Understanding National Standards for Foreign Languages

Video Transcription

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're having a great day today. Today we're going to focus in on the national standards for foreign language. And for today's quote, I have chosen one by Nelson Mandela which states, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." I think Nelson Mandela is wonderful and this quote really exemplifies the importance of learning foreign languages.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to review the origin of the foreign language standards, as well as analyze the specific standards for foreign language learning. These standards were developed with help from a three-year grant by the US Department of Education, as well as the National Endowment for Humanities. What this grant helped put together was an 11-member task force representing a variety of languages, levels of instructions, program models, and geographic regions that all undertook the task of helping to define content standards for foreign language, really preparing students for the 21st century.

These standards were the first to be published in 1996, and they represent an unprecedented consensus among educators, business leaders, government, and the community on the definition and really the role of foreign language instruction in American education. This document was really a visionary document, and it was used by teachers and administrators, and even curriculum developers at both the state and local levels to really begin to help improve that foreign language education in our nation's schools. This was of almost all the standards, I think one of the most universally put together and adopted.

A third addition was just produced that really focuses in on including Arabic standards, and that can be found at that same major website that we went to, the actfl.org/node/192 focusing in on those Arabic standards, and the newer more revised element which is now available.

First let's focus in on communication, really emphasizing the ability to communicate in languages other than English. These part of the standards focus in on students engaging in conversations, helping to provide and get information from other people, as well as to express their feelings and emotions.

The second part of this standard focuses in on students' understanding and interpreting the written as well as the spoken language in a variety of topics, and focuses on students presenting information to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. Really, all of the major ways in which students are able to communicate.

Next let's focus in on cultures, really helping to ensure that students gain a knowledge and understanding of another culture. This is broken down into two main areas. First that students are able to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

And then that students are able to demonstrate the relationship and understanding of that relationship between the products and the perspectives of the culture of study. So we're looking at both the practices and then at the products and how that looks different. Really broadening the idea for our students that different cultures have different means and methods, and that it's really important for us to understand those differences as well as the similarities.

The next area we're going to look at is focusing on making those connections, connecting foreign language with other disciplines to help acquire that information. First it focuses in on students reinforcing and furthering their knowledge of other disciplines through foreign language, and then having students acquire information and recognizing the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures. Really broadening that understanding of the language through the study of other disciplines.

Next, comparisons, developing insight into the nature of language and culture. This asks students to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through the comparisons of the language that they are studying to their own language-- how are the conventions different or similar? And then having students demonstrate their understanding of the concept of culture through the comparison of the culture and the language they're studying to their own culture. How are we similar, how are we different, and what can be learned through that comparison?

Finally, we're going to focus in on the concept of communities, helping students to participate in multilingual communities at home as well as around the world. This focuses on two major standards, the first of which being that students use the language both within and beyond the school setting, and that students show evidence of becoming lifelong learners by using language not just for academic purposes, but for their own personal enjoyment and enrichment.

The classical language standards follow a very similar structure to foreign language standards, but since the classical languages are not spoken, it's important that we review these standards as well. These standards are broken into five major goals versus five major standards, and these can be found at the following web address.

Let's go ahead now and break down these various schools. The first goal is to communicate in a classical language. What this focuses in on is that students are able to read, understand, and interpret these classical languages, as well as use orally, listen to, and write Latin or Greek as a part of the language learning process.

Goal 2 is to gain knowledge and an understanding of the Greco-Roman culture. This helps to focus on students demonstrating their understanding of the perspectives of Greek or Roman culture as revealed through the practices of the Greeks and Romans, and that students develop an understanding of the perspectives of those cultures revealed in the products of Greeks and Romans. Again, you can already start to hear a very similar connection to the standards developed for foreign languages.

Goal 3 is to connect with other disciplines and expand the knowledge where students are asked to reinforce their knowledge of disciplines through classical language, as well as their knowledge through the reading of Latin or Greek and the study of the ancient culture. Goal 4 asks students to develop insight into their own language and culture, helping to really use the elements of Greek or Latin to increase their own language knowledge and in connection with their own language spoken, as well as comparing and contrasting their own culture with that of the Greco-Roman world.

Finally, goal 5 is to participate in a wider community of language and culture, really asking students to use their knowledge of Latin or Greek in a multilingual world, helping to focus in on the elements that carry over into today's vocabulary, even, as well as asking students to use their knowledge of that culture in a world of many diverse cultures.

Now that you've reached the end of today's lesson, you are able to review the origin of the foreign language standards, as well as analyze the specific standards for foreign language learning and classic language learning. Now I'd like to take just a moment for reflection. As you reflect on this information, what are the challenges that you foresee as you start implementing these standards in both classical language and in the various foreign languages?

Now I want to take a moment for reflection. For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please view the additional resources section that accompanies this video's presentation. The additional resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource.