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IMPORTANT - If you are a new Foreign Language Teaching Major, you must:
Introduction
Procedures and Requirements
Miscellaneous Suggestions This document was prepared by Linda-Jane Barnette, Lathrop Johnson, Chris Shea, and Cheryl Wegner (members of the MLC Task Force) with valuable help from Ron Warner, Department Chair. Web version by Lathrop Johnson and Chris Luke. Last updated: 30 January 2007. Congratulations on your decision to become a Teacher of Foreign Languages! You are in an elite group. Across the nation and here in Indiana, only about 40% of high school students are taking a foreign language. A higher percentage has taken one or perhaps two years of a language, but a much lower percentage has pursued it to a level where they can actually use it productively in their lives. And, only a very few decide to center their careers on the learning and teaching of foreign languages and cultures. For many years, Indiana did not stress foreign languages because of our isolation from foreign countries here in the Heartland. We may be the "Crossroads of America", but we did not seem to be at the crossroads of the world. This is ironic for several reasons. One of the first settlements in Indiana, back in the early eighteenth century, was a town founded by French traders. Vincennes later became the capital of the Indian Territories. In the middle of the nineteenth century, more than half of the population of Indianapolis were either first- or second-generation immigrants from Germany. Our large Amish population still speaks German in their communities. Throughout the state, you can see the legacy of Greek and Roman cultures in our governments and architecture. Indiana’s Hispanic population is growing rapidly, up 117% from 1990 to 2000, and Indiana is no longer cut off from the rest of the world. Indeed, a significant and growing part of Indiana's economy comes from international business. The Toyota plant in Princeton or the Isuzu facility in Lafayette are new and obvious examples, but there are other less obvious examples, such as Miles Laboratories in Elkhart, with a history going back into the nineteenth century, which was bought by a German company in 1978 and only recently changed its name to Bayer. In all, there are hundreds of Indiana companies with direct foreign connections, and many more family-owned businesses that do a significant part of their work for sales overseas. In the coming years, Indiana's connections to the rest of the world will continue to grow stronger, making the study of foreign languages ever more important. One of the essential provisions for programs that prepare Foreign Language Teachers, as formulated by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), is the requirement that candidates have fluency at the Advanced Low level in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. ACTFL has spelled out specific characteristics of language usage at the Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior levels (see http://www.gwu.edu/~slavic/actfl.htm for a sample listing). You should become familiar with these proficiency levels and gauge your progress by them. Not all college language majors achieve the Advanced Low level, so it is important that you use all the resources you can to improve your language skills throughout your college career. One key step along the way will be the mandated study program in the target language, which may be study abroad or another kind of immersion experience, but there are many steps you can start taking right away in Muncie, Indiana. Practice your foreign language with classmates, teachers, and friends. Take advantage of language club activities, foreign films, and weekly language tables. Act in foreign language plays. Seek out opportunities to do things with exchange students on campus. Watch foreign language news and feature programs on television. Find people in your residence halls or apartments who are also studying your language and hang out with them or eat dinner together. Get a job baby-sitting for a family with kids who speak your language. The possibilities are endless and will all contribute to making your eventual immersion experience much more rewarding. Note that most of the campus activities you can do to improve your language fluency involve other people, because communication and community are so important in language learning. In addition to knowledge and performance indicators, the Indiana DPS also has set disposition indicators. They want teacher candidates to realize early on that committed language teachers are truly excited by their profession. Being a gung-ho active student transfers naturally into being a professional language teacher. After all, you will soon be running a language club, organizing foreign language meals and trips abroad, directing foreign language plays, and communicating all day long in the target language. Formulating a Philosophy of Teaching You already have a philosophy of language teaching and learning from your previous study of language. Throughout your college experience and throughout your professional career you will be expanding on this and fine-tuning it. Now, when you have many models to observe, is a perfect time to start keeping a learning/teaching journal. Jot down information about each of your courses, not just foreign language courses. Which actions of your teachers impress you or irk you. Which aspects of class are most helpful in mastering the material and which seem not to help? Keep track of assignments; how much is too much? Which strategies work for you and which work for your classmates? What about the tests; how would you have changed them? What are the good and bad aspects of your textbooks? How does technology contribute to the course? Reflect on the various entries in your journal and discuss them, when appropriate, with your teachers. You will do the same critical reflection on your own classes when you are the teacher. All majors will be assigned a departmental advisor. Following is a list of the faculty in Modern Languages and Classics who are available to majors in the department. One of these will be designated as your Foreign Language Teacher Advisor.
French: These are professors who advise students in addition to their teaching, research, and other service responsibilities. Please call the main office (765-285-1361) and ask about their office hours so that you may make an appointment to see your departmental advisor. Your advisor wants to see you, but you need to initiate contact with him or her and allow ample time to schedule a meeting. In addition, all teaching majors need to check with Teachers College about specific requirements. Your print-out of your Degree Analysis Progress Report (DAPR) and rGrade will show requirements for graduation; however, you will need to decide, in consultation with your advisor, when and how you will fulfill those requirements. Committee of Foreign Language Teacher Advisors The Foreign Language Teacher Education Committee (FLTEC) will consist of at least one representative from each of the five language sections, and will include the Department Chair and the Methods Professor, who will be chair of the committee. Members will be chosen by the department at the end of each year for the following year. Normally, the committee members will be advisors to the teacher candidates. The advisors will be listed on the Foreign Language Education website, with links to their home pages and e-mail. Before each Decision Point, your advisor will present your portfolio and other evidence to the Committee for approval. Any appeals of decisions made by the committee must be initiated in writing to the committee within ten working days of notification of the decision. There may be a hearing, and any decision of the Committee is final. Portfolio and Artifact Evaluation In your introductory FL 150 class you will begin your digital portfolio, based on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Principles. As you continue your studies, you will add to your portfolio the artifacts that are described in our website, which are based on the Indiana Division of Professional Standards (DPS) Content Standards. Some artifacts are directly connected to a specific course; others draw on combined experiences you have in two or more classes. Please refer to the website (address above) for a representation of our department’s required artifacts and a timeline for their completion. According to the Decision Points document, you will be evaluated at the end of your first year (Decision Point 1) by the instructor of the FL 150 course. Our departmental evaluation begins at the end of your second year of classes (Decision Point 2), when the Foreign Language Teacher Education Committee will review the artifacts in your portfolio and make sure you have completed your content requirements. The semester before you begin your student teaching (Decision Point 3), the Foreign Language Teacher Education Committee will again evaluate artifacts and content requirements for that period. Then, by the end of your senior year (Decision Point 4), a content specialist will be involved in the evaluation of your student teaching portfolio. It is the responsibility of the candidate to prepare artifacts and have them evaluated by faculty members in the department. This should occur in a timely manner before each Decision Point. The portfolio, including artifacts and the evaluations, should be given by the date specified on the Foreign Language Education website to the advisor, who will review them and then gain the approval of the entire Foreign Language Teacher Education Committee. Any deficiencies at any Decision Point must be corrected as soon as possible by the candidate to ensure normal progress through the curriculum. The most crucial issues at the Decision Points may be the fluency requirements. Candidates who do not reach the required levels will have to carry out an emergency correctional plan before they can continue to the next level of coursework or begin their student teaching. At various times in your progress through the teacher education program, you will be required to take different exams. Check also the information in the “Teacher Education Handbook” for other test information. Decision Point 1: All students must pass the Praxis I: PPST to become a Professional Education Aspirant. See the “Teacher Education Handbook” for information on preparing for this and other tests. Decision Point 2: Students in French, German, and Spanish take a departmental proficiency exam that includes listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The scores from the exam may be included as an artifact in the digital portfolio. Japanese and Latin students are examined by regular faculty in their language area. Modern language students (i.e. French, German, and Spanish) also participate in an oral interview conducted by regular faculty in the appropriate language area, with scores available for the digital portfolio. All of the scores for students in French, German, and Spanish must be at least at the Intermediate Low level as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. In Japanese, scores must be at the Novice High level. Decision Point 3: French, German, and Spanish students take the Minnesota battery of language exams (listening, reading, and writing) as well as a departmental exam on grammar and culture. Students also participate in an oral interview. Scores may become part of the student’s digital portfolio. Japanese students take a departmental proficiency exam with scores being entered into the digital portfolio. Latin students take the departmental proficiency exam (translation, grammar, and culture) with scores becoming part of the digital portfolio. Scores for French, German, and Spanish students must be at least Advanced Low, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. In Japanese, scores must be the equivalent of at least Intermediate High. All exams must be successfully completed prior to Student Teaching. (See http://www.gwu.edu/~slavic/actfl.htm or http://www.actfl.org/ for information about the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency levels.) Decision Point 4: All students in French, German, and Spanish must pass the Praxis II standardized test on content knowledge in their specific areas and successfully complete an official Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) at the Advanced Low level. For the time being, there are no Praxis II tests for Latin and Japanese, but students in Japanese must pass an official Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) at the Intermediate High level. For more information on the Praxis exams, visit the Teachers College website. The university anticipates that most teacher education applicants will be able to complete the program within 8 semesters. You will consult with your advisor to set up your specific program. Here is a sample eight-semester student schedule for a Spanish Teaching Major. Yours may be different. The following schedule does not include specific space for study abroad, although the best times would be during the junior year. It is essential to work out your own eight-semester schedule with your Advisor as early as your freshman year. Sample
Eight-semester student schedule for a Spanish teaching major:
Special Foreign Language Methods Courses Required of Teacher Education Majors 1. FL 150 Introductory course for students interested in becoming foreign language teachers. Guidelines, requirements, etc. for teaching majors are explained and students begin development of the digital portfolio. 2. FL 295 Field experiences in foreign language education. Students continue to develop their digital portfolios, make obervations in local schools, and design various artifacts for the professional portfolio. 2. FL 395 Methods and Materials for Teaching Foreign Language. Current methods in foreign language teaching in the senior high school. Presentation, texts, teaching materials, CAI, and other supplementary aids. Reviews current professional literature, trends, and requirements. This course should be taken before or concurrently with EDSEC 380 and EDJHM 385. 3. FL 396 Technology and Assessment in Foreign Language. Current theory and practice of technology and assessment in the foreign language classroom. Evaluation of resources, preparation of instructional materials and instruments, articulation and integration of technology and assessment into curricula and lesson plans. Audio, video, and computer-based technologies. Assessment of oral, aural, writing, reading, and culture. Prerequisite recommended: FL 395. Regular Department Courses Since the acquisition of another language is a cumulative process, all of your coursework will contribute to your ability to use the language. In the case of Modern Languages, fluency is like tennis; constant practice is needed and one is always striving toward perfection. Although all content courses build toward improvement of your ability to listen, speak, read, and write in the target language, some courses are more directly linked to certain artifacts required for your portfolio. You will note these course numbers in the website description. In order to maximize the usefulness of these courses, you need to consult with the professor so that s/he can assist you in preparing your artifacts. Students who are not teaching majors in the class will not need to prepare artifacts. Study Programs in the Target Language Modern Languages: In addition to required courses in educational methods, students seeking a license to teach in the modern foreign languages are required to complete a study program where the target language is spoken. The Department and the University will assist the student in finding a placement. Exceptions will be granted rarely and only with the permission of the chair and faculty of the respective language. Latin: Students of Latin will design a program of cultural study in consultation with the Classics faculty. Please consult with the Center for International Programs (http://www.bsu.edu/international/) for more information on possible programs and funding. Rationale:
Teachers of foreign languages* can communicate fluently in the foreign language and understand the culture(s) in which the language is used. *This statement refers to the commonly taught modern European languages. The appropriate proficiency level for languages with different alphabets or characters and for Latin must be determined by specialists in those languages. Included in this standard are the following Knowledge indicators (Note: indicators 3, 4, and 5 can be directly linked to a study program in the target language):
Technology use is everywhere you turn on the Ball State campus and in the schools where you will be teaching. At Decision Points 2, 3, and 4 (as well as at the end of the Induction Period), you will need to meet increasingly demanding sets of technology standards. For more information go to http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/ and then click on the “Performance Profiles for Teacher Preparation.” You will be prepared to meet these standards in most of your Ball State Courses and specifically for Foreign Languages in FL 150, FL 395, and FL 396. Take note in each of your courses on how technology is being used successfully. Hints
for Student Teaching In addition, the pre-service teacher will need to demonstrate an understanding of learning styles and age-appropriate activities for a diverse student population. Most importantly, but nearly impossible to measure, is the fundamental desire to share the language with students. Teaching also requires self-discipline, compassion, and the self-confidence to persevere when students complain or criticize. The cooperating teacher will assist the pre-service teacher to grow professionally, but he/she will need to bring a commitment to teaching and a love of the target language to the experience. Certification in Two Languages The Department of Modern Languages and Classics is prepared to make special provisions for the student who is seeking certification in two languages - you will not be expected to have two study programs where the target language in spoken, for example. But do please seek out the Department advisor for each language - there are some special requirements or accommodations in each language area you’ll need to keep in mind. For example, although you will not be required to do two full semesters of study teaching, one in each language, you will be expected to make some kind of accommodation for student teaching in the second language, e.g., six weeks of student teaching in one language, six weeks in the other. In addition, you should probably anticipate the need to compile two full portfolios, one in each language. Again, please keep in contact with the Department advisor in each language; s/he will keep you informed of the requirements as you progress through the program. When the time comes to choose an appropriate minor, you might keep in mind several interdisciplinary minors which dovetail nicely with Modern Languages and Classics majors: the Asian Studies, African Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, or Ancient Studies Minors, for example. See the Undergraduate Catalog and your advisor for more information. Graduating with Departmental Honors Whether you are enrolled in the Honors College or not, you may be eligible to graduate with Department Honors in your language. Your advisor can explain the requirements for Honors in each language area. A word of warning: since Honors at graduation often requires additional work in Departmental courses, you may need to set your sights on Departmental Honors almost as soon as you arrive on campus. Talk to your advisor today! Scholarships, Grants, and Awards Sometimes when students arrive on campus with scholarship monies equal to the cost of tuition, room and board, etc., they abandon the scholarship search. But scholarships are honors as well as funding, and each scholarship won, whether or not you accept the monetary award, has a place on your résumé. So stay alert to scholarship opportunities. The Department of Modern Languages and Classics awards a number of scholarships each year: the Nicole King Memorial Scholarship for Foreign Study, the Modern Languages & Classics Scholarship, and the Burkhardt Foreign Language Scholarship (open to all language areas); the Burkhardt Scholarship for the University of Nancy (French); the Uwe F. Koehler Memorial Scholarship, Robert S. Sears Memorial German Scholarship, and the Eugene and Mary Herrman German Scholarship (German); and the Vicki Yoakum Burton Scholarship in Spanish. The deadlines for application usually fall in March. Your advisor will be able to provide more details. The Center for International Programs and the Honors College also sponsor scholarships for which you may be eligible. Please consult their websites for more information. It would be truly useful for you in your professional development to be part of a team conducting educational research. Talk to your advisor or a favorite professor about such projects. Undergraduate research is strongly supported by the university, and there are grants available to fund it. The principal source of funding is the Undergraduate Research Fellowship, administered, for the most part, by the Honors College, but open to all students. The Office of Research also has available some small grants for travel or research expenses. Taking Your Place in the Profession As you progress through your Teacher Education program, look for opportunities to hone your professional skills or make professional contacts. If you have participated in an undergraduate research project outside the classroom or performed particularly well in a classroom assignment—and can persuade a professor to sponsor you--think about presenting your work at the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference. This conference, held each spring in Indianapolis, will give you a chance to practice sharing ideas with your peers. As a student, you’re entitled to membership in a number of local, regional, and national organizations (at reduced prices). Join the American Association of Teachers of German or Japanese or French or Spanish and Portuguese or the American Classical League or the Indiana Foreign Languages Teachers Association, etc., read their websites, participate in their discussion groups, attend their meetings. You’ll be piling up goodwill to last a lifetime. You may be invited to join a number of honorary societies for exceptional students. Some of these will be related to your major, like the foreign language honoraries, Alpha Mu Gamma (all languages) and Eta Sigma Phi (Greek and Latin); some are open to outstanding students in any field, e.g., Alpha Lambda Delta, Blue Key and Gold Key, Phi Society, etc. Accept those invitations, regardless of the membership fees, remembering (1) you’ll connect with students of similar interests and goals, (2) they’re résumé builders, and (3) your grandparents would love to contribute funds to such a worthy cause. Off to the Big, Bad, “Real” World When the time to graduate comes, you’ll find a crucial part of your Teacher Education program just beginning: the “induction” phase, where you’ll refine your knowledge and professionalism and round out that all-important teaching portfolio. While you’re in this next stage, we’d like you to remember:
As an alumnus/alumna of the University, you’re entitled to certain privileges on campus: access to Career Services; use of the libraries, gyms, and other facilities (sometimes a small fee is involved); reduced ticket prices at cultural and sporting events, etc. Take full use of these privileges. Join the Alumni Association and keep up with University events; when the University does well, that degree of yours looks better and better. |