Discover Languages: Make Languages Matter in Your Community Justin Gerlach Mishicot High School WAFLT Public Relations Chair Paul Sandrock Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction ACTFL President Global literacy starts with curiosity Add experiences to build curiosity Create desire to communicate Provide tools for communication Instill confidence to communicate across borders What are “global literacies?” • Communication skills • Global perspectives • Knowledge of people, places, and practices • Skills to function comfortably in other cultures What skills are in demand? According to top executives in a USA Today poll, the skills most lacking in employees are: • Foreign Language • Interpersonal • Administrative • Technical • Management What skills are in demand? According to Michael Eskew, CEO of UPS: • Trade literacy • Sensitive to foreign cultures (cultural awareness, sensitivity and diplomacy) • Conversant in different languages • Technology savvy • Capable of managing complexity (being creative) • Ethical behavior – core values Languages add value to our economy 10 Languages impact academic achievement: Students studying languages outperformed those who did not study languages: • Outperformed on language arts and math, regardless of race , gender, or academic level • Four or more years of language study raised SAT scores more than study in any other subject area http://nnell.org/nnellresourcesadvocacypkt.htm 26 Languages impact academic achievement: Students studying languages outperformed those who did not study languages: • Lower socioeconomic students performed just as well • Outperformed non-language students on every subtest of state assessment http://nnell.org/nnellresourcesadvocacypkt.htm 27 Languages add value to our community 28 Languages add value by adding perspectives 29 Discover the World www.actfl.org 30 Make Languages Visible in Your Community • Sponsor an activity or event • Download the free poster from the website and display it in your school and community • Use “Discover Languages” products to publicize your event or heighten awareness among students, parents, and administrators • Create articles about your local “Discover Languages” campaign 31 Make Languages the Talk of Your Community • Sponsor a language “ambush” • Sponsor a “Discover Languages” booth at a summer community event; soon, Discover Languages kits will be available from ACTFL • Send in a picture of your “Discover Languages” event for posting on the ACTFL website • Visit www.discoverlanguages.org for more ideas! 32 Make Languages Matter in Your Community • Student interpreter program • Grandparent/grandchild language learning experiences • International business mentorships • Implementation of Linguafolio • Documentaries showcasing languages in use in your community 33 International Education Recommendations 34 International Education Recommendations: Key Goals • Global Literacies for All Students • World Languages for All Students • Global Training for All Teachers • Intercultural Experiences for All Citizens • International Linkages for Wisconsin Businesses and Government 35 Foreign Language Advocacy Keep informed of issues Identify specific issues to address Identify specific points in decision-making process Inform other teachers, administrators, and parents Contact the media Build coalitions Clarify and strengthen your department’s budget Organize and maintain network lists 36 Programs in Peril • Be pro-active – don’t wait until your program is in peril • Learn • Plan • Network • Inform • Get out your message • Stay optimistic – look for “opportunities” 37 When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion Ethiopian proverb 38 Discover Languages Discover the World 39 Thank you 40 [...]... your local Discover Languages campaign 31 Make Languages the Talk of Your Community • Sponsor a language “ambush” • Sponsor a Discover Languages booth at a summer community event; soon, Discover Languages kits will be available from ACTFL • Send in a picture of your Discover Languages event for posting on the ACTFL website • Visit www.discoverlanguages.org for more ideas! 32 Make Languages Matter... assessment http://nnell.org/nnellresourcesadvocacypkt.htm 27 Languages add value to our community 28 Languages add value by adding perspectives 29 Discover the World www.actfl.org 30 Make Languages Visible in Your Community • Sponsor an activity or event • Download the free poster from the website and display it in your school and community • Use Discover Languages products to publicize your event or heighten... languages outperformed those who did not study languages: • Outperformed on language arts and math, regardless of race , gender, or academic level • Four or more years of language study raised SAT scores more than study in any other subject area http://nnell.org/nnellresourcesadvocacypkt.htm 26 Languages impact academic achievement: Students studying languages outperformed those who did not study languages: ... Incentives to teach critical need languages K-12 • Scholarships for 3000 high school students to study abroad by 2009 • 300 native speakers to teach in US universities by 2 006- 07 • National Language Service Corps of Americans proficient in critical languages to serve as volunteers and teachers, K-12 • Teacher-to-teacher seminars http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2 006/ 58733.htm 18 Association of American... outside our borders.” (http://www.ced.org) 13 Languages add value to our diplomacy 14 A Call to Action for National Foreign Language Capabilities: • build language and cultural understanding capability; • develop language and cultural competency; • develop language skills in a wide range of critical languages • strengthen programs and tools in foreign languages and cultures; and • integrate language... Universities National Defense Education and Innovation Initiative: Meeting America’s Economic and Security Challenges in the 21st Century www.aau.edu 19 Association of American Universities National Defense Education and Innovation Initiative: Cultivate American talent to enhance the nation’s expertise in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and foreign languages • Shorten time to degree &... http://www.mla.org/census_main 23 Our Heritage Languages • Spanish or Spanish Creole - 28,101,052 • Chinese- 2,022,143 • French (incl Patois, Cajun) - 1,643,838 • German - 1,383,442 • Tagalog - 1,224,241 • Vietnamese - 1,009,627 • Italian - 1,008,370 • Korean, Russian, Polish, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese (500,000 – 900,000) 24 Languages add value through their impact on academic achievement 25 Languages impact academic... www.aau.edu 20 Languages add value for heritage cultures 21 US 2000 Census: Heritage Language Speakers 17.9% of US residents speak a language other than English at home (47 million people out of US total of 262 million people, over age 5) http://www.mla.org/census_main 22 US 2000 Census: Heritage Language Speakers • an increase of 47.4% between 1990 and 2000 of US residents who speak languages other... learning experiences • International business mentorships • Implementation of Linguafolio • Documentaries showcasing languages in use in your community 33 International Education Recommendations 34 International Education Recommendations: 5 Key Goals • Global Literacies for All Students • World Languages for All Students • Global Training for All Teachers • Intercultural Experiences for All Citizens • International