<p>Foreign language teaching and learning is an issue of high relevance nowadays in Colombia. Unfortunately, language teaching has often been reduced to the mastery of language structures, disregarding the vast number of possibilities that language teaching provides to involve students in the discussion and analysis of issues that affect their everyday life. Shifting language teaching toward this goal, however, has to start in language teacher preparation programs. To gain a better understanding of the implication of this shift, this study explored the beliefs, attitudes, and reflections of three student-teachers, from a foreign language teaching program at a public university, towards the exploration of critical literacy theories, and the design and implementation of critical lessons. Data collected included audio-recordings of group discussions and individual interviews with the three participants, their reflections in different stages, lesson plans, and class observations of their lesson implementation. Results from this study suggest that exposing future EFL teachers to critical literacy approaches to language teaching can have different effects on their perspectives towards education and their teaching practice. Thus, their beliefs and attitudes towards Critical Literacy Theories can be continuously transformed as they face various situations in the exploration and implementation of these theories.</p><p>Key words: <em>pre-service EFL teachers, Critical Literacies, Language teacher preparation programs, Teaching practicum.</em></p>

Aprendizaje de inglés de los estudiantes indígenas en la educación superior. Desafíos y expectativas L' apprentissage de l' anglais au niveau universitaire chez des étudiants des minorités indigènes. Des enjeux et des atteintes AbstractThe increasing enforcement of English language policies in higher education represents a significant challenge for indigenous students entering Colombian universities. Researchers in this study worked on a sociolinguistic profile of over 300 indigenous students at Universidad de Antioquia and, from a critical decolonial perspective, aimed to understand the multiple views and challenges these students face in relation to their identities, languages, academic literacies, and the most recent institutional language policy that requires them to learn English to earn their university degrees. Data collection methods included several institutional databases, a survey, interviews, and conversation circles. Results from this study suggest that more equitable pedagogical principles coupled with a more sensitive and effective appropriation and implementation of this type of reform in higher education institutions are both necessary. These measures would prevent that learning English for indigenous students becomes an obstacle to complete their tertiary education in conditions of justice, respect, and a real validation of their ancestral languages, cultures, and knowledge.Keywords: language policies, indigenous students, English language learning, critical interculturality, decolonial theories ResumenEl creciente fortalecimiento de las políticas alrededor de la enseñanza del inglés en la educación superior representa un gran desafío para los estudiantes indígenas que ingresan a las universidades colombianas. Los investigadores de este estudio elaboraron en un perfil sociolingüístico de más de 300 estudiantes indígenas en la Universidad de Antioquia y, desde una perspectiva crítica decolonial, indagaron sobre las múltiples visiones y los retos que enfrentan estos estudiantes en relación con sus identidades, lenguas, literacidades académicas y la más reciente política institucional que les exige aprender inglés para graduarse de los diferentes programas de pregrado. La recolección de datos incluyó varias bases de datos institucionales, una encuesta, entrevistas y círculos de palabra. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que son necesarios tanto principios pedagógicos como decisiones institucionales más equitativas para lograr una apropiación y aplicación sensible y efectiva de este tipo de reformas en las instituciones de educación superior. Esto contribuiría a que el aprendizaje del inglés no se convierta en un obstáculo para que los estudiantes indígenas completen su educación superior

This paper describes the process English as a foreign language university students and their teacher underwent when engaging in critical literacy practices. Interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, students’ artifacts, and the teacher’s journal were used to collect data in this study. Findings suggest that when students engage in critical literacy practices, they are prone to reflect on the power they have as agents of social change, while developing language skills. However, teachers should be ready to encounter some resistance from students and to struggle with the incorporation of critical perspectives in their lessons, which is understandable considering the emphasis grammar mastering has traditionally had on language teaching and learning.

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