The Top 10 Questions RegardingEffective World Language Programs

International Education ConferenceJuly 11, 2008

Deborah W. Robinson, Ph.D. National Council of State Supervisors for Languages

Shuhan Wang, Ph.D. Chinese Language Initiatives

Asia Society

1. Why should our students learn a language other than English

in the global age?

• Globalized economies • National security concerns• Cultural understanding• Broader and more balanced worldviews• US as a nation of immigrants• Communication within and without our borders

% of World uses 2 or more languages

Monolinguals 1/3

Bilinguals & Multilinguals 2/3

Crystal, 1997

% of World Using2 or More Languages

EU and US Language CapacitiesEU• Bilingual Citizens:

Luxembourg was the highest with 99 percent; Britain was second last with 30 percent

• 8 out of 10 students, ages 15-24, can have a normal conversation in at least one foreign language

US• 9 percent of

Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently

(U.S. Senate resolution designating 2005 the "Year of Foreign Language Study”)

Source: Associated Press, 09/2005

Career Pathways

Agricultural and Environmental Systems

Arts and Communication

Business and Administrative Services

Construction Technologies

Education and Training

Engineering and Science Technologies

Finance

Government and Public Administration

Health Science

Hospitality and Tourism

Human Services

Information Technology

Law and Public Safety

Manufacturing Technologies

Marketing

Transportation Systems

Global Competence for the 21st Century

Disposition

Experiences Perspectives

Skills

Knowledge

Student

Wang, work in Progress

Six Traits for Future Employees

• Trade literate

• Sensitive to foreign cultures

• Conversant in different languages

• Technology savvy

• Capable of managing complexity

• Ethical(Michael Eskew, UPS, States’ Institute, Dec. 8, 2005)

2. What will be the “hot languages” and why? 

The Flavor of the Month Approach Won’t Work!

• All languages are important and beneficial

• Language learning enables students to learn how to learn

• Students are not locked to one language only

Plan Strategically! • Local and state demographic factors:

Linguistic and cultural resources?

• Local and state international trade data:Economic development and job distributions?

• National Security Language Initiative (NSLI)

Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Russian, and so on

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/spotlight/NSLI

Chinese! Opportunities and New Initiatives!

January 22,

2007

Chinese as a World Language

• Economy: China as a New “Globalizer”• International Affairs

• National Security

• Demographics in the US• Human Security• Number of Speakers• Technology Development and Use• Culture

Put Things into Perspectives

Number of students in China studying English:

200,000,000

Number of students in the United States studying Chinese:

24,000

Consider the Local and Global Contexts in Determining Your Language Offerings

• Think about your mission, purposes, and current offerings

• What linguistic and cultural resources exist in your community?

• Language learning takes time

More Choices; Longer Sequence

3. What are the essential elements that ensure second language acquisition?

• Input

• Output

• Negotiation of meaning

• Conducive affective environment

Key Features of Effective Programs

• Standards based

• Performance driven

• Culture embedded

• Content related

• Thematically organized

• Real life application

• Multiple perspectives fostered

4. What are the National Foreign Language Content Standards?

CommunicationCommunicate in Languages

Other Than English

Interpersonal Interpretive Presentational

CulturesGain Knowledge and Understanding

of Other Cultures

Perspectives

Products Practices

ConnectionsConnect with Other Disciplines

and Acquire Information

ComparisonsDevelop Insight into the Nature of

Language and Culture

Who? vs. ¿Quién? 谁？

CommunitiesParticipate in Multilingual Communities

at Home and Around the World

6. How can we ensure that curriculum, instruction and assessment are aligned and standards-based?

Backward Design

Plan learning experiences and instruction

Determine Acceptable Evidence

Identify Desired Results

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 2005. Understanding by Design.

7. What are possible outcomes based on time?

ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners

PRE-ADVANCED K-12 Articulated Sequence

Can narrate and describe in present, past, and future time/aspect and handle a complicated situation or transaction.

INTERMEDIATE K-8, 7-12, or 9-12

Can create with language, ask and answer simple questions on familiar topics, and handle a simple situation or transaction.

NOVICE K-4, 5-8, 9-10

Language limited to memorized material, formulaic utterances, lists, and enumerations.

Some Languages Take More Time than Others to Learn

• Cultural unfamiliarity

• Linguistic distance

• Needs

• Perception

• Attitude

• Contexts

• Opportunities for exposure

• Other factors

Example Interpersonal Communication

• Grade 4: Students share likes and dislikes with each other and the class.

• Grade 8: Students compare, contrast, and express opinions and preferences about the information gathered regarding events, experiences and other school subjects.

• Grade 12: Students exchange, support and discuss their opinions and individual perspectives with peers and/or speakers of the target language on a variety of topics dealing with contemporary and historical issues.

7. How do we measure student learning and establish learning outcomes that are

articulated from elementary language learning through post-secondary

education?

• What are the expected outcomes at the next level that your students are supposed to know and demonstrate?

• What is the road map for them? • What instruction and condition are

necessary to achieve these outcomes?

Beyond Paper and Pencil: Show Me What You Can Do with the Language!

• Classroom-Based Performance Assessments

• Standardized Tests: SAT, AP

• Standardized Assessments: SOPA, ELLOPA, SOPI, OPI, WPT

• Computerized Assessments: STAMP

• Student Self-Assessment: LinguaFolio

8. How do we offer flexibility to students while allowing them sufficient time to

stay in one language to build language proficiency and literacy?

Two Models of Multiple Entry

One Language

Multiple Languages

Delaware Model

9. Where can I find qualified teachers?

• Traditional Licensure Programs

• Alternative and Intensive Licensure Programs for Career Changers and Heritage Speakers

• Guest Teachers

10. What resources are available?

Funding• Foreign Language Assistance Program

(FLAP) www.grants.ed.gov

• Critical Language Flagship Programs http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/funding_institutions.html

• STARTALK Critical Language Summer Programs for Teachers and Students http://www.startalk@umd.edu email: Startalk@umd.edu

Curricular Resources

New Jersey www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/wl/frameworks/wlo/.

Ohiohttp://ims.ode.state.oh.us/Grade 12, “Human Needs Know No Boundaries”

National Council of State Supervisors for Languageshttp://www.ncssfl.org

Chinese Curricula Available for Sharing

• Chicago Public Schools

• K-3 Curriculum: Center for Applied Linguistics and National Foreign Language Resource Center (Iowa State University): http://nflrc.iastate.edu/

• PreK-AP Curriculum: Chicago Public Schools, http://www.confuciusinstitute.chicago

• Minnesota Department of Education: Chinese Language Programs Curriculum Development Project, Feb. 2007 http://education.state.mn.us

• Ohio K-4 Curriculum (FLAP)

• Oregon/Portland K-16: http://casls.uoregon.edu

Asia Society

Chinese Language Initiativeshttp://askasia.org/Chinese

http://internationaled.orghttp://AskAsia.org/Chinese

Monthly Electronic Newsletters: Chinese and International Ed

Conclusion 1. Our students need to develop global

competence via the study of a world language and other subject matters

2. Effective programs must have the necessary condition and essential elements for students to acquire a second language and culture

3. Examine your community’s resources and purposes of why a world language is offered

4. Determine your desired goals and design your programs for building students’ proficiency functional for the global age

Make a Long-Term Commitment to

Language Learning and Education

十年树木，百年树人Ten years to grow a tree;

One hundred years to grow a people.

A Chinese Saying

Thank you谢谢

Deborah W. Robinson, Ph.D., debbie.robinson@ode.state.oh.us

Shuhan C. Wang, Ph.D. shuhanw@asiasoc.org

http://www.AskAsia.org/Chinese

Questions and Answers