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January 22, 2013

News for and about language educators

Spotlight on Languages

Mass. school helps children maintain Polish identity
Every Saturday, children who are Polish immigrants or the descendents of Polish immigrants gather at The Polish Language School of New Bedford in Massachusetts for instruction in the language. The 20 students and their teachers speak only Polish during the three hour class. The program was developed for the local Polish community to hold onto its ethnic roots, school officials say. The Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.) (tiered subscription model)/The Associated Press (1/20)

Visit from pro hockey player inspires French students
Guillaume Desbiens, a player from the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, recently visited Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Ill., to engage in a Q-and-A with students in French. The visit was part of the League's outreach program. The Quebec native fielded queries in front of an audience of about 130 students, giving them a chance to practice their language skills. "At first I was intimidated by him speaking French, but then it was cool to be around someone who fluently speaks it," sophomore Layne Thresh said. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (1/22)

School honors alums for real world applications of foreign language
Averill Park High School in New York recently praised the accomplishments of three former students by placing them in the Averill Park Language Other Than English Hall of Fame. The three graduates have chosen different professions -- language education, international aid work and diplomacy -- but all mastered a foreign language and applied it to their professional careers. Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) (1/15)

Preparing Language Students for Real-Life Experiences
Rita Oleksak, Director of Foreign Languages/ELL in the Glastonbury CT School District, believes that interpersonal communication is good for students and conversational skills prepare them for real-life experiences. Download a brief case study on how Glastonbury provides more structured interpersonal communication training in their language labs.

Technology & Trends

India's youths use hybrid language to communicate via technology
The digital communication age has prompted the creation of a new language of sort in India -- "Romanagri." The informal tongue is a blend of the country's two official languages, English and Hindi. Some have taken an interest in what this reveals about language learning, suggesting that switching between the two languages actually takes more work than trying to use only one at a time. LiveMint.com/The Wall Street Journal (India) (1/22)

The pope uses Twitter account to speak to the flock in Latin
Pope Benedict recently tweeted in the ancient language of Latin. Translated, the tweet said: "What does the Lord command to those wholly eager for the unity of those following Christ? To always pray, to continually do justice, to love uprightness, to walk humbly with Him." Some see the pope's tweet as part of a broader effort to raise the profile of Latin in the life of the Catholic Church. Reuters (1/20)

Policy Watch

Persuasive writing lessons are planned for English language learners
Middle school students with a moderate understanding of the English language soon will be taught persuasive writing as part of a test unit that uses complex works, such as the Gettysburg Address, education reporter Lesli Maxwell writes in this blog post. Developed by Stanford University's Understanding Language team, the unit is expected to determine the resources, teacher knowledge and instructional supports required to teach a rigorous, Common Core State Standards based curriculum to English learners. The unit will be tested by as many as 10 teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Chicago and Denver school districts. Education Week/Learning the Language blog (1/16)

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