Before I start to dream about a Fantasy Language School I first want to imagine a world where people of all colors, cultures, languages, religions, and any other difference that currently divides our world accepted one another with arms wide open. I dream of a world where we acknowledge that everyone has the same basic needs; to be loved, to be fed, to be educated, to be accepted, and to live with dignity and security. To the people of Paris and all of France, my heart and prayers go out to you. (Click on image to see Jean Jullien's tweet.)
This week we are being challenged to dream. We are asked to imagine what our ideal language school would be like if the decisions were all ours and money was not an object. Now you know
why it is called a dream!
First, my school would exist within a society that truly valued language and culture. There wouldn't be debates over the value of studying language nor the argument that English is the only language we need to know. Language learning would be an aspiration for the many and polyglots would be recognized for their brilliance and valued as are doctors today.
My language school would be a microcosm of our multicultural world. Diversity would be present in every aspect of the institution from the administration to the staff, faculty, and students. Everyone would be appreciated for their unique perspectives and on any given day anyone could fill the role of student or teacher. The walls would visually represent the world and all the signage would be in multiple languages. The school would be partnered with other schools across the globe providing students with access to partners for projects and information exchange.
We wouldn't use text books to drive our curriculum. Instead, we would create a curriculum driven by real world problems and scenarios. Students would choose the problems they want to work on making the curriculum fluid and allowing for learning to take place naturally. The organic nature of this process would remove the time constraints of semesters or quarters. Instead students would study a unit until they were ready to move on.
Don't get me wrong, there would be learning objectives. I like "Can Do" statements because students can judge what they can do and can determine their own progress and needs. The teacher would serve to consult, advise, guide, monitor progress, redirect, while exploring and learning side by side with the students. The Can Do statements would reflect the global skills our students need now and would need in the future.
Grades would be a thing of the past! I truly don't like grades or grading for that matter. Students would receive feedback from a committee of teachers and students, as well as, the outside world who examined, admired, and critiqued the students' published work, solutions, and creations.
The school would have a theater where students could go in and see foreign films and documentaries, as well as, the news as it happens. Students would be encouraged to be aware of current events by having the flexibility to go take a break in the theater and watch the news and even create news.
We would have state of the art technology throughout the school which allowed our students to connect with people across the globe whenever they wanted or needed to for their research. Every student would have multiple devices that they could use to create and communicate. The technology would serve to give the students access to fellow students and experts while working on their individual and collaborative projects.
Every week would include students working in teams, pairs, and individually to create, communicate, and explore. There would be weekly virtual field trips and opportunities to hear from experts on the topics we were exploring. Students across grade levels or language courses would have an opportunity to share their progress with one another to include with our global partner schools.
Okay, enough dreaming, what can I do today in the real world? I can create student-centered learning activities that put me in the consult, guide, and assist role and allow my students to take center stage. I can look at alternatives to our text book and continue to explore how to optimize technology use in the teaching learning process. I can pursue additional activities that expose students to authentic world resources and the exploration of global perspectives.
Theresa,
ReplyDelete" my school would exist within a society that truly valued language and culture." I, too, would like to set my school in a similar context to yours. I love the diverse global emphasis, also. With real-world problem-based learning, and the elimination of grades and grading periods, yours is a school where learning takes place for the joy of learning and the productive affect it can have on our world--not just learning for a grade. All students can demonstrate some measure of success in such a school.
Theresa, I found your post so touching and thoughtful. I like how you focus on the multicultural aspect and promoting diversity in your school. Another feature that I love is having a theater in your school - that thought never occurred to me, yet my students really enjoy watching foreign films. I try to incorporate a couple during the year that tie into our themes, and they really look forward to them.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. As language educators, we have the unique power to open up our students minds to diverse cultures and points of view. This is why learning Spanish or French will not be the same as learning a computer language.
ReplyDeleteTheresea, I learn a lot from your posts. What a novel idea to allow students to take a break to watch news in the native language. I was speaking to Edwige, earlier, about the differences between French and American news media coverage, and yes, I think studying the media and emphasis on current events is such a great way to teach culture and language together.
ReplyDeleteThe other aspect I really liked was how you mentioned diversity in students and staff. This, I'd imagine, would also better prepare students for working in a diverse workplace.