The Cardinal

Establish a World Language Community Advisory Board 

Parthena Draggett, Jackson High School Spanish Teacher & World Language Department Head, OFLA Technology Integration Committee

Greetings OFLA Colleagues! I hope that everyone had a wonderful first semester and is looking forward to a new year of more great accomplishments and adventures in teaching and learning. I am writing this article to share my story of a collaboration that has greatly enhanced opportunities for World Language students at Jackson High School, and also to offer advice and support for establishing similar programs in your schools. Continue reading →

Elizabeth Munro, Euclid High School, Spanish Teacher

World language programs are floundering in many public schools across Ohio. Boards of Education and taxpayers do not view money spent on world language study as an important element in student achievement. Despite years of research that has determined that the study of a world language will improve a student’s ability in native language expression, mathematical processing and more, school districts are opting out of world language study. Even as these school boards adopt mission and vision statements that include words like, “preparing students to compete in a globally integrated world,” they cut the one academic tool that will allow students to do so. Why is it so easy for districts to do this? Continue reading →

Sheri K. Barksdale, Instructor of American Sign Language, University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College

American Sign Language has been gaining acceptance as a legitimate course of study in high schools and college over the past 20 years.  Once thought to be solely a collection of disorganized gestures, William Stokoe published research supporting the fact that ASL is actually a language.  There is no doubt that ASL is different from other languages because of its visual gestural components, but it is a language, and a complex one at that.  If you need to be convinced of the lack of simplicity, ask one of my students after his first semester of study. Continue reading →

Debbie Varga, Spanish Teacher, Revere High School, OFLA Advocacy Committee and Second Language Learning Committee

During the movie, Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick’s character is attempting to sell the concept of “glocal” (bringing the global-local).  This concept applies directly to all WL educators as we strive to create 21st century, real world learning opportunities for our students.  By bringing the “global” locally for our students, we can utilize the authentic resources that surround students in their communities.  ACTFL’s new World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages states, “Learners use the language both within and beyond the classroom to interact and collaborate in their community and the globalized world.”  By creating cross-cultural ties within our communities, a bond of advocacy is created between these cultures. Continue reading →

María Postigo. Canal Winchester HS, Spanish III & IV Teacher, OFLA Secondary Language Learning Committee.

María is currently on a sabbatical as she finishes her PhD Dissertation.

Introduction

Despite how difficult it is to define the concept of film genre even for scholars, and to classify movies accordingly, it is a pretty useful category for everyday users. This includes producers, directors, translators, distributors, audience, teachers, students, etc. Although film genres consist of fictional industrial products, their resemblance with reality makes them very versatile in the classroom. They have the power to bring cultures closer by exposing the audience and students to what makes certain individuals laugh, cry, or have feelings of astonishment, fear, disappointment, hope and so forth. Apart from the cultural discussion that film genres bring into the classroom, due to the simultaneous audio-visual channels of communication entailed in genre films, they provide a great tool for students to practice the different language skills and modes of communication. Continue reading →

Cécile Lainé, French Teachers, Wyoming City Schools

At my TPRS training last summer, Lynette Saint George always started her lessons by asking students how they felt as she would circulate an iPad with a slide full of faces expressing different emotions. At the time, I thought it was just a very neat way of starting class. I have since then discovered it is a wonderful path to language acquisition. Continue reading →

…and Recommendations to Implement

Gabriela Linik, Virtual Community School of Ohio, Spanish Teacher

Last spring, I researched how technology tools were being used in world language classrooms.  About 80 teachers in Ohio and a few more across the country participated in the study. In this article, I share what I learned and recommendations to continue to incorporate tech tools into the curriculum and in the implementation of Integrated Performance Assessments.

Why Technology?   Continue reading →