Beyond Linguistic Proficiency

Students as Linguists and Ambassadors

By Jeff Wang

“If you want one year of prosperity, then grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, then grow trees. But if you want 100 years of prosperity, then you grow people.”

Quoting a Chinese proverb, US President Barack Obama offered this toast to his guest, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, at a state dinner on January 19. The two heads of state had more than a full plate of issues to discuss during Mr. Hu’s recent visit to Washington, many of which were urgent and thorny. However, as Mr. Obama suggested in his toast, to ensure the long-term prosperity of both nations, we must focus on people, especially the next generation of young people that will shape a shared future.

Read more, and watch the video, here.

Mandarin for kindergartners planned for Dist. 67

By Donald Liebenson Special to the Tribune Yesterday at 12:06 p.m.

Lake Forest School District 67 could become the latest among a small group of public schools in the country with a Mandarin immersion program starting in kindergarten.

If there’s enough interest from parents, an English-Mandarin program would be offered in one kindergarten class and one first-grade class beginning in the fall.

Incoming kindergarten and first-grade parents are invited to attend an meeting to hear about the program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3, at the school district’s administrative offices at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest.

Two additional meetings providing further information will be offered at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 and at 10 a.m. Feb. 24, both at the administrative offices.

The program would offer instruction in English for half of the school day and the Mandarin for the other half, with plans to expand the program through the fourth grade.

The approach is modeled on those at two Michigan elementary schools that have had “quite the success with students being able to converse (in Mandarin) by the third grade,” said District 67 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Andy Henrikson.

Henrikson said both schools are being supported by Michigan State University, which he called one of the premier U.S. universities assisting school districts by bringing teachers in from China and developing curriculums.

more here.

Proposed Mandarin Immersion Pilot – Grades K & 1 for 2011-12

Lake Forest School District 67 is exploring the option of offering one dual-language (English/Mandarin) kindergarten class and one first grade class beginning this coming fall.

The program will offer half-day instruction in English and half-day instruction in Mandarin through fourth grade.  There has been significant research on the benefits of beginning world language instruction in the earliest grades and using an immersion method of instruction (the teacher uses the new language 70-100% of the time).

Why Mandarin? Some economists predict that China’s economy will surpass even the United States’ sometime in this decade. Yet, less than 5 percent of U.S. public schools have a Mandarin program.  Mastering this language will set our Lake Forest graduates apart for college admission and future career opportunities.

Interested parents may use this webpage to get the most up-to-date news about the program. Parents with additional questions are also  encouraged to contact Assistant Superintendent Andy Henrikson at ahenrikson@lfschools.net or 847-989-0118.

More here

http://worldlanguage.weebly.com/

Knowledge Universe reaches $1.6 billion in revenue

STORY BY LINDA BAKER // PHOTOS BY LEAH NASH

On the second floor of a KinderCare center in downtown Portland, eight preschoolers are coloring pictures of Chinese characters while listening to their teacher speak in Mandarin. On the other side of the room, which is decorated with parasols and Chinese lanterns, another group is interacting with a different teacher — who is speaking in English. Eventually the groups will switch, with the entire class spending half the day learning in Chinese, the other half in English.

Now in its third year, the Mandarin immersion program got its start when Knowledge Universe, KinderCare’s parent company, came across a model program while scouting acquisitions in Singapore. “We thought this was a really innovative and important way to deliver dual language, which is something the United States is particularly remiss in,” says Elanna Yalow, executive vice president at Knowledge Universe. “It is much easier to develop second-language competency at a young age,” Yalow says. “So we brought that program over and implemented it in several locations.”

KinderCare’s Mandarin immersion program is a window on the world of Knowledge Universe, a global education services conglomerate that has its U.S. headquarters in Portland. The company, which employs 40,000 people on three continents, is the largest single private provider of early childhood education services in the country. It also has the biggest market share in the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore, where the company’s global headquarters are located.



There are 19 elementary and secondary schools with French immersion programs in the City of Vancouver. Two-thirds of them — no surprise this — are on the west side. French used to be the international language of diplomacy: It’s now the language of the upwardly mobile.

There were last year just less than 4,800 French immersion students in the city. The program is wildly popular. Waiting lists exist at every school in which it is offered.

It is, I think, a nice fiction that this demand springs from an appetite to embrace the nation’s official policy of bilingualism, or from the love of language.

But the reality, I think, is more practical and class-conscious. Parents believe their children, ensconced within the sequestered world of French immersion, will receive a better, more refined education than that of the hoi polloi. It’s a private school mentality at work within the public school system. And it’s more about cachet than conjugating verbs.

In a city where only 9,300 people identified themselves as having French as their mother tongue, having 19 schools offering French immersion is an enormous dedication of scarce educational funds.

Yet this is also a city in which 51 per cent of the population identifies itself as “visible minority” hailing mostly from East and South Asia, and in which the rise of China and India as world powers is felt more immediately than almost anywhere else in the world.

So how many immersion courses in any of those Asian languages does the Vancouver school board offer in response to that new reality?

One.

VIDEO: Bejing Chorus Performs at College Park

Happy Angel Chorus of Yi Shi Fu Xiao performed at College Park Elementary School

Local children were entertained and educated by their international counterparts, as San Mateo-Foster City School District students and families attended a traditional Chinese performance on Monday.

College Park Elementary School welcomed the Happy Angel Chorus of Yi Shi Fu Xiao from Beijing, China. The choir consisted of ten teachers and 40 students, ages nine through twelve.

Led by their Vice Principal, Ms. Di Yongjie, the group performed traditional Chinese folk songs as well as music from other countries.

“I think we are very fortunate,” said parent Cheryl Tulabing. “We’re a small city and our kids still get this cultural experience. This is a rare opportunity.”

The choral members were also offered a tour of the school, activities with students, lunch and a physical education class.

“They will spend a ‘typical American day’ at College Park, attending classes with a buddy, having lunch in the cafeteria, and getting to know our students, said College Park Principal, Diana Hallock.

College Park boasts a Mandarin Immersion program for students pre-K-3, providing content-based instruction in Mandarin.

“College Park began a Mandarin elective program six years ago that has evolved into Mandarin Immersion in the past four years,” said Hallock. “One half of our faculty is Mandarin speaking.”

Azevada Elementary says ‘ni hao’

By Miriam G. Mazliach
Photos By Miriam G. Mazliach

As Azevada kindergarten teacher Orchid Wang enters the classroom, she instructs her students in Mandarin to find a spot and sit down on the large rug at the front of the room. The classroom is quiet and lights are dimmed as she leads the young students in a brief yoga exercise before beginning regular class work. Wang says that breathing exercises help young students visualize learning concepts in their minds.

Throughout the day, 90 percent of the instruction is in Mandarin; the other 10 percent in English. All required California educational standards are met except, of course, since this a language immersion class, it’s done in Mandarin.

In this global economy, people recognize that effective communication with others from around the world is not only a way to understand different cultures, but also a smart thing to do. As a natural extension, bilingualism is encouraged within schools. So this past fall, a pilot program for the new Chinese (Mandarin) Dual Immersion program began with one kindergarten class at Azevada Elementary School in Fremont. Its popularity has enabled an anticipated expansion to two kindergarten and two first grade classes for the 2011-2012 school year.

The Chinese Immersion Program marks the culmination of over two years of effort of district staff, community groups, and parents. Wei-Lin Tong, head of the Chinese Immersion Parents’ Council of Fremont, says, “My father, Professor Ling-chi Wang, and I first approached the District about three years ago. At the time, we were not able to gain much traction in moving forward despite my father’s prior successes in starting other Bay Area Chinese immersion programs.”

However, Tong began to see a change in Fall 2009. With increasing support from Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) staff, parent and community groups, and FUSD’s Department of Federal and State Projects headed by Juan Espinosa, Azevada Elementary School was chosen as the sponsoring site. In May 2010, the School Board listened to a detailed presentation of the program, and at its June 15 meeting, approved the Chinese Dual Immersion Program which began in September with one kindergarten class of 27 students.

Parents and community efforts managed to raise startup costs; no money was spent from the District’s General Fund. In future years, additional funding sources are anticipated through Title III (Immigrant Students), EIA (Education Improvement Act) or grants.

The immersion approach is an effective and proven method of providing children with a well-rounded, academically enriching education and full mastery of both English as well as the new language. By all accounts, Azevada’s immersion program and students are progressing amazingly well. Over time, 5th grade level classes will be taught 50 percent of the time in English and 50 percent in Mandarin. A successful immersion program depends on parents willing to commit to a seven-year cycle through elementary school (K-6).

read more here.