Parthena Draggett provides a menu of actions to encourage participation and enthuse students
Human communication is a vital tool that enhances our lives personally and professionally, leading to greater understanding of community and a deeper sense of humanity. Even more empowering is the ability to communicate in more than one language, opening countless doors as humanity, empathy, and understanding explode to create “great employees, leaders in their communities, and true global citizens.” On top of which, learning languages has well-documented cognitive benefits (ACTFL, The Benefits of Language Learning).
All students deserve the opportunity to become proficient in languages other than English, and to develop the interculturality that accompanies language learning. However, K-12 administrators and teachers sometimes struggle to develop effective, well-aligned, properly sequenced programs that not only engage students early on, but also maintain their focus on building proficiency through the highest level of language offered at the high school level.
Let’s examine curriculum, actionable steps, strategies, and learning opportunities that can lead to enduring, well-planned world language programs that engage and keep students focused on the prize: the goal of becoming truly bilingual and multilingual. As I reflect on my long career as a professional educator, I have seen how these factors impact learning, build student confidence, inspire inquiry and engagement, and lead to effective world language and culture programs with strong enrollments.
A Solid Pedagogical Foundation
Effective Alignment and Articulation
Teachers and administrators should strive for a full view of the entire curriculum, rather than an isolated, building by building or level by level approach. Depending on the district and where students begin language study (elementary, middle, or high school), whether there are dual language options, heritage learner programs, and the like, all stakeholders need to come together for cohesive planning and articulation in curriculum maps, while considering other The World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (as well as state standards), Proficiency Guidelines, Performance Descriptors, Can-Do Statements, and the like. All levels should come together like a well-oiled machine, with expectations at the highest level, and collaboration to chunk instruction to achieve them.
Once curriculum maps or plans are set, teachers collaborate both across grade levels (horizontal alignment) and within subject areas (vertical alignment) to ensure that students reach the targeted proficiency level before advancing to the next school division, whether moving from elementary to middle school or from middle to high school. Teachers consider learner interests and backgrounds for effective instruction, ensuring that students are engaged in all modes of communication daily, or as often as possible, with the opportunity to show what they are learning and can do.
A shared vision for articulation ensures that instructional practices and expectations are consistent and empowers students with confidence as they advance from level to level. As an example, consider the importance of Advanced Placement AP® Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese World Language and Culture courses, which culminate in high stakes exams, from which students can earn college credit. It’s vital that teachers at the novice level (which may be middle school) and all pre-AP levels understand the course and exam task expectations. This way they can introduce and scaffold AP® exam strategies and tasks from the start of language study, very basic at first, but spiraling little by little, from one level to the next, to prepare students and build their readiness for the AP® world language and culture course. Again, this collaborative approach guides students seamlessly from one level to the next and from teacher to teacher, through shared routines, strategies and practices. There are no bumps in the road or surprise shifts to confuse students, who enjoy learning when they feel confident, motivated, and supported. As AP® scores increase, so does enrollment in all levels, as learners continue their studies toward the goal of taking the highly regarded AP® course.
Engaging Materials and Strategies Focusing on Communication and Culture
Lessons should balance rigor with enjoyment, considering the cognitive level of the students, but never losing sight of learning goals and objectives. Materials focusing on authentic, engaging texts, as well as student interests, are most effective. Whether using a textbook program that offers fully developed and scaffolded lessons based on authentic materials, or searching for and developing their own resources, teachers should present a variety of texts to give students a more complete learning experience. Examples are radio broadcasts, songs, literature, news articles, magazines, videos, comics, weather reports, advertisements, menus, podcasts—materials from a variety of target language countries that transport students into target language communities for current, updated learning and exposure to cultural products, practices, and perspectives.
Once authentic texts are chosen, teachers develop well-scaffolded lessons that build language skills, facilitate student understanding, and require them to react to what they have read, listened to, or viewed. Students should have a variety of opportunities to show what they have learned, as well as integrate new vocabulary and language in the process. This varies from demonstrating basic comprehension at the novice level to analyzing, evaluating, and digging deeper into interpretation at the intermediate to advanced levels. What starts out as input leads to wonderful avenues for interpersonal and presentational output as learners interpret and process, discuss, and present in spoken and/or written communication.
Another way to engage students is through the lenses of current topics and happenings in the world—their world—presented from the perspective of target language communities effectively through well- scaffolded lessons that lead students to a feeling of accomplishment. In the end, students learn best when immersed in engaging materials.
The Feedback Loop – A Shared Process Between Teachers and Students
One of the greatest factors in growing proficiency involves building learner confidence and a can-do attitude. When teachers know and understand their students, tailor feedback to their needs and strengths, and encourage self-assessment, the results improve significantly. Students have “buy in” when they are asked to reflect on their learning, making them part of the learning process. This can be done at various stages of a lesson, even as a formative tool, such as exit tickets or “thumbs up, thumps down” feedback for teachers to aid in planning next steps. Student reflection can also be detailed, with, for example, writing or speaking rubrics with columns for students to list evidence for rubric points, commenting on what they did well and where they need improvement. There are rubrics with columns for reflective notes built in for all modes of communication (for both performance and proficiency) on the Ohio Department of Education World Languages and Cultures site, Rubrics for World Languages. That said, student reflection can also be a brief assessment of Can-Do Statements, adding notes for strengths and needs, or a quick-write paragraph to assess what was learned and where to improve. It can also be a simple fill in the blank, such as: I feel good about___________. I still need work with__________. Teacher feedback together with student reflection and goal setting form a powerful team for growth toward proficiency and should be integrated into the learning process.
Real World Applications and Special Opportunities
Now let’s explore additional strategies and programs that maintain student engagement and boost enrollment in world language and culture courses.
Establish a World Language Community Advisory Board: At Jackson High School, as head of the World Language Department, I was always searching for more ways to bring the relevance of language study to our students. This led to the establishment of our World Languages and Cultures Community Advisory Board, composed of community professionals and companies for whom communication in languages other than English was instrumental in success. These globally minded board members supported our department efforts throughout the year and sponsored our major event each October: Global Opportunities Night, with a keynote speaker and exhibits by companies and organizations who interacted with students about opportunities and the need for languages in careers. Students (and parents who attended) left impressed and more committed than ever to language study. I also appointed students each year to attend our regular meetings and hold leadership positions in the Global Opportunities Night, empowering them to collaborate with community professionals. Consider the profound impact on learner commitment to study through the highest level of language offered when community professionals promote relevancy and provide bridges to real-world opportunities for communicators of languages other than English.
Offer World Language Honor Societies, such as the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and the Société Honoraire de Français: Establishing my chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) took my students to a new level of learning. One of our first activities was teaching Spanish to the local Fire Department EMS, who had contacted us for help. My members met with EMTs in four different fire stations for two years. They learned what EMTs needed to communicate and taught them, including making CDs for practice and signs for their vehicles. In the end my SHH students were featured in a national EMS magazine celebrating the success of our program. Why was this important to my students? They realized that communicating in Spanish was a real-world necessary skill that could help save lives, which one student exclaimed to me in Spanish after teaching the EMTs one afternoon. This was worth its weight in gold! Other activities included teaching Spanish to elementary students (since we did not have a dedicated elementary program), helping newcomer Spanish-speaking children with homework at a local church afterschool program, working with newcomers in our elementary schools to help children acclimate and feel comfortable, as well as translating for teachers and interpreting for parents. Students loved their community involvement and were inspired to study to the top level of Spanish, a requirement for SHH membership. They were also awarded national scholarships and travel awards, and published articles, poems, and artwork in Albricias, a student literary magazine.
Award the State and/or Global Seals of Biliteracy: It is gratifying to formally recognize students through the Seals of Biliteracy, applauding their dedication to the study of world languages and cultures and underscoring the importance of language study for building proficiency in communication. Many schools have recognition dinners or award programs to celebrate students getting the Seal. It is a great way to show that the entire school and greater community value their efforts and hard work. Moreover, it provides an opportunity to publicly announce language learners’ high achievement in local media and promote district curricular accomplishments at the same time.
There are two types of Seals of Biliteracy, the state Seal of Biliteracy, which is awarded according to individual state requirements and guidelines, often a foil seal placed on diplomas, recognizing proficiency in two or more languages, generally English and the target language studied. The requirements vary from state to state.
The Global Seal of Biliteracy can also be awarded to high school students but it is standardized, requiring approved testing that is the same no matter the state or institution. It is a shareable credential with a serial number that is recognized internationally and has “increased student enrollment and retention in language programs and promote multilingualism as a valuable asset.”
Schools can offer one or both seals to reward students for their commitment to language learning, one as an award and the other a credential, giving them a goal toward which to strive as they work toward greater proficiency in communication.
In conclusion, effective world language and culture programs provide meaningful learning experiences both within and beyond the classroom. These programs empower students to excel in authentic language use, recognize their achievements, and foster sustained motivation to study through advanced levels, ultimately becoming confident in their language communication and understanding of world cultures—tools that will help them succeed in their future studies and endeavors.
Parthena Draggett is an experienced Spanish and French teacher with extensive work in curriculum alignment in both public and private schools, most recently directing languages in grades Pre-K3 through 12 as World Language Department chair at the Community School of Naples in Naples, Florida. She is lead author of Temas, as well as co-author of Thèmes, published by Vista Higher Learning. She also serves as a National Language and Literacy consultant for Vista. An expert Pre-AP and AP teacher, Parthena is a certified College Board AP Spanish consultant, an experienced AP Reader/Table Leader. She has also written and edited a variety of materials for the College Board. Parthena regularly presents at conferences She provides training as an independent consultant nationally and as far away as Russia. Her greatest professional honor was being chosen as Ohio’s World Language Teacher of the Year for 2015.