Foreign Languages And International Studies In The Elementary School: A Program of Teacher Preparation

Foreign Languages And International Studies In The Elementary School: A Program of Teacher Preparation

Eileen W Glisan Indiana University of Pennsylvania,

June K. Phillips Ennessee Foreign Language Institute

ABSTRACT In response to a national emphasis on language proficiency and global awareness, many elementary schools are establishing language programs in which the foreign language is used to teach students content area material such as mathematics andscience. There is currently a lack of trainingpro- grams which prepare elementary teachers to utilize the language as a means for instruction in the content areas. This paper presents an innovative program which prepam teachers for work in immersion orpar- tial immersion schools and describes the summer language experiences designed to develop theirprofi- ciency. The model can be used by other institutions in- terested in preparing elementary school foreign language teachers.

a part of the day to teach students elementary content areas such as mathematics, geography, health, and science.

The development of these immersion and partial immersion programs requires increasing numbers of elementary teachers who have an acceptable level of foreign language proficiency and global awareness. Most teacher certification programs in foreign language currently prepare students to teach language as a separate subject area at both the elementary and secondary levels. Few programs, unfortunately, prepare students to utilize the language for teaching content areas at the elementary level. In fact, a recent survey done by Rhodes and Oxford (1) substantiated the lack of available teacher training and certification programs available for elementary foreign language teachers as compared to opportunities offered to their secondary level counterparts.

Recognizing the need for this type of teacher preparation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania ob- tained funding from the US. Department of Educa- tion to develop a program which would enable undergraduate elementary education majors to: (1) acquire a desired proficiency level in a foreign language; (2) obtain a global perspective from an international studies component; and (3) develop the teaching strategies appropriate for language acquisition by the

Many school districts are responding to the renewed national attention to language proficiency and global awareness by establishing foreign language programs in combination with an international studies component in their elementary schools. Some of these programs reflect a traditional Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) model, in which language and culture are taught a few times each week as a separate subject area. However, more programs are developing immersion or partial immersion models, in which the foreign language is used throughout

elementary-age student. describes the program Of teacher

preparation in Foreign Languages and International St~dies for Elementary Raching (FLISET) and ex-

Eileen W GIisan (Ph. D., University of Pittsburgh) is Assis- tant Professor of Spanish at Indiana University of Penn- sylvania, Indiana, PA. June K. Phillios IPh. D.. The Ohio State Universitv) is Ex-

This

.~ _,

ecutive Director of the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute in Nashville.

PlOreS in detail the innovative language hnersion experiences through which proficiency is developed.

Foreign Language Annals, 21, No. 6 , 1988 527

528 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS - DECEMBER 1988

FLISEE An Academic Specialty for Elementary Education Majors

The FLISET program was designed as an academic specialty within the elementary education program, which requires a minimum of twentyfour credit hours at the University. A “second major’’ option was not adopted since this alternative requires students to complete additional credits in the foreign language which do not serve the needs of prospective elementary teachers.

The principal components of the FLISET program consist of two intensive summer language experiences, together with a methodology course and an international studies course taught during the regular academic year. Summer study has the advantage of providing an opportunity for intensive language learning, and it resolves scheduling problems of fitting a specialty of this kind into an already full program of studies.

Summer One: An intensive five-week summer experience at IUP following the sophomore year, designed to enable students to strengthen oral proficiency and acquire the language characteristic of the elementary classroom (six credits).

Summer 7ko: An intensive summer internship abroad (three weeks) and study abroad experience (six weeks) following the junior year, to enable students to work with elementary teachers and children of the target culture while strengthening their own language proficiency (ten credits).

Teaching of Elementary Content Through the Foreign Language: A methodology course offered the semester prior to student teaching. Students study current theories of language acquisition processes in children and develop foreign language instructional objectives and activities which integrate language and cultural learning with the content areas of the elementary school curriculum. Through hands-on practice, students develop techniques for teaching functional language, planning lessons, testing language skills, setting curricular objectives, and selecting/designing materials appropriate to the needs and interests of elementary school foreign language learners.

Latin America Today/The Francophone World To- day: -0 international studies courses offered to students specializing in the teaching of Spanish or French. Students explore the geography and history together with the political, economic, and social issues of the target culture areas.

Another innovative aspect of the program is that students must attain an Intermediate High level of oral proficiency (on the ACTFLETS scale) prior to their student teaching experiences in the senior year. This is established as a minimum; the expectation is that students will score higher. Accordingly, the language courses required during each regular academic year de- pend upon the entrance proficiency level of each student and the kinds of coursework needed to attain the desired exit level. Thus, the number of language credits necessary varies from student to student depending on previous language experience Establishing an exit proficiency level instead of a minimum number of “seat time” hours has several advantages:

(1) Students are given recognition for their skills, regardless of whether they were attained through classroom work or life experience;

(2) Students are encouraged to take lower levels of language in high school so that they can focus their study at a more advanced level at the University, thus saving time and money;

(3) The exit proficiency level serves as a check on the quality of the pre-service teachers who complete the program.

FLISET students complete their student teaching experiences in an immersion school in Pittsburgh or at various sites in the southwestern part of the country

Strengthening Proficiency Through Language Immersion

Summer One: Intensive Total Immersion Experience By the end of their sophomore year, students will

have completed the first four semesters of language study or attained the equivalent level of proficiency through high school study; the minimum level of oral proficiency required at this point is Novice High on the ACTFLETS scale. In the summer following their sophomore year, FLISET students participate in the first total immersion experience of the program. For five weeks, they speak the language by means of activities done both in and out of class. Over the five- week period, participants receive 100 hours of classroom contact with the target language, plus an additional 75 hours outside of class. Students are lodged in one wing of the dormitories together with students who are native speakers of the target language so that they have on-going opportunities to use the language in an informal atmosphere.

The language goals set for Summer One are based on the amount of time devoted to the development of each skill. Expected language development is defined in terms of the proficiency descriptions as developed

B I G N LANGUAGE ANNALS - DECEMBER 1988 529

by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In general, it is expected that students will develop skills at the Intermediate Low- Mid level (Listening, Intermediate Mid; Reading, In- termediate Low; Speaking, Intermediate Low; Writing, Intermediate Low).

The immersion model consists of three components: 1. Presentation and Practice of New Language

Functions: University faculty teach the classroom language sessions for three hours daily. New language elements are presented and practiced by means of a modified Natural Approach method, which features extensive listening comprehension practice, focus on communicative language use, development of a personal vocabulary repertoire, internalization of vocabulary through lbtal Physical Response activities, and interactive language practice in a low-anxiety atmosphere (Terrell, 2). The "pure" Natural Approach method is somewhat modified in this program to include more overt grammar practice and a tracking system for holding students responsible for improving their linguistic accuracy. An important element of these classroom sessions is the presentation and practice of elementary school vocabulary which is used to teach content areas of the elementary curriculum. This type of vocabulary is not included in a regular undergraduate language course but is essential for students who will be using the language to teach content. Examples of the vocabulary units incorporated into the daily immersion activities are:

-common plants, trees, flowers - nutrition, food groups - animal kingdom - geometric shapes - basic mathematic functions - geography and nature - transportation systems - physical education - health and safety - art and music - storytelling - game playing

In addition to learning vocabulary for these content areas, students also practice utilizing language necessary for managing the elementary classroom, such as commands and instructions.

Another valuable component of the classroom sessions is the assistance of native speaker facilitators who are students from Hispanic and Francophone cultures and are studying at IUP. Their responsibilities in the

program include working with small groups of students in class, helping to prepare lessons and design materials, conversing with students over lunch, and assisting them with out-of-class assignments.

2. Conversation Sewiorr A University professor and native speaker student facilitator conduct a daily one- hour conversation session. The purpose of this session is to build upon the language presented earlier in the day by means of role plays, debates, and discussions of videotapes and films.

3. Excursions With Native Speaker Facilitators The native speaker student facilitators accompany students on excursions in which students must use the language to perform various tasks outside of the classroom. m i c a 1 language-oriented excursions include:

- describing people on campus - taking an inventory of the cafeteria - listing foods and prices in the supermarket - preparing a meal -listing clothing styles, sizes, colors of interest in

- going on a nature hike/picnic - walking through town and describing places - describing actions done by people on campus - watching and narrating a sports event - describing weather conditions outside and

- following directions/map to get around

- watching and discussing movies in the target

- interviewing native speakers in the community

the department store

creating forecasts

campus/town

language

This component of the program provides a valuable means for students to interact with speakers from the target culture and acquire an understanding not offered through textbook instruction alone. Further, it prepares students for their summer abroad experiences by giving them initial opportunities to interact with native speakers in a low-anxiety environment.

At the end of the Summer One immersion experience, students are tested in each skill area and are advised accordingly as to which language courses they should take during the academic year in order to im- prove or maintain proficiency prior to Summer Two.

Summer &o: Internship and Study Abroad In the summer following their junior year, students

complete a three-week elementary classroom field experience in Jalapa, Mexico, or Nancy, France. At the


end of the internship, students join the IUP students arriving for the yearly six-week summer study abroad programs at those sites. During both the internship and study sessions, students are housed in Mexican or French homes.

The language goals set for Summer 'Rvo are based on the amount of time anticipated to be spent on each skill. Expected language development is defined in terms of the proficiency descriptions as developed by the American Council on the %aching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In general, it is expected that students will develop skills at the Intermediate Mid- High level (Listening, Advanced; Speaking, In- termediate High; Reading, Intermediate Mid; Writing, Intermediate Mid).

The internship abroad, as developed by Dr. Mary Renck Jalongo, Professor of Education at IUP, consists of three components:

i

1. Pmcticum in an Elementary School. &ch student is assigned to work with an elementary teacher for three weeks. Their daily experiences in the classroom include: observing teaching techniques, assisting the teacher with tasks such as taking roll, correcting papers, preparing materials, and managing the class; teaching content area lessons in the target language and in English; developing pedagogical materials for their lessons; and accompanying students on field trips. The practicum provides students with valuable opportunities for: a) strengthening their own com- mand of the classroom language necessary at the elementary level, both in content areas and in dealing with children; b) acquiring a fmt-hand understanding of the target culture and its educational system; c) gaining experience working with the children of the target culture; and d) compiling materials for use in their own classrooms.

2. Daily Log of Experiences On a daily basis, students record the experiences which they have in the classroom and within the culture as a whole. The log serves three purposes: a) to help students reflect upon their experiences; b) to provide the internship supervisor with documentation of students' experiences; and c) to assist those who administer the FLISET program in planning each year's internship experience.

3. Observations and Interviews Students complete five observations/interview assignments in which they are asked to observe students' behavior and interact with both students and teachers. A description of each assignment appears in Appendix A.

Each student is observed in the classroom by two IUP faculty members who are present on site during the internship. They assess both language use and pedagogical skill. Students receive written feedback and confer with the faculty.

Another interesting component of the internship is a series of roundtable discussions which are held with the elementary teachers at the site, IUP professors who are supervising the practicum, and the student interns. The three two-hour sessions provide a forum for discussing the following aspects of both cultures: 1) the educational system; 2) the pedagogical methods; and 3) the preparation of teachers. Indeed, one of the most valuable outcomes of the three-week experience is the exchange of information which can occur within the group.

Students, teachers, administrators, and professors evaluate the internship at the end of the three-week period in an effort to assess the effectiveness of the experience and to implement changes for the following Year.

At the end of the Summer lbo internship and study abroad experiences, students are again tested and advised as to which language courses they should take during the academic year in order to attain or maintain Intermediate High oral proficiency prior to student teaching.

Conclusion The first group of FLISET students has completed

the program and is preparing to begin student teaching experiences. A program evaluation of the first cycle of FLISET students has indicated that the objectives have been met in terms of attainment of the exit proficiency level, strengthening of global awareness, and development of pedagogical skills. Comments on questionnaires administered at the end of Summer 'Rvo were overwhelmingly positive. A quote taken from one of the questionnaires reflects the opinions in general:

I'm really glad I came [to Mexico]. The experience was great!! I learned sa much, not only Spanish, but about another culture, another school system, and about other children. Once again it was great! I think it [the program] will and should continue in the future!

Although the FLISET program was developed primarily to prepare qualified elementary language teachers, its effects at the University have been much more extensive than previously anticipated. Col- laborative efforts across departments have dramatical- ly increased as faculty from Education, Political Science, Geography, and Foreign Languages work to

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS - DECEMBER 1988 531

dwelop the program and disseminate results. Interest in the project has sparked enthusiasm and innovation within the departments, while providing the impetus to examine the quality of course offerings. In addition, advertisement of the program has enabled faculty to take part in recruiting new students and in col- laborating with area high schools. Finally, grant resources have provided the means for working with experts in the fields of education and language learning and for obtaining a wealth of text and media resources necessary for delivering the program.

The FLISET design provides an innovative program which responds to today’s need for qualified elementary school language teachers. If the goals of language proficiency and global understanding are placed as educational priorities, elementary school programs must be equipped to begin quality language instruction as a vital part of the content area curriculum. The FLISET model is one avenue for beginning to equip school districts with the qualified teachers they need for developing immersion and partial immersion programs.

NOTES I At this time there is no foreign language certification in

the state of Pennsylvania at the K-6 level. However, the next stage in the FLISET project is to proceed through the appropriate state channels in an effort to obtain certification in this area.

The pilot course in this area was developed under the grant. Dr. Myriam Met (Montgomery County, Maryland) developed the syllabus and came to campus to team teach the course with Dr. Helena Anderson Curtain (Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin). A course proposal has subsequently been developed by Drs. Glisan and Jalongo for approval through established institutional processes.

An exit proficiency level was stipulated for speaking, while goals were given, though not mandated, for the other skill areas. This was done since (a) speaking proficiency was deemed most important for the elementary teacher; and (b) speaking proficiency can be measured with a more reliable instrument than the other skill areas.

REFERENCES 1. Rhodes, Nancy C. and Rebecca L. Oxford. “Foreign

Languages in Elementary and Secondary Schools: Results of a National Surveyl‘ Foreign Language An- nuls 21 (1988): 51-69. Terreli, Ttacy D. “A Natural Approach to Second Language Acquisition and Learning!’ Modern Language Journal 61 (1977): 325-37.

2 .

APPENDIX A

INTERNSHIP ASSIGNMENTS DEVELOPED BY DR. MARY RENCK JALONGO

ASSIGNMENT #1: GENERAL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

Observe the organization and management of the classroom to obtain the following kinds of information: 1. How is the room arranged? 2. Where are materials stored? 3. How often does the type of activity change? 4. How do children know what they are expected to do next? 5 . How are transitions from one activity to another handled? 6. How does the teacher get the children’s attention? 7. What do the other children do while the teacher works with a small group or an individual child? 8. How are children’s questions and/or misbehavior handled? 9. What classroom rules can you infer from observing the class?

10. What materials are used to teach Spanish or French?

ASSIGNMENT # 2 CHILDREN’S USES M)R WRITTEN LANGUAGE

How do children make use of the language they learn? Milz* (1985) has identified six basic functions of children’s written language:

1. 2.

to establish ownership: labeling personal possessions to build relationships: writing messages such as letters or notes to others


3. 4. 5. 6.

to remind writing lists, notes, etc, for themselves and others to request: asking for assistance to record documenting various kinds of information to create: imagining, playing with words

Throughout your experience in the schools, look for examples of these language functions. Each entry should include the date, the child’s age and sex, the setting, and a description of the child’s behavior. It should also explain why you placed it in a particular category. If the child is bilingual or multilingual, be sure to indicate which language was used.

*Milz, V. “First Graders’ Uses for Writing:’ in A. Jagger and M. Smith-Burke, eds., Observing the Language Learner. Newark, D E International Reading Association, 1985.

ASSIGNMENT # 3 : INTERVIEW WITH A CHILD MJITALINGUISTIC AWARENESS

Cognition is thinking; metacognition is thinking about thinking. “Metalinguistic awareness refers to the ability of children to analyze and explain the process of language itself-to talk about language as if it were an ob- ject of study” (Goodman*, 1986, p. 11). In order to assess children’s metalinguistic awareness, interview a child and record his or her responses to the following questions:

1. 2.

3. 4.

Why do people read? Why do they write? How would you explain reading to someone from another planet who had never heard of it before? How would you explain writing to them? Do you know how to read? Do you know how to write?

PART #2: WRITING/DRAWING SAMPLE

1.

2.

Ask the child to write and draw something in his or her first language. Then ask the child, “Tell me about your writing and picture. Read your writing to me!’ Record the child’s responses. During another session, ask the child to write and draw in English. Direct the child, saying “Tell me about your writingldrawing. Read your story. How is writing in English different from writing in Spanish or French?” Record the child‘s responses.

Questions for the Interviewer What differences did you observe in the child‘s first language and second language sample in terms of:

- use of vocabulary

- complexity of sentences

- frequency of errors

- ease of expression

Write a brief paragraph summarizing these observations. Submit your notes, your summary statement and the samples of the child’s work as part of this assignment.

*Goodman, Y. “Children Coming to Know Literad’ in W. Bale and E. Sulzby, eds., Emergent Literacy. Nor- wood, NJ: Abtex, 1986.

ASSIGNMENT # 4 INTERVIEW WITH A TEACHER The purpose of this assignment is to comparekontrast the educational system of the United States with that of your host country. Arrange to interview a preservice or an inservice teacher. Some questions you may want to ask include:

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS - DECEMBER 1988 533

1. Generally speaking, what are the requirements for elementary teacher certification in this country? What kinds of classroom teaching experiences do students typically have as part of their teacher preparation programs? What are the greatest accomplishments of your educational system? What challenges lie ahead? How would you describe the status of teachers in this country? Please describe the ideal elementary teacher in terms of teaching philosophy, subject matter competence, classroom management, instructional techniques, and personality characteristics. Other comments or questions that the interviewee might have for you.

2. 3. 4.

5 .

ASSIGNMENT # 5 INTERVIEW CHILDREN’S INTERESTS

Choose two children and compare their responses to the following interest inventory.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9.

10.

What are your favorite toys, games and after-school activities? Is there a toy that you don’t have but you especially want? What is it? Do you ever let other children play with your toys? Why or why not? Do you have books at home? Do you like to read them? What is your favorite story? Is there anything you like better than playing? What is it? Would you rather do things by yourself or with other children? Have you ever visited ...

a farm? a circus? a zoo? the library?

the beach? a firehouse? the theater?

an amusement park? a post office? a museum?

Is there some place that you’ve never gone before but would like to visit? Where? Tell what you like to do.

sing draw or paint read dance other things (specify)

What would you like to be when you grow up? Why?

play outdoors read books

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Foreign Languages And International Studies In The Elementary School: A Program of Teacher Preparation