ERIC Number: EJ1016792
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1083-5415
EISSN: N/A
A Blueprint for Success. Aligning Our Targets: Proficiency, Learning, Assessment--The Memphis City School's Story
Villarreal, Alyssa
Learning Languages, v18 n1 p42-45 Win 2013
This article peers through the lens of one district's journey of World Languages program refinement, and identifies a blueprint for success by aligning targets. The author begins by proposing the following questions: (1) Is your program where you want it to be? (2) Is it producing desired results? and (3) Are students yielding the greatest results possible? Alyssa Villarreal recommends yet another series of questions that school leaders might consider asking themselves such as: (1) Are the goals of the program realistic? (2) Does the program have enough time for sufficient language exposure to meet the targeted proficiency levels? (3) Is the curriculum standards-based and thematically organized? (4) Does the curriculum make connections to the target culture? (5) Is there a balance of languages being offered or is only one language being offered? (6) Is local funding available so that the program does not have to depend on the vagaries of grant funding? (7) Are the instructional activities intrinsically interesting, cognitively engaging, and culturally connected? and (8) Is professional development for the teachers an ongoing part of the program? Outlined are a few simple steps to create or reinvent a successful language learning program. The author then walks through each step and examines each one more closely, making suggestions along the way. The article concludes with the author commenting that this description is just one example of how programs across the country are engaged in providing effective professional instruction, and making world language studies worthwhile for students.
Descriptors: School Districts, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency, Cultural Awareness, Standards, Thematic Approach, Second Language Programs, Program Development, Language Tests, Testing, Elementary School Students, FLES
National Network for Early Language Learning. Winston-Salem, NC. e-mail: nnell@wfu.edu; Web site: http://www.nnell.org/publications/journal.shtml
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Journal Articles
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A