Food for Thought
ACTFL 2005: 39th ANNUAL MEETING AND EXPOSITION
The 2005 ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Annual Meeting took place this year in Baltimore, MD from November 18 to November 20. The ACTFL is the only national annual event for all language professionals. The convention features over 700 educational sessions, over 300 exhibitors and numerous cultural events. During these days, language professional from across the country attend lectures and workshops that will enable them to improve their knowledge in methodology, assessment and promotion of foreign languages.
As a foreign language teacher and Director of a language school, I had the opportunity to attend the convention on Saturyday the 19th and thoroughly enjoyed the lectures and the exhibition, which was a showcase in recent material and research for foreign language teaching and learning. To us, language teachers, the Convention is a mean to improve our professional knowledge, to network, to open our minds to new ways in language learning and most of all the convention is an invigorating experience in our commitment to provide excellent foreign language teaching to our students.
I came back with two key words from the Convention: assessment and community involvement. Assessment is a key in word in language teaching because we need to prove that our language programs give results. As foreign language teachers we owe it to our students to see the results of their work and time investment. Community involvement is needed to support foreign language teaching and cultural awareness beyond the classroom. We do not learn a foreign language grammar and structure in isolation; there is a whole cultural baggage that comes with a foreign language which will influence the way our students perceive the world and those who live in it.
Lingua Franca wants to give results and wants to promote foreign language learning in our community. Our teachers are ready to provide quality language teaching using the most appropriated materials and methodology to fit our students’ needs. They are also happy to share their cultural background as native speakers of the language they teach; and help students understand other ways and customs. We are also willing to educate the community on the importance of learning a foreign language by providing opportunities to get in touch with foreign languages and by informing about happenings in the world of foreign language teaching and learning.
We will keep you posted on all of these issues and we hope that you and your children will join us in the joyful and fascinating experience of learning a foreign language.
Catalina J. Natalini
Director
Foreign Language Learning: Why start so early?
Anyone who has a child has experienced how receptive babies and young children are to new knowledge. There is always the key question in foreign language teaching: How early shall we start? My answer to that is as early as you are able to.
How early do you start teaching your child your mother language? We are talking to our babies sometimes even before they are born. It is important to realize that learning a foreign language is not different from learning your mother language. The same mental skills and processes take place in both learning experiences; hence the learning of a foreign language supports the learning of the mother language and vice versa.
It is never too early to expose your children to a foreign language, and granted, a three months old baby will not give you a phrase in Spanish after ten lessons; but the receptive skills of a three month old baby are at work all the time, and at this early age he or she is learning the sounds and mastering the perception of a foreign language the same way he or she is doing this in his/her mother language.
Sounds and structures are being recorded in young minds and the brain, the most wonderful and fascinating machines of all, will be able to retrieve this information later in life. It is been proved that early experiences are key in the brain development of young children, and foreign language experience can be part of your child’s mental, social and emotional development.
By Catalina J. Natalini
Director
Growing up bilingual by Susan Fitzpatrick
A frequently asked question when first meeting people is “What do you do?” It’s a good question. Finding out what someone does in life is a good way to find out what kind of a person they may be. I’m lucky because when I answer that question I get to say that I have spent half of my life studying French and Italian and that I spent last school year teaching English to French children. Most people have one of two reactions to this, “How cool, I wish I could have done that!” or “Wow I hate studying foreign languages!” Sometimes they just look at me a little funny and I know they’re thinking “Geeze, you must be some hippy to spend a whole year with those frenchies!” I admit studying French and living in Europe sounds very glamorous and bohemian, but the truth is I have never wanted to do anything else. I discovered French early in life thanks to my mother who used to sing little French songs to me for fun and I guess that early introduction planted the seed for my lifelong passion. It wasn’t really until I was in high school, however, that I realized how much I loved studying French. I was fortunate enough to have a very inspiring teacher who showed me more than just verb tenses and how to order champagne at a French café.
We watched French films, read real French literature (although I don’t recommend Sartre for beginners…), ate French cheese (even the stinky stuff), and we even performed our own live version of the “Little Prince.” My eyes were opened to a whole new world, even though I was still little old me living in boring little Wilmington. It would be an understatement to say I have gained a lot from my studying French, and I thought that if I shared some of what I have learned and done I could show just what is possible with foreign language. Thanks to French I have learned the history of an entirely different culture. I can name most of the French kings, and all of their presidents. I have learned that there is more to France and the French than just baguettes and beret’s (although there’s a lot of those too!) I know the streets of Paris like the back of my hand, but if I do get lost I am confident that I can ask someone to help me find my way. I have seen the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight and toasted to the New Year in the streets of Paris. I can read Montaigne, Flaubert and Camus without a translation, but I usually choose French Vogue or Marie Claire. I know that lunch is the most important meal of the day in France and you better not have business to do between the hours of 11:30 and 1:30 in the afternoon. I have felt the exasperation of a lack of vocabulary, and the exhilaration of comprehending every word of a conversation without stopping to pull out a dictionary. I have worked in France and learned the value of a euro. I have spent time with French children and I learned that kids are kids no matter what language they speak. I have built lasting relationships with the people I have met abroad who share my love of French. I have experienced the changes of the four seasons in France and all the delights of nature that come with them. And last but not least, the crowning achievement of my French career: I have been mistaken for being French even after I opened my mouth! Learning a foreign language can be difficult, and it may seen frivolous in today’s fast paced world, but believe me the benefits far outweigh the challenges and the rewards will last a lifetime. |
