The Future of Foreign Language As We Know It

As I was discussing Spanish III with my niece the other day, it occurred to me that if foreign language teachers continue in the direction many are heading, the future of foreign language as we know it is bleak at best. My niece mentioned how unfriendly her Spanish teacher is; which in turn was the deciding factor as to why she refused to continue in Spanish. The teacher's outlook on teaching Spanish has to do with "old school" beliefs that Foreign Language should be grammatically difficult as a means to challenge students. While I agree we should always challenge our students; it is the manner in which we choose to do so that will make the difference. 
There are many ways to challenge students in foreign language to stimulate higher-level thinking. Challenging students to find solutions to real global situations plaguing the areas being studied is one of my favorites. I love The Flat Classroom Project! It is the ingenious collaborative effort of Viki Davis and many others. If you are unfamiliar with Flat Classrooms, please, do yourself a favor and check out the many amazing things they have accomplished.
Foreign language teachers need to change their mindsets to match the students they teach. If our goal is student learning, how can we truly believe this, if many continue on the same path with little to no change? Students are no longer choosing to continue in the FL they had been studying. Instead, they are taking other electives after they fulfill the minimal requirement.
Here's the problem with the old mindset; kids are not choosing the conventional language classes and now that computer programming is now an option to fulfill the FL credit,  we now have competition; and compete we must!
Stir things up! Here is an amazing site that provides a multitude of ways technology can be used in a foreign language classroom.Use technology and have students LOVE our beloved foreign language!

My Adventures at the 2014 TCEA Conference

Sitting here at the 2014 TCEA Conference, (Texas Computer Education Association), has my mind reeling with incredible ideas for the "World languages tech takeover". Yes. I said it. It's about time foreign language classrooms transform into engaging learning spaces. We have the capability of transforming learning as as we know it. If you haven't experienced a TCEA conference (or any tech related conference)...I highly recommend you do! I have heard inspiring stories of learning through the use of Twitter, Animoto, ebooks, classroom design, QR codes, and many many others.

The big focus this year in the Digital Square, thanks to the incredible efforts of Scott Floyd, was learning spaces and how learning can be transformed by creating an environment that is powered by collaboration. I know... I know... many of you are thinking, "Oh great, not another new idea that will soon fizzle out." What I found were incredible individuals with proof that students' learning improves when the learning spaces are inviting and centered on collaboration. There were some intellectual conversations circling this topic; as well as, one of the questions we have all asked at some point; how do we get "buy-in" from administrators and teachers unwilling to give up the traditional classroom design? There is no easy answer but we must be empathetic and work to educate these individuals by collecting and presenting data; lending an empathetic ear; and provide them with a support net to help with transitions. Christian Long and David Jakes facilitated the discussion in regards to learning spaces and design thinking.

It was refreshing to see how willing many administrators present at these sessions want the change for their schools.

Now,at this point, you should have noted a tone of favoritism towards this new concept of how the classroom environment impacts learning. There is a distinct difference between learning spaces and traditional classroom designs. Companies today are searching for innovators and individuals that collaborate well in team settings. 

Let's take a look at the two:

These two photos demonstrate learning spaces. Students are engaged and working collaboratively.

  

The traditional classroom model invites direct instruction which does not foster a collaborative atmosphere.

As a World Language teacher, it is my duty not only to promote language acquisition, but also to provide a learning experience that will produce creative collaborative individuals capable of intellectual thinking and problem solving.  I challenge you to use engaging and thought-provoking lessons to help prepare our students for the future. 

"We have 19th Century equipment, must move into the 21st Century but we still have a 20th Century mindset." -Tom Whitby Do we have a challenge ahead of us? You bet; but anything worth getting takes hard work and determination.

 Be an agent of change! Create a learning space for your students where the seamless use of technology will yield incredible results!