Why Learn a Second Language?
Resources Beyond the Classroom
It takes a creative teacher to break through teen-age inhibitions, particularly for students who are getting their first experience trying out a new language.
"Think about how young kids learn," Patrick says. "They love to babble and try out new things. When you're an adolescent, you don't get to babble or you sound silly. They don't want to sound silly."
Fortunately, there is a wealth of resources on the Web to help teachers and engage students, from anime (animation) and manga (comics) to teach Japanese to free daily podcasts from sites like www.chinesepod.com that students can use at school or at home.
Tom Welch is a former French teacher - and Kentucky Teacher of the Year - school principal and "director of seeding innovation" for the state's Department of Education. Currently a consultant, he sees himself as a revolutionary who wants to redesign the learning process. He says teachers have to be willing to expand their horizons, to capitalize on the enthusiasm of the kids. And parents may need to push them to do so.
"Folks need to remember that it's 2007," says Tom Welch. "The Internet is an unbelievable resource. It's not used much except to support a traditional classroom approach. The teacher needs to focus on learning a language for the students' purpose, not the teacher's purpose."
"If you're studying Mandarin and need help in biology, we have lots of ways of finding a tutor in China," he says. "And you know what? It's exactly 12 hours' difference between where I'm sitting and China. If you want to work at 12 p.m. or 12 a.m., we can do that."
"I see the teacher's responsibility as being a 'learning broker' roping in as many people from around the world into that effort that I can find."
Web safety is certainly an issue, Welch says, but he argues that it's up to schools to teach responsible use of the Web not try to block it out of classrooms.
The Bottom Line
Still not sure how to tell if your child is really learning to communicate in his language class? Patrick recommends you visit the classroom and try this:
"Watch a child with a stopwatch," she says. "In 50 minutes, how much did the child get to say? Ten seconds of speaking a day isn't enough."
Challenges Language Programs Face
The College Board started offering AP classes in Mandarin and the federal government is offering grants to increase the study of critical languages. Portland schools and the University of Oregon, for example, are developing the nation's first Chinese language immersion program from kindergarten through college. But other districts are eliminating language programs to boost funding for subjects targeted by high-stakes tests.
It's difficult to build and maintain language programs without grants and the strong commitment of school officials, parents and community leaders. There's also a shortage of teachers, even in the languages most commonly spoken in the United States.
"Yes, a lot of people know Spanish," Bacon says. "But we need highly qualified teachers who can teach to standards."
