Service-Learning as a Way to Authentic Dialogue

The concept of dialogue, from its etymological underpinnings to the philosophical perspectives of Martin Bober and Paulo Freire, suggests that when dialogue is understood as an authentic encounter with another person, it has all important role to play in foreign-language instruction. Adopting a service-learning pedagogy, even in elementary and intermediate courses when learners' skills are limited, creates a space for authentic dialogue and enhances the learning experience. Dialogue as used in this article includes an understanding of others that goes beyond language and offers not only a real-life interaction for learners, but also presents transformative potential. Examples from intermediate students' reflections demonstrate language level and support the claim that authentic encounters are possible.