL Conference”

[…] Following this year’s AATSEEL panel discussion in Las Vegas organized by the North American Association of Teachers of Polish (NAATPl), we are putting together an article forum on new approaches to old Polish textbooks and teaching materials. With several submissions already solicited, we are looking to add 4-5 proposals that supplement those topics (see below). Accepted submissions will be published in a dedicated symposium in the Slavic and East European Journal. […]

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