BILL CURRY AND SEAN SILCOFF

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

The voice of Canada’s CEOs is urging parents to enroll their kids in Asian language classes to match them with the growing appetite of employers for multilingual workers.

John Manley, the former finance minister who now heads the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, said it is time for a national debate over how to encourage new language skills as part of the country’s trade efforts.

Please read more here.

Fifth-grader Lucy Miller, 11, works on speaking Mandarin Chinese during class at Erie Elementary School. More than 60 schools in Colorado are offering Mandarin classes to help students get a foundation in international business. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Ivie Hunt was barely 6 last spring and had just finished kindergarten when she shocked the hostess at a Denver Asian restaurant by chatting comfortably in Mandarin Chinese.

“Here was this little blond, white girl having a full conversation with the hostess in Mandarin,” said her mother, Ann Hunt, who admitted to being a bit stunned herself.

That kind of surprise may wear off as Mandarin Chinese becomes the first choice of a growing number of second-language learners.

More language students are sayingadiosto the recent stampede to learn Spanish andhuan ying— or welcome — to mastering a Chinese dialect now spoken by an estimated 100 million non-Chinese.

Read more:Mandarin Chinese becoming first choice as second language – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21825189/mandarin-chinese-becoming-first-choice-second-language#ixzz2BwsyTMlc
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[some just hugely useful stuff in here. Again from our pals at the Asia Society.]

by Eleise Jones

Language learning is on the move.

For students of Chinese looking to augment a central text, there are dozens of mobile tools, applications, games, podcasts, and software ready to fill in the gaps. Last month we launched a new mobile website with lesson ideas and resources, China and Globalization. Both students and teachers are digging into the content. They tell us they find the interactive flashcards to be particularly useful.

This feedback has us thinking: What else is working in Chinese language learning? Following is a sampling of unique, new, or otherwise trending tools.

Please read more here.

[More from those lovely folks at the Asia Society’s Chinese Language Initiatives.]

by Yu-Lan Lin

In an immersion program’s grades K–6, three things happen simultaneously. Understanding these three areas will help educators develop curricula and identify the materials and resources they’ll need to support the program. First, content knowledge develops, including core concepts in math, science, social studies, and so on. Second, students learn content areas in Chinese; their academic language and social language are introduced at the same time. Third, students undertake pre-reading and pre-writing, then reading and writing.

When educators identify materials, they should keep another rule of three in mind: materials should be appropriate for age, grade, and language level. For instance, some materials developed for native Chinese children could be age-appropriate but too difficult for American students to read. Of course, in a school setting there should be a variety of books, graded reading materials, longer books, and independent reading materials.

Articulation, Alignment, Authenticity, Adoption, and Adaption

Before finding suitable materials an immersion school must have well-articulated curricula in place. Regardless of the entry point or ending point, an uninterrupted, sequential curriculum that connects from the lowest to the highest level of the program needs to be secured. This articulation of the school curriculum needs to be based on a solid alignment with the standards set for each subject area, as well as for language development in both Chinese and English.

Today, many states are aligning with the newly developed Common Core State Standards in English language and mathematics. Some states are also aligning their social studies, science, and world languages standards. In the next few years, all curriculum areas will need to align with not only the national standards, but also the Common Core State Standards.

Please read more here.

From the Asia Society Chinese Language Initiative newsletter.

by Chris Livaccari

I’ve visited many language programs across the country in recent years, and have—for better or for worse—instinctively divided them into two categories. The first are programs that leave me with the distinct impression that they are fundamentally classes that happen in a room in a school building—there’s not a lot of dynamism, authentic or experiential learning, and rarely a connection to something outside the textbook.

The second kind is far more rare, but it represents the programs that keep me engaged and invested in the language education field. These are programs where the classroom is a mere microcosm of the wider world, a jumping off point into a rich, diverse, and exciting set of experiences, interactions, and insights. In these programs, students feel a constant connection to the world around them, recognize the connections between their own lives and what is happening in school, and have a sense that the teaching and learning that they and the entire school community are engaged in matter deeply for their futures.

Please read more here.

This is really THE big Chinese language education conference in the US every year. If you’re a teacher or principal starting a program, it’s the one you should go to. I went last year and was blown away. Also amazing access to teaching materials in their exhibition hall. Really worth it.

And if you want to present, the deadline is Nov. 17. So start writing your proposals now.

I don’t plan on attending this year, but it would be worthwhile for some parents to go and present on parent issues. Feel free to contact me if you think you’re attending and perhaps we can connect up folks from different areas.

Beth

—

Request For Proposal  Deadline Extended to November 12 – Submit a Proposal Today! Asia Society and the College Board, in collaboration with 2013 regional partner Primary Source, are pleased to announce that the 6th annual National Chinese Language Conference will be held in Boston, MA from April 7–9, 2013. This year’s NCLC looks to Engage the Future, with a focus on cutting-edge approaches to teaching that incorporate culture, technology, and international exchange, program quality and sustainability, and best practices in the classroom leading to high levels of language proficiency and deeper knowledge of China. The success of the National Chinese Language Conference is built upon the innovation, best practices, and shared experiences of educators and administrators in the field. Share your ideas and successes by leading a session at NCLC 2013. The Request for Proposals is now open – submit a proposal today! Educators of all subject areas are encouraged to apply.

[What else should we add? Send suggestions!]

Things your teachers and principals wish parents knew:

Parents don’t set curriculum

The school district, aided by teachers, principal and staff, set curriculum. Parents do not. If you feel the curriculum should be different, take it to the school district.

Don’t presume that if your child is having trouble, every child is.

Teachers call this the ‘soccer sideline scrum.’ Parents start chatting during a soccer game and if one or two of their children are having troubles, suddenly it becomes ‘the entire class isn’t learning.’ Then it goes to email and it’s ‘The entire school is failing.’ Check with your child’s teacher first before your make pronouncements about the entire class.

Remember that children aren’t always reliable narrators.

One teacher put it like this: “If you believe everything they say about what I’m doing in class, I’ll start believing everything they say about what you do at home.” Remember, these are children. Check with other parents and your teacher before you take a nine-year-olds’ word for something.

Talk to your teacher in person.

This can’t be emphasized enough! Most Mandarin immersion teachers speak Mandarin as their first language. They speak and write English as well, but often not easily. For them, writing even a simple email in English can take a three or four times as much time as it would if they were writing in Mandarin. They want to make sure they say the right thing, they want to make sure the tone is correct and they want to make sure there are no errors. This is why meeting with teachers is a MUCH better way to communicate about your child and their schoolwork than doing it via email.  Some teachers feel comfortable with email, but most don’t.  Also, your child’s teacher has 20 or 25 other students as well. If each parent just wants a “quick email” back once a week, that’s something like 14 hours of time to write (if each takes 30 minutes, which they easily can.)

If you must email, ask Yes or No questions.

If you’re emailing to a non-native speaker of English, it’s helpful to ask yes or no questions. You can describe your concern, but make it easy for the teacher to reply by giving them easy-to-answer questions.

Trust your teachers

One administrator said “We’re partners. We need you to trust that we’re the professionals here. Start with the teacher if you have a problem. Don’t go straight to the principal just because he or she speaks English or answers your emails right away.”

Support your program financially.

Unless you live in an insanely wealthy school district, most Mandarin immersion programs don’t get any extra support from District. That means the extras that teachers need—dictionaries, maps in Chinese, books, props for play-acting so they can explain words—all of that has to come out of the school’s budget. And most of it actually comes out of the teacher’s pockets. Find out how much teachers make in your school district and see how much a bite it’s taking. Ask how your classroom can help.

New teacher especially need extra help

A new teacher arrives to a bare room. Look in at an established teacher’s classroom and you’ll see pictures, books and materials like rugs and cups and plants that he or she has built up over years. A new teacher walks into four walls and some desks. If you know you’re getting a new teacher, get in touch with your principal and the teacher and ask what he or she needs before school starts.

Don’t be too boastful about your child being in immersion

It’s hard not to be proud of your child and everything they’re accomplishing in school. But sometimes that can veer into a boastfulness that can contain an element of “My kid’s going to do better in the world than your monolingual kid.” This is especially true in districts where there’s a lot of competition to get into immersion schools, so only a few lucky families have the opportunity.