| Your feedback is important to us. Click here to email us your feedback. |
| ACTFL SmartBrief |
| May 15, 2012 |
sponsored by
Ill. district hires teachers from Spain
Urbana School District in Illinois has developed an international exchange program with the Spanish government that will bring temporary teachers from Spain into its classrooms. Students and teachers from Urbana will also have the opportunity to travel to Spain to study. The district hopes the program will enrich its dual language education. "We're looking for the best opportunities for our students," said Joe Wiemelt, the district's director of bilingual and multicultural programs. The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, Ill.) (5/12)
Cuisine helps Americans and Cubans bridge divides
A group of 10 New York City chefs are in Havana, Cuba, this week to work with their counterparts there, using culinary arts to help close the linguistic and political gap between the two countries. The Americans are trying to encourage the growing creativity and entrepreneurship of Cubans, and both sides are using the experience of cooking and eating together to learn how to communicate in each others' languages. San Francisco Chronicle/The Associated Press (5/12)
|
Advertisement |
"Confusometer" a digital lifeline for students lost during a lesson
Mobile application developer Understoodit has created a product called the Confusometer, which allows students to digitally alert their instructor of their difficulty following the material without having to raise their hand and say so. Professors and teachers say students hesitate to raise their hands these days, especially in large classes. eCampus News (free registration) (5/10)
University of Louisville students receive degrees in sign language
The University of Louisville in Kentucky awarded degrees in American sign language for the first time this spring, continuing a trend of more U.S. colleges recognizing it as a language fit for academic study. The federal government expects demand for sign language interpreters to go up 24% in the next decade, and several of the graduates said they expect to pursue that line of work. "Just because someone can't hear doesn't mean they don't have something important to say," said graduate Ashley Finn. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) (tiered subscription model) (5/12)
Other News
Philadelphia expresses commitment to bilingual education
Philadelphia's School Reform Commission pledged Monday to maintain funding for bilingual programs, even amid a budget squeeze. Board members see such programs as critical given the number of immigrants in the district. The board acknowledged that some schools aren't holding up their end of the bargain, however. "The principals aren't taking it seriously and aren't held accountable," said Wendell E. Pritchett, a commissioner on the board. The Philadelphia Inquirer (5/14)
Colo. district replaces language teachers with computer program
A Colorado district has cut the jobs of three foreign language teachers, and students instead will pay $150 per semester to learn a new language on the Aventa computer system. One of the laid-off teachers, to no avail, appealed the changes to the school board, citing the need for foreign language in the modern economy. Foreign language also helps with learning grammar, critics of the plan argue. Spanish is the only language in the high school that will continue to be taught by a teacher. Vail Daily (Colo.) (5/13)
Other News
ACTFL now accepting award nominations
ACTFL recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of foreign language education through its many award programs and is now accepting nominations for 2012. Learn about nominating a worthy colleague for an ACTFL award. Blank (5/15)
ACTFL seeking feedback on revised standards
The ACTFL Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers that were developed in 2002 in collaboration with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) are now due for revision. Our Teacher Preparation Standards were first developed in 2002, but NCATE has adopted new principles and the ACTFL standards must now align with those new principles. ACTFL is now seeking feedback on the newly revised draft document. Read the document and provide feedback by June 1. Blank (5/15)
Who's Hiring Industry Job Listings
|
|
--Theodore Roosevelt, |
Email: actfl@smartbrief.com
Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004
Legal and Privacy information at
http://www.smartbrief.com/legal.jsp
Unsubscribe
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."