Introduction

     One of the most rapidly developing technological advancements in our society today is the use of electronic means of communication, e.g., the Internet. New communication technology is of prime interest to foreign language (FL) professionals because communication is the primary thrust and emphasis in FL teaching, and these technologies have the potential to put FL learners in direct contact with native speakers. The ramifications of this technology for us in the profession are far-reaching and exciting, but many FL practitioners have yet either to discover or venture into this new area. Thus, this vast and powerful new resource remains, at this writing, largely untapped by a particular group of educators who could benefit greatly from it. Given the fact that this technology is not a passing fancy, it behooves FL professionals to explore the endless possibilities available to them now through electronic airways that will enhance their knowledge, their professional development, their teaching, and consequently the learning of their students.

     FLTEACH, the Foreign Language Teaching Forum, is an outgrowth of activity of FL educators investigating the possible professional and pedagogical uses of electronic communication on the Internet. FLTEACH is a Listserv list that was founded February 1st of 1994 and is running on a computer at SUNY/Buffalo. A Listserv list is an ongoing electronic discussion between and among people with similar interests. In this case, FLTEACH is intended to serve as a forum for communication among FL teachers at the elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Its members and targeted audience are any and all FL educators in general including methodologists, university supervisors, cooperating teachers in junior and senior high schools, and student teachers. Essentially, all language teachers involved in developing or implementing a FL curriculum or engaged in the certification process have a vested interest in the dialogue on this list. The initial purpose of the list was to provide a forum for language teaching issues in New York State, but FLTEACH quickly developed a much broader base. Teachers have now subscribed from all over the United States and from eleven (at this writing) foreign countries. Even in its infancy, the list has evolved into a tool for discussing issues, raising concerns, and solving common problems that are germane to the FL community at regional, national, and international levels.

     This article will indicate the rationale for and goals of FLTEACH, as well as enumerate many of its uses thus far and possibilities for uses in the future. Information to help get started using FLTEACH, including necessary support systems and the procedure for subscribing, will also be discussed. Included as well are comments from list members attesting to the usefulness of FLTEACH in their professional lives. Finally, some sample postings from the list will be offered as an example of what a FL professional can look forwar to as a member of FLTEACH. It is hoped that readers will realize the benefits of participating in the professional discussion of the list and will add to the shared dialogue about mutual interests and concerns in the FL field.

Rationale

     At the beginning of this decade, America 2000: An Educational Strategy was published. This booklet was a delineation of the long-term national strategy proposed by the President and state governors at their Educational Summit in Charlottsville, Virginia in 1989. The strategy was designed to accomplish six national educational goals, and the entire thrust of this meeting and resultant document has been since referred to as either "America 2000" or "Goals 2000." The goals have far-reaching consequences for all schools at all levels and for all subject areas. The impact on and ramifications for FL curricula have been much discussed in the ensuing years. One of the principal mandates of this discussion avers that "colleges and universities should promote cooperative arrangements between elementary, secondary and postsecondary institutions in order to improve language instruction at all levels and to facilitate sequential learning" (American Council on Education, p. 4).

     Consonant with the national "Goals 2000" is a report generated by the New York State (NYS) University system entitled SUNY 2000. The major thrust of this report focuses on college entry-level knowledge and skills expected of all entering freshmen. This document sets forth high expectations from disciplines across the curriculum, including foreign language. The task force responsible for drafting this report, while recognizing "the growing importance of the ability to communicate well in a second language" (NYS, SUNY 2000, p. 27), also notes that "foreign language instruction in the United States is woefully inadequate to meet these needs" (SUNY 2000, p. 27). As partial amelioration of this situation, the report makes a strong recommendation for close collaboration between FL faculty at the secondary and tertiary level. Implicit here is the need for articulation between these levels--precisely the goal of the teleconference "Bridging the Gap," in which NYS FL professionals from both levels participated in October of 1993. Numerous follow-up meetings have attempted to facilitate this articulation, to the end of realizing the SUNY 2000 goals in FL departments across the state.

     Another important initiative in NYS directed at the advancement and coordination of standards in FL curricula is the work of the Board of Regents Committee for Review of Curriculum and Assessment for Languages Other Than English (LOTE). The Interim Report of the LOTE Committee (Benitez, et al.) espouses many of the same goals as SUNY 2000 in terms of FL curricula, and once again articulation is viewed as a necessary component to ensure success. Taking articulation as a basic premise of both these documents, the teleconference was an initial step toward bridging the gap in communication among FL professionals. Nevertheless, "a gap still does exist" (Jeffries, p. 7). It is wide, and many FL educators need to be brought together to close it. Closer collaboration among FL professionals was also called for in the keynote speech by Claire Jackson at the annual NYSAFLT Spring Colloquium (1994). As director of the Articulation and Achievement Project out of Framingham, Massachusetts, she spoke of the work toward developing common frameworks for the FL profession that will unify and assist us in our shared and concerted effort toward improved FL instruction, articulation, assessment, and overall student learning. The goals of articulation and collaboration, continually mandated by these documents and leaders in the FL profession, have ramifications for every school district, college, and university nationwide that offers a FL curriculum. The implied number of FL practitioners involved is vast. Initiation of a dialogue among these educators in order to foster communication that would lead to the desired articulation has become a priority. The question then is how to accomplish these goals in the most efficient, effective, and all-encompassing manner?

     The impetus for FLTEACH, thus, came from a real necessity to unite as a profession and engage in productive discussions about common issues. It fills a void, as no prior list expressly addressed the FL educator community across such a broad spectrum. It also provides a useful service to the FL profession for many reasons. First, because it disseminates messages so quickly, a "list" is a most expedient way to initiate contact and spur discussion among FL professionals that can eventually lead to more communication at all level and, hence, better articulation of FL curricula and goals. Next, the technology for such a list already exists, and access to electronic mail is rapidly becoming as essential as access to postal mail and telephone service. Also, FL educators are a ready-made clientele with their common interests and aims. In addition, it makes good sense to pool and share resources instead of constantly "re-inventing the wheel." Coordination of preservice FL teacher education, leading to uniformity in expected professional knowledge base and skills, is another benefit that can result from the list. Finally, the list can provide a network of moral and professional support and stimulation such as that obtained by conference attendance, but on a much more frequent basis. For these major reasons and many more, FLTEACH began as a fledgling in February of 1994 and has grown steadily ever since.

Goals

     The goals of FLTEACH are as numerous as the reasons for its existence. They have also changed and expanded since its inception. A summary of the principle goals of FLTEACH reiterates the threads of its rationale. Primary is the emphasis on overall increased communication among FL professionals. The importance of this contact is echoed in the comments of subscribers who see the list as a daily "must" in their professional lives (see Appendix D). The benefits of daily or weekly contact in a productive forum with one's colleagues are endless and only limited by one's own imagination and participation.

     Parallel, of necessity, to the goal of expanded communication among professionals is an increase in the access to electronic media by elementary and secondary teachers. Tertiary faculty typically have relatively easy access to electronic media that is paid for by their institutions, but practitioners at other levels are not generally so fortunate. Obviously, if any articulation and coordination are to take place, all levels must be significantly represented. Also, the increase of technology awareness on the part of FL practitioners can only enhance their teaching and effectiveness as educators (cf. Knight; LeLoup & Ponterio, "FLTEACH", "Networking"). Use of technology by FL professionals can also lead eventually to better training of their students in the use of electronic communications across the curriculum.

     Coordination, convergence, and perhaps consensus in preservice FL education is certainly a major goal of FLTEACH. ACTFL has indicated teacher education as a priority in this decade (Knop; Sandstedt; Strasheim). In general, FL methods courses appear to consider much of the same knowledge base as important (Grosse). How much better would preservice training be if it were coordinated and improved by collegial sharing of resources and materials? Already, FL methodologists are sharing ideas and exchanging points of view on many curricular issues. One goal of FLTEACH is eventually to archive FL methods course syllabi, resulting in a true pooling of talents and perspectives to the end of unifying the knowledge base that guides FL practitioners.

     The articulation so necessary to a smooth transition for FL learners between educational levels can only be improved by knowing how other colleagues are implementing FL curricula across the nation and even around the world. FL educators participating on FLTEACH can discover what their counterparts are doing in many different areas, and all can capitalize on shared information and ideas. A sampling of the exchanges on FLTEACH (see Appendix C) provides a good example of the types of dialogue, information exchange, and general collegiality on the list.

The Basics: Getting access to e-mail

     The first requisite for joining FLTEACH is to establish an electronic mail (e-mail) connection--i.e., access to the electronic pathways that connect the world. There are so many ways to get access to e-mail that we will briefly describe just the basics. In order to have e-mail, you need a service provider, a terminal, and some way to connect the two. The service provider might be your own school's computer, a regional educational service, or a private company such as America OnLine, CompuServe, Delphi, Genie, AT&T-Mail, MCI-Mail, etc.

     You or your school will certainly pay something for the connection but the price might be calculated in any number of ways. For an account of your own on a commercial service, costs might be calculated by the hour or by the amount of data exchanged. However, there might be no additional costs for adding an account to a large school's computer. Thus the cost will depend on your own particular situation, and in many cases they can be absorbed by your school or district.

     Once you have an account, you need to be able to connect to the service. At school you might use a computer that is connected by a single permanent line, but more probably you will have access on a LAN (Local Area Network) in a computer lab or on a computer in your classroom or office that is connected by a cable (perhaps ethernet) or by a telephone line and a modem. If you are dialing in from home, you almost certainly need a modem connected to the telephone line. In this case you should probably get a modem that matches or exceeds the top speed of the service provider: 2400, 9600 or 14400 baud. Faster is definitely better. The modem can be internal or external. This is often a matter of personal preference unless you do not have room for a internal modem or a free serial port (COM or communications port) for an external modem. If you are not sure, get some help.

     Next, you require a terminal that will be connected to the service. This will probably be a personal computer of some kind. Chances are that your service provider will be able to help you select and configure communications software that will make your computer connect to the service, or the provider may even give you the software that you need. In many cases the choice of software is also a matter of personal preference, but it is wise to remember that a colleague who uses the same software can be a valuable resource when getting started or when things go wrong.

     For a teacher, the first thing to do is to see if your school can already provide an account. Ask around; check with the local computer guru, science teachers, and librarians to see what e-mail connection might be supported by your school or school district. The school might supply all of the necessary equipment or just the connection. You might need to request a telephone line and a computer in your classroom. If funding is not readily available from your school, you might look into the possibility of writing a grant to enable your school to purchase the equipment. If your school does not offer e-mail, ask why not. Electronic communications has now become a basic professional tool. If you cannot get the connection through work, you should investigate commercial providers that have local access numbers or 1-800 access. Be sure to compare prices and to take telephone charges and time during which your telephone will be tied up into account. If you will be paying either long distance telephone charges or the e-mail service based on the time you are connected to the system, you should inquire about reading and composing messages off-line, i.e., while you are not connected to the telephone line. It is often possible to have your computer dial the service, quickly get all of your mail, and disconnect. Then the software will allow you to read the mail, answer messages, and write your own letters while you are not connected to the service. Your computer can then call the service, quickly send your messages, and drop the connection. This technique can result in significant savings.

     Making the initial connection can be confusing for a novice because there are so many pieces to the puzzle. Everything could work just fine right out of the box, but chances are that some element will need "tweaking." Having someone to turn to, be it a colleague or a commercial provider, can save a lot of time and frustration. Even if you need to pay someone at your local computer store to set things up, the investment can be well worth the time saved.

     Once the connection is established you should learn how to use the basic features of your system. Know your address. It probably has the form: name@domain, with "domain" being the address of your server. An example of an e-mail address is:

You need to be able to SEND messages, READ messages, and REPLY to messages on your particular system. Always include a "signature" to be sure that your correspondent knows your name and e-mail address. When asking friends, colleagues, and support staff for help remember that on different systems, commands do not always function in the same way. What works on America OnLine might not work on PROFS or Vax mail.

     Currently, at least one state in the northeast has a program in place to make Internet e-mail connections available to elementary and secondary school teachers (cf. LeLoup & Ponterio, "FLTEACH"). The amount of support furnished by this state typically depends on agreements with local school districts and ranges from provision of local access, software, and training to computers and modems. It would be well-worth investigating to see if such a program or plan exists in your state. As this type of technology becomes more and more a given in teaching and the classroom, state departments of education will realize the necessity of providing this service for their teachers if they wish to keep abreast of developments in their field and maximize teaching efficacy.

Subscribing to FLTEACH

     Once an electronic (Internet or Bitnet) connection is established, subscription to FLTEACH is relatively simple. The directions are given in Appendix A. A "welcome message" is the initial mailing and contains useful information for participating on the list, as well as various options that members may choose. These include receiving messages in a daily batch, searching archived materials, and stopping and restarting mail before and after vacations. Subscribers are also asked to fill in a brief template for biographical information that is made available to the entire list. In this way, members can pinpoint others of similar interests, projects, and languages, as well as geographic proximity. Logs of all messages sent on the list are available to subscribers so periodic absence from the list does not preclude remaining apprised of pertinent information.

     Once members have subscribed, they may participate freely in any number of ways. Some participants post frequently or even regularly, while some opt to glean whatever appeals to them from the daily interactions without making their presence vocally known. Internet "stage fright" is a real obstacle for many people, and learning the protocols of "netiquette" takes some time and effort. Nevertheless, little or no e-mail acumen should not be a deterrent to participation: members of FLTEACH run the gamut in terms of electronic sophistication. The list co-managers encourage postings from all who wish to join the discussions, and they are happy to provide technical assistance to do so when needed. Even the subscription directions may seem baffling to those who are truly neophytes to the Internet. Please address any questions about subscription procedures to the co-managers. They can be contacted at the e-mail or regular mail addresses listed in Appendix B.

Uses of FLTEACH: An Overview

     At this point, you may think this all sounds nice but terribly complicated and not really worth the effort. Please read on! FLTEACH is useful to all FL professionals in a myriad of ways. It is a method of participating in continuous professional development from many perspectives. Frequent postings of conferences, seminars, and workshops keep members current on what is available for them to renew or acquire new professional skills and knowledge. FLTEACH is also an "on-line" consultant for any questions FL educators may have regarding teaching methods, ideas for varying presentations, ancillary materials, theoretical concerns, and even queries stemming from personal circumstances (e.g., on whether and how to raise children bilingually).

     FL teachers who use technology to enhance their teaching are serving as role models for their students, all of whom will need to develop this competence for their future. For those students who will go on to become FL teachers in their own right, an excellent example is being set by the teachers who open their eyes to the wonders, advantages, and possibilities of technology in the FL classroom. FL teachers can discover links to target language (TL) resources, countries, and colleagues that will broaden their knowledge base and provide a method of infusing a TL reality that is motivational and meaningful to students.

Uses of FLTEACH: Some Examples

     A cursory sampling of topics that have been broached on FLTEACH during its first six months will, perhaps, give an idea of the breadth of information available to members. It will also hopefully generate new thoughts for and uses of FLTEACH for the future. The following list of topics serves as an index to many subjects that were discussed to varying depths and degrees o FLTEACH. A few excerpted dialogues have been included in Appendix C to provide an idea of what some typical exchanges and postings might resemble. The range of topics is wide, from information about student trips and recommended sponsors to esoteric theoretical discussions. Requests for opinions about FL software, textbooks, summer immersion programs, and language camps are posted and answered regularly. The ACTFL Articulation and Achievement Learning Outcomes Framework is another topic that has appeared, along with extensive discussions about articulation between and among levels of FL teaching, placement at the college level, and many of the concerns voiced during the "Bridging the Gap" teleconference. Another extensive and technical discussion centered around the parameters of the ideal language laboratory. Considerable discussion ensued following an inquiry about when and how to begin FL instruction to young children. Many members participated in a lengthy dialogue centered around Krashen's "Pleasure Hypothesis," an idea presented at the Northeast Conference in April, 1994, in New York City. Methodologies and their application to the classroom have also elicited numerous comments--from Counseling Learning to contextualization.

     In addition, FLTEACH members have requested advice on dealing with problems specific to the FL field. Concerns about shifting FL enrollments from one language to another have been addressed. Misunderstandings and faulty communication lines between administration and FL practitioners have been broached. Solutions are not always readily forthcoming, but having a forum in which to air grievances has been helpful to many members. Also, several members are "singleton" FL teachers in their schools, and FLTEACH is a valuable support system for these professionals.

     Frequently, subscribers will request assistance in planning and presenting projects in their FL classrooms. One such example is a request for help and ideas on producing a play with students (see Appendix C). The responses to this posting were quite numerous, varied, interesting, and exciting. Often responses to individual requests are summarized and re-posted on the list for the benefit of all members. For example, several members were interested in acquiring information about possibilities for international pen pals. A subscriber posted the electronic address for Intercultural E-mail Exchanges (iecc@stolaf.edu) so these members could contact the appropriate organization and get started with their respective projects.

     Another service of FLTEACH is to take material that is of potential interest to many members and archive it for future reference. One example is a "how to" paper on e-mail pen pals, written by one member, Adolph Hofmann, which was made available in the FLTEACH archives. Another useful file of archived material is a list of FL lists (Bedell), locating other lists of interest to FL professionals and giving them even greater access to professional discussions on a variety of topics. Members will also find useful a contribution of information on federal grants that are specific to FL interests (Hilburn). In addition, new or vacationing members can "catch up" on postings they have missed by searching the archives for the logs of all previous messages. These archives can be easily searched by keyword.

     Perhaps one of the most successful aspects of FLTEACH is the diversity of its membership. Although it began with the intention of serving the particular audience of FL teachers primarily in NYS, it has very rapidly grown to have a national and even international base. FLTEACH also happily has members from all educational levels, a characteristic that can only aid in its goal of articulation (see Appendix C).

Conclusion

     Through using FLTEACH, the foreign language educational community has an opportunity to become a more integrated, cohesive group in terms of professional goals, aims, and direction. Continuous contact with colleagues on the list will inevitably result in a better-informed and prepared cadre of FL practitioners that can further the objectives of foreign language education in local, regional, national, and international venues and at all educational levels. Though initial access and acculturation may be a challenge and may appear to be quite time-consuming, the ensuing rewards will more than make up for the time invested at the beginning. We FL professionals should know, better than most, that useful learning is often a long-term process. Just as FL proficiency is not attained with a mere year or two of study, neither will one or two hours in front of the computer make e-mail experts out of all of us. It will take some time and effort for those new to the world of computers and the Internet to feel at ease on the technological superhighway, but th results will be extremely valuable. Indeed, many members claiming little to no previous technological or e-mail acumen testify to becoming total converts and wondering how they ever managed before. Other subscribers have indicated how useful to and how much a part of their professional life FLTEACH has become. Hopefully, the reader has been convinced of the worth of becoming technologically aware and of participating in the discussions on FLTEACH as components of continuing professional development. The more we FL educators collaborate and strive for professional improvement together, the sooner we will achieve our common FL educational goals.

References

American Council on Education. (1989). _What We Can't Say Can Hurt Us. A Call for Foreign Language Competence by the Year 2000_. Washington, DC. ERIC Document 318 228.

Bedell, D. (1993). "Review of electronic lists for language learning." _Athelstan_, 5: 13-15.

Benitez, R., Bloom, M., Champagne-Myers, M., Crooker, J., Diaz, J., Evangelista, A., Hancock, C., Hooper-Rasberry, G., Jeffries, S., & Lambert, R. D. (March, 1993). _Communication Skills for a Changing World. Interim Report of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee for Languages Other Than English_. Albany: New York State Education Department.

Grosse, C. U. (1993). "The foreign language methods course." _Modern Language Journal_, 77(3): 303-312.

Hilburn, W. (July 6, 1994). Personal e-mail communication.

Jackson, C. (April 30, 1994). Keynote address. NYSAFLT Annual Colloquium, Syracuse, NY.

Jeffries, S. (1993). "SUNY and SED aim at new standards for language instruction." _NYSAFLT Language Association Bulletin_ 44(5): 1, 3-5, 7.

Knight, S. (1994). "Making authentic cultural and linguistic connections." _Hispania_ 77(2): 289-294.

Knop. C. K. (1991). "Reaction: Preservice and inservice teacher education in the nineties: The issue is instructional validity." _Foreign Language Annals_ 24(2): 113-114.

LeLoup, J. W. & Ponterio, R. (1994). FLTEACH: What is it and do I need it? Using Electronic Mail for Professional Development. _NYSAFLT Annual Meeting Series_, No. 11: 37-54.

LeLoup, J. W. & Ponterio, R. (1994). "Networking--Connecting with your foreign language colleagues." Paper presented at the NYSAFLT Annual Meeting, Lake Kiamesha, NY, November 4-6.

New York State. (October, 1992). _SUNY 2000. College Expectations: The Report of the SUNY Task Force on College Entry-Level Knowledge and Skills_.

Sandstedt, L. A. (1991). "Reaction: Foreign language teacher education." _Foreign Language Annals_ 24(2): 109-112.

Strasheim, L. A. (1991). "Priority: Teacher education. Preservice and inservice teacher education in the nineties: The issue is instructional validity." _Foreign Language Annals_ 24(2): 101-107.

United States. Department of Education. (April, 1991). America 2000: An Educational Strategy. Washington, DC. ERIC Document 327 009.

APPENDIX A

Send an e-mail message to:

LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU

Put nothing in the subject line.

The message itself should contain only the following single line beginning at the left margin:

SUB FLTEACH firstname lastname

(Example: SUB FLTEACH JANE DOE)

Then send the message. Be sure not to include a signature.

APPENDIX B

Jean W. LeLoup/Robert Ponterio
Dept. of International Communications and Culture
SUNY/Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045

They may also be reached by e-mail as follows:

LELOUPJ@CORTLAND.EDU
PONTERIOR@CORTLAND.EDU

Address any questions to the co-managers at the addresses above or to:

FLTEACH@CORTLAND.EDU

APPENDIX C

Hello list,

I am a sixth grade teacher at Pleasant Hope Elementary. I am currently taking a class at MSSC in Joplin. One of the class requirements is to make a culturgram on China. Could you help me?

Thanks for your time and eyes,

Todd Sukany
Pleasant Hope, MO 65725
E-mail Tsukany@ozarks.sgcl.lib.mo.us

**********

Subject: Introduction

I am Michael Seifert, a German teacher in a large suburban school in Omaha, Nebraska. As a first year teacher, I look forward to reading suggestions from those with experience. I am very interested in using technology in my instruction.

**********

Subject: Re: Introduction

Michael, one of the hardest things for me as a beginning German teacher years ago was to find suitable materials, realia, etc. Fortunately, today travel is easier and more is available. If you are not already a member, join the AATG. They provide a wealth of material at low prices. So does the Goethe Institut. I also highly recommend Inter Naciones. Their material is free and wonderful...just slow in coming.

I'd be interested in hearing what materials others use in their advanced courses. We more or less create our own "books" at this level, which is great but also challenging. So much of the non-edited literature is still so hard for the kids (and much of the 20th century lit isn't very uplifting), as are German magazines. By February each year I feel that I've already used every good idea I ever had. Anyone out there with some peppy fresh ideas??

Kendall Mellem

Lee's Summit High School, Division I
400 East Eighth Street
Lee's Summit, Missouri 64063
fax: 816-251-3313
kmellem@hobbs.leesummit.k12.mo.us

**********

Subject: Eval. of FL teachers

Don H. raised a matter that concerns many foreign language educators, that of administrative evaluation of FL teachers. I raised this question on a K12 admin list and responses were very interesting.

First, only a couple FL teachers replied. Second, administrators replied and most said they felt able to evaluate the teachers. If I were asked to evaluate a teacher of advanced math or even beginning physics/chemistry, I honestly do not feel that I would have anything constructive to add to what was already occurring. I suspect this is true of administrators who evaluate teachers of FL. Many administrators who are talking about reform, restructuring, performance assessment, etc., are unaware of the fact that our discipline has been ahead of the ballgame for quite some time. This makes me wonder about their understanding of such issues as notion-functional syllabus vs. grammar-translation syllabus. How can they guide, encourage, offer support without knowing the methods issues, let alone the languages we are using.? Using "friendly critics" from the universities as evaluators might raise the level of professional discussion and may provide teachers with some worthwhile suggestions.

How do other FL teachers feel about this? I know for many of us it is threatening because we no doubt make mistakes.

Patricia Vigini
viginip@belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us

**********

Subject: Re: Krashen's 'Pleasure Hypothesis'

To: Don Houghton/Tongues Untied. (and others interested)

Don:

Now that we have the "pleasure hypothesis" out of the closet, what do we d with it? If I didn't have to "evaluate" people all the time, I'd be even more satisfied with teaching Spanish than I already am.

How do we reconcile providing our students with pleasurable experiences in the process of learning another language with having to "grade" them at various junctures?

Bob Fritz
Dept. Mod. Langs. & Classics
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47305 - 0465
317 - 285 - 1364 (personal office phone)
317 - 285 - 1361 (central office phone)
317 - 285 - 8980 (FAX)
00RKFRITZ@BSUVAX1.BITNET
00RKFRITZ@BSUVC.BSU.EDU (internet)
^^ The first two characters are zeros.

**********

Subject: Re: teacher training

Thank you for the opportunity to provide some feedback for FL methods courses. I have been a cooperating teacher for the past five years with student teachers from SUNY College at Geneseo. We are fortunate to have had the same person teaching the methods courses and supervising all of the student teachers in foreign languages. This is a real advantage because she sees what is happening in the classroom and has been able to modify the methods accordingly.

Specifically in answer to the questions you posed:

1. What do the practitioners feel needs to be covered in a FL methods course?
a. Specific activities to teach speaking, listening, reading, writing, and culture.
b. Lesson and long range unit planning for communicative instruction.
c. The structure of the NYS Syllabus Modern Language for Communication.
d. Testing, including the structure of the Proficiency and Regents exams.
e. Classroom management techniques with emphasis on prevention.
f. Record keeping information.
g. Using authentic documents to teach the five skill areas.
h. Using a textbook series and ancillary materials successfully.
i. Teaching grammar in communicative context. (Why keep it such a secret?)
j. Using technology including how to use a FL word processing program!

l. Attitudes of professionalism, responsibility, care for details (like accuracy)
2. What is typically NOT covered that should be?
3. What is covered but not sufficiently?

I think that all of this stuff is mentioned, but specific techniques are sometimes lacking. Much of the strength (or weakness) of a student teacher depends on the teacher's previous experiences working with students. I find that the most successful student teachers have had experiences working with groups of kids (as opposed to one-on-one tutoring) in Sunday School classes, summer camp counseling, scouting park programs or other group recreational settings. The STs must have a repertoire of strategies that they can employ when a student is not on task.

Students need to know more than how to introduce new vocabulary and to do a TPR lesson. They need experience organizing a sequence of activities to instruct to an objective, especially grammar lessons. They seem to be too bound to the textbook as opposed to teaching the concept through a variety of means. Student teachers seem to sense that authentic documents are important, but they don't know how to use them for communicative activities and that one authentic document is useful for more than one activity.

4. What areas do you feel need the most emphasis?

Considerable emphasis needs to be placed on long range (unit) planning, testing, and teaching activities which actively involve students. Less time needs to be placed on the "fad du jour" like Madeline Hunter, Authentic Assessment, and Cooperative Learning.

5. How to CTs view the STs that are assigned to them in terms of preparation, ability, etc.

The student teachers I have had have, by and large, been well prepared because of the excellent relationship that the college supervisor has built with the area cooperative teachers. She is active in our local language Associations and observes each student teacher eight times during the semester. She knows what we expect and need from our STs so that we don't lose valuable instruction time. The only student teacher I ever had to fail was one who did not have sufficient grasp of the Spanish language to teach it. His accent and pronunciation were atrocious and he did not put in the time necessary to plan correct lessons. His handouts and lessons contained many errors. He did not hear student errors to be able to model correctly for the students. He should have never been allowed to student teach with Spanish that deficient. I'm not expecting Ricardo Montalban or Montserrat Caballe....I make mistakes when I speak at times. At least I can hear and correct mistakes as I make them.

6. In what areas do new FL teachers feel particularly well prepared or ill-prepared?

They seem to know TPR and some hands on approaches. They know the theories of language acquisition and humanistic education. Where they fall flat is applications of the theories; on fitting those parts into a unified whole - whether it be a lesson plan or a unit plan. For example, what to do after you've introduced the vocabulary. They don't see the "big picture" of what we try to do in a week, a month, a year, three years. Testing is also a weakness. They need to understand the whole evaluation process and how homework, quizzes, tests, and observation fits into the evaluation as a whole. They need to learn how to manage a testing situation and how to administer individual speaking tests to students. They have to know what to do with the other 29 students while you are talking to/testing/reprimanding one student.

Thanks for listening.
Bill Heller Spanish Teacher @ Perry Jr/Sr HS
33 Watkins Ave.
Perry, NY 14530

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Subject: Re: Methods rather t...

I'm a first year teacher this year and, even as I teach the material for the first time this year, I am trying to think of better more "real" ways for my students to use Spanish next year. Being at a high school with limited technological resources, I could never link with schools in other countries through the computer. However, I had thought about establishing some sort of post card exchange with high schools in other countries. This year I had my students exchange "post cards" with another teacher's Spanish students -- and they LOVED it. I think they would benefit even more from receiving post cards (with pictures!) from other countries. I would appreciate any suggestions concerning how to set up an exchange of this sort.

Janet Baron

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Subject: Re: Plays in secondary schools

Has anyone out there had any success in putting on plays in language classrooms? Have you used pre-existing plays or have you done your own? How did you manage to include all of the students in the play production? Did you take of some time form the normal curriculum to practice, or did you practice outside of class?

I am particularly interested in finding a French play that could be put on by seventh and eighth grade French students. I'd like to get each kid involved (A total of 20-30 kids), and I'd like it to be something that would appeal to their maturity level. I would plan to put it on before the rest of the student body and parents and teachers.

Are there any ideas out there as to a play that would be interesting for this age group? Any ideas on organizing the practice and teaching of lines?

I've been a lurkeuse for some time on this list, and I'd like to say that I've enjoyed following the discussions and that this type of exposure to others in the field is wonderful! Keep up the good work everyone!

Stephanie Alcorn, Sacramento

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Subject: Re: Plays in FL classroom

WOW! David's description of the play production he participated in at the Concordia Language Villages was great fun to read and full of very good ideas!. Thanks, David! (I'm sending this message to the group and not just to David because maybe it's more fun to be thanked in public and to encourage all of us to share excellent ideas like his.)

J. Kuehl
Westside High School
Omaha Nebraska
ps: Thanks also to the person who asked such a good question to begin with.
:-)

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Subject: Re: Plays in FL classroom

I have produced several French play performances in the context of a diction class here at the Univ. of Tennessee-Martin. One combination might be particularly good for the suggested context. _La Farce du Cuvier_ (3 characters) and _Le Pate et la Tarte_ (4 characters) could accommodate a class of 20 or so students in the following way. Each actor would have an understudy/coach responsible for cue practicing each part (think, pair & share). There would be one costume and one props person per play as well as one production assistant and one "souffleur" (total=22). If you perform for a small audience, you might after the last play (_Le Pate...) invite the audience down to taste the wares of the baker (another task for a few students=baking). These farces have simple plots, and with the right combination, you could perform them for people with very little knowledge of French.

TennesseeBob Peckham bobp@utm.edu

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Subject: One foreign language in lower school

An important discussion has been prevailing in our k-12 school about the benefits of teaching a single language to a class from k-6th grade instead of flip-flopping between two languages every year or so. Of course, in the past, this was done in order to cater to those parents who wanted specifically French or specifically Spanish taught to their children. The language department has since put our collective foot done and has stopped this pedagogically insane practice. Yet, the problem still remains, Some students are forced to take French when they'd rather be taking Spanish and vice versa. Our language department has since had to come up with very persuasive reasons why it is better to stay with one language and one language only throughout K-6. Of course we believe that A child is learning how to learn a language at this time and once s/he has a firm footing in the first language, a second language will be infinitely easier to learn.

My request of the members of FLTEACH: Please post your opinions on the advantages of teaching only one foreign language at a time in the lower school and also, add specific advantages of learning French and of Learning Spanish.

Thank you!!
Stephanie Alcorn, Sacramento (But soon to be from Palo Alto)

APPENDIX D

I rely on the FLTEACH to get a quick answer or comment on any question regarding curriculum, textbooks, software, pedagogy, or just tips that help the teaching of foreign languages. On occasion I answer a query. I expect FLTEACH to be on-line every morning, with my first cup of coffee.

Annick
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Annick Deakin , (519) 661 2104, FAX:(519)661 3640
Language Learning Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, CANADA

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I am the only fulltime faculty member in Foreign Languages at my institution. Being a member of FLTEACH is vital to me. I read it daily to be aware of national trends and issues in FL teaching-- and to keep from being lonely! The language conferences I attend (about 4 per year) are not enough to keep up to date. I am going to try to keep up with my FLTEACH mail all summer because of its value.

Amities, Saludos, Marianne Pearlman, Catonsville Community College

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I have derived the following benefits from FLTeach:

1) Textbook and software evaluations.
2) Fascinating insights into Krashen's theory of pain avoidance.
3) The List of FL lists.
4) Participation in (or just lurking) in ongoing research and textbook development.

Thank you for the list info and for providing this service.

Paul J. LaReau
Munster High School and Indiana University NW

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I am from another side of the globe and I have found FLTEACH most valuable forum to discuss issues of importance to me and this institution. FLTEACH keeps me informed of current developments and I raise matters of current importance in the languages area in this country. I am a very strong supporter of this network.

Neven Marovich, Principal Lecturer
Community Languages Programme
Adelaide Institute of Vocational Education
ADELAIDE, South AUSTRALIA
E-Mail: mneven@wattle.itd.adelaide.edu.au