Proficiency in a second language is important and is most easily achieved by those who start young and who have the good luck to be educated in a school system that has a coherent and sequential language program.
In this age of globalization, schools should be prioritizing all aspects of global education. While just one element of a global education program, the language component is crucial to educating citizens who understand on a deep level issues of belonging to a global community.
Most countries in the world these days understand the importance of second language learning and are willing to invest in making sure their citizens can communicate across international lines. The US lags in this area.
On the whole we start our students learning languages late and we focus too often on grammar rules instead of communication. While our national standards for graduation include communicative proficiency in a language, many districts wait until high school to start their students, and many teachers work from a textbook.
William Alexander points out on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times today in "The Benefits of Failing at French" that we have "...roughly six years of life during which the brain is wired for learning language." He also talks about the increasing challenge we face as we age of "...(hearing)the second language through the filter of the first." In other words, if we start a language early it's going to be a lot easier to gain proficiency.
Alexander's piece focuses on overall cognitive gains from language learning. So not only does solid programming in languages bolster global competency, it also strengthens the brain.
In the United States local decision-making controls educational spending. Taxpayers should urge their school board members and school administrators to prioritize a carefully-developed second language program that begins in kindergarten.
Kit...Great blog...no surprise there! Really a pleasure to read your thoughts? Do you continue to write for the BDN in the summer? Several comments here that struck a chord. I read Alexander's NYT piece yesterday too and thought immediately about all we know about the human brain and learning. Do we consider any of that in curriculum development? That along with your comments about global education and I realized how narrow our curriculum work actually is. Realigning what we have always taught when we should re-think what we are teaching, why, and how! Easy to say all of that...harder to make it happen, of course. So, where does one teacher...or better yet...a small group of committed teachers start?
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly the dilemma that plagues me. I feel like after a decade of working in a district I am only just now beginning to make an impact on curriculum there. Part of that is my own slow development and part of that is the incredibly difficult bureaucratic milieu of my school district. I am burning with a desire to focus on global education and build a program I am really proud of but I hardly know how to begin. I spent the afternoon perusing the Asia Society website and programs (instead of doing coursework!) and thinking there must be some way to connect their international school initiative to Maine. But what's the way!? I'd love to work in that capacity - helping districts develop curriculum that creates global competency in their students and teachers ...
ReplyDeleteWhy not contact the Asia Society and talk to someone to see if a connection can be made?
ReplyDeleteYes, I did write to two people there yesterday. I'm wondering if either will respond. I have learned they have an International Studies School Network (ISSN) - I can't tell if it is still active. I am trying to get information. I also started reading Vivien Stewart's book A World-Class Education ... so you see this course is inspiring me ... except that I just can't keep up with all the things I want to know and learn!
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