Washington Academy of Languages

ARIZONA

Originally uploaded by MikeJonesPhoto

In my previous blog I discussed the legal background of the case before the United States Supreme Court. Nogales, Arizona borders Mexico. Its school district is mostly Latino students who speak Spanish at home, with neighbors, and in the playground at school. They attempt speaking English in class only when class is in session. The plaintiffs argue that the state and district are in violation of the federal law specifying that students must understand the language of instruction or they are not receiving an equal education with native speakers. The Defense is arguing they have improved and are doing much more than they did a few years ago to help the Spanish speakers. One complaint that the plaintiffs make is that the district has not supplied any trained teachers with a clear curriculum to address the needs of their non-English speaking population.

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Old computers

Originally uploaded by eurleif

I am often asked about learning a language through software. What are the strengths and perhaps shortcomings of learning with the aid of modern technology? Some learners prefer the dynamics of a live classroom where interacting with teacher and classmates is integral to their learning. Some learners prefer the convenience of studying at a time of their choosing and being able to control their own rate of learning. It seems to me that approaching a discussion in terms of individual value and preferences is one way to proceed and the end of such a discussion will sound much like the beginning of it. In other words, attempting to deal with the question in terms of individual preferences doesn’t really address the question I posed.

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creative reading

Originally uploaded by panta rhei.

On the one hand testing for reading seems easy. Take a passage, ask a few questions about it, and you have a test. On the other hand the test may not test what you want tested. A problem for a reading tester is to produce behavior that can somehow be measured. When people write and speak we see and hear but nothing overt happens when people are reading silently. So, for reading, what behaviors can be measured?

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Communication

Originally uploaded by Johannes de Jong_

Recently, I have been interviewing several ESL teachers and teacher trainers and I find I had to rethink a few matters with regard to teaching oral language. Since the 80s it has been politically correct to describe oneself as a ‘communicative teacher’ during job interviews. Every ESL teacher knows that. The communicative approach states that tasks should provide the learners language to use in order to communicate meanings without focusing on accuracy. In other words, fluency is encouraged as fluency leads to creativity and the independence of a language learner. A central issue with this approach comes from asking the question: How can accuracy and fluency come together? Any answer to that question involves the instructor deciding on a range of discourse skills taught to a particular audience. For example first graders who are playground-fluent in language may need a discourse emphasis on accuracy in an academic context relevant to their maturity level. Adults may need more discourse tasks having to do with fluency and integrating such skills into what they have learned in grammatical drilling (if that is the way that they had learned a little English abroad).

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january 15. [globe farm.]

Originally uploaded by misscaro

We thought we’d take this opportunity to share news from around the Seattle area of cultural events happening this season.

From January 24 – June 7, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture hosts the exhibit Coffee: The World in Your Cup. This exhibit looks at how world cultures, economies, and environments are affected by the coffee industry. There will be a number of events related to this exhibit, which you can read about here. The tastings and demonstrations look particularly interesting!

On Thursday, February 19, the Seattle Asian Art Museum will host a panel discussion titled “Playing with Power: States, Art and Patronage in Jodhpur.” The panel will discuss the cultural, historical, literary and social context of the works featured in the exhibition Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur. You can find more information on the Seattle Art Museum’s web calendar here.

The Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival comes back this year the weekend of April 17. From the Seattle Center’s website: “From the booms of taiko drums to the silence of ikebana flowers, the event is a feast for the senses. Delicious Japanese food, tea ceremony demonstrations and artwork present both a modern and ancient view of this complex culture.”

In May of this year, the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington will celebrate its centennial. Leading up to that celebration, the school will host a series of events on international topics. One highlight: “Monthly Centennial Lecture Series with the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle Featuring Resat Kasaba, Professor of International Studies. Topic: Middle East Roundtable - Politics and Economy in a Changing World.” This talk will take place on February 10.

More to come!

Split Water

Originally uploaded by klattu01

I am often asked, “What is the best way to teach a language?” The only answer that I can give is that I have noticed that effective teaching and learning occurs when students balance meaningful communications with direct teaching. The history of second language teaching is marked with periods where people believe more in one approach, e.g. meaningful communication, than the other way of teaching, direct language teaching for accuracy. Then there are periods when the reverse happens. So it goes in language teaching methodology. There are many methods that have come over the dam and down the stream. But in the end the stream flows in one of these two directions.

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The Washington Academy of Languages is pleased to announce that we not only offer quality language instruction, but cultural seminars as well!

Recently, we hosted a holiday class centered around Italian culture - Le Feste in Italia, and we have one coming up focusing on the holiday cultures of Spanish-speaking countries - Las Fiestas de Espanol. The cultural seminars are filled with lively conversation, holiday samplings and excitement.

Some comments from attendees:

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Wednesday Morning Sunrise at Kerry Park

Originally uploaded by Cap’n Surly
From the World Languages dispatch desk, here’s a rundown of the World Language news. Read on for an update of our class schedule – now with more schedule options! And don’t miss info regarding WAL joining the twenty-first century online!

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