Search

As a result of a university partnership, elementary students at two midwest Catholic elementary schools have been provided with exploratory world language instruction (FLEX) from pre-service teachers. To investigate students' attitudes and learning of Spanish, researchers interviewed second and fourth graders. The students' parents and pre-service teachers answered open-ended questionnaires. The research questions for this qualitative study were: (a) How does exploratory world language instruction (FLEX) affect children's attitudes about learning world languages and cultures? (b) How does exploratory world language instruction (FLEX) affect children's learning of a world language? The results showed that students possessed positive attitudes about world language instruction, and they learned numbers, colors, cultural information, and food and animal vocabulary, as well as how to communicate at the novice level. Universities should consider engaging in service-learning partnerships with Catholic elementary schools so students learn to open their minds and hearts to diverse languages and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiential approach to professional development (EPD) allowed Spanish teachers opportunities to improve their practice through demonstration, observation, collaboration, fieldwork, and reflection. As result of experiential professional development, Burke (2012) found that teachers' knowledge about communicative language teaching developed, and teachers' beliefs about language teaching changed. The Spanish teachers implemented communicative methods, which they had used rarely, if ever, prior to EPD. Through qualitative analysis of teacher questionnaires and written reflections, as well as the researcher's observations and field notes, it was discovered that specific components of EPD made it successful. Teachers believed it promoted a collaborative community because it incorporated purposeful meetings, peer observations, and peer and student feedback. Teachers appreciated the onsite coaching and practical application that allowed them time to experiment with communicative methods. EPD provided an effective alternative to classroom-based university courses that allowed for viable change in classrooms. The results show that experiential educators should consider collaborating with professors, researchers, staff developers, school administrators, and teachers to create meaningful, transformative, EPD in which classroom teachers understand and apply theory and research into practice effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses potential changes to the licensure process for U.S. teachers of modern foreign languages, particularly commenting on issues relating to national and state standards for language education and claiming that increasing requirements will not improve the quality of foreign language education in the U.S. She addresses recommendations made by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Topics explored include variations in requirements between states, the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Written Proficiency Test (WPT), and problems with basing education on accountability and test-taking ability.