Improving Elementary School Foreign Language Teacher Education

Purpose

In 1985, the North Carolina State Board of Education took action requiring the study of foreign languages in elementary schools from kindergarten on by 1993. This action required a rapid increase in the number of in-service and pre-service teachers prepared to teach foreign language to elementary school students. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to work with teacher educators to improve their knowledge of the theory and methods of elementary school foreign language teaching.

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) collaborated with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to create and carry out a program of training for teacher educators at most of the public and private four-year colleges and universities in North Carolina. Foreign language teacher trainers had background and experience in teaching foreign language at the secondary level, but most did not have experience at the elementary level. Operating on the principle that teacher educators themselves ne ed experience observing and teaching at the level for which they will be training others, the project paired thirteen teacher educators at nine institutions with thirteen experienced teachers of Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES).

Project activities included: 1) a four-day seminar attended by the teachers and teacher educators; 2) a series of observations by the teacher trainers in the FLES classes and the teaching of some lessons in those classes; 3) development of a model elementary foreign language teacher education curriculum; and 4) implementation of the curriculum in college and university methods courses. Eight additional teacher educators participated in a second phase of the project, so that a total of 21 faculty members were provided the knowledge and experience to enable them to work with teachers preparing to teach in FLES programs.

Innovative Features

Having the college and university faculty literally apprenticed with the elementary teachers created a relationship and dynamic that was new to both parties. Teachers and faculty participated in seminars and designed the curriculum on an equal footing. This fostered a collegiality among people at different levels of instruction that was a revelation and a pleasure to all.

Each of the teacher educators was preparing to instruct pre-service and in-service teachers in FLES techniques. The varied teaching backgrounds and levels of foreign language preparation from which the students in the FLES training activities would com e created a special need for flexibility in program design. Some of the new FLES teachers had secondary certification in foreign language and would be adding elementary preparation to their certificates. Others had elementary teaching backgrounds and wo uld be adding the foreign language components to their general elementary certificates.

Thus, the State Board requirement that all future foreign language teachers have K-12 preparation meant that since a single-model methods course could not fit all the different situations, the model curriculum was defined in terms of the outcomes it was expected to produce. Each college and university program could then structure its program to incorporate all the necessary components in whatever courses were appropriate or for whatever preparation future FLES teachers might bring to a particular course. The classroom observations and teaching of actual lessons gave the teacher educators a direct experience that manifested itself in both the curriculum design and the teaching of methods classes.

Evaluation

Evaluation consisted of participant questionnaires, interviews by an external evaluator, and the project directors' observation of some of the teacher educators' redesigned methods classes. In a few cases, the directors were able to observe the peer te aching and practicum activities of the undergraduates trained in the new methods courses.

The observations led to the conclusion that teacher educators were indeed incorporating their new learnings in the preparation of FLES teachers, and that their students were carrying that learning into their pre-service practica. The external evaluator , based on her analysis of questionnaire responses and interviews, found that the project had quite strongly met the goals of improving the ability of teacher educators to train future FLES teachers, facilitating collaboration among teacher educators and practicing FLES teachers, and building a statewide capacity for professional development in teaching foreign language in the elementary schools.

This project established the value of having in-service teachers mentor teacher educators, a lesson that might be applied in a variety of situations where college faculty lack experience in specific aspects of the training they are expected to provide.

Project Impact

In addition to building the curricular and instructional support that would allow the state to meet its goals for incorporating foreign language instruction into the elementary school curriculum, this project created a new sense of partnership among university and elementary school faculty. The personal relationships that developed facilitated the placement of college students for practicum experience and expanded the role of university and college faculty in the schools. The elementary teachers' expe rience as mentors for college faculty gave them a new confidence and sense of equal partnership in the educational enterprise.

Lessons Learned

The project model did indeed work. Participant feedback and the project directors' monitoring led to recommendations for minor changes. The most valuable elements of the program were the concept of having FLES teachers mentor teacher educators and the equal partnership of the two groups in curriculum development.

Project Continuation and Recognition

The project was designed to end with the training of a cadre of teacher educators and the development of the new curriculum and its implementation. The ongoing effects lie in the network of relationships developed by the participants.

Budgetary problems delayed full implementation of the elementary school teaching mandate until 1995. Since all programs that prepare elementary teachers implemented the FLES curriculum, all new teachers were ready to offer foreign language instruction in grades K-6.

The model curriculum attained such wide currency that the sponsoring organizations had to employ an established agency to reproduce and distribute copies. Several state systems--notably Arizona's--where similar requirements for elementary foreign langu age instruction are being instituted have used the expertise developed in North Carolina extensively. Project staff have been invited speakers at national and international conferences.

Available Information

Copies of the model curriculum (cost: $8) are available through:

User Services
ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
1118 22nd St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20037

Information about the project activities may be requested from:

Nancy Rhodes
Center for Applied Linguistics
1118 22nd St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
202-429-9292
E-Mail: nancy@cal.org

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