from the LOTE CED/TEA - SEDL · Languages Other Than English (TEKS for LOTE) while showing the positive impact these standards can have on student learning. Teachers from around the

f rom the LOTE CED/TEA

Dear LOTE Educators:

The LOTE Center for Educator Development and the LOTE Unit at the Texas Education

Agency are pleased to offer you Learning Languages Other Than English: A Texas

Adventure. The video series and this professional development video guide provide a new

means of sharing information about the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for

Languages Other Than English (TEKS for LOTE) while showing the positive impact these

standards can have on student learning. Teachers from around the state have consistently

asked for more examples of what the TEKS for LOTE look like in the classroom; Learning

Languages Other Than English: A Texas Adventure and this manual respond to this request.

The video series shows actual classroom footage and interviews with teachers and students

illustrating the guiding principles behind the TEKS for LOTE and the implementation of the

five program goals outlined therein: communication, cultures, connections, comparisons,

and communities.

Barriers to communication such as time and distance are being broken down by advancing

technologies faster than we can learn how to use them. This phenomenon amplifies the

significance of language learning in the 21st century as we have increased opportunities

for face-to-face and electronic communications with people of varied linguistic and cultural

backgrounds. Changing demographics within our own country make it advantageous to

know other languages in addition to English. Besides being attractive—and often

essential—to potential employers, the ability to communicate in a language other than

English makes us a valuable resource within our local communities.

In the face of a changing world, the TEKS for LOTE and accompanying professional

development materials such as this video series strive to modernize the teaching and

learning of LOTE. They support language learning concepts such as learning in context,

offering extended sequences of language learning, making LOTE accessible to all students,

offering less commonly taught languages, employing proficiency-based curricula,

esteeming heritage speakers, and experiencing cultures through language.

We hope the exemplary classrooms you see in Learning Languages Other Than English: A

Texas Adventure inspire you to try something new in your own classrooms. We trust the

materials provided in this manual will challenge you to act on that inspiration!

message

Elaine Phillips

Director

LOTE Center for Educator Development

Carl Johnson

Director of LOTE

Texas Education Agency

Lillian King Meidlinger

Elaine M. Phillips

Languages Other Than English Center for Educator Development (LOTE CED)Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

211 East Seventh StreetAustin, Texas 78701

(800) 476-6861www.sedl.org/loteced/

Produced in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency

L E A R N I N G L A N G U A G E S O T H E R T H A N E N G L I S H

A TEXAS ADVENTURE

Authors/Editors:Lillian King MeidlingerElaine M. Phillips

Design/Layout:Shaila AbdullahChuck Reese

Reviewers:Bobette DunnRenée Wooten

TEA LOTE Directors:Carl JohnsonMaría Treviño

Special Instructions to the Facilitator

About Learning Languages Other Than English: A Texas Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Using the Videos for Professional Development . . . 2

Video 1: Overview of the TEKS for LOTE

About Overview of the TEKS for LOTE . . . . . . . . 2

To the Session Leader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Participant Worksheets

Video Viewing Worksheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Investigating Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Videos 2-5: Communication Segment

About the Communication Segment . . . . . . . . . . . 2





Video 2: Communication and Cultures

About Communication and Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . 2





Video 3: Communication and Connections

About Communication and Connections. . . . . . . . . 2

To the Session Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2




A Texas Adventure 1

Video 4: Communication and Comparisons

About Communication and Comparisons. . . . . . . . 2





Video 5: Communication and Communities

About Communication and Communities . . . . . . . 2





Appendices

A: TEKS for LOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

B: TEKSpectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

C: Background Information on the Five Cs . . . . . . 3

D: Sample Facilitation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

E: LOTE Teacher Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Tab le of Contents

Special Instructions to the Facilitator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

About Learning Languages Other Than English: A Texas Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Using the Videos for Professional Development . . . 8

Video 1: Overview of the TEKS for LOTE . . . . . . . 11

About Overview of the TEKS for LOTE . . . . . . . 12

To the Session Leader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Participant Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Video Viewing Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Investigating Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Videos 2-5: Communication Segment . . . . . . . . . . . 27

About the Communication Segment . . . . . . . . . . 28





Video 2: Communication and Cultures . . . . . . . . . . 45

About Communication and Cultures . . . . . . . . . . 46





Video 3: Communication and Connections . . . . . . . 61

About Communication and Connections . . . . . . . 62





Video 4: Communication and Comparisons. . . . . . . 77

About Communication and Comparisons. . . . . . . 78





Video 5: Communication and Communities . . . . . . 93

About Communication and Communities . . . . . . 94



Video Viewing Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Investigating Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

A: TEKS for LOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

B: TEKSpectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

C: Background Information on the 5 Cs . . . . . . A-7

D: Sample Facilitation Techniques. . . . . . . . . . A-11

E: LOTE Teacher Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . A-15

special instructions to the facilitator

V I D E O G U I D E

A Texas Adventure 3

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ABOUT LEARNING LANGUAGES OTHER THANENGLISH: A TEXAS ADVENTURE

Learning Languages Other Than English: A Texas Adventure is a five-part video series developed bythe LOTE Center for Educator Development and the Texas Education Agency’s LOTE Unit andproduced by the TEA’s T-Star Studios. The videos include interviews with students, teachers,parents, and administrators. Most importantly, they show LOTE learners in classrooms acrossTexas putting the standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other ThanEnglish (TEKS for LOTE), into practice.

THE VIDEOS

The series is comprised of five, 30-minute videos. The first video provides an overview of currentthought on LOTE teaching and learning in Texas. The remaining four videos focus on the goalof communication plus one additional “C” (cultures, connections, comparisons, orcommunities). Videos 2-5 each begin with an identical segment, about seven minutes in length,that briefly defines the five program goals and goes into some detail on the three modes ofcommunication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational). The remaining portion of thesefour videos illustrates and expands upon the given program goal, or “C.” In this way, each videocan be used independently, yet still contain the important message that communication is at theheart of learning a language. Although the videos may be presented in any order, we recommendyou begin with the Communication Segment (see p. 27) before completing videos 2-5.

Overview of the TEKS for LOTE (Video 1): This video provides an overview of thephilosophies and policy that currently drive the teaching and learning of languages other thanEnglish in Texas. It makes a good advocacy piece that can be shown to parents, administrators,and community members as well as LOTE educators.

Communication and Cultures (Video 2): This video includes brief testimonials by teachersand others involved in LOTE education that provide real-world examples of how teachersincorporate cultures into their language classrooms and why it is important to do so. Thevideo shows classrooms focusing on the Cultures program goal and learning about theconcepts of practices, products, and perspectives.

Communication and Connections (Video 3): This video features several differentclassrooms “connecting” to other subject areas, both in immersion and traditional classroomsettings. Also shown are students using the language to connect with target language resourcessuch as news reports, web sites, and authentic documents.

Communication and Comparisons (Video 4): This video includes footage of teachers andstudents making comparisons between the target language and culture(s) and their ownlanguage and culture. Also shown are classrooms where the students are learning about theimportant influences that languages and cultures have upon one another.

Communication and Communities (Video 5): This video shows teachers and students usingthe target language both within and beyond the school walls for purposeful communicationwith local and world communities. It also includes several students reflecting on the value oflearning LOTE for career development, as well as for personal enrichment and enjoyment.

www.sedl.org/loteced/4

THE VIDEO GUIDE

This manual is a companion guide to the video series, Learning Languages Other Than English: ATexas Adventure. The videos and guide can be used for professional development to heightenawareness about the way languages are presently being taught and learned in Texas, as well as tomake evident the possibilities and benefits that learning languages for real-world purposes offers.

The study guide provides materials to be used for professional development in conjunction withthe videos in the series and includes the following components:

• Background information on the development of the videos and the changes being broughtabout in LOTE classrooms across the state as the TEKS for LOTE are being implemented.

• Suggestions for using the video series in a variety of professional development contexts andsuggestions and tips for workshop facilitators.

• Six workshop units: one for each of the five videos (see p. 4) and an additional unit for theCommunication Segment that appears at the beginning of videos 2-5.

• Appendices: helpful resources for developing training sessions and supplemental handoutsfor participants.

Individual workshop units contain the following sections:

About… — Includes a synopsis of the video, episode breakdown, suggestions for using thevideo, questions addressed in the video, and goals for the participants.

To the Session Leader — Consists of brief explanations/notes to the facilitator on guidingparticipants through the activities on the worksheets in the next sections.

Video Viewing Worksheet — Includes worksheet masters with instructions for pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities to be used as participants watch the video.

Investigating Further — Consists of worksheet masters and a brief bibliography ofsuggested readings for two types of follow-up activities.

Further information on the use of these components and the video viewing and follow-upactivities is found in the chart on page 9.

Highlights

Some of what you’ll see in Learning Languages Other Than English: A Texas Adventure:

• students using the target language to communicate with one another and with nativespeakers

• teachers reflecting on how implementing the TEKS for LOTE has positively affected theirclassrooms

• students presenting information in the target language

• teachers using authentic materials, including technology, to make language come alive

• students and others commenting on the benefits of knowing a LOTE

Goals of LearningLanguages Other ThanEnglish: A TexasAdventure

• To help viewers identifyissues, concerns, andquestions with regard to theimplementation of the TEKSfor LOTE.

• To make participantsaware of the creative waysin which the TEKS for LOTEare being implemented inTexas classrooms byshowing examples ofcommunicative, standards-based classrooms thatillustrate the changingparadigm of LOTEinstruction.

• To give participantsopportunities to work with colleagues in the in-depth exploration ofTEKS implementation.

• To challenge LOTEeducators to reflect on theirown practices and todevelop new or additionalstrategies for implementing the TEKS for LOTE.

A Texas Adventure 5

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMMUNICATIVE, TEKS FOR LOTE-BASED CLASSROOM

In these videos, you will see classrooms in which teachers strive to create a communicative,standards-based learning environment as described below.

• Students are aware of what they should know and be able to do to meet the standards at thevarious proficiency levels.

• Students see a personal and practical value to what they are learning.

• Students are an integral part of the learning process and have a hand in the construction oftheir own knowledge.

• Students have the opportunity to employ a variety of technological resources in theirlanguage learning.

• Students learn through active, in-depth investigation and exploration.

• Students use their knowledge of the target language to reinforce what they know about othersubject areas and vice-versa.

• Students learn with other students, teachers, and individuals beyond the school walls.

• Students learn in multiple, real-world contexts, through opportunities to address and reflecton authentic problems or situations.

• Students work creatively and use divergent and higher order thinking skills.

• Students use authentic documents and technology to interact with native speakers and thetarget culture(s).

• Students have the opportunity to determine how they learn best in classrooms that respect avariety of learning styles and preferences.

THE CHANGING PARADIGM OF LOTE EDUCATION

In recent years, research in language instruction has contributed to the changing focus of LOTEeducation. It is evolving to include programs that provide instruction from Pre-Kindergartenthrough Grade 16 and that allow all learners to develop language proficiency and skills they canuse in the real world as exemplified in the classrooms of Learning Languages Other Than English:A Texas Adventure.

The learning and teaching of languages in Texas and the nation clearly focus on the goal ofcommunicative proficiency and cultural awareness, as well as the development of linguistic skills.This “new” paradigm has actually evolved over more than two decades with input from manysources such as the Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century andvarious state documents and frameworks including the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills forLanguages Other Than English and A Texas Framework for Languages Other Than English. The chart that follows summarizes developing trends in the learning and teaching of languages otherthan English.


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THE CHANGING PARADIGM OF PRE-K TO GRADE 12 LOTE EDUCATION

BUILDING ON... MOVING TO...

course offerings that include traditional languages and lesscommonly taught languages (such as Chinese, Japanese, Russian,and Arabic)

programs starting in elementary school and continuinguninterrupted through high school

LOTE courses for all students

language learning that enhances future career opportunities andfulfills students’ personal interests and the needs of all sectors ofsociety (government, community, business, and education)

curriculum based on acquiring the language through meaningfulcommunication

proficiency-based curriculum that focuses on speaking, listening,reading, writing, viewing, and showing but also includes the studyof grammar and literature

language-across-the-curriculum, language as part of aninterdisciplinary curriculum

course offerings and/or assignment options specifically designed tomaintain and expand language proficiency of native speakers

programs that combine students with LOTE back-grounds and other students (e.g., dual-language andimmersion programs)

curriculum that provides ways to experience culture throughlanguage and that explores the student's own culture in the contextof exploring other cultures

a wide variety of instructional approaches and materials (includingthe Internet, CD-ROMs, and authentic materials such asnewspapers in the language)

an emphasis on offering traditional languages(such as Spanish, French, German, and Latin)

programs starting in grades 7 or 8

LOTE courses for college-bound students andstudents perceived as “above average”

academic language learning that focuses onpreparing students to study LOTE literature

curriculum based on memorization

grammar- and literature-based curriculum

language learning as a separate subject area

placing native speakers in regular LOTEprograms

placing bilingual, ESL, and LOTE students inseparate programs

curriculum that emphasizes facts about theLOTE culture(s)

textbook-driven instruction

from A Texas Framework for Languages Other Than English

A Texas Adventure 7

USING THE VIDEOS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Research on staff development shows that one-shot workshops seldom contribute to participants’meaningful understanding and transfer of new knowledge into their daily practice. Learning LanguagesOther Than English: A Texas Adventure is designed to encourage reflection, as well as to instruct andillustrate. We recommend taking as much time as needed to complete the sequence of activities foreach video. The series is adaptable to a variety of professional development formats.

District In-Service

The workshop activities in each unit have been divided into segments to make them adaptable toworkshops of various lengths.

• Each video can easily be the subject of an entire day’s in-service training with video viewingactivities completed in the morning and follow-up activities conducted in the afternoon.(Participants will need access to the recommended readings in Investigating Further in advance ofthe training.)

• A half-day session can be used to complete the three video viewing activity segments, forexample, with another half-day session scheduled at a later date and devoted to the activities inInvestigating Further. This format works particularly well because it allows time for participantsto have researched the topics using the recommended readings and provides them an opportunityto apply the major concepts discussed in the video to their own teaching/learning context.

Study Group

Consider the following planning options when using this series with a study group:

• Begin with the video that is of most interest or best fits the needs of the group.

• Meet after school or during campus in-service time to complete the activities.

• Identify group members to be responsible for each activity section (e.g., one person leads thePreparation activity; another, the Observation tasks), or choose a different facilitator for each video.

• Match the time schedule to the group’s purpose and number of videos and activities.

• Share photocopies of the Investigating Futher readings. Have all study group members do thereadings on their own, saving group time for discussion and activities.

• Alternatively, divide up the readings in the Investigating Futher section, and share informationwith one another during the study group meeting.

Individual Use

If you are watching the video series on your own and wish to use the activities in this study guide, simply adaptthe To the Session Leader instructions. As you watch the videos and read through the activities, you may wishto:

• Record your reactions and responses to activities/discussion questions in a journal, then mark yourcalendar to review the journal at a later date.

• Find a peer with whom you can discuss any interesting or problematic issues that emerge from yourviewing.

• Share your independent professional development experience at an in-service session.


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PREPARING FOR THE WORKSHOP

Components of the Study Guide Units

Each unit includes the following sections. The activities are designed to be completed sequentially in the order listed below.

SECTION USE THIS COMPONENT TO...

Familiarize yourself with the video and prepare for theworkshop.

Share with participants and ask them to look for someanswers as they view the video.

Share verbally with participants at onset of workshopor have posted on a flip chart.

Prepare to lead workshop activities by familiarizingyourself with these instructions in light of thecompanion worksheets.

Make sufficient number of worksheets for eachparticipant.

Activate participants’ prior knowledge of videocontent.

Identify and elaborate on important concepts withinthe video.

Get participants to process, share and/or applyconcepts and information in the video to theirpersonal classroom teaching experiences.

Acquire copies of recommended readings to share withparticipants ahead of time.

Do in-depth reflection and research on key conceptsfrom the video.

Encourage participants to reflect on thought-provoking comments from the video and to respondto frequently debated topics in LOTE education.

About …Introductory material specific to the video includes asynopsis, episode breakdown, and suggestions forvideo usage.

Questions Addressed uses an inquiry-based format tohelp identify issues addressed in the video.

Goals for Participants sets out basic objectives forworkshop participants.

To the Session LeaderBrief explanations/instructions for guiding participantsthrough the workshop activities.

Video Viewing WorksheetWorksheet masters with instructions for pre-viewing,viewing, and post-viewing activities to be used asparticipants watch the video episode.

Preparation: Priming activity to be completedprior to viewing the video.

Observation: Activities to be done in conjunctionwith video viewing. Times are indicated so thatthe video may be stopped at appropriate intervalsto complete tasks.

Reflection: Processing activity to be completed atthe end of the video.

Investigating FurtherWorksheet masters with instructions for two types offollow-up activities.

Exploration: Reflective questions/situations to beconsidered and researched using bibliographicresources listed on the handout.

Expansion: Teaching Scenario and follow-upquestions to be contemplated, discussed withpeers, and used for action research.

A Texas Adventure 9

Workshop Materials

The facilitator needs to gather a few materials before the workshop.

• Prepare photocopies of the TEKS for LOTE and TEKSpectations included in Appendices Aand B.

• Make copies of the video’s worksheets included in this manual. Each video has fiveworksheets of one or more pages in length. Each page is identified as to the video, worksheet,and worksheet page number. See Pagination Key at left.

• Have on hand chart paper, transparencies, and some basic art supplies (crayons, markers,paper) for the use of participants.

The Investigating Further (Exploration and Expansion) activities are an integral part of theworkshop design and require the use of bibliographic resources. Some of these will be part of thefacilitator’s or district’s professional library. Others can be found in the libraries of local universitiesor may be acquired through an inter-library loan program. Every effort should be made to acquirethe texts needed to complete these activities as participants must be familiar with them to completemany of the activities.

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Tips for a Successful Workshop

• Know your audience – be aware of their concerns and their level of familiarity with the TEKSfor LOTE.

• Phrase questions in varied ways and follow-up participant responses with additionalquestions.

• Allow ample time for participants to respond to questions/situations posed.

• Provide for plenty of participant interaction with one another and with you.

• Allow sufficient time for practice and reflection.

• Use the suggestions in To the Session Leader or your own creativity to select a variety ofgrouping formats for the activities: individual reflection, pair and small group work, andlarge group interactions. (See also, Appendix D, Sample Facilitation Techniques.)

Facilitator’s Checklist

� Make copies of relevant worksheets and gather the necessary materials.

� Go over sections of the TEKS for LOTE and background information from Appendix C thatare relevant to the particular video on which the workshop focuses.

� Be thoroughly familiar with the To the Session Leader section and all activity worksheets.Try some of the activities yourself before conducting the workshop.

� Watch the video before the workshop and be aware of stop and start places within theObservation section.

� Acquire and familiarize yourself with the recommended readings listed in the InvestigatingFurther section. Provide copies to participants to read in advance of the workshop ororganize discussion activities during the workshop.

5 . 3 . 2

Video 5

Page 2

Worksheet 3

Worksheet Pagination Key


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overview of the TEKS for LOTE

V I D E O 1

A Texas Adventure 11

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ABOUT OVERVIEW OF THE TEKS FOR LOTE

Video 1, Overview of the TEKS for LOTE, provides a summary of the philosophies and policyfor the teaching and learning of languages other than English in Texas. Included in this video,you’ll find the following:

• A summary of the state curriculum framework’s eight Guiding Principles for languagelearning.

• A look at the Five Cs that are the foundation of the TEKS for LOTE: Communication,Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

• Pictorial and anecdotal evidence that support the TEKS for LOTE in the teaching andlearning of languages. These include classroom footage and interviews and ideas fromstudents, teachers, administrators, and parents.

The Guiding Principles address timely issues such as inclusion, student learning variables,advanced proficiency, benefits of extended learning sequences, native speakers, less commonlytaught languages, the interdisciplinary nature of language, and cultural understanding. Otherkey points of this episode include the value of learning to communicate in real-world contextsusing natural language, the benefits that the shift to a proficiency-based curriculum can bring,and the importance of knowing another language in today’s job market.

Use Video 1: Overview of the TEKS for LOTE to...

• Kick off a professional development workshop for new teachers of LOTE.

• Help those involved in LOTE education to identify important issues related to learninga LOTE. (May be particularly helpful to administrators who have responsibility forLOTE but limited familiarity with the subject area.)

• Promote student-teacher interaction about the relevance of learning a LOTE.

• Facilitate discussions at parent or community meetings about the importance of LOTEand how languages are learned .

• Use as an advocacy piece in support of the establishment and/or maintenance ofLOTE programs.

(0:00 – 5:45) Introduction

(5:46 – 21:11) Guiding Principles

(21:12 – end) 5 Cs

Episode Breakdown

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II

III


Goals for Participants

• To become more familiarwith the TEKS for LOTE andtheir underlyingphilosophies (GuidingPrinciples).

• To identify issues, concerns,and questions with regardto the TEKS for LOTE andGuiding Principles.

• To develop creative ways ofaddressing the GuidingPrinciples and the 5 Cs byreflecting on professionaland personal languagelearning experiences.

Questions Addressed in Video 1: Overview of the TEKS for LOTEInclusion of All Students

Acquiring languages other than English is essential for all students.

Can anyone learn a new language? Should everyone have the opportunity to do so? Why is it important toinclude students of varied backgrounds in the LOTE classroom? The benefits that language learning offers tostudents are discussed in this episode. What are the benefits of inclusion to the classroom?

Student Variables

Multiple student variables affect how students acquire languages.

Do we all share the same life experiences in learning a language? What evidence from your language learningand/or teaching experiences illustrates that the age, gender, ethnicity, and/or socio-economic background ofstudents might come into play? Should accommodations be made to suit students’ varied learning styles? CanLOTE teachers be all things to all students?

Advanced Proficiency

Knowing languages other than English at advanced proficiency levels upon graduation benefits students and society.

What specific advantages do advanced language users have over those who have not reached an advancedlevel of proficiency? Are advanced level skills necessary to communicate in complex business and/or socialsituations? Is the LOTE teaching force prepared to teach advanced level students?

Benefits of Extended Sequences

LOTE programs that start in elementary school and continue uninterrupted through high school allow studentsthe possibility of reaching advanced levels of proficiency and benefit students in other academic and social arenas.

What are the obstacles to starting language learning in the elementary school? How does one articulateextended programs from elementary to middle to high school? What non-linguistic benefits do extendedsequence LOTE programs offer students?

Native Speakers

Maintaining and expanding the language of native speakers benefits the individual and society.

How can we utilize the valuable linguistic and cultural resources of native speakers in the classroom? How doesone make the most of native speaker skills in a classroom setting? In what specific ways does reinforcinglanguage skills help the native speaker? How might instructional needs vary among native speakers?

Offering a Variety of Languages

Students should have opportunities to develop proficiency in a variety of languages.

Why are less commonly taught languages less commonly taught? Are less commonly taught languages also lesscommonly spoken? Are languages such as Arabic, Chinese, and Russian more difficult to teach and/or learn?

Interdisciplinary Nature of Language

Learning languages other than English is interdisciplinary.

Is learning through a language more effective than learning about a language? How are the two different?How can the learning of LOTE reinforce or enhance the learning of other subject areas? How does one ensurethat the connections made between subject areas are not superficial?

Increased Cultural Understanding

Languages other than English enable students to better understand other cultures.

How does learning a language promote cross-cultural understanding? How does one offer students culturallyauthentic experiences, especially in remote areas or in less commonly taught languages? Why is it importantto incorporate culture into the LOTE classroom daily rather than having a “culture day”?

The Five Program Goals

The 5 Cs form the foundation of the TEKS for LOTE – Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

What is the basis of the curricula for the national standards? Why are the Cs so popular? What do the 5 Csoffer that previous curricular frameworks have not? Are some Cs more important than others?


TO THE SESSION LEADER

Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with Video 1, Overview of the TEKS for LOTE. Provide participants copies of theTEKS for LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions that follow, and gather anysupplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION

Refer to worksheet 1.1.1 for the following activity.

This video provides an overview of the TEKS for LOTE, focusing primarily on an elaborationof eight Guiding Principles that support the standards. The Guiding Principles illustrate keynotions about the teaching and learning of LOTE in Texas. For example, the first GuidingPrinciple addresses inclusion, asserting that acquiring a LOTE is essential for all students.

• Before participants watch the video, ask them to take some time to jot down their key“Professional Guiding Principles.”

• Ask a few volunteers to share with the group.

OBSERVATION

Refer to worksheets 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 for the following activities.

I Introduction (0:00 – 5:45)

• Stop the video and ask participants what they saw or heard in the introduction thatparticularly caught their attention.

• They may share their thoughts with a partner or in small groups for a few minutes.

II Guiding Principles (5:46 – 21:11)

• As participants view this portion of the video, ask them to take notes on the worksheetto organize the information they see and hear.

• Stop the video and allow time for them to finish their notes, then solicit comments oneach Guiding Principle to assure a common understanding.

III 5 Cs (21:12 – end)

This section provides some anecdotal information about the implementation of the programgoals and their real-world applications. After viewing the segment, participants work in pairson the following activity.

• Ask them to imagine that they will be explaining the LOTE program goals to parentsduring Back-To-School Night.

• Assign a program goal to the pairs, and have them develop a clear explanation that coversall the important components for that “C.” (They may use the worksheet or a blanktransparency for their descriptions. Limit them to one paragraph.)

• After several minutes, elicit at least one description per C from participants.

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REFLECTION


Once participants have watched Video 1, Overview of the TEKS for LOTE, they shouldreflect on how the Guiding Principles and the 5 Cs were or were not reflected in their ownlanguage learning experiences.

• Allow time for participants to complete the worksheet and share their information insmall groups, identifying similarities and differences among their experiences.

• Reconvene as a large group and report on small group conclusions.

• For those Guiding Principles and Cs that were less present in personal languagelearning experiences, discuss how increased attention to those areas might have alteredthat education.

• (You may also wish to have participants develop a mnemonic device for rememberingthe Guiding Principles.) overview

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For the Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will need tohave studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Exploration andExpansion activities.

EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets 1.4.1 to 1.4.3 for the following activities and readings for further study.

Participants evaluate how well their current LOTE program takes the Guiding Principles intoconsideration by reflecting on a series of questions provided on the worksheet.

• Choose from the techniques suggested in Appendix D, or use one of your own to leadthe group through the reflective process.

• Once participants have identified one or more of the principles that they deem mostneeded in their program, they should investigate further by choosing from among thesuggested readings you have distributed.

• After considering one or more of the readings, participants share ideas and brainstormways their identified guiding principles can be used to strengthen their program.

EXPANSION

Refer to worksheets 1.5.1 and 1.5.2 for the following activities and recommended readings.

These three tasks allow participants to reflect on and personalize the situation set forth in theteaching scenario. They may discuss with a partner, in small groups, or with the whole group;the suggested readings will help them prepare their responses.

• In the first activity, guide participants to read, reflect on, and discuss the challenges foreach teacher described in the teaching scenario. Have them share the suggestions theydevise.

• In the next task, lead participants to think about the connections between oral proficiencyand error correction and how their views have or have not changed over the years.

• Finallly, provide an opportunity for participants to consider their own professionaldevelopment and to identify potential areas for continued growth. They should list at leastfive and prioritize them from most to least urgent.

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Video Viewing Worksheet

Investigating Further

PARTICIPANT WORKSHEETS


video viewing worksheet1.1.1

Video 1, Overview of the TEKS for LOTE, provides a summary of the state standards for foreign languagelearners, focusing primarily on the eight Guiding Principles that support the standards. The GuidingPrinciples illustrate key notions about the teaching and learning of LOTE in Texas. For example, the firstGuiding Principle addresses inclusion, asserting that acquiring a LOTE is essential for all students.

Before watching the video, take some time to reflect on what you consider to be your key ProfessionalGuiding Principles. Identify them by filling in the following illustrations with simple 2-3 word phrases.

PREPARATION


OBSERVATION

I Introduction

What did you see or hear in this section of Video 1 that particularly caught your attention? Shareyour thoughts with other workshop participants.

II Guiding Principles

Use the following chart to organize the information you see and hear in this portion of the videoabout the Guiding Principles.


GUIDING PRINCIPLE

Inclusion of AllStudents

Student Variables


Benefits of ExtendedSequences

Native Speakers

Offering a Variety ofLanguages

InterdisciplinaryNature of Language

Increased CulturalUnderstanding

MAIN IDEA OBSERVATIONS/COMMENTS/QUESTIONS



III 5 Cs

This section provides a brief look at the program goals (5 Cs) and anecdotal information abouttheir implementation and real-world applications.

Imagine that you will be explaining the LOTE program goals to parents during Back-To-SchoolNight. Choose one of the Cs and develop a clear explanation that covers all the importantcomponents for that C. Limit your description to one paragraph.



REFLECTION

Now that you’ve seen an overview of the Guiding Principles and the 5 Cs, think about how they were orwere not reflected in your own language learning experiences. Below, write examples for each that apply.

8 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Inclusion of All Students

Student Variables


Benefits of Extended Sequences

Native Speakers

Offering a Variety of Languages



5 Cs

Communication

Cultures

Connections

Comparisons

Communities


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EXPLORATION

• Reflect on how well your current LOTE program takes the Guiding Principles intoconsideration. To begin, consider the following questions:

– Are all types of learners represented in foreign language classes in your district, includingthose with special needs?

– Do you include instructional strategies that address learners with non-traditional learningstyles or preferences? For example, do you include activities for the musically inclined? thekinesthetic learner? the shy or anxious student?

– Does the program begin in the early grades, providing learners an opportunity to reachadvanced levels of proficiency? Does it offer Level IV or higher in all languages that aretaught?

– Does your district’s program offer special classes for heritage language learners? Do youprovide learning opportunities geared to the needs of native speakers in your classes?

– What less commonly taught languages are offered in your school district? Are they offeredat advanced levels?

– How do you integrate your foreign language curriculum with that of other disciplines?Have you collaborated in designing an interdisciplinary lesson or unit with colleagues inhistory, math, science, etc.?

– Do you see evidence in the classroom that students are better understanding the conceptof culture? What indication is there that learners are open to new ideas and less prone topassing judgment on other cultures?

• Now choose one (or more) of the 8 Guiding Principles that you deem most needed forstrengthening your program. Study at least one of the readings for further study related to it(see pages 23-24). Use these questions to guide your follow-up group discussion:

Guiding Principle: _____________________________________________

– What ideas did you discover that addressed your concerns about your program?

– What circumstances peculiar to your context would need to be dealt with?

– What suggestions were made that could be implemented in your program tostrengthen support of this Guiding Principle?

– What is the first step you might take to use what you learned?


For Further Study

Inclusion

Bar-Harrison, P. & Daugherty, C. P. (2000). Multiple realities of the classroom. In R. M. Terry (Ed.), Agents of change in a changingage (pp. 79-105). (Northeast Conference Reports). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Co. This chapter explores several issuesfacing teachers of LOTE and includes a section on diverse student populations including ethnic, at-risk, special needs, gifted, andheritage language students. It looks at sample classroom behaviors and recommends changes and strategies to improve instruction.

Spinelli, E. (1996). Meeting the challenges of the diverse secondary school population. In B. H. Wing (Ed.), Foreign languages forall: Challenges and choices (pp. 57-90). (Northeast Conference Reports). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Thischapter begins with a brief overview of “change in the collective U.S. student body,” and then describes three districts who havechanged their LOTE programs to meet the needs of diverse student populations. The chapter also suggests methods to help special needsstudents become successful in the foreign language class and addresses additional areas of concern affecting LOTE instruction.

Rosenbusch, M. H. (1998). Is foreign language education for all learners? In M. Met (Ed.), Critical issues in early second languagelearning (pp. 57-80). Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley. National (and state) standards for LOTE endorse the inclusionof all students in LOTE education although foreign language educators usually have little experience with “mainstreamed” students, andlittle research has been done on inclusion in LOTE classrooms. This chapter provides a brief look at how two school districts are dealingwith inclusion, the challenges that learners with various disabilities face, and the suitability of immersion for all students. It concludes witha brief list of resources on inclusion in general education that are useful for LOTE educators.

Student Variables

Gardner, H. (1985). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Harper Collins. Gardner’s theory challenges thebelief that intelligence is a single, general capacity present to a greater or lesser degree in every person that can be measured by anIQ test. He posits the existence of a number of intelligences, present to varying degrees, that combine to make up an individual’s uniqueintelligence profile.

Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. A language learningstrategy is a deliberate action taken by a learner in order to improve knowledge or comprehension of the target language. Oxfordoutlines various strategies, provides a survey to help learners identify their own, and offers examples of activities for training students tomost effectively use strategies in developing their reading, writing, speaking, and listening proficiencies.

Young, D. J. (1999). Giving priority to the language learner first. In D..J. Young (Ed.), Affect in foreign language and second languagelearning: A practical guide to creating a low-anxiety classroom atmosphere (pp. 241-246). Boston: McGraw-Hill. This chaptersummarizes information from the entire volume including: sources of language anxiety (personality, beliefs, instruction), suggestions forcoping with LA, and suggestions for making the language classroom less stressful. Other chapters provide advice on helping learnersdeal with negative affect related to reading, writing, listening, speaking, and learning grammar, as well as individual differences.

Theisen, T. (2002). Differentiated instruction in the foreign language classroom: Meeting the diverse needs of all learners. LOTE CEDCommuniqué, Issue 6. Austin, TX: SEDL. This article discusses reasons teachers may differentiate in the classroom based on students’varying levels of readiness, differing interests, and diverse learning profiles. It offers strategies for differentiating lessons based on thelesson’s content, how learners process or make sense of the lesson, and how learners demonstrate what they have learned.

Advanced Proficiency/Extended Sequences

Curtain, H. (1998). When should an elementary school foreign language program begin? In M. Met (Ed.), Critical issues in earlysecond language learning (pp. 24-56). Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley. This chapter examines three questions: whatare reasonable language proficiency expectations for children who begin early to learn another language; what is known about a“critical period” for language learning; and what are the other benefits that accrue for early foreign language learners?

Gilzow, D. F., & Branaman, L. E. (2000). Lessons learned: Model early foreign language programs. Washington, DC: Center forApplied Linguistics. This volume highlights seven early-start, long-sequence LOTE programs built around the 5 Cs. Program descriptionsinclude characteristics of the communities, illustrative classroom activities, assessment practices, and keys to success. In the concludingchapter, “readers can quickly identify effective strategies or promising directions in a specific area of program design, implementation,or evaluation.”


1.4.2

Norden, J. B. (2001). Early language learning programs: Reaping the benefits, facing the challenges. LOTE CED Communiqué, Issue4. Austin, TX: SEDL. This paper provides an overview of various types of early language learning programs and issues related toimplementing them in the elementary school. The paper includes questions for discussion and an annotated bibliography.

Native Speakers

Webb, J. B., & Miller, B. L. (2000). Teaching heritage language learners: Voices from the classroom. Yonkers, NY: ACTFL. Thisbook addresses the question of what teachers should know and be able to do to successfully teach heritage language learners.Chapters offer information on getting to know the heritage learners, standards and heritage learners, and monitoring students’progress. They include case studies and a description of a project focused on preparing teachers to teach heritage learners.

Gonzalez-Pino, B. (2000). An infusion curriculum for the heritage speaker of Spanish. Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education,5, 93-110. This article provides an overview of program models for heritage speakers of Spanish and reviews three surveys ofheritage language learners with regard to their feelings about taking mixed classes versus classes specifically for heritage learners. Italso discusses the interest expressed by students when information on “Southwest Spanish” was included in a course.

Variety of Languages

Rhodes, N. (1998). Which language should young students learn? In M. Met (Ed.), Critical issues in early second languagelearning (pp. 81-102). Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley. This chapter responds to a variety of questions suchas: What criteria do districts use in selecting which languages will be taught? What are the “right” reasons for selecting alanguage to teach? Is there a rationale for choosing one over the other (and wouldn’t that vary with the times)? Respondentsexpress divergent viewpoints such as building on the skills of heritage language learners, focusing on “national interest andinternational competitiveness,” and looking beyond Western European languages in this age of globalization.

Met, M. (1989). Which foreign languages should students learn? Educational Leadership, 47, 54–58. Although enrollment figuresmentioned in the article are dated, the answer Met gives to the article’s title question still resonates. Which language studentschoose to learn depends on their purpose for learning a language. To communicate in the marketplace (cooperate as well ascompete), for international relations, to live in a global society, and for personal and intellectual enrichment are a few of thepossible purposes and each may lead to different choices.


Bragger, J. D., & Rice, D. B. (1998). Connections: The national standards and a new paradigm for content-oriented materialsand instruction. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.), The coming of age of the profession (pp.191-217). Boston:Heinle & Heinle. The authors discuss the relationship between content-based instruction and the national standards, pointing outthe paradigm shift to interdisciplinary instruction in education in general. They present a four-stage developmental model forimplementing Connections that gradually expands the content orientation of the curriculum and offer specific examples of howcontent can be implemented at each stage.


Galloway, V. (1998). Constructing cultural realities: “Facts” and frameworks of association. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams(Eds.) The coming of age of the profession (pp. 129-140). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Galloway humorously and articulatelylays out the difficulties of developing cross-cultural understandings when the cultures involved do not share the same form-meaningframeworks. Because even (especially) the “seemingly familiar” can lead to false impressions, learners must develop the abilityto see the target culture through the lens of that culture, not their own. Galloway discusses the use of authentic texts and how toprime learners to understand them in terms of target culture “realities.”

Phillips, E. (2001). IC? I See! Developing learners’ intercultural competence. LOTE CED Communiqué, Issue 3. Austin, TX: SEDL.This paper examines how and why culture has traditionally been taught and suggests additional components that are crucial indeveloping students’ intercultural competence, the learner’s ability to “understand culture as a broad organizing and sociallyconstructed concept.” The paper suggests strategies for helping students develop cross-cultural awareness and self-awarenesswith regards to their own culture and proposes a hypothesis-refinement approach to the teaching and learning of culture.


1.4.3

investigating further

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Mr. Schultz taught German for seven years during the 1970s. He is now returning tothe classroom after an absence of twenty-two years during which time he workedfor a German pharmaceutical company and traveled abroad frequently. Mr.

Schultz believes he can still relate well to the students, and he has a strong desire to share hislove for German language and culture with them. However, he is unfamiliar with the learner-

centered methodologies and the proficiency orientation used in his textbook. He is concerned thatstudents will make mistakes when they work in pairs.

Ms. Harker, his colleague, is a first-year teacher well-versed in second language acquisition theory butwith only six weeks of student-teaching experience. She spent a semester in Vienna in a study abroadexperience. She feels confident in her ability to design standards-based lessons but is disappointed inthe students’ reluctance to participate in oral activities.

Mr. Schulz and Ms. Harker each teach sections of first and second year German; Mr. Schulz also teachesthe third year German class. They plan to work closely together. Their principal offers four substitute hoursper semester to teachers to work collaboratively on improving instruction. The German teachers havedecided to take advantage of the training in collegial collaboration provided by the district. They will haveto arrange time before and after school for conferencing together and can use the substitute hours to observeeach other’s classes.

Teaching Scenario

EXPANSION

In Video 1, one coordinator suggests that changes brought about by the TEKS for LOTE in languageclassrooms also mean changes for teachers of LOTE. These include going back to school, travelingabroad to raise their proficiency level in the language, and using—not just talking about—the foreignlanguage.

With the idea of “change” in mind, read the following teaching scenario, and reflect on thequestions that follow. Discuss your reactions with other participants. The recommended readingson page 26 should help you prepare your responses.

1) Consider the challenges facing each of these teachers. What changes might be in store forthem? What strengths does each appear to have that can benefit the other? What steps are theytaking already to compensate for their lack of experience or expertise? What benefits do youthink might accrue because of those steps? What complications could arise?

After examining some of the recommended readings, prepare three suggestions for eachteacher that address the challenges you listed.

2) How would you respond to Mr. Schultz’s concern about student errors? Do you notice yourstudents making errors when they work in pairs? Do they make errors when they are doingactivities as a whole class? How would you reply to Ms. Harker’s disappointment at thestudents’ reluctance to speak German? What strategies do you suggest she use to overcomestudents’ reticence?

Have your views on error correction and/or oral proficiency changed since the earlier years ofyour teaching career? How?



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3) Consider the challenges you face in your classroom. What strengths (program and personal)can you draw on? Would you be willing to collaborate with a colleague to find ways to growprofessionally in self-identified areas? What other professional changes might benefit yourclassroom vis à vis implementation of the TEKS for LOTE?

Read Smith and Rawley’s article, then list at least five changes, prioritizing them from mostto least urgent, in your opinion.

Recommended Readings

Ballman, T. L. (1998). From teacher-centered to learner-centered: Guidelines for sequencingand presenting the elements of a FL lesson. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.),The coming of age of the profession (pp. 97-111). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Ballman’schapter highlights the benefits of learner-centered instruction and describes an instructionalsequence in which “one activity leads to the next, and student responsibility graduallyincreases” as teachers provide the linguistic support needed at each stage.

Lee, J. F., & VanPatten, B. (1995). Making communicative language teaching happen. NewYork: McGraw-Hill. (In particular, Chapters 1-3: “On Roles and Tasks,” “ResearchInsights,” and “Comprehensible Input”). Chapter 1 presents a rationale for the changes inthe role of the language teacher from that of being a provider of knowledge to one ofarchitect and resource person. Chapter 2 offers a highly readable look at research insights onthe acquisition of grammar, the effects of explicit instruction, and the development ofcommunicative language proficiency. Chapter 3 describes the kinds of target language inputthat are most useful to learners and provides numerous examples of how teachers can includemore input in their classrooms.

Phillips, J. K. (1998). Changing teacher/learner roles in standards-driven contexts. In J.Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.), The coming of age of the profession (pp. 3-14).Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Curricular changes brought on by the implementation of stateand national standards for students of LOTE have important implication for teachers ofLOTE as well. Within the context of the standards, both teachers’ and students’ roles willchange. Phillips outlines what those changes will be for teachers (e.g., increasedcompetencies, a repertoire of approaches) and for learners (e.g., more active participationand collaboration, strategizing).

Smith, A. N., & Rawley, L. A. (1998). Teachers taking the lead: Self-inquiry as professionaldevelopment. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.), The coming of age of theprofession (pp. 15-36). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. This chapter emphasizes the importantcontributions of classroom teachers to professional conversations and urges teachers to takethe lead by “telling their stories and portraying their views of what is important in theirwork.” The authors value the knowledge teachers gain from experience and encourage areflective model of professional development in which what is most often “tacit” knowledgebecomes explicit through questioning, reflection, study and discussion. They see teachersnot just as recipients of research, but—through self-inquiry—as researchers in their ownright with important contributions to make to the profession.


communication segment

V I D E O S 2 - 5


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ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION SEGMENT

Videos 2-5 each begin with an eight-minute segmentthat briefly defines the 5 Cs and provides detail on theprogram goal of Communication. The threecommunication modes (interpersonal, interpretive,presentational) are elaborated upon with both narrativeand illustrative classroom footage.

The focal program goal of Communication is presentedat the beginning of Videos 2-5 because it is inextricablylinked to the content of the other Cs. It is the vehicle by

which the other four are explored and, in turn, the content of Cultures, Connections,Comparisons, and Communities is used to further the communication skills.

This segment has been included in Videos 2-5 so that they can be used independently ofone another yet still contain the important message that Communication is what learninga language is all about. The remainder of each video features the other “C” for which itwas named.

Use the Communication Segment (Videos 2-5) to...

• Provide the audience with a brief refresher on the 5 Cs.

• Deliver the message that the development of communication skills is a key focus oflanguage study through which the other program goals can be explored.

• Review the communication modes and discuss the importance of creating learningexperiences and activities that use all three modes.

• Facilitate discussion about the importance of not just learning about language but alsousing it to communicate with others.

(0:00 – 2:50)

5 Cs

(2:51 – 3:39)

Language Skills

(3:40 – 5:44)

Interpersonal

(5:45 – 7:00)

Interpretive

(7:01 – 8:10)

Presentational

Episode Breakdown

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II

III

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• To review the 5 Cs ingeneral and theinterpersonal, interpretive,and presentationalcommunication modes indetail.

• To identify issues, concerns,or questions regarding the5 Cs and thecommunication skills andmodes.

• To contemplate the bigpicture of communication:to see it as a whole ofcontent, skills, and modes.

Goals for ParticipantsCOMMUNICATION PROGRAM GOAL AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The student communicates in a language other than English using the skills of listening,speaking, reading, and writing.

The novice level student is expected to:

(A) engage in oral and written exchanges of learned material to socialize and to provide and obtaininformation;

(B) demonstrate understanding of simple, clearly spoken, and written language such as simplestories, high-frequency commands, and brief instructions when dealing with familiar topics; and

(C) present information using familiar words, phrases, and sentences to listeners and readers.

The intermediate level student is expected to:

(A) engage in oral and written exchanges of learned material to socialize, to provide and obtaininformation, to express preferences and feelings, and to satisfy basic needs;

(B) interpret and demonstrate understanding of simple, straightforward, spoken and writtenlanguage such as instructions, directions, announcements, reports, conversations, briefdescriptions, and narrations; and

(C) present information and convey short messages on everyday topics to listeners and readers.

The advanced level student is expected to:

(A) engage in oral and written exchanges including providing and obtaining information, expressingfeelings and preferences, and exchanging ideas and opinions;

(B) interpret and demonstrate understanding of spoken and written language, including literature,on a variety of topics; and

(C) present information, concepts, and ideas on a variety of topics to listeners and readers.

Questions Addressed in the Communication Segment (Videos 2-5)

Review of the 5 Cs

The TEKS for LOTE are organized around the 5 Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections,Comparisons, and Communities.

What are the benefits of mastering the content of all five program goals? Is it possible to fit all of theCs into your curriculum? Are some Cs more important than others?

Communication Skills

Communicative proficiency includes the mastery of language skills including listening, speaking,reading, writing, viewing, and showing.

Are some language skills easier to teach than others? How do you deal with the variance in students’proficiency among the skills? Viewing and showing are relatively new to the language skill set; whyhave they been added, and what do they mean to you?

Communication Modes

Students use language skills to develop proficiency in three modes of communication: theinterpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes.

How do you provide practice in all three communication modes? Why is it necessary to do so? Doesuse of all three modes hinge on a student’s proficiency level? Why or why not?



Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with the Communication Segment (Videos 2-5). Provide participants copies of theTEKS for LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions that follow, and gather anyadditional supplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION

Participants use worksheet CS.1.1 for the following activity.

Before participants view this video segment, have them take a few minutes to mind map(create a graphic representation) of their understanding of the relationship among the 5 Cs,the language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, showing), and thecommunication modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).

• Provide colored pencils or markers for this task, and have participants use chart paper orthe space provided on Worksheet CS.1.1 to develop their mind map.

• Set the mind maps aside in a safe place as they will be used again later.

OBSERVATION

Refer to worksheets CS.2.1 and CS.2.2 for the following activities. Since the following sections arerelatively short, you may wish to have participants view the entire segment and then go back andview individual sections again as they are discussed by the group.

I 5 Cs (0:00 – 2:50)

This video segment emphasizes that mastery of the 5 Cs is the key to advanced proficiency ina foreign language. Ask participants to rank the Cs from “easiest to teach” through “mostchallenging to teach” and share their responses with a partner or the whole group.

Elicit challenges inherent to the teaching of each C. Examples include the following:

• Communication: Mastery of all three modes or teaching the new skills of viewing andshowing are challenges.

• Cultures: Knowing and teaching about cultural perspectives is complex becauseperspectives are not always known by non-native speakers and are often transparent fornative speakers.

• Connections: Making meaningful links between the target language and other subjectareas and finding authentic materials from which students can access information can betime-consuming.

• Comparisons: Abstract structures or lexical connotations and steering away from culturalstereotypes are challenges for this program goal.

• Communities: Finding linguistic and cultural resources beyond the classroom mayrequire a great deal of resourcefulness.

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II Language Skills (2:51 - 3:39)

Communicative proficiency derives from the mastery of different skills and modes. In additionto the traditional skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the TEKS for LOTEdocument includes viewing and showing as vital language skills.

• In groups of 2-3, have participants discuss what viewing and showing skills are and whythey are particularly important in the language classroom. Elicit responses from thegroups when they come back together.

• Ask how teachers often use viewing and showing skills in their classrooms to supplycontext to language that may not be 100% comprehensible to their students (e.g.,sketching on the board, pointing to pictures, using pantomime).

• Ask if they also require or encourage their students to do the same to make themselvesmore comprehensible.

III Interpersonal Mode (3:40 – 5:44)

This segment shows a mock job fair and e-mail pals to illustrate students using theinterpersonal mode.

• Ask for examples of other creative ways of getting students to exchange informationwhere they have to negotiate meaning, that is, extemporaneously adjust and clarify theirlanguage for a listener or reader.

• List all suggestions on a transparency or flip chart as participants brainstorm.

• Afterwards, have the group analyze the list to be sure each item actually requiresnegotiation.

IV Interpretive Mode (5:45 – 7:00)

When practicing the interpretive mode, students must determine meaning without interactingwith the language source.

Have participants work in small groups to identify at least three strategies language learners canuse to help them understand a text (oral or written) that may be just beyond their proficiencylevel. (Sample strategies may include looking/listening for cognates, guessing meaning fromcontext, applying prior knowledge, looking for root words, looking for visual cues, etc.)

V Presentational Mode (7:01 – 8:10)

Mastering the presentational mode is important, but students may often be reluctant toperform in front of the class.

Ask participants to list and then share some methods they use to lower the anxiety level of theirstudents for presentational activities in the target language. (Sample responses may includehaving students do presentations with a partner or group rather than solo, letting students choosethe medium they are most comfortable with—videotape rather than live, etc.)

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REFLECTION

Refer to worksheet CS.3.1 for the following activity.

Once participants have discussed the Communication segment, they reinforce the relevance ofthe communication skills and modes as they use them in the post-viewing activities based onthe mind maps created earlier.

• First have participants revise, enhance or re-create their mind maps using any informationgleaned from the video and related discussion.

• Post the mind maps around the room, and have participants engage in a gallery walk toview the works.

• After a few minutes, ask participants to work alone or in pairs on an activity on theworksheet. They choose one from among the three tasks representing the three modes.

• Allow adequate time for completion of the tasks, then reconvene the whole group so thatthose who chose Task 3 can make their presentations. Have participants who chose Task2 read their posted interpretations, and ask the “artist” if the interpretations match his orher intent. Those who chose Task 1 can share their reactions or anecdotes about theexperience and any “negotiation of meaning” that occurred. Elicit comments on thechoice of tasks among the group. Was any mode not selected, etc.?

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For the Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will needto have studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Explorationand Expansion activities. Evaluation worksheets should be provided at the end of the workshop.

EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets CS.4.1 to CS.4.3 for the following activities and readings for further study.

Provide a few minutes for individual participants to jot down different types of assignmentsthey regularly make that fall under the three communication mode categories.

• When they finish, ask participants to share and record their responses in three columnson the board or a flip chart, then divide participants into groups of five and have themdiscuss their responses to the questions using the Insiders/Outsiders activity describedin Appendix D (or another discussion option of your choice).

• For the second activity (p. CS.4.2), refer participants to their copy of the performanceexpectations for the Communication program goal (p. A-3), and guide them to fill inthe chart with a sample activity for each progress checkpoint. Refer them to therecommended readings (CS.4.3) for examples.

EXPANSION

Refer to worksheets CS.5.1 and CS.5.2 for the following activities and recommended readings.

Guide participants to read the teaching scenario, and allow them time to reflect on it usingthe activities and discussion questions on the worksheet.

• In the first task, provide chart paper for groups to develop a partial assessment rubric(the criteria and percentages but not the descriptors for each level). Post them on thewall so that participants can take a gallery walk and examine the work of the othergroups. They may also compare them with the ACTFL Performance Guidelines forK–12 Learners (see the recommended readings).

• For the second task, help participants evaluate the portion of their class time that isspent in truly communicative activities. Have them analyze the practice activities in achapter of their textbook using Lee and VanPatten’s definitions of mechanical,meaningful, and communicative tasks. Ask how they would make the mechanical andmeaningful activities more communicative. Encourage them to develop some“structured input” activities as described by the authors.

• Finally, invite participants to reflect on performance-based assessment and compare arecent evaluation they have used in class with Wiggin’s criteria for authenticity.

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EVALUATION

In Appendix E, you will find a self-assessment tool for teachers to use in evaluatingtheir strengths and identifying areas for growth with regard to helping their studentsmeet the Communication program goal. Pass out photocopies of the TeacherCompetencies for Professional Development: Communication Strand. Allow time forparticipants to complete it on their own at the end of the workshop, or encouragethem to reflect on it and fill it in at home.

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video viewing worksheetCS.1.1

PREPARATION

This video segment briefly defines the 5 Cs and provides an in-depth look at theCommunication program goal and, more specifically, the three communication modes(interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).

Before viewing the video, use this sheet of paper to create a mind map—a graphicrepresentation of your understanding of the relationship among the 5 Cs, the language skills(reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, showing), and the communication modes(interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational). Save the mind map to use again later.

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video viewing worksheetCS.2.1

OBSERVATION

I 5 Cs

The TEKS for LOTE and this video segment emphasize that mastery of the 5 Cs is the key toadvanced proficiency in LOTE. In your opinion, which C is the most challenging from a teachingperspective?

Rank the Cs from “easiest to teach” through “most challenging to teach,” and make notes as to whyyou ranked the Cs the way you did so that you can discuss your ranking with other participants.

Most Challenging to Teach

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Easiest to Teach

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video viewing worksheet1.2.1CS.2.2

II Language Skills

Communicative proficiency derives from the mastery of different skills and modes. In addition to thetraditional skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the TEKS for LOTE document lists viewingand showing as vital language skills.

What are these skills and why are they particularly important in the language classroom? Share yourthoughts with other participants. How often and in what ways do you develop the skills of viewingand showing in your classroom?

III Interpersonal Mode

The segment shows a mock job fair and e-mail pals to illustrate the interpersonal mode. What aresome other creative ways of getting students to exchange information where they have to negotiatemeaning? In other words, how do they have to extemporaneously adjust and clarify their language asan aid to comprehension for a listener or reader? Brainstorm ideas with the whole group.

IV Interpretive Mode

When practicing the interpretive mode, students must determine meaning without interacting withthe language source. What are some language learning strategies they can use to help themunderstand language that may be just beyond their proficiency level? Write some of them below andshare with other participants.

1)

2)

3)

V Presentational Mode

Mastering the presentational mode is important, but students may often be reluctant to perform infront of the class. List some techniques you use to lower students’ anxiety levels for presentationalactivities.

1)

2)

3)

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video viewing worksheet1.2.2CS.3.1

REFLECTION

Retrieve the mind map you created prior to viewing the video. Take ten minutes to revise, enhanceor re-create the mind map using any information you gleaned from the video and related activitiesor discussion. Post your mind map on the wall and take a few minutes to study those of the otherparticipants.

Finally, choose one of the following three activities to complete. For tasks 1 and 3, use the targetlanguage and your best communicative strategies to help group or audience members who might notunderstand the language.

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Task 1 – Interpersonal Mode Working in groups of three, describe and show your mind map to your partners and listen tothem describe and show theirs. Ask specific, complex questions of each other and respondaccordingly, elaborating on aspects that are not clear.

Task 2 – Interpretive ModeChoose a mind map other than your own from those on the gallery wall. Try to interpret itsmeaning, writing a few explanatory sentences on a piece of paper. Do not consult the mindmap’s artist! Post your interpretation next to that mind map.

Task 3 – Presentational ModePrepare a short explanation of your own mind map, and present it to the whole group using thetarget language that you teach. Use plenty of visual cues for those who might not understandthe language.


investigating furtherCS.4.1

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EXPLORATION

• Hall (1999) contends that the “principles of communication and communicativecompetence that underlie the Communication goal and its three standards provide aframe for designing a pedagogy of foreign language learning around involvement ina wide range of meaningful experiences that encompass the diversity ofcommunicative needs of our students” (p. 50).

Think about the classes you currently teach or have recently taught and reflect on thecommunicative needs of your students. Now list below several types of tasks youcommonly assign that fall under the three communication mode categories. Whenyou finish, discuss the questions that follow with other participants.

– What are the communicative needs of your students?

– Is it easier to think of assignments for some modes than it is for others? Which onesare easiest? Why do you think that is?

– Often when we think of communication, we focus on the oral skill. Look back atthe activities you listed and see if your assignments included listening? reading?writing? viewing? showing? What communication skills appear to get the leastattention in your classroom?

– Do the activities you listed reflect “a wide range of meaningful experiences?” Arethe assignments relevant to the real world as well as to the classroom?

I commonly ask my students to:

Interpersonal Tasks:

Interpretive Tasks:

Presentational Tasks:



The three performance expectations for theCommunication program goal correspond to the threemodes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive,and presentational. The Communication goal is theone whose performance expectations vary the most byeach progress checkpoint (proficiency level).

Use your copy of the TEKS for LOTE to study theperformance expectations for the three progresscheckpoints for Communication and compare themacross levels (A-novice to A-intermediate to A-advanced). Think of a task to illustrate theperformance expectations at each proficiency level andfill in the chart below. The readings for further study(p. 42) will help you prepare your answers.

CS.4.2

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES BY PROGRESS CHECKPOINT

Communication Communication CommunicationNovice Intermediate Advanced


A) A) A)

B) B) B)

C) C) C)

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For Further Study

Hall, J. K. (1999). The communication standard. In J. K. Phillips & R. M. Terry (Eds.),Foreign language standards: Linking research, theories, and practices (pp. 15-56).Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Hall begins with a brief overview oftheoretical considerations that support the central place of Communication in thestandards-based classroom and research on classroom discourse—the kind of targetlanguage communication that goes on in the typical foreign language class. The finalsection elaborates on implications for curriculum design based on Communication.Hall discusses how to create an environment in which learners can best develop theirskills in the three communication domains (modes): interpersonal, interpretive, andpresentational.

Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2000). Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized languageinstruction. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. [In particular, chapters 6, 8, and 9: “Using anInteractive Approach to Develop Interpretive Skills,” “Developing Oral Interpersonaland Presentational Communication,” and “Developing Written Communication SkillsThrough Integration of the Three Modes.”] Each of these chapters begins with aconceptual orientation that outlines the theoretical principles related to the chaptertopic. This overview of the topic and related research is followed by episodes andcase studies that provide an opportunity to consider the topic in a specific context.Chapter 6 introduces the three modes, then focuses on an interactive model fordeveloping interpretive (listening and reading) skills. Chapter 8 offers engagingexamples of interpersonal and presentational (oral) activities, and Chapter 9 tells howto integrate the three modes to help learners develop their ability to communicate inwriting.



M s. Wharton and her colleagues in the Spanish department at Somewhere HighSchool are discussing a proposal to use the ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12Learners to develop an evaluation to assess their students’ communicative ability

relative to their level of study. She believes it is important to evaluate students in all three modesof communication; she finds that several of her colleagues have additional opinions on what the

evaluation should include.

Mr. Ware suggests that performance doesn’t matter much if it doesn’t reflect cultural awareness, and Ms.Bergman mentions the importance of accuracy in communicative interactions. Mr. Garcia insists that anextensive vocabulary and the use of strategies like circumlocution are important components ofcommunication and should also be considered.

All agree that the evaluation must include both written and oral communication and productive andreceptive skills. They also agree that the assessment must reflect the real world goals suggested by thestandards. They decide to meet next week to discuss a format for this departmental assessment.

Teaching Scenario

EXPANSION

In this video segment, several teachers mention that what students want most is to learn tocommunicate—to use the target language. Do you agree? What do you think students mean when theysay they want to learn to communicate in the target language? Do the practice activities in yourtextbook help students develop real world communication skills? What does communication mean toyou? What components comprise one’s communicative ability? How is it developed? How can it beassessed?

Read the following teaching scenario and then reflect on the questions that follow and/or discuss yourreactions with your group. The recommended readings should help you prepare your responses.

1) With which of these Spanish teachers do your opinions align most closely? Are there otherimportant elements of one’s communicative ability that they did not mention? If you were toassess your students’ communicative ability at the end of the year, what components would youinclude on your rubric?

List the components and assign a percentage to each according to its relative importance in youropinion. Compare your components with the performance domains of the ACTFL PerformanceGuidelines for K-12 Learners. Are there variations? Explain how you arrived at your conclusions.

2) Most teachers agree that grammatical accuracy plays an important role in one’s ability tocommunicate well in another language. They also recognize that the ability to excel at structuredpractice may not necessarily translate into communicative proficiency. Furthermore, teachersoften find that, once the structured practice in the textbook has been completed, there is littletime left over for real-world communication.

Read how Lee and VanPatten (1995) classify the grammar practice activities commonly found intextbooks, then analyze a chapter in the text that you currently use. Choose a chapter at random,and look at each activity found there, identifying it as mechanical, meaningful, or communicativeaccording to Lee and VanPatten’s classifications. How many activities did you identify ascommunicative? How many did you find in which students are encouraged to negotiate for

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meaning—to ask follow-up questions, request clarification, come to an agreement,elaborate on their answer, etc.?

Look at those you classified as meaningful, and brainstorm ways that you might makethem more communicative. You might also want to try your hand at developing somestructured input activities as described by Lee and VanPatten in Chapter 5.

3) Think about all the ways you evaluate the communicative abilities of your students:quizzes and exams, homework assignments, projects, portfolios, class work, etc. Howmany of these assessments evaluate learners’ ability to use the target language for real-world purposes? Since the TEKS for LOTE are performance-based standards, assessmentsof students’ progress in meeting the goals must include performance-based tasks.

Choose a recent chapter or unit evaluation that you used in class and compare it toWiggins’ description of authentic assessment. Does it include real-world tasks? Is at leastpart of it performance-based? How could you revise it to make it more authentic?


American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1998). ACTFL Performanceguidelines for K-12 learners. Yonkers, NY: Author. Inspired by the ACTFL ProficiencyGuidelines and Standards for Foreign Language Learning (national standards document),these performance guidelines attempt to describe “how well” learners (who beginlanguages at various entry-points) should do “what.” They are organized in chart formataccording to the three communication modes (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational),three benchmarks (novice, intermediate, and pre-advanced), and six performancedomains (comprehensibility, comprehension, language control, vocabulary usage,communication strategies, and cultural awareness.)

Lee, J. F., & VanPatten, B. (1995) Making communicative language teaching happen. NewYork: McGraw-Hill. (Chapter 5, “Grammar Instruction as Structured Input”) Thischapter looks at traditional approaches to grammar instruction and the “tenets thatunderlie it.” The authors contend that a traditional approach is incompatible withcommunicative language learning and propose a new kind of grammar instruction thatfocuses learners’ attention on form-meaning connections; that is, they introduce newstructures in such a way that the “grammatical form carries meaning and learners mustattend to the form in order to complete the task.”

Wiggins, G. (1996). Toward more authentic assessment of language performances. In C.Hancock (Ed.) Teaching, testing, and assessment: Making the connection (pp. 69-86).Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Wiggins believes that learners should be“taught by their tests how language challenges are typically encountered in the world.” Hedefines “performance,” discusses the criteria for “authenticity,” and provides examples ofauthentic tests.


communication & cultures

V I D E O 2


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ABOUT COMMUNICATION & CULTURES

This 30-minute video takes an in-depth look at the Program Goal of Cultures. Following theeight-minute Communication Segment (included in each of Videos 2-5), there are severalbrief interviews and comments by teachers and others involved in LOTE education. Thesenarratives present some important elements of teaching culture and provide real-worldexamples of how teachers implement Cultures into their language classrooms and why it isimportant to do so.

Also included is video footage of several classes where the current focus is the Cultures programgoal.

• One teacher helps her students discover the significance of the café in French life throughrole-play and an innovative classroom setting.

• A teacher of Arabic discusses the importance of getting students to look beyond theirpreconceived notions of the Arab world in order to better understand its cultures whichare rooted in civilizations that are thousands of years old.

• Teachers and students of Spanish celebrate el Día de los Muertos, using literature andother aspects of the holiday to gain a better understanding of the cultures behind it.

Throughout Video 2, the terms practices, products, and perspectives are used. Practices (whatpeople do) and products (what people create, both tangible and intangible) are nothing newto the LOTE classroom. Language teachers know what these are for the cultures associatedwith the language they teach and integrate them into their lessons. The teaching and learningof perspectives (how people perceive things) is a more complex and somewhat new element inthe teaching of culture. Connecting the three is important; there is simply no separating aculture’s practices and products from its perspectives.

Use Video 2: Communication & Cultures to...

• Facilitate discussion about the elements and issues involved in teaching cultures.

• Review the concepts of practices, products, and perspectives and discuss their relativeinterdependence.

• Show several means of delivering cultural content in the LOTE classroom.

• Deliver the message that the learning of LOTE is inseparable from the learning ofculture.

(0:00 – 1:19)

Portrayal of

Culture

(1:20 – 8:28)

Communication

Segment

(8:29 – 12:24)

Reflections on

Teaching Culture

(12:25 – 17:14)

Practices and

Perspectives

(17:15 – 21:22)

Dispelling Myths

(21:23 – end)

Products and

Perspectives

Episode Breakdown

I

II

III

IV

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• To better understand theCultures program goal ingeneral and the concepts ofpractices, products, andperspectives in particular.

• To identify issues, concerns,and/or questions withregard to the teaching ofCultures.

• To practice identifyingcultural perspectivesassociated with productsand practices.

Goals for ParticipantsCULTURES PROGRAM GOAL AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The student gains knowledge and understanding of other cultures.


(A) demonstrate an understanding of the practices (what people do) and how they arerelated to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied; and

(B) demonstrate an understanding of the products (what people create) and how they arerelated to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.

The intermediate (advanced) level student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to demonstrate anunderstanding of the practices (what people do) and how they are related to theperspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied; and

(B) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to demonstrate anunderstanding of the products (what people create) and how they are related to theperspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.

Questions Addressed in Video 2: Communication & CulturesLanguage and Culture are Inseparable.

Teacher Arun Precash puts it well: “Language is the portrayal of culture.”

Why must culture be included as part of the LOTE curriculum? How much culture is enough? Do yousee culture as an integral part of everyday lesson plans or as something separate to be done as itsown unit?

The Learning of Cultures is Multi-Faceted.

Students use their teachers’ knowledge, technology, study abroad, and their personal experiencesto learn about target cultures.

What local resources are there for delivering cultural content to students? If local resources are notplentiful, how else might teachers provide students with opportunities to learn about target culturesin meaningful ways? What are the benefits of making cultural content accessible in varied formats?

Cultures are Comprised of Practices, Products, and Perspectives.

The study of cultures includes the observation and analysis of its products, practices, andperspectives.

Do you integrate the concepts of cultural practices, products, and perspectives into languageinstruction? How do you see the relationship among the three? Can you identify the perspectivesthat influence the products and practices of the culture(s) associated with the language you teach?If you are not a native speaker, how do you verify your hypotheses about perspectives?



Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with the Video 2, Communication & Cultures. Provide participants copies of the TEKSfor LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions that follow, and gather any additionalsupplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION


This video focuses on issues related to the teaching and learning of the Cultures program goal.

• Ask participants to take a few minutes to reflect and then write down three ways inwhich they currently use cultural content in the classroom for language practice andgrowth.

• Form small groups to compare these and list the different strategies they find.

OBSERVATION

Refer to worksheets 2.2.1 to 2.2.3 for the following activities.

I Portrayal of Culture (0:00 – 1:19)

The teacher at the beginning of the video states that “language is the portrayal of culture.” Askparticipants to think of specific examples or anecdotes to illustrate this statement and sharewith the group.

II Reflections on Teaching Culture (8:29 – 12:24)

In this segment, five individuals discuss various elements important to cultural contentinstruction. Ask participants to jot down what they think is the key point that each individualmakes. Use the follow-up suggestions below to draw out their responses.

• Helen Nakamoto describes the Japanese business card and a perspective underlying it.Ask if there is a parallel example of such a product in the culture(s) they teach.

• Arun Precash demonstrates a greeting extended to women in India and tells why it isimportant to know about it. Elicit perspectives behind the tacit rules for greeting inAmerican culture.

• Dan Bolen makes the point that learning about other cultures helps students increasetheir knowledge of their own culture, but he doesn’t give any specific examples. Askparticipants for examples, or have them tell about an “aha” experience they have had withregard to American culture as a result of learning something about another.

• Rose Potter mentions that the study abroad experience has benefits beyond those of alinguistic nature and refers to the broadened perspective that travel affords. Askparticipants to think back on a learning experience they had in another culture thatcould not have been replicated in the classroom and to share it with a partner.

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• Marybeth Hughes talks about how communications technology has enabled today’sLOTE students to learn in real time about the life experiences of someone fromanother culture. Ask about other kinds of technology besides e-mail that participantsuse to help learners connect with the target culture(s) in meaningful ways.

III Practices and Perspectives (12:25 – 17:14)

In this segment, participants hear about the French classrooms of Rosalon Moorhead andYvette Heno.

• Ask them to take a few minutes to list authentic materials they use or would like touse that could prompt a better understanding among students about target culturepractices and perspectives.

• Encourage the whole group to share as you list their responses on a flip chart or anoverhead transparency.

IV Dispelling Myths (17:15 – 21:22)

Two teachers discuss the importance of dispelling stereotypes in this video segment.

• After viewing this section, elicit examples of stereotypes they have heard their studentsexpress about members of the target culture(s).

• Elicit stereotypes they have heard about the “typical” American, and ask participantsto discuss the misconceptions upon which they are based.

• Ask for volunteers to describe the types of activities they use to enhance knowledgeand reduce stereotyping with regard to the target culture(s) they teach.

V Products and Perspectives (21:23 – end)

In this video segment, several Spanish teachers share how they incorporate target cultureproducts and perspectives on traditional Mexican holidays into their classes.

• After participants have viewed this portion of the video, tell them to fill in the charton worksheet 2.2.3, hypothesizing about the target culture perspectives related tosample target culture products selected.

• Ask participants to reveal what new things the exercise helped them learn about thetarget culture.

REFLECTION


Role-play can be an effective means for learning about a culture while practicing language skills.

• Prepare strips of paper, each with one of the products or practices listed on the next page.Assign or allow groups to select one strip of paper about which they will prepare a role-play dramatizing the American perspectives associated with that product or practice.

• Ask participants to make notes on the handout as they watch each role-play. Afterwards,ask them to discuss the perspectives of American culture that they believe wereportrayed. For example, for the product “fast food,” a role-play might show peoplegulping tasteless food in order to hurry back to work, illustrating that Americansconsume fast food because time is valued more than the quality of their food.

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– PRODUCTS: microwave ovens, HMOs, amusement parks, school-sponsoredactivities (e.g., sports, clubs), hired dog walkers, talk shows (e.g., Jerry Springer,Oprah), concealed weapons, “dry” counties, SUVs, storage units, NASCAR, all-you-can-eat buffets

– PRACTICES: one-stop shopping, road rage, going to a dog park, tailgating, workingovertime, telecommuting, hiring a wedding planner

For the Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will need tohave studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Exploration andExpansion activities. Evaluation worksheets should be provided at the end of the workshop.

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EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets 2.4.1 and 2.4.2 for the following activities and readings for further study.

Participants work in pairs or small groups to consider issues and concerns related to Cultures,to reflect on their own classrooms, and to choose from the readings for further study whichwill provide an in-depth look at the issue.

• Ask participants to share ideas from the readings that they find most stimulating.

• To follow-up, pairs or groups select an authentic text. Suggest that they look back at theirresponses to Observation III on worksheet 2.2.2 where they list some authentic texts.They then develop a student-centered activity using the text they have chosen that willallow learners to compare an element of the target culture with their own culture.

EXPANSION


Guide participants to read the teaching scenario and to reflect on it using the activities anddiscussion questions on the worksheet.

• The first three tasks ask them to reflect on what they have read, the use of the targetlanguage in their own classroom to discuss complex topics such as literature and culture,and the use of the target language with beginning-level learners. Use a variety offacilitation techniques from Appendix D to vary the discussion formats.

• In the final task, language groups develop a sequence of activities to allow learners todiscuss a cultural topic at the appropriate proficiency level. Leave time for each group toshare its sample activity sequence.

EVALUATION

In Appendix E, you will find a self-assessment tool for teachers to use in evaluating theirstrengths and identifying areas for growth with regard to helping their students meet theCultures program goal. Pass out photocopies of the Teacher Competencies for ProfessionalDevelopment: Cultures Strand. Allow time for participants to complete it on their own at theend of the workshop, or encourage them to reflect on it and fill it in at home.







PREPARATION

Video 2 focuses on concepts related to the teaching and learning of the Cultures program goal.

Take a few minutes to reflect and then write down three ways in which you currently use culturalcontent in the classroom for language practice and growth. Compare answers with otherparticipants, and see how many different strategies you find.

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OBSERVATION

I Portrayal of Culture

At the beginning of Video 2, Arun Precash states that “language is the portrayal of culture.” Canyou think of a specific example or anecdote to illustrate this statement?

II Reflections on Teaching Culture

In this segment, five individuals discuss various elements that are important to cultural content andinstruction. As you listen, list the key point that each one makes.

• Helen Nakamoto (Japanese teacher)

• Arun Precash (Hindi teacher)

• Dan Bolen (Administrator)

• Rose Potter (Study/travel abroad advocate)

• Marybeth Hughes (LOTE Coordinator)



III Practices and Perspectives

Rosalon Moorhead has converted her classroom into a French café in order for her students tolearn about the important role that the café plays in French life. Yvette Heno uses informationfrom the French news to host an American-style talk show, thus bringing a French perspective toAmerican issues and media formats.

Take a few minutes to list authentic materials you use or would like to use to promote anunderstanding of target culture practices and perspectives. Share how you have gained access touseful target culture documents.

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PRODUCT CATEGORY

Culinary Items

Religious Artifacts

Clothing

Works of Art

Educational System

Transportation System

Government

Other

EXAMPLE OF A PRODUCTFROM A CHOSEN CULTURE

WHAT THE PRODUCT REVEALS ABOUT UNDERLYNG PERSPECTIVES

IV Dispelling Myths

The cultures of less commonly taught languages such as Arabic are often enigmatic or completely unfamiliarto American students. Yvette Heno and Fadwa Saqer work to encourage knowledge of the Arab world and itslong history as well as to dispel cultural stereotypes and misconceptions.

Share some stereotypes students may have about the peoples who speak the language you teach. Identify somestereotypes others may hold about the “typical American.” Provide examples of activities you use to enhanceknowledge and reduce stereotyping with regard to the target culture(s) where that language is spoken.

V Products and Perspectives

Spanish teachers Aurora Hansis, Teresa Tattersall, and Yolanda Soliz talk about how they incorporate theproducts and perspectives of el Día de los Muertos into a classroom celebration of this traditional Mexicanholiday. The products their students learn about and create (e.g., the satirical poems and skull/skeletonpuppets) reveal information about Mexican perspectives on death (e.g., it is not necessarily scary and canbe humorous).

Reflect on perspectives of the target culture(s) you teach as you complete the chart below.

TARGET CULTURE: ____________________________________


video viewing worksheet

REFLECTION

Consider an American product or practice from among those offered by the session leader. Then think aboutthe American perspective(s) reflected in it. Working with a partner, develop a brief role play involving theproduct or practice selected that dramatizes an associated American perspective. Present your role play to thewhole group who will try to identify the perspective(s) portrayed. Use the chart below to take notes as youwatch the other role-plays.

2.3.1

PRODUCT PRACTICE RELATED PERSPECTIVE(S)


GRO

UP 1

GRO

UP 2

GRO

UP 3

GRO

UP 4

GRO

UP 5


EXPLORATION

• Hoecherl-Alden (2000) says that “[t]hose who have attained basic knowledge of a secondlanguage alongside a list of cultural facts remain, for all intents and purposes, monolingual,having merely glimpsed the target culture and the language informing it.” Think about thedegree to which the Cultures program goal is reflected in your classroom. To begin, considerthe following questions:

– Do you feel confident in your knowledge of a variety of target culture products andpractices and your understanding of target culture perspectives related to them? Are youreadily able to use technological resources to keep up-to-date?

– Is culture a foundation of your curriculum or is it more of an “add-on” component? Howmuch of what goes on in your classroom is based on the target culture and related products,practice, and perspectives? To what degree are themes approached from the perspectives ofthe target culture(s)?

– Do you guide your students to explore the target culture through the observation anddescription of it? Do you guide them in hypothesis formation and refinement? Have youattempted to instill self-awareness in students with regard to their own culture? Do theyalso have access to target culture reflections on their culture?

– How do you avoid stereotyping members of other cultures and help students to do so also?Is the target culture portrayed from a middle-class, mainstream perspective in yourclassroom or from a variety of social, economic, and geographic identities?

• Choose one or more of the readings for further study on page 58, and discuss with otherworkshop participants the ideas you find most stimulating.

– What ideas did you uncover related to any concerns you might have regarding theimplementation of Cultures? Share one idea that stimulated you to want to undertake a newactivity or unit of study with your students. Were there any ideas you did not agree with orunderstand?

• To follow up, choose a theme that your students would enjoy exploring based on ideas that youhave gathered from the readings and discussion. Imagine ways in which target cultureproducts, practices, and perspectives could form the core of students’ exploration of the theme.

List four authentic texts (oral or written, including any technological resources such as theInternet, film, CDs, etc.) that you could use to introduce the theme. Choose one authentic textand, based on it, create a student-centered activity through which learners explore an elementof the target culture and hypothesize on the related perspectives.

1.

2.

3.

4.

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sGalloway, V. (1999). Bridges and boundaries: Growing the cross-cultural mind. In M. A.

Kassen (Ed.), Language learners of tomorrow: Process and promise (pp. 151-187).Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. In this chapter, Galloway asserts that thetraditional approach to teaching culture by “bridge-building” should give way to what shecalls “growing the cross-cultural mind.” To this end, she proposes a complete paradigm shiftfrom information sharing about other cultures to an individual process of inquiry and reflection,of hypothesis-testing. Culture becomes the sub-text for all “language” learning and for all otherprogram goals. Galloway discusses the cross-cultural inquiry model through the lens of the 5Cs and provides examples of many useful activities for engaging learners in this reflectiveprocess.

Lange, D. L. (1998). Planning for and using the new national culture standards. In J. K. Phillips& R. M. Terry (Eds.), Foreign language standards: Linking research, theories, and practice(pp. 57-135). (ACTFL Series) Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Lange contendsthat in spite of the attention devoted to it in the past forty years, the teaching of culture remainsa superficial component of the language classroom. The National Standards Project andstandards developed by individual AATs lead us away from an information sharing approachto culture learning and toward one in which culture is seen as an integral part of languagelearning. There are, however, issues related to national, state, and AAT standards for culture.These are discussed along with theoretical models for teaching culture, curricularorganization, assessment, instruction, and research related to culture learning.

For Further Study



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2.5.1

EXPANSION

In this video, a teacher explains that she uses only French in her classroom and insists that herstudents do so as well. How do you feel about her comments? Do you consider target language usein the classroom as a cultural “text”?

Read the following teaching scenario and then reflect on the questions that follow and/or discussyour reactions with your group. The recommended readings should help you prepare your responses.

The French teachers at George Washington High School have had numerousdiscussions lately in light of their desire to increase their students’ oral proficiency. Ms.Williams teaches Advanced Placement French IV classes at her school. She is quite

pleased with her students; they do excellent work on their written assignments and read atan advanced level. They have no trouble understanding what she says in class, even though

she conducts the entire lesson in French.

Ms. Williams feels it adds cultural authenticity to speak only French with her students. Her onlydisappointment is the students’ reluctance to use the language for what she considers realcommunication. They do not hesitate to read their answers to comprehension questions or to ask fora hall pass in French, but when she introduces discussion questions based on a reading, forexample, she is hard-pressed to get anyone to make eye-contact, much less say anything in French.

Ms. Lane, the Level I teacher says she uses French for classroom management with her students whoare beginners. When she uses French for other purposes, her students become frustrated andcomplain that they have no idea what she’s saying. Perhaps after they’ve studied the languagelonger…?

Mr. Carlson, the Level II teacher also uses French for classroom management; he conducts the classin French about half the time. He feels it is too difficult to teach grammar and especially culture usingthe target language; he does not want to slight those important components of the curriculum.

Teaching Scenario

1) Do you agree that speaking only the target language adds to cultural authenticity of theclassroom? Why do you think the AP students in Ms. Williams’ class do not respond to thediscussion questions that she proposes? At what ACTFL proficiency level would you expecta language learner to be able to participate in an extemporaneous discussion: intermediate?advanced? superior? What do learners need to know and be able to do before they discuss atopic? What steps could Ms. Williams take to prepare her students to discuss a literarypassage they have read?

2) What percent of the time do you expect a teacher to use the target language in a first yearclass? Why would learners get frustrated and/or complain when the instructor uses thelanguage that they are there to learn? What are some strategies you can use to help studentsunderstand when you use the target language in class? What are some strategies yourstudents need to acquire to help them understand when you are using the target language?



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3) Do you believe the target language should be used with beginning students to talk aboutsuch potentially complex issues as cultural perspectives? If not, at what level do you expectstudents to be able to understand such an explanation? If so, are you willing to use Englishif your students simply don’t “get it”? How have you been able to use the target languageto help students learn about the target culture?

4) Think of a cultural topic you would like your students to be able to “discuss”—at theappropriate proficiency level. Use suggestions from the readings listed below to develop asequence of activities that would prepare the students to be able to do so.

Include background knowledge students would need to understand the topic, relatedvocabulary and structures, communicative small group practice, etc. Share your ideas withother participants.


David, R. L., & Siskin, H. J. (1994). I can’t get them to talk: Task content andsequencing in the advanced conversation course. In G. K. Crouse (Ed.), Meeting newchallenges in the foreign language classroom (pp. 39-54). Lincolnwood, IL: NationalTextbook Company. Advanced oral skills are not an automatic outcome of havingmastered the structures and lexicon of the target language. Nor does providing learnerswith an interesting topic of conversation necessarily lead to a lively discussion. Essential tothe learners’ ability to “discuss” a topic according to the authors is appropriate design andsequencing of tasks. The authors provide a sample unit that can be used as a model forteachers who wish to design speaking activities for their students.

Omaggio Hadley, A. (1993). Teaching language in context, 2nd edition. Boston: Heinle& Heinle. [See especially Chapter 5, “A proficiency-oriented approach to listening andreading” as it relates to the development of the listening skill (pp. 162-195) and Chapter 6,“Developing oral proficiency.”] In Chapter 5, Omaggio discusses the processes and skillsinvolved in listening comprehension and recommends a plan for designing listeningactivities. The chapter provides numerous specific examples of activity types: pre-listening,listening for the gist, listening with visuals and many more. Chapter 6 addresses thedevelopment of learners’ ability to speak the target language. Omaggio discussescharacteristics of learners “interlanguage”—that less than perfect production of the targetlanguage that gradually approaches the “real thing”—and comments on its implication forinstruction. Once again she recommends a plan for designing speaking activities andprovides many specific examples.


communication & connections

V I D E O 3


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ABOUT COMMUNICATION & CONNECTIONS

Video 3 takes an in-depth look at the program goal of Connections. After a brief introductionand the eight-minute Communication Segment that is included in Videos 2-5, this video featuresseven different classrooms and educators connecting to other subject areas and using the languageto connect with target language resources.

Teachers can implement the Connections program goal by providing students with opportunitiesto access information in the target language.

• In Video 3, students access information in French by reading and referencing a weatherreport from a French publication as they connect to the disciplines of math, geography, andscience.

• A Spanish teacher helps her students to access information in Spanish by providing themwith authentic, Spanish-language materials such as Mexican report cards, phone books,invitations, and more.

• Spanish students in another classroom use Spanish-language web sites to do research onVenezuela.

Teachers can also implement the Connections program goal by developing interdisciplinarylessons. This video features:

• footage of the ultimate in interdisciplinary learning: the immersion classroom where thetarget language is used for instruction in all content areas;

• a Spanish IV class connecting to history, social studies, and the fine arts through the studyof target culture visual arts and drama;

• a FLES teacher who uses Spanish with her young students to reinforce TAAS objectives byimplementing a lesson on sentence structure that mirrors what the students have learned inEnglish Language Arts; and

• a class of heritage language learners using Spanish to study art and history in a lesson thataffords them opportunities to explore their own cultural heritage and reinforces andexpands on the school’s history curriculum.

Use Video 3: Communication & Connections to...

• Review the objectives of accessing target language information and connecting toother subject areas.

• Facilitate discussion about issues related to interdisciplinary language learning andtarget language resources.

• Show some innovative means of implementing the Connections program goal inthe LOTE classroom.

• Deliver the message that connecting to other subject areas and using targetlanguage materials can make language learning more real and therefore moremeaningful and motivating to students.

Episode Breakdown

(0:00 – 8:12)

Communication

Segment

(8:13 – 15:04)

Access to

Information

(15:05 – 18:36)

Content Immersion

(18:37 – end)

Interdisciplinary

Connections

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• To review the Connectionsprogram goal in generaland the notions ofinterdisciplinary connectionsand access to informationin detail.

• To identify issues, concerns,or questions with regard tothe implementation of theConnections program goal.

• To weigh the significance oflearning from original,untranslated targetlanguage material and todevelop new ideas onmaking meaningfulinterdisciplinaryconnections.

Goals for ParticipantsCONNECTIONS PROGRAM GOAL AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The student uses the language to make connections with other subject areas and toacquire information.


(A) use resources (that may include technology) in the language and cultures being studiedto gain access to information; and

(B) use the language to obtain, reinforce, or expand knowledge of other subject areas.


(A) use resources (that may include technology) in the language and cultures being studiedat the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to gain access to information; and

(B) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to obtain, reinforce, orexpand knowledge of other subject areas.

Questions Addressed in Video 3: Communication & ConnectionsLearning LOTE is Interdisciplinary.

Students add to their educational experience by using LOTE to connect to other subject areaswithin the school curriculum.

What are some reasons for connecting students of LOTE to other disciplines? What subject areas havenatural connections to LOTE? Which ones are more difficult to connect to? Do you have to be anexpert in another subject area in order to make connections to it? Do you collaborate with colleaguesfrom other disciplines in order to make interdisciplinary connections as meaningful as possible?

The Study of Languages Affords Students Access to New Information.

Students who have knowledge and skills in LOTE have expanded access to information that isnot always available to those who know only English.

Why is it important for students to acquire information originally created in the target language(versus a translation)? What insight can target language sources lend to the study of culturalperspectives? What advantages do students of LOTE have over peers who are limited to English-only resources? What target language resources are available to your students inside theclassroom? Do you provide information about linguistic resources outside of the classroom?

Making Connections Provides Insight and Motivation.

Reinforcing what students are learning in other classes makes subject matter increasinglyrelevant to them. Having access to original target language texts provides students with aninsider’s view of the target language and culture.

What are some of the abstract benefits of connecting to other subject areas? How does learningabout another subject area or doing research using authentic materials expand a student’s circle ofexperience? What evidence have you seen that students are more engaged when they recognizethe target language’s relevancy outside the LOTE classroom walls? How can you alter yourConnections curriculum for different proficiency levels or age groups? What are some of theobstacles to developing meaningful connections?



Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with Video 3, Communication & Connections. Provide participants copies of theTEKS for LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions that follow, and gather anyadditional supplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION


Before viewing the video, participants should reflect on the various disciplines that theyincorporate into their teaching of LOTE.

• Allow time for participants to fill in the figures on the worksheet.

• Ask volunteers to share what and how they already “connect” in their LOTE classroom.

• Elicit specific target language resources and the strategies used with them.

OBSERVATION


I Access to Information (8:13 – 15:04)

Ask participants to share the target language resources they noted on the worksheet as theywatched this segment of the video.

• Emphasize and reinforce positive characteristics of those materials (e.g., interesting tostudents, applicable to the lesson being taught, task-appropriate to the proficiency-level).

• Brainstorm with participants to add other resources to the list. Use a flip chart ortransparency to record responses.

II Content Immersion (15:05 – 18:36)

In this activity, participants discuss how teaching language through content (as in thetraditional foreign language classroom) is distinct from teaching content through language (asin the immersion classroom in the video).

• Have participants work in groups of three to make a mind-map illustrating keydifferences between and characteristics of the two instructional approaches.

• Ask each group to present and briefly explain their mind-map, or post maps around theroom and let participants take a “gallery walk.”

III Interdisciplinary Connections (18:37 – end)

Participants will take notes on the knowledge and skills that are reinforced/expanded upon inthis segment’s featured classrooms.

• As they complete their notes, post three pieces of chart paper around the room, onelabeled Knowledge Reinforced, one labeled Skills Reinforced, and one labeled KnowledgeExpanded.

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• Provide one example under each heading:

Knowledge Reinforced: historical facts, sentence structure terminologySkills Reinforced: identification of major artists, parsing sentences Knowledge Expanded: segments of history not covered in regular LOTE

curriculum, recognition of cultural symbolism in art

• Ask participants to move about freely, adding examples to each chart from the video andfrom their own experiences.

• After several minutes, reconvene the group and ask participants to elaborate on theirexamples and/or ask questions of others. Ask how they think the reinforcement/expansion ofknowledge and skills affects students.

REFLECTION


Begin by reading together the paragraph that begins with “Lost in Translation.” Then askparticipants to work in target language groups to respond to the questions on the worksheetrelated to accessing original vs. translated texts and target language vs. American texts on the sametopic.

• Use a strategy such as Insiders/Outsiders (See Appendix D) or one of your own to guidetheir discussion.

• Allow 15-20 minutes for small group work, then come back to the whole group to share.

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For Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will need tohave studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Exploration andExpansion activities. Evaluation worksheets should be provided at the end of the workshop.

EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets 3.4.1 to 3.4.3 for the following activities and readings for further study.

In these activities, participants consider what it really means to connect to another disciplineand how technology and content-based instruction can facilitate those connections.

• Using the chart on worksheet 3.4.1, participants compare and add to two lists of tasks.(The activities in the left-hand column exemplify situations in which students arelearning about language through a task related to another discipline. The activities in theright-hand column illustrate tasks in which students are using the target language tolearn about the other subject area.) Ask participants to add pairs of tasks in each columnand discuss the differences.

• Next, participants engage in a reflection on the (their) use of technology in LOTEinstruction. Allow time for completing the first two columns of the chart on 3.4.2, andthen ask participants to offer suggestions for the disadvantages that are mentioned.Readings under For Further Study (p. 74) can help them prepare their answers for thisactivity and the one that follows.

• In the last task, participants use the readings by Bragger and Rice and Met to developdefinitions for a variety of terms used to describe programs that focus, to varying degrees,on content learning. Ask volunteers to share the definition of their preferred programtype and to compare it with their current program.

EXPANSION


Guide participants to read the teaching scenario and to reflect on it using the activities anddiscussion questions on the worksheet.

• For the first task, place flip charts or giant post-it notes around the room, each with aheading or key words conveying one of the expressed concerns related to implementinginterdisciplinary projects. Use the Carousel technique described in Appendix D tofacilitate discussion. Groups move from chart to chart, adding new ideas as to how eachconcern can be addressed.

• For the second task, ask volunteers to share their positive experiences with collaborativeprojects and electronic discussion groups in which they have engaged.

• The third task provides an opportunity for participants to work in language groups tobrainstorm ideas for a thematic, interdisciplinary unit based on the Texas EssentialKnowledge and Skills for another discipline such as mathematics, history, geography, etc.

EVALUATION

In Appendix E, you will find a self-assessment tool for teachers to use in evaluating their strengthsand identifying areas for growth with regard to helping their students meet the Connectionsprogram goal. Pass out photocopies of the Teacher Competencies for Professional Development:Connections Strand. Allow time for participants to complete it on their own at the end of theworkshop, or encourage them to reflect on it and fill it in at home.

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Video 3 focuses on the teaching and learning of the Connections program goal. The program goalhas two components: access to information and connecting to other subject areas.

Take a few minutes to reflect on the subject areas you might incorporate in your teaching of LOTE.Use the figures below to list three favorite subject areas, target language resources for each, andstrategies for using them.

PREPARATION

SUBJECT AREA

RESOURCES STRATEGIES

SUBJECT AREA


SUBJECT AREA




OBSERVATION

I Access to Information

Teachers use a variety of target language resources to enrich their lessons. As you watch this section, notethe types of target language resources used or mentioned by these teachers. What others can you think of?

• Robert Swope (French Teacher):

• Shari Harris (Spanish Teacher):

• Zenda Gutiérrez (Spanish Teacher):

II Content Immersion

In Joyce Ramos’s immersion classroom, Spanish is the medium for learning the first grade curriculum.Assistant Principal Dan Bolen mentions that Joyce and the other immersion teachers at her school do“whatever it takes” to make sure that the curriculum is understood and mastered.

How is teaching language through content (as in the traditional foreign language classroom) distinct fromteaching content through language (as in the immersion classroom)? How are the teaching skills different?What is most challenging about each? How does students’ motivation/engagement figure in? (Recall thefaces of the young children in the immersion classroom.)

Discuss these questions, and make a mind-map on a separate piece of paper to illustrate key differencesbetween and characteristics of the two instructional approaches.

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III Interdisciplinary Connections

In non-immersion classrooms, the target language is often used to reinforce or expand knowledgeobtained in other disciplines. As you watch this section of video, think about the age andproficiency levels of the students you see and what knowledge is being reinforced.

For each teacher, list specific knowledge the teachers might be reinforcing. What skills are beingreinforced? What knowledge is being expanded?

• Jane McCurdy (Spanish IV Teacher):

• Irma Minhares (FLES Teacher):

• Marian Newland (Spanish for Spanish Speakers Teacher):

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REFLECTION

Jeremy Munday of the Linguistic and International Studies Program at the University of Surrey in Englandwrites about the perils of translating the popular book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (changed toHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the American audience):

Lost in Translation: In some instances the translators have been unsure of the connotation of a name.The surname of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is interpreted by some translators as relating tofudge the sweet and by others probably more correctly as being linked to fudging the issue. Other namesare so culturally bound that the translators often have to accept they can't translate the full connotation.Fawkes the Phoenix may suggest Guy Fawkes to the British audience, but in Slovak and Dutch hebecomes Felix (to keep the alliteration) and in Norwegian he is Vulcan, which retains the fire link.

Munday, J. (2001, December 14). Harry Potter takes up baseball [Online]. Available: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/releases/01-1214potter.html

Certainly none of these translator changes are devastating to the storyline. Still, some cultural referents andconnotations may be lost, and those who can “gain access to information” from the original text have acertain advantage over those who read in translation.

Besides connotation, why is it important for language learners to access original, untranslated material?(Contemplate how a translated poem often becomes a “new” poem.) What insights can students gain fromaccessing information in the target language? (Consider, for example, how reading or listening to the newsfrom a target language source may differ from listening to a report on the same topic from an Americansource.)

Now think of three target language texts that you have used in your classes (literature, realia, video, songs,magazine articles, etc.). How would students’ learning have been affected if the texts had been read/heard intranslation? What, if anything, was gained by having access to target language texts?

In the chart below, provide examples from personal experience that illustrate the variations, evendiscrepancies, that sometimes occur between a text and its translation or between a target language sourceand an American one on the same topic. Share your favorite example with the whole group.

TEXTS TRANSFORMATION

Translation? Transformation?



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EXPLORATION

• Since your students are studying a language and culture that is new to them, you probablyfeel they are always obtaining and expanding their knowledge of that language and culturein your classroom. But are they necessarily obtaining and expanding their knowledge of anyother disciplines?

Think about the kinds of connections you usually make, then study the activities in thecolumns below. Put a check mark by any that you have done with your students, then discussthe questions that follow the chart.

Learning (in the target language)...

How would you characterize the differences in the tasks set out in the two columns above?Which tasks do you feel best exemplify connecting with other disciplines? Can you add pairsof examples to the list?

to say numbers

to read a target language weather report

terms for geographical features

health vocabulary to describe symptomsand suggest remedies

the names of the specialized shops foundin the target culture

to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius

how weather pressure is measured

the characteristics of those features

how target culture researchers areworking to prevent a disease

how the development of large American-style discount stores is changing thetarget culture’s economy



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3.4.2

• In addition to connecting to other disciplines and access to information, the Connectionsprogram goal also indicates that students are to “use resources (that may include technology)to gain access to information.”

Make a list in the space below of every type of technology that you have used in yourlanguage classroom, then circle those that you use regularly.

How would you rate your efforts to incorporate technology into language instruction:exceptional, adequate, or needs improvement? What technology mentioned in the readingsfor further study would you be interested in incorporating in instruction?

Now brainstorm advantages and disadvantages of using technology in language instruction.Present your list of disadvantages to the group in an attempt to find someone who can helpyou address each obstacle. Share your suggestions with other participants.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES RECOMMENDATIONS

• There are several terms used for language programs that emphasize Connections: content-based instruction, content-enriched/related instruction, content-driven programs, languagesacross the curriculum, theme-based courses, interdisciplinary instruction, etc.

Study the chapters by Bragger and Rice and Met on page 74, then write a definition for eachterm that you find. Based on the definitions you wrote, discuss the type of program youwould prefer.

Which terminology would you use to describe your classroom or your district’s currentprogram? If none of those given seem to fit, what label would you invent to describe it?



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For Further Study

Bond, N., Nicholson, S., & Peterson, C. (2002). Using technology in a standards-basedLOTE curriculum. LOTE CED Communiqué (Issue 5). Austin, TX: SEDL. This issue brieflydiscusses the benefits of using technological resources in LOTE instruction. It presentsspecific examples of standards-based activities incorporating technology and offerssuggestions for those who have a single computer in their classroom.

Bragger, J. D., & Rice, D. B. (1998). Connections: The national standards and a newparadigm for content-oriented materials and instruction. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M.Williams (Eds.), The coming of age of the profession (pp.191-217). Boston: Heinle &Heinle. The authors discuss the relationship between content-based instruction and thenational standards, pointing out the paradigm shift to interdisciplinary instruction ineducation in general. They present a four-stage developmental model for implementingConnections that gradually expands the content orientation of the curriculum and offersspecific examples of how content can be implemented at each stage.

Martínez, A., & Herren, D. (1998). Challenges and opportunities: Curriculum pressures inthe technological present. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.), The coming ofage of the profession (pp. 141-167). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Martínez and Herrenacknowledge that foreign language teachers have long used technology in theirclassrooms, but they quickly point out the advances that have been made recently and theempowerment afforded students through the use of the computer. Most of the chapter isdevoted to descriptions of useful software and media; it provides a very good overview forLOTE educators who are in search of basic information about what technology is actually“out there” and how it is useful for language learners.

Met, M. (1999). Making connections. In J. K. Phillips (Ed.), Foreign language standards:Linking research, theories, and practices (pp. 137-164). (ACTFL Foreign LanguageEducation Series). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook. Met links Connections to a varietyof topics such as constructivist epistemology (connecting the known to the unknown),communicative language teaching (communicating about meaningful content), curriculumreform (interdisciplinary instruction), and content-based instruction. She addresses thestandard related to access to information and discusses connections to other disciplines atlength, providing examples of connections to mathematics and science, social studies, andthe arts.



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3.5.1

EXPANSION

In Video 3, several teachers mention using target language instruction to enrich what students arelearning in other classes and/or to reinforce TAKS objectives. Do you feel that makinginterdisciplinary connections should be part of your responsibility as a language teacher? Why orwhy not?


1) How do you feel about the cross-disciplinary project that Dr. Franklin proposes? What doyou think would be the contributions made by each of the disciplines listed? Can you thinkof other subject areas that could also contribute? How?

Imagine all of the concerns that could be raised by Dr. Franklin’s colleagues. For eachconcern, try to think of a strategy for overcoming the difficulty.

2) Have you ever participated in a cross-disciplinary project in your school? What was theoutcome? What do you see as the strengths of working with colleagues in this way? Whatare the benefits to the learners?

Have you ever participated in an electronic discussion group or at least followed a threadwithout contributing? If so, what was your reaction?

A s part of his personal professional development plan and because he enjoyslearning from electronic discussion groups, Dr. Franklin has been following athread from FL TEACH (http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/) in which other

language teachers are talking about interdisciplinary projects with which they are involvedat school. He is intrigued by the possibility of enriching the curriculum through collaborating

with colleagues in other disciplines as well as with those who teach other languages and cultures.

Dr. Franklin is aware that the students in his Arabic class have been concerned about global tensionssince the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and that they appear particularly eagerto learn as much as they can about the Arab world. He believes this is an ideal time to work withcolleagues to help all the students in school do the same. He imagines the possibility of involvingseveral disciplines in addition to foreign languages: Language Arts, World History, Geography, FineArts, Government, Economics, etc.

His idea is not received with a great deal of enthusiasm at first; every one is already heavily involvedin their own projects/curriculum, state-mandated tests already take up a great deal of instructionaltime, and so forth. Dr. Franklin is determined to persevere, however; he is sure he can find a meansof convincing at least a few of his colleagues to participate in developing a cross-disciplinary projectfocused on the Arab world.

Teaching Scenario



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3) Choose a discipline with which you would like to make a connection in your LOTEclassroom. Go to the related web site listed below and read about the TEKS for thatdiscipline.

After examining the recommended readings, outline a thematic unit related to one ofthe goals for that discipline and which also incorporates one or more of the LOTEprogram goals.

Economics: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter118/Fine Arts: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/httoc.htm#ch117 Health Sciences: http://www.texashste.com/ Home Economics: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/ch122toc.html Language Arts: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/Math: http://www.tenet.edu/teks/math/teks/bu.htmlScience: http://www.tenet.edu/teks/science/stacks/teks/teksmain.htmlSocial Studies: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/resources/ssced/teks/tekshome.htmTechnology Applications: http://www.tcet.unt.edu/START/teks/


Lorenz, E. G., & Verdaguer, P. (1997). Connections: A K-8/university collaborationto promote interdisciplinary teaching. In J. K. Phillips (Ed.), Collaborations:Meeting new goals, new realities (pp. 141-170). Lincolnwood, IL: NationalTextbook. The chapter describes an NEH-funded project which developed objectivesand activities for teaching culture in Spanish and French classes in grades K-8 in theMontgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland. Authors discuss thechallenges of interdisciplinary teaching, implementation of the culture scope andsequence, and materials development.

Met, M. (1999). Making connections. In J. K. Phillips (Ed.), Foreign languagestandards: Linking research, theories, and practices (pp. 137-164). (ACTFLSeries). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook. Met links Connections to a variety oftopics such as constructivist epistemology (connecting the known to the unknown),communicative language teaching (communicating about meaningful content),curriculum reform (interdisciplinary instruction), and content-based instruction. Sheaddresses the standard related to access to information and discusses connections toother disciplines at length, providing examples of connections to mathematics andscience, social studies, and the arts.


communication & comparisons

V I D E O 4


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ABOUT COMMUNICATION & COMPARISONS

Video 4 takes an in-depth look at the Program Goal of Comparisons. After a brief introductionand the eight-minute Communication Segment that is included in each of Videos 2-5, this videofeatures footage from several classrooms where teachers and students are making comparisonsbetween the target language and cultures and their own language and culture. In addition,students learn about the influence that languages and cultures have upon one another.

It is natural for language learners to compare the target language with their own as a referencepoint for comprehension. A nice by-product of these comparisons is that students start to gaina deeper understanding of how language functions in general. Video 4 shows:

• Spanish III students enhancing their knowledge of both English and Spanish structuresby comparing how each describes events in the past.

• Students of Japanese comparing expressions of likes and dislikes in Japanese and English.

• Students in both classes learning some of the nuances of language and gaining insight intothe notion that there are many ways to communicate similar ideas.

It is also natural for language learners to compare the target cultures about which they arelearning to their own culture. Learning about the similarities in and difference betweencultures helps students better comprehend the concept of culture. This understanding ideallyleads to greater acceptance of cultures perceived as different. Video 4 shows:

• A Japanese class using a Venn diagram to compare the Japanese school system with thatof the United States.

• A Spanish class performing skits that bring to life comparisons of el Día de los Muertos andHalloween.

• A French class making comparisons between French and American fashions for teenagers.

In the United States, evidence of the impact that languages and cultures have upon oneanother is all around us. We eat tacos, drive Hondas, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, work probono, etc. Recognizing the influence that languages and cultures have upon one anotherheightens learners’ awareness of linguistic and cultural interrelationships and interdependency.Video 4 shows:

• French students discovering how food terminology has been borrowed from English intoFrench and vice versa.

• Two Latin classrooms learning about the influence the Roman Empire continues to haveon modern society in the realms of city planning and classical literature.

Use Video 4: Communication & Comparisons to...

• Review the objectives of comparing languages and comparing cultures.

• Facilitate discussion about issues related to linguistic and cultural comparisons and theinfluences language and cultures have on one another.

• Show some innovative means of implementing the comparisons program goal in theLOTE classroom.

• Deliver the message that comparing languages and cultures and recognizing theinfluence that languages and cultures have on one another helps students gain insightinto the nature of language and concept of culture.

Episode Breakdown

(0:00 – 8:14)

Communication

Segment

(8:15 – 14:51)

Nature of

Language

(14:52 – 21:26)

Concept of Culture

(21:27 – end)

Influence of

Language and

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• To review the Comparisonsprogram goal in generaland its subtopics (the natureof language, the concept ofculture, and the influence ofone language/culture onanother) in detail.

• To identify issues, concerns,or questions with regard tothe implementation ofComparisons.

• To refresh/exercise skills bycompleting a variety ofcomparative activities,including analyzinglanguage for culturalconnotations.

Goals for ParticipantsCOMPARISONS PROGRAM GOAL AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The student develops insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing thestudent’s own language and culture to another.


(A) demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of thestudent’s own language and the language studied;

(B) demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of thestudent’s own culture and the cultures studied; and

(C) demonstrate an understanding of the influence of one language and culture on another.


(A) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to demonstrate anunderstanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the student’s ownlanguage and the language studied;

(B) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to demonstrate anunderstanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the student’s ownculture and the cultures studied; and

(C) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level to demonstrate anunderstanding of the influence of one language and culture on another.

Questions Addressed in Video 4: Communication & ComparisonsLinguistic Comparisons Contribute to Understanding the Nature of Language.

Students gain insight into the nature of language when they compare their own language withone they are learning.

What features of language lend themselves to making comparisons? What elements are moredifficult to compare? What sorts of things do students learn when they compare languages? Why isit important to study the role connotation plays in language comparisons (e.g., the word family doesnot necessarily evoke the same image as the word familia)? In what ways can comparisons be usedto help students discover how their own language functions? Why is learning about the nature oflanguage beneficial to students?

Cultural Comparisons Facilitate Comprehension of the Concept of Culture.

Students who use the target language to make comparisons between their own culture and othercultures are better able to understand the concept of culture.

What cultural products and practices lend themselves to making comparisons? Do such comparisonsfacilitate the analysis of cultural perspectives? How can you use cultural comparisons to reducestereotyping? What is meant by the “concept of culture,” and why is it important for students tounderstand culture in the abstract?

Languages and Cultures Influence One Another.

When students make linguistic and cultural comparisons, they come to understand how differentlanguages and cultures impact each other.

What are some ways in which the target language you teach has influenced American English? Canevidence of your target culture’s cultural products, practices or perspectives be seen in American culture?When such influences are discovered in the language classroom, what benefits or insights does learningabout them bring to students? How can the interrelationships between languages and between culturesbe used to make students better language learners?



Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with Video 4, Communication & Comparisons. Provide participants copies of theTEKS for LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions that follow, and gather anyadditional supplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION


Video 4 focuses on concepts related to the teaching and learning of the Comparisons programgoal. Teachers of LOTE readily make cultural and linguistic comparisons in their classroomsto facilitate learner comprehension, especially for the novice level student. Before havingparticipants watch the video, ask them to list, then share some of the more “creative”comparisons their students have made in the past.

OBSERVATION


I Nature of Language (8:15 – 14:51)

In this video segment, two teachers have their students compare linguistic features of the targetlanguage with similar features in English.

• Stop the video and ask participants to work with a partner who teaches a differentlanguage to compare their languages using the worksheet as a guide.

• After several minutes, ask pairs to share what they learned about the other targetlanguage, their own target language, and/or the nature of the two languages.

II Concept of Culture (14:52 – 21:26)

After watching this segment, lead into the next activity by noting how the three featuredclassrooms use a variety of hands-on tools—including graphic organizers, props, andcollages—to bring to life cultural comparisons on topics of interest to learners.

• Have participants individually fill in the Venn diagram on the worksheet to compare anelement of two American subcultures (e.g., Texan/Tejano, Southern/Mid-Western,urban/suburban/rural).

• Allow a few minutes, then ask them to share their ideas about how the two subculturesare the same and different.

• Also ask the participants if they feel they can draw any conclusions about thesubcultures’ perspectives by analyzing their diagram.

(You may wish to do a diagram of your own and be the first to share to get the discussionrolling.)

III Influence of Language and Culture (21:27 – end)

Guide participants in small group conversations about the influence of one language onanother.

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• Have participants fill in the tables on the worksheet.

• After ten minutes, ask a representative from each group to share some key points fromtheir group’s discussion.

• Ask how learning about the interrelationships of languages and cultures helps us to bebetter language learners. Sample points to get the discussion rolling could include:

– Studying influence opens our minds to the importance of other cultures andheightens our awareness of significant contributions they have made. (Students oftentend to think the world begins and ends at the U.S. borders!)

– Recognizing how culture shapes language prepares learners not to accept word-for-word translations and thereby helps them avoid making potentially false assumptionsabout language use.

REFLECTION

Refer to worksheets 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 for the following activity.

Engage the group in reading and talking about the first paragraph on the worksheet.

• Ask two or three participants to briefly share incidents when they used the correct wordaccording to a dictionary, but didn’t get quite the response they were expecting when theyused it.

• Go over the example based on a framework developed by Thomson & Thomson (p. 87),then ask participants to work with a partner to complete the blank chart on page 88.

• After 15-20 minutes, ask the pairs to share their analyses with the whole group.

For Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will need tohave studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Exploration andExpansion activities. Evaluation worksheets should be provided at the end of the workshop.

EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 for the following activities and readings for further study.

In these activities, participants reflect on the implications for their curriculum of implementingComparisons. They also consider how they can best help learners apprehend the concept ofculture and the nature of language.

• To begin, ask participants to reflect on how well their current curriculum helps learnersmeet the Comparisons program goal. Use the readings in For Further Study for a more in-depth look at the issue, and together share ideas they find most stimulating.

• Intercultural activities are designed to help learners develop cultural self-awareness andunderstand the dangers of over-generalization. For example, learners may be asked toprioritize a list of values (efficiency, physical beauty, intelligence, etc.), ranking themaccording to their importance to “most Americans.” In this activity, students quicklydiscover that no two lists are identical, even among members of the same culture.

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Several games and simulations developed by interculturalists also allow learners toexperience the discomfort that comes when everyone does not play by the same “rules.”In these simulations, groups of students “belong” to one of two different cultures, eachwith its own conventions; yet they must interact with classmates from the other “culture”with whose norms they are not familiar.

• Assign pairs or groups to create an activity to help learners develop awareness of their owncultural framework. Ask each group to lead others through the activity that they havecreated.

• In the final task, have participants think about the activities they have previously used inthe classroom to compare the target language and culture with the native language andculture. Have them choose one of these activities and analyze it according to the accuracyof the cultural picture it presents.

EXPANSION

Refer to worksheets 4.5.1 to 4.5.3 for the following activities and recommended readings.

This section focuses on the use of authentic documents to help learners make cultural andlinguistic comparisons and also asks them to reflect on an inductive approach to teaching andlearning languages.

• Guide participants to read, reflect on, and discuss the teaching scenario.

• In the first task, they may refer to the reading by Omaggio Hadley to prepare a case forthe inductive approach mentioned in the scenario.

• In the second task, participants work together to select an authentic text and outlineseveral activities they might use to help students access the text.

• Finally, participants choose an activity they have used to make cultural comparisons inthe classroom. Have them analyze it to determine the degree to which it accuratelyportrays the target culture as a whole.

EVALUATION

In Appendix E, you will find a self-assessment tool for teachers to use in evaluating theirstrengths and identifying areas for growth with regard to helping their students meet theComparisons program goal. Pass out photocopies of the Teacher Competencies for ProfessionalDevelopment: Comparisons Strand. Allow time for participants to complete it on their own atthe end of the workshop, or encourage them to reflect on it and fill it in at home.

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PREPARATION

Video 4 focuses on concepts related to the teaching and learning of Comparisons. Teachers of LOTE readilymake cultural and linguistic comparisons in their classrooms to facilitate learner comprehension, especially forthe novice level student.

Use the space below to list some of the more innovative comparisons that students in your classes have madein the past between languages, between cultures, and with regard to the influence that languages and cultureshave on one another.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Between Target Language and Native Language:

Between Target Culture(s) and Native Culture:

INFLUENCE

Of Target Language on Native Language and Vice Versa:

Of Target Culture(s) on Native Culture and Vice Versa:



OBSERVATION

I Nature of Language

In this segment of the video, teacher Ginger Cline’s Spanish III students use authentic texts to identifygrammatical structures about which they are learning and compare them with their equivalents in English.

Work with a partner who teaches a different language from you to compare a simple feature of the twotarget languages (e.g., word order, cognates, idiomatic expressions). What would you say the two languageshave in common? What is vastly different? What generalizations about each language might you make basedon the comparison?

II Concept of Culture

The three classrooms featured in this segment use a variety of hands-on tools (including graphic organizers,props, and collages) to bring cultural comparisons to life. The students are learning about topics that are ofinterest to them and that are pertinent to their lives.

Use the Venn diagram below to compare two American subcultures (e.g., Texan/Tejano, Southern/Mid-Western, urban/suburban/rural). You can narrow the focus of your comparison by concentrating on aparticular product (food, local government, etc.) or practice (e.g., driving, shopping).

How are the two subcultures the same? How are they different? Can you draw any conclusions about thesubcultures’ perspectives by analyzing your diagram?


III Influence of Language and Culture

Languages and cultures influence and are influenced by other languages and cultures. In this videosegment, French teacher Estella Getzen leads learners in thinking of words borrowed and lent betweenEnglish and French. Latin teacher Randy Thompson’s students explore elements of Roman cityplanning that are evident in contemporary maps of their hometown of San Antonio. Latin teacherVince McGee points out evidence of classical literary themes and philosophies in great Englishliterature of more modern times.

Discuss linguistic and cultural influences with other participants as you fill in the tables below using atarget language of your choice. In the second row, music’s influence is used as an example. You canchoose any other cultural component if you prefer and discuss the influences on the target andAmerican culture.

Words in (TARGET LANGUAGE) Borrowed from American English

Do the borrowed words have thesame sense in both languages?

Words in American English Borrowed from (TARGET LANGUAGE)

Examples of (TARGET CULTURE) Music’s Influence on American Music

What effects have the contributions had?

Examples of American Music’sInfluence on (TARGET LANGUAGE)




REFLECTION

An important concept for learners is the role that connotation plays in understanding the meaning of wordsin different cultures. Connotations are the ideas or meanings suggested by or associated with a word orobject. For example the word bread has a wide variety of meanings depending on the language/culture beingconsidered. In the United States, bread likely evokes images of sliced sandwich bread bought at thesupermarket. In France, however, the equivalent word (pain) still most often refers to a crusty baguettebought daily at the neighborhood bakery. Bread may evoke images of peanut butter; pain, of camembert orNutella. In other words, bread and pain do not really refer to the same thing, nor do they necessarily havethe same cultural associations in France and the United States. As you think back on your own languagelearning experience, can you recall a time when you used the “correct” word but conveyed a meaning youdid not intend?

The relevance of word associations is important enough for businesses that a Massachusetts-based company,Thomson & Thomson, offers Connotation Services—reports that identify possible negative connotationsassociated with names that may be introduced into the global marketplace.

We’ve all heard stories of translation gone awry such as the marketing of the Chevy Nova in Spanish-speaking countries where “No va” means “It doesn’t go.” And most language teachers have a collection ofamusing student “pearls.” With these examples in mind, work with other participants to compare theconnotations of words of your choice. First study the example below based on Thomson & Thomson’sframework, then pick an American product and analyze it using the blank chart on the next page.

When you have finished, do an analysis of the same product but from the point of view of a native speakerof the target language you teach. This activity is one to use in your classroom, as well!

COUNTRY

United States

France

LITERALMEANING

none

none

PRONUNCIATIONISSUES

Lots of nasalconsonants, but not aproblem. Somewhatalliterative.

The nasal “Ms”separated by theFrench word for “and”sound awkward.

CONNOTATIONS &ASSOCIATIONS

Associates product with theconfectionery M&M/Marscompany, which has a longstanding solid reputation.“Mmmm...” is onomatopoetic,a sound for when somethingtastes good.

Association with the letter“M,” the abbreviation formonsieur. Product could beconstrued as masculine innature.

NAME INCONTEXT

The connectionbetween the nameand product isstrong; name iseasy to remember.

No connectionbetween nameand product.

PERSONALOPINION

Good name

Somewhatmeaninglessname

PRODUCT: M&Ms Candy


COUNTRY

United States

(Target Country)

LITERALMEANING

CONNOTATIONS &ASSOCIATIONS

NAME INCONTEXT

PERSONALOPINION

PRODUCT: ________________________________________



PRONUNCIATIONISSUES


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4.4.1

EXPLORATION

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we startedand know the place for the first time.

—T.S. Eliot

• Eliot’s familiar quote reminds us of one of the more important aspects of the Comparisonsprogram goal: awareness of one’s own language and culture, of the nature of language andthe concept of culture.

Does your current curriculum provide learners opportunities to develop awareness in thesetwo critical areas? To begin, reflect on the following questions:

– Before students can learn to recognize multiple realities, they must first realize that theirperceptions are filtered through the lens of their own culture; they must recognize thatthey have a culture. How does your curriculum help learners to develop cultural self-awareness?

– With what linguistic aspects of the target language do you most often make explicitcomparisons with the English language? Are these comparisons successful? Do learnersrespond favorably to grammatical comparisons or do they appear confused? In oneFrench class in this video, the teacher explains that the students learn about Frenchgrammar through reading letters from their French pen pals written in English. What doyou think would be the impact of reading a letter in which a pen pal writes, “They havethe hairs browns,” as compared to the description of adjective agreement and placementin the textbook you now use?

– Other than grammatical comparisons, what other linguistic aspects are objects ofcomparison in your classroom? For example, do learners reflect on non-verbal languagein the target culture? proxemics? connotation of words?

– Do language students in your school have access to target culture perspectives onAmericans and American culture? Can they easily identify what they consider to be themisperceptions? How do you use them to broaden awareness of their own assumptionsabout the target culture?

– How do you engage students in using cultural “texts” or aspects of the language forcomparative purposes? How do you try to avoid stereotyping?

– In what types of activities do your classes most often engage when Comparisons are thefocus of the lesson: Listening to lectures? Reading descriptions of the target culture (e.g.,holidays, school systems)? Analyzing a written or oral text and making inferences aboutthe culture or language based on it? Interacting with native speakers? Conductingethnographic interviews? Other?

• Choose one or more of the readings for further study, and discuss the ideas you found moststimulating.

What ideas did you uncover related to any concerns you had as you reflected on the precedingquestions? What ideas stimulated you to want to undertake a new activity to help studentscompare cultures or languages? Were you inspired to try a new process for implementing theComparisons goal? What ideas did you not agree with or understand? How do you feel aboutFantini’s suggestions for developing learners’ intercultural competence?



• Helping learners understand they are culture-bound creatures themselves is particularly importantwhen making cultural comparisons.

Read Smith’s article, below, then devise a “pre-culture” activity that sensitizes learners to the dangers ofstereotyping or helps them recognize that they, too, are a product of the culture in which they live.Once you’ve created that activity, share it with other participants by leading them through it.

• Both Wright and Robinson-Stuart and Nocon describe approaches to culture learning that involveengaging learners in discovering the target culture rather than having information presented to them.(Wright refers to this as a “process approach involving comparisons;” Robinson-Stuart and Nocon useethnographic interviews with their students.)

Describe the strategies you use to help students learn about the target culture. With which approachdoes your current strategy most closely match? Is it more heavily weighted toward information sharingor towards having students read, hypothesize, and attempt to discover target culture perspectives?

Think of one information-sharing activity that you currently use, and reflect on how you could adaptit to be more learner-centered.

For Further Study

Fantini, A. E. (1998). Comparisons: Towards the development of intercultural competence. In J. K. Phillips & R. M.Terry (Eds.), Foreign language standards: Linking research, theories, and practices (pp. 165-218). (ACTFL Series).Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Fantini provides an overview of the theoretical and conceptualaspects of the Connections standards and speaks of their inextricable link to Cultures. He suggests that the programgoal is a vehicle for moving students beyond communicative competence to intercultural competence and reflects onthe “implications and applications of intercultural explorations in the language classroom.”

Robinson-Stuart, G., & Nocon, H. (1996). Second culture acquisition: Ethnography in the foreign languageclassroom. Modern Language Journal, 80, 431-449. The authors report on a study in which students were trainedin and used ethnographic interview techniques as part of their Spanish course requirements. Students’ attitudestoward the target cultures were enhanced through the project. The article describes a program for implementing theethnographic interview as a tool for understanding the “insider’s perspective.”

Smith, A. N. (1995). Prerequisites to teaching and learning culture. In G. K. Crouse (Ed.), Broadening the frontier offoreign language education (pp. 57-76). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Smith also believesengaging only in information sharing with regard to other cultures results in greater stereotyping and ethnocentricity.Before learners can be open to other cultures, he argues they must first be made aware of the influence of their ownculture on their ways of thinking, doing, being. This chapter provides several useful “pre-culture” or readinessactivities that teachers can use to heighten learners’ cultural self-awareness.

Wright, D. A. (2000). Culture as information and culture as affective process. A comparative study. Foreign LanguageAnnals, 33, 330-41. Wright reports on a study designed to determine differences in cross-cultural adaptabilitybetween groups of German learners based on how they learned about German culture. One group learned in an“information-acquisition” approach (reading culture notes in the book and answering discrete-point questions); theother, through a “process- and learner-centered approach” involving comparisons. The method used with thetreatment group is described and results of the study are reported.


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A nne Baxter is planning a six-week long trip to Madrid this summer and is excited about the prospectof gathering authentic documents and realia to use in introducing students in her first and second yearSpanish classes to a variety of topics next year. She plans to gather materials that will be useful for

most of the themes covered in the textbooks such as food (nutritional charts, restaurant menus), clothing (fashion magazineads, department store catalogs), education (report cards, semester course schedules), leisure activities (movie schedules,popular music), etc.

Anne has not been quite satisfied with the cultural information provided by her textbook and has sometimes been dismayedby the students’ reaction to the information contained there. For example, readings related to the family, time, and workvs. leisure seem to elicit stereotypes such as “Boy are they lazy!” or “What babies! Living at home at that age!” Annewould like to guide learners to make appropriate linguistic and cultural comparisons through the use of some authentictexts. However, she’s also not sure how learners will react to documents produced by and for native speakers.

Teaching Scenario

1) Anne plans to use authentic documents to introduce her students to a theme or topic. How will her students beable to understand a target language text if they are not already familiar with the vocabulary and structures usedin it? What are some challenges that she and her students might have to deal with?

Review the pages from Omaggio Hadley, and then suggest how she might cope with each obstacle you mentioned.

2) Anne is concerned about her students’ attitudes toward the target cultures as evidenced by some of the commentsthey have made after reading the culture notes in the textbook. Share any experiences you have had with yourstudents’ over-generalizing or repeating stereotypes.

How have you tried to help learners uncover target culture perspectives and compare them with those of their ownculture? Read some of the suggestions in the articles recommended on the next page about how to help learnerstackle authentic texts. Then develop some activities that you could use with your students.

First choose some authentic written texts appropriate for the level of your students and related to a theme you dealwith in class. Next, outline some activities you could develop to help learners not only understand the words, butalso to identify and compare the cultural perspectives represented there with those of their own culture.

3) Stereotypes can be inadvertently reinforced not only through the native culture framework or point of referenceimplicit in information shared with students in textbooks and documents, but also through the choice of targetculture representatives to which learners are exposed.

Brainstorm some of the activities you have previously used to make cultural comparisons in the classroom. Chooseone or two of the activities that lend themselves to analysis. Determine the degree to which the view of the targetculture presented was actually representative (more or less) of the whole of the culture.

EXPANSION

In Video 4, you see a Spanish class in which students are comparing ways that English and Spanish speakers narrateand describe using past tenses. The teacher indicates that the students used authentic documents to discover the pasttenses rather than having the structures explained to them and then practicing with worksheets.

In another class, students glean cultural information and compare American and French clothing styles by examiningFrench fashion magazines. How do you feel about the use of authentic documents to introduce learners to culturalinformation, themes, and grammatical structures? How can they aid in the development of learners’ ability to comparecultures and languages? Read the following teaching scenario and then reflect on the questions that follow and/ordiscuss your reactions with your group. The recommended readings should help you prepare your responses.



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For example, in a lesson which describes how members of the target culture celebrate a givenholiday, think about for which native speakers this description may be true. Do all members of thetarget culture even celebrate this holiday? What about recent and second or third generationimmigrants? Do the rituals described apply to middle and upper income families only? How mightthe celebration be different for those in lower income brackets? Do traditions vary from region toregion or from metropolitan areas to rural? What other factors could affect how someone celebrates(or doesn’t celebrate) the holiday?

Upon reflection, do you now believe that the activities provided a fair and accurate picture of thetarget culture, or do you feel that they might actually have contributed to over-generalization onthe part of learners? If the latter is the case, what could you do differently the next time studentsare engaged in the activity?


Byrnes, H. (1991). Reflections on the development of cross-cultural communicativecompetence in the foreign language classroom. In B. F. Freed (Ed.), Foreign languageacquisition research and the classroom (pp. 205-218). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath.Byrnes seeks to answer “whether, to what extent, and how” instruction in the foreignlanguage classroom can help learners discover underlying cultural presuppositions about thetarget culture through the use of authentic written texts. The difficulty, of course, is gettingpast one’s own cultural reality—“the interpretive bias of an outsider.” Her solution iscomparisons, using a “thematically connected mosaic of texts”: L1 texts about C1, L1 textsabout C2, L2 texts about C1, and concluding with L2 texts about C2.

Galloway, V. (1992). Toward a cultural reading of authentic texts. In H. Byrnes (Ed.),Languages for a multicultural world in transition (pp. 87-121). Lincolnwood, IL:National Textbook Company. In this chapter, Galloway also discusses the problems causedby the imposition of one’s own cultural framework on a target culture “text,” offeringexamples of how typical culture notes in the textbook may actually increase over-generalizations and stereotyping. She mentions several “coordinates” that should be involvedin the selection of authentic texts (e.g., learners’ own cultural frame of reference andbackground in the target language and culture) and suggests pre-reading, reading, and post-reading tasks that can be developed to aid learners in comprehending texts. The appendicesare particularly useful as they outline specific activities that fall into each category.

Omaggio Hadley, A. (1993). Teaching language in context, 2nd ed. (pp. 195-223) Boston:Heinle & Heinle. In these pages, the author discusses the processes and skills involved inreading comprehension and recommends a plan for designing reading activities that enablelearners to access authentic documents. She discusses the teaching of reading skills andprovides sample formats for predicting, gisting, getting the main idea, extracting details, etc.

Siskin, H. J., & Davis, R. L. (1996). Authentic documents revisited: Teaching for cross-cultural understanding. In E. Spinelli (Ed.), Creating opportunities for excellencethrough language (pp. 1-18). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. Theauthors propose a task-based, student-centered, process approach to teaching culture andone that recognizes culture’s dynamic nature. Their model also uses authentic documentsand includes activities for activating background knowledge, gathering information,formulating and refining hypotheses, and synthesizing what has been learned.


communication & communities

V I D E O 5


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ABOUT COMMUNICATION & COMMUNITIES

Video 5 takes an in-depth look at the program goal of Communities. After a brief introductionand the eight-minute Communication Segment that is included in each of Videos 2-5, this videoshows footage of teachers and students using the target language in communities within andbeyond the school walls. It also features several students reflecting on the value of learning LOTEfor career development, as well as for personal enjoyment.

Learning a language can increase one’s opportunities for participating in communities locally,regionally, nationally, and internationally. When students use the LOTE they are learning inmultiple, “real-world” contexts, they are more likely to understand the impact and importancethat language proficiency has in today’s society. Video 5 highlights teachers and students usingthe target language to reach out to multiple communities.

• A French teacher provides his student with an immersion-like experience by speaking almostexclusively in French, thus creating a classroom community that is bonded by its need forthe target language from day one.

• German students reach out to the international community by communicating with “e-pals”in Germany to learn about the similarities and differences of their school systems.

• A Spanish III class pays a visit to a native-speaking community when they go to the localfarmer’s market and interview the Spanish-speaking vendors.

Language students also reach communities by using the target language for personal enrichmentand career development. In Video 5, students of Spanish learn the value of knowing Spanish inthe local healthcare community which is their city’s largest industry. Students from around Texastalk about how knowing a LOTE will help them in future careers as well as for the pursuit ofpersonal interests such as travel.

Use Video 5: Communication & Communities to...

• Review the objectives of using the language in a variety of communities for a varietyof reasons.

• Facilitate discussion about issues related to using the target language beyond theclassroom and using the language for personal enrichment and career development.

• Show some innovative means of implementing the Communities program goal in theLOTE classroom.

• Deliver the message that using the language outside of typical classroom settingsmakes the target language more “real” for students and helps them to see how theymight actually use it for work or pleasure.

(0:00 – 8:10)

Communication

Segment

(8:11 – 12:02)

Within the

School Setting

(12:03) – 20:30)

Beyond the School

Setting

(20:31 – end)

Personal Enrich-

ment and Career

Development

Episode Breakdown

I

II

III


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• To review the Communitiesprogram goal in generaland the subtopics ofCommunities within andbeyond the classroom andusing language for personalenrichment and careerdevelopment specifically.

• To identify issues, concerns,or questions with regard tothe implementation of theCommunities program goal.

• To develop classroomactivities and strategies thatincorporate the programgoal of Communities, e.g.,expand the list ofcommunity resources,identify potential assessmentopportunities, and deviseactivities based on real-lifeexperiences.

Goals for ParticipantsCOMMUNITIES PROGRAM GOAL AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The student participates in communities at home and around the world by using languagesother than English.


(A) use the language both within and beyond the school setting through activities such asparticipating in cultural events and using technology to communicate; and

(B) show evidence of becoming a lifelong learner by using the language for personalenrichment and career development.


(A) use the language at the intermediate (advanced) proficiency level both within andbeyond the school setting through activities such as participating in cultural events andusing technology to communicate; and

(B) show evidence of becoming a lifelong learner by using the language at the intermediate(advanced) proficiency level for personal enrichment and career development.

Questions Addressed in Video 5: Communication & CommunitiesLOTE Increase Access to Communities at Home and Around the World.

Students who know another language have increased opportunities to interact with their local,regional, national, and international communities.

How can you help students use the target language to access local communities? Do you know ofways to help them interact with regional, national, or international communities? If opportunities toparticipate “actively” are limited locally, how do you bring Communities into the classroom? Whatspecific ways can technology be integrated into the curriculum to enable students to use the languagein real-world contexts? How do you evaluate students’ interactions with different communities?

Using LOTE Outside of the Classroom Makes the Target Language “Real.”

When students use another language outside of the classroom setting, they experience first-hand its true utility and benefits.

Are students interested in using the target language outside of the classroom? Do they shareanecdotes about communicating with native speakers or using the language outside of class inother ways? How do you encourage shy or reluctant students to communicate outside of theclassroom? Do students see language proficiency as an asset that will help them function moresuccessfully in their local, regional, national, and/or international communities?

LOTE Promote Lifelong Learning.

Students become lifelong learners when they use the target language for personal enrichmentand career development.

How can you motivate students to pursue personal enrichment activities in the target language?Where prospects for target language enrichment are few locally, how do you provide learningactivities that satisfy this need? Why is personal enrichment a part of this program goal? Whatresources can students use to discover how the target language might be used in various careers?Is it possible to assess “lifelong learning”?



Use a variety of grouping and processing strategies to lead participants through the activitiesassociated with the various segments of Video 5, Communication & Communities. Provideparticipants copies of the TEKS for LOTE and the worksheets referred to in the directions thatfollow, and gather any supplies needed to complete the activities.

PREPARATION


Many educators find Communities to be an especially challenging standard.

• Begin to eliminate obstacles with regards to Communities by asking participants to listup to five specific obstacles they feel they face in implementing it in their classrooms.

• After a few minutes, have them work with a partner they don’t know or who is from adifferent school or district. Ask them to compare their lists, offer advice to one anotheron the obstacles they do not have in common, and come up with strategies for dealingwith those they do have in common.

OBSERVATION


I Within the School Setting (8:11–12:02)

In this segment, participants consider a variety of ways that Communities can be accessedusing resources within the classroom.

• Ask participants to note the resources (including technology) that are mentioned orused in the video to facilitate access to different communities.

• Have the whole group brainstorm a resource list; write their suggestions on a flipchartor transparency and make sure they consider “living” resources as they brainstorm.

• Finally, take a poll. Go down the list and for each item on it, ask the participants to raisetheir hand if they feel it’s feasible for them to obtain that resource for their classroom.

II Beyond the School Setting (12:03–20:30)

In this video segment, several anecdotes are shared that illustrate how students use otherlanguages beyond the school walls, within their local communities. Spanish teacher ElíasRodríguez also takes his students out “shopping for native speakers.” These experiences, whenstudents try (sometimes for the first time) to understand and be understood by a nativespeaker, bring language to life.

• Ask participants to think about the students they saw and heard about in this segment,then to think about their own classrooms.

• Using the guiding questions on the worksheet, have them draw a picture or write downsome thoughts about how some of their students would react and/or be changed by a“farmer’s market”-type experience. Teachers whose students have already had suchexperiences can reflect on how they saw their students react.

• Ask volunteers to share and explain their drawings, or have all participants post theirreflections around the room for everyone to see.

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III Personal Enrichment and Career Development (20:31–end)

Using LOTE for personal enrichment or career development can make language learninginteresting and pertinent to students, but how does one assess those goals?

• Provide an opportunity for participants to work in groups to brainstorm assessment ideasfor the series of activities listed on worksheet 5.2.2.

• Allow several minutes, then ask a spokesperson from each group to share their ideas.

REFLECTION

Refer to worksheet 5.3.1 for this activity.

The Communities program goal brings realism, relevance, and consequence to the study ofLOTE like no other “C” can.

• Ask the participants to think back on their first experiences using a language other thantheir mother tongue outside the classroom.

• Have them take some time to reflect and then create a new Communities-based learningactivity for their students that is inspired by their own experience.

• After 20 minutes of working independently, ask participants to share both theirexperiences and their new activities with the group.

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For Investigating Further (follow-up) activities, remember to obtain copies of the supplementalreadings and distribute them to participants in advance of the workshop. Participants will need tohave studied some or all of the chapters/articles in order to complete most of the Exploration andExpansion activities. Evaluation handouts should be provided at the end of the workshop.

EXPLORATION

Refer to worksheets 5.4.1 and 5.4.2 for this activity and readings for further study.

• Lead participants to work in pairs or brainstorm together to consider how well theircurrent curriculum provides opportunities to use the target language both within andbeyond the classroom and for personal enrichment and career development.

• For the next task, allow participants to analyze the reading by Haas and Reardondescribing the development of a thematic unit on Chile that addresses Communities.Then examine the challenges in organizing the project and note the strategies used toaddress those problems.

• Finally, have participants read several learning scenarios and use them to spark ideas fortarget language resources and connections in their town or nearby that they mightexploit through a learning scenario of their own.

EXPANSION

Refer to worksheets 5.5.1 and 5.5.2 for this activity and recommended readings.

This section provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on real world language use andhow Communities can help them address issues of authenticity in language learning. Guideparticipants to read, reflect on, and discuss the teaching scenario.

• In the first task, ask them to weigh the relative benefits and drawbacks of two proposalsfor developing a standards-based curriculum, taking the Communities goal intoconsideration.

• In the second task, encourage them to share their personal experiences with curriculumdevelopment projects.

• Finally, guide them to consider how content-based instruction might help their districtto implement Communities. In small groups, they share examples of authentic texts andtasks they have used in the last year that helped students meet the Communitiesstandard.

EVALUATION

Appendix E is a self-assessment tool that teachers may use to evaluate their strengths andidentify areas for growth with regards to helping their students meet the Communitiesprogram goal. Pass out photocopies of the Teacher Competencies for Professional Development:Communities Strand, and allow time for participants to complete it on their own at the endof the workshop, or encourage them to reflect on it and fill it in at home.

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Video 5 focuses on concepts related to the teaching and learning of the Communities program goal. Manyeducators find this goal to be especially challenging. What do you feel are the specific obstacles you face inimplementing Communities? Take a few minutes to list up to five of them below.

PREPARATION

COMMON OBSTACLES DIFFERENT OBSTACLES STRATEGIES/ADVICE

Obstacles to Implementing Communities

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Now, choose a partner—someone you don’t know or someone from a different school or district ifpossible—and compare your lists. Which items are similar? Which items are different? What experience oradvice can you offer your partner to help him/her with the obstacles he/she listed? What strategies can youcome up with together for dealing with obstacles you have in common?



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sOBSERVATION

I Within the School Setting

Taking students on a field trip is not always an option, but there are multiple ways to bring communitiesinto the classroom. As you watch this video segment, note the resources mentioned or used to accessCommunities within the school setting.

George Trauth

Heidi Kirby

Bobette Dunn

What other resources can be brought into the LOTE classroom to facilitate contact with differentcommunities? Brainstorm a list with other participants, and consider which resources are feasible for yourparticular situation.

II Beyond the School Setting

In this video segment, several students share anecdotes illustrating how they use a LOTE beyond theschool walls. Spanish teacher Elías Rodríguez takes his students out “shopping for native speakers.” Theseexperiences, when students try (sometimes for the first time) to understand and be understood by anative speaker, bring language to life and seem to empower learners.

Think about the students you saw and heard from in this segment. Then think about the languagelearners in your own classroom. Imagine them interacting with native speakers in an environment likethe farmer’s market you saw—or recall the experience if they have already had a similar one. How would(did) they prepare themselves? Would it be (was it) their first time talking to native speakers? How would(did) they behave? Would (Did) they actively engage or would they be (were they) reluctant? Mostimportantly, what would (did) they get out of the experience?

Using a blank piece of paper, draw a picture or write down some thoughts about how such an experiencecan change a language learner—confidence, attitude, motivation, etc.


III Personal Enrichment and Career Development

Greg Foulds’s Spanish II class discovers just how important and useful Spanish is in their communityand that it is crucial to know Spanish in one of the city’s top industries. Two students of LOTEdiscuss the personal benefits of knowing another language in life, whether it be for careeradvancement, increased interaction with their families, or travel.

Using LOTE for work and for fun is interesting and relevant to students, but how does one assesspersonal enrichment or career development? Come up with some assessment ideas for the tasks listedbelow, and share your ideas with other participants.

TASK IDEAS FOR ASSESSMENT

Interview someone from a profession thatrequires use of the target language.

Learn the rules of a sport that is popular ina target language country, and organize agame.

Attend a cultural event or celebrationassociated with the target language.

Write a letter to a company in a targetlanguage country requesting informationabout a career which sparks your interest.

Use target language resources to develop aprecise itinerary for a vacation in a targetlanguage country.

Visit an art exhibit where artists from atarget culture are featured.

Listen to target language radio or televisionfor 30 minutes.

Contact a target language embassy orconsulate to obtain information aboutworking in that country.

Visit a restaurant where the target languageis spoken and use the language to order.

See a target language movie.



5.3.1

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video viewing worksheet

REFLECTION

The Communities program goal brings realism, relevance, and consequence to the study of LOTElike no other “C” can. Think back to your first experiences using a language other than your mothertongue outside the classroom. Reflect for a few minutes on how you felt interacting with the targetlanguage community and culture. Were you empowered? frightened? exhilarated? What about theexperience would you want your students to share? How might you have been better prepared forthose first encounters?

Using your own experience as inspiration, create a new Communities-based learning activity for yourstudents. To begin, work independently on creating the task. Then be prepared to share both yourexperience and your activity!


EXPLORATION

• Reflect on how well your current curriculum takes the Communities program goal into consideration. Tobegin, consider the following questions:

– Do learners use the target language in the classroom for purposes other than practice exercises andactivities from the textbook or workbook? Many learners feel using a LOTE to communicate withEnglish-speaking classmates is not “real” communication. How to you organize your class to make it feelmore like a target language “community”?

– Do students in your program have an opportunity to communicate with native speakers of the language?How?

– Are there cultural events, lectures, museum exhibits, television programming, etc. in your communitythrough which learners in your program can participate in communities beyond the school? When thisis not the case, are they afforded opportunities through technology to reach out to the target culture?

– Do students in your classes use the target language for personal enrichment? In what ways? How do youknow? How might you find out? Can/should learners be required to use the language for personalenrichment? How do you encourage your students to do so?

– Do students in your program learn how the language they are studying can be used for careerdevelopment? Are there specific opportunities in your region for using the language in summer or part-time jobs that students might have? Is there a more general career benefit to knowing the LOTE youteach?

• The chapter by Haas and Reardon (see page 105) describes the development of a thematic unit on Chilewhich addresses Communities. The lessons were a collaborative effort between a middle school teacher anda teacher educator from a nearby college. Read the chapter and identify all the issues that were addressed inaccomplishing the unit.

Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. Title the left-hand column “Challenges;” title the right-handcolumn “Resolutions.” Fill in the chart as you read the chapter, then use your notes to discuss the resolutionswith other participants. Were there any unresolved challenges? Can you think of a strategy to address theproblem? If you were to implement such a thematic unit in your school, what obstacles would you face?What strategies can you imagine to address the issues unique to your district/region?

• The readings for futher study contain not just single activities but also examples of learning scenariosfocused on the Communities program goal. Read several of the examples and take notes on yourreactions to them as you read. Then discuss with other workshop participants the ideas you foundmost stimulating.

What were some of your initial reactions as you read the examples? “But there isn’t a local Chileanbakery (bird conservancy… Russian theater group… etc.) in our town!” is not an uncommonreaction. Even if obstacles come immediately to mind, the scenario descriptions are still engaging andstimulating. If you do not have a Chilean bakery or Russian theater troupe in your area, what do youhave that could help you connect with a target language community?

Brainstorm with other participants the variety of target language resources and connections within ornear your community that could be accessed through a learning scenario.


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5.4.1



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5.4.2

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1999). Standards for foreignlanguage learning in the 21st century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press. In addition to describingthe national standards for foreign languages, which closely resemble the TEKS for LOTE, thisdocument contains language-specific standards for nine different languages and learningscenarios illustrating them. There are many more, but examples of scenarios implementingCommunities can be found on the following pages: Spanish (74, 75, 459, 468), French (77,83, 86, 231, 232, 239), German (85, 273), Japanese (353-359), Russian (96, 421, 429),Latin (170, 177, 186), and Italian (306, 308, 321).

Curtis, M. O., & Baskerville, J. J. (2001). Beyond the classroom: Service learning within themultilingual community. In R. Lavine (Ed.), Beyond the boundaries: Changing contexts inlanguage learning (pp. 107-139). (Northeast Conference Reports) Boston: McGraw-Hill.Curtis and Baskerville describe two service-learning projects in one district in which students ofSpanish connect with native speakers in their communities. The first project involves high schoolstudents tutoring early learners at a local charter school; the second, working with “localHispanic immigrants who are preparing to become U.S. citizens.” In both cases, the serviceprojects are connected to a course on service learning (including history, culture, andcontributions of immigrants) and a course on “the Hispanic presence in the U.S.,” respectively.In another district, students in any Level III course of the six languages offered can apply to bea Student Ambassador. Those chosen design a practicum in which they research and developa product useful to the local community. For example, a student might produce an audio-tapedguide in French for use by French-speaking visitors to a local museum or a handbook forSpanish-speaking staff at the botanical gardens.

Haas, M., & Reardon, M. (1997). Communities of learners: From New York to Chile. In J. K.Phillips (Ed.), Collaborations: Meeting new goals, new realities (pp. 213-241). (NortheastConference Reports) Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. This chapter describesthe development of a thematic unit of study that focuses on Communities. Students of Spanishin a middle school in New York learn about Chile and connect to native speakers throughe–mail communications, a guest speaker (a Chilean teacher and author whose story they read),and through a visit to a local Chilean bakery. The chapter describes the activities of thisthematic unit in detail and provides illustrations of the e-mail correspondence and projectscreated by the students.

Languages Other Than English Center for Educator Development. (2001). GreatTEKSpectations: Innovative learning scenarios for the LOTE classroom. Austin, TX: Author.This document provides examples of learning scenarios implementing Communities, includingthe ones on the following pages: Arabic (1), French (19, 23, 29), German (39, 43), Japanese(56, 63), Latin (67, 71), Spanish (93, 101, 111, 115).


For Further Study


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Foreign language teachers in the local independent school district are meeting with theircoordinator to discuss how they will ensure that students in the district are able to meetthe goals outlined in the TEKS for LOTE. In addition, the state is currently undergoing a

textbook adoption process in all languages. After some discussion, teachers generally fallinto one of two camps: those who prefer to use the textbook as the curriculum and those

who prefer to develop a district curriculum.

In the first category, some teachers quickly point out that publishers have already correlated their textbookswith the 5 Cs. Others in this group feel an in-depth analysis should also be conducted to identify areasthat would need to be supplemented to ensure all goals are fully implemented. The other group ofteachers suggests they collaborate to develop a curriculum unique to the district, one that uses content-based learning scenarios built around the 5 Cs. Units could be developed for all languages with specifics(such as authentic texts to be used, target language resources in the local community identified, andstructures to be introduced and reviewed) being devised by teachers of the six languages taught.Textbooks would be used as a resource for introducing and practicing relevant structures, but the thematicunits would be more stimulating and provide increased opportunities for authentic target language use.

Proponents of using the textbook as the curriculum ask, “Why reinvent the wheel?” They also fear thatstudents’ language skills will deteriorate without the systematic structure and practice provided by thetextbook. Those who prefer to develop a content-based curriculum contend that the authenticity oflanguage-use-in-context and increased exposure to native speakers in the community motivates students ina way that textbook activities never can and that the increased exposure to authentic texts and real-worldlanguage use actually increases language skills and accuracy.

Teaching Scenario

EXPANSION

In Video 5, some comments are made about the dichotomy between language as it may occur inthe foreign language classroom and language as it occurs in the community in real life. For example,one teacher says that “Language is a living thing. It’s not something out of the textbook.” Twolanguage learners talk about having “an actual, real conversation” in the local market and contrastthat experience with the classroom where “we just speak with each other.” Other learners shareexperiences using the target language in shops and to help foreign tourists. Finally, a French teacher,a native speaker from Québec, says, “I tell the students accuracy is very important, butcommunication comes first.”

Questions of authenticity in language learning—of using the target language in the communityfor real-world purposes—are increasingly important to students and to the profession. How doyou feel about the quotations from the video?


1) With which of these groups of teachers would you most likely align yourself? Develop a listof pros for the opposite group’s proposal. Include at least ten benefits of their proposal forforeign language learners in your district. Next, list all conditions or requirements notcurrently in place that would have to be met before the plan you favor could beimplemented. Compare your reflections on the two proposals and discuss the relativebenefits and drawbacks you outlined with the group.



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5.5.2

2) Have you ever participated in a curriculum development project in your school ordistrict? Compare the process with the new paradigm for instructional planningmentioned by Shrum and Glisan (see Recommended Readings). What kind of issues didyou deal with, and how were the challenges resolved? How did the group (or did thegroup) reach consensus? Was authenticity of language use (e.g., using the language in thecommunity) brought up for consideration as part of the discussion? What were theprimary points of agreement? What were the biggest bones of contention?

3) Consider the opportunities for real-world activities that exist in your current curriculum. Isthere any provision for the types of content-based instruction or thematic units discussedin the recommended readings? How might content-based instruction help your district toimplement Communities? In small groups, share examples of authentic texts and tasks youhave used in the last year that helped students meet the Communities standard.


Ballman, T. L. (1997). Enhancing beginning language courses through content-enrichedinstruction. Foreign Language Annals, 30, 173-186. The author contends that content-based instruction in language learning is usually delayed until the intermediate level oncestudents have studied the basics of the linguistic system. This postponement means thatstudents receive little exposure to “cultural or real-world information” in the beginningstages. She proposes instead a content-enriched instruction in which learners use the targetlanguage to access “real-world” information on the target culture as they develop theirlanguage skills. She describes a six-day unit lesson plan “to illustrate the uses and benefits”of content enrichment.

Genesee, F. (1998). Content-based language instruction. In M. Met (Ed.), Critical issuesin early second language learning (pp. 103-124). Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley. Genesee presents a rationale for the appropriateness of content-basedlanguage instruction, followed by a discussion about the pedagogical issues involved suchas the suitability of attention to form, when to address grammar, and the teachercompetencies required for content-based instruction.

Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2000). Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized languageinstruction, 2nd edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Chapter 3 (pp. 48-74) addresses a“new paradigm for instructional planning” in terms of objectives, content and culture,skills, the learner, the teacher, materials, and assessment. The authors discuss the use ofauthentic materials and content-based instruction, delving into planning for instruction,including state frameworks, year-long planning, unit planning and lesson planning.“Teach and Discuss” activities and case studies provide an opportunity to reflect on avariety of situations that may be encountered when designing curriculum.

Williams, M. K., Lively, M. G., & Harper, J. (1998). Designing theme-based activities:Bringing ideas to speech. In J. Harper, M. Lively, & M. Williams (Eds.), The comingof age of the profession (pp. 177-190). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. The chapter examinesimportant elements in the design of thematic activities, those that “promote reflectiveprocessing.” The authors discuss important considerations such as making the topicengaging, personalizing the activity, engaging higher order thinking skills, emphasizingteamwork, etc. The chapter includes numerous concrete examples.


Documents

from the LOTE CED/TEA - SEDL · Languages Other Than English (TEKS for LOTE) while showing the positive impact these standards can have on student learning. Teachers from around the