Language as a Means: The Multiple Ends of Language Learning

At Global Language Project, our approach is to think about language proficiency not only as an end in itself, but as a means for students to achieve success in a multitude of areas.  Our curriculum is designed to make direct links between learning the structure of a new language and the core subjects that students are learning in their daily classes and core subjects. Students need to engage on a deep level with another language not only to gain more opportunities in the workforce, but to also develop the skills they already are cultivating in the classroom. These skills are also critical ones for students in higher education and in the workforce.

Often in public schools, we see world language learning siphoned off into its own category, which leaves students and educators perplexed as to why achieving language proficiency becomes such a challenging process. As foreign as a new language might seem, we believe that there is a way to make learning a new language a process that students can identify with and in which they can find familiarity.  At GLP, our language classes are structured so that students reinforce the multiple skill sets, including social habits, they are learning in the classroom, but through the eyes of another language and culture.  Doing math exercises, for example, in Spanish not only enhances student comprehension of new Spanish vocabulary but also reinforces basic mathematical skills. Looking at the lives of important figures in the history of Spanish-speaking countries not only provides students with important cultural knowledge of a region, but also enables an appreciation of history as a way of looking at the world.

While language is our starting point, in many ways, the ends we hope to achieve are bigger, and the stakes higher. Many of GLP’s students come from communities that have limited educational resources and that suffer from poverty and its social consequences. We have found that our language programs have given students a safe space to channel their energies into something productive, and to see the value in developing teamwork, leadership skills, and productive relationships with their peers. In other words, language learning becomes common ground for giving students in under-served communities the chance to work towards broader goals for themselves and even for their local neighborhoods. 

 Whether our students are saying Hola!, Ni Hao!, Bonjour!, or Marhaba!, the value of learning another language remains constant. For us, it is about enabling students to become a better version of themselves as students, as potential members of the workforce, as global citizens, and as members of their communities. 

Giving the Gift of Language This Holiday

As we enter the holiday season and you make your many lists, consider giving the gift of language this year by clicking here.  It is the gift that truly keeps on giving.  At GLP, we do not look at learning language as an end to itself but as a means that unlocks communication and culture.  At GLP, we often say a “second language is a second life.”  Yes it may sound catchy, but after traveling the world twice over and meeting countless people who have recounted how either speaking or not speaking the language of a country has positively impacted their travels or how speaking a language has opened doors in their careers and personal lives.

Most of us know all too well the utility of language skills when you find yourself in a place where your mother tongue is not spoken.  But more than that, when you understand a language, you can begin to understand a culture.  And at GLP, our holiday wish is for more understanding and tolerance around the world.

We want to thank all of our supporters for making our work possible this year, and look forward to bringing more language programs to students across the country!

All the best!

Angela

P.S Check out a recent feature on New York 1 on GLP’s programs!

GLP Arabic Instructors attend QFI Institute 2012

From August 13 through 17, four Global Language Project teachers and assistants attended the Qatar Foundation International (QFI) Institute 2012 Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language.

 This year GLP will be moving ahead full force with its Arabic language instruction program and will be offering daily classes at PS 368 Hamilton Heights Elementary School in Harlem. Previously, GLP offered only after-school and lunchtime Arabic classes. The QFI Institute acted as a way for GLP's instructors and curriculum development team to learn more about common and effective practices for Arabic instruction.

Above, Elisabeth Shovers, Anna Serio and Katie Rein at the QFI Institute 2012.

"Most of the Arabic instructors present were from high schools and middle schools," Anna Serio, GLP's resource coordinator, said. "We were the only elementary school focused people there."

Serio works to find materials to use in GLP's classrooms, determines that pictures used are copyright free and also acts as an assistant teacher is some classrooms.  Besides the networking at the institute, Serio valued learning about all the different classroom tools available for Arabic language instruction across many different mediums.

The most valuable resource she discovered at the QFI Institute?
Al-Jazeera's  Childrens' Channel website - http://www.jcctv.net/


Elisabeth Shovers, GLP's program coordinator, found information about including standards and assessments to be very valuable and something she wants to incorporate into GLP's programs.

"Also, in terms of teaching, there was great information on including authentic materials and using differentiation with students," Shovers said.

The QFI Institute lasted four days with different topics of discussion each day, including curriculum; teaching the target language; culture, language and content; assessing students performance and using authentic materials and technology.

 Below, a photo of the entire QFI Institute 2012.

 Feel free to ask Elisabeth and Anna questions about the Institute in the comments!

Cynthia Weill collects items for GLP in Oaxaca, Mexico

Cynthia Weill joined Global Language Project (GLP) as a consultant this spring.  As a writer of bilingual children’s books, she spends every summer with artisans in Oaxaca (Wah-hah-kah), Mexico.  Below is her story of her most recent trip, during which she collected pieces for a Mexico "culture kit" for use in GLP's programs.

Cynthia and figurative ceramist Guillermina Aguilar.

The artisans of Oaxaca supply the figures for my work, which teach the bilingual alphabet, colors, opposites, numbers etc. The books impart basic concepts while exposing children to Mexican art forms (see www.cincopuntos.com and www.cynthiaweill.net.

The cover of one of Cynthia's books.

My wish when starting was that the books would bring the artisans involved more recognition.  Many of these artisans, such as the Aguilar sisters - creators of figurative ceramists - are considered “Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art” (Fernández de Calderón 2012).  However, even in Mexico, they are known to only a handful of folk art enthusiasts, anthropologists and academicians.  I also  hoped by virtue of exposing these handicrafts to a wider audience that readers travelling to Oaxaca would visit the artisans and purchase their work.  

Sadly, this did not happen.

In 2006, a civil disturbance landed Oaxaca on the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory list.  Just as things were starting to improve, fear of the swine flu epidemic kept people away.   Today, I feel perfectly safe in Oaxaca; however the terrible press about the violence relating to Mexico’s drug cartels currently frightens off most international tourists.

Artisans who made their livelihood for years from their ceramics, wood carving, tin figures and baskets by selling them to visitors are trying to supplement their meager incomes with farming or tortilla making or whatever else they can do for a cash income.  These craftspeople used to be able to employ their children insuring that there would be a new generation of artisans. The adult children of some of the most famous artisans in Mexico - the successors of these ancient traditions - are now laying bricks and driving moto-taxis to support their families.
 

When I was asked to create a "culture kit" for the Global Language Project based on Mexican artifacts, I saw an opportunity.  From my book projects, I knew that many artisans were producing work that used appropriately had tremendous educational value for young children.
 

The kits contain several different types of crafts. There are two types of ceramics: black and red. The artisan who made the black animal figure whistles for the project, Carlomagno Pedro Martinez, is considered a “Great Master of Mexican folk art.”

Carlomagno Pedro Martínez makes black pottery whistles.

Although his pieces are in major museums throughout the world,  he loved making the whistles as they reminded him of the work he used to do as a child.  

Another clay worker, Josefina Aguilar, probably Mexico’s most famous artisan, made the ceramic market ladies. If you go to her town of Ocotlán on Fridays, when women bring their wares to market, you will see how they inspire her.

Josefina Aguilar, figurative ceramist, shows “Mercadera” figure or lady at the market.

 

Wood carver, Jesus Sosa Calvo made a special iguana for the kit.  It’s less delicate than some of his other pieces but he felt this one could withstand the wear and tear of many little hands.

Jesús Sosa Calvo and wife Juana, wood carvers, show lizard wood carvings.

 

Women’s collaboratives in Oaxaca made the pre-hispanic figure in the collection as well as the woven baskets that house the artifacts.

Through its purchase of these crafts,  Global Language Project can share these art forms with educators.  The project also makes a direct contribution to the livelihoods of rural artisans and plays a small role in keeping these wonderful craft traditions alive for the next generation.