Taking the foreign out of language teaching: opening up the classroom to the multilingual city

In this chapter we contextualise, describe and discuss a language learning and teaching project designed and implemented at the Language Centre of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The project entitled En un lugar de Loñdres is based on the use of London’s linguistic landscape as a source of authentic input in second language acquisition. We explain the rationale and context for using the study of the linguistic landscape as learning input and outline the development of learning activities designed to facilitate the learners’ understanding and engagement with the linguistic landscape and London’s Spanish speaking communities. We conclude that the project succeeded in enhancing language learning and contributed to learners’ political and social awareness.