Life Cycle of a Teacher: A STARTALK Perspective

Catherine Ingold, Ph.D. Director Shuhan C. Wang, Ph.D. Deputy Director National Foreign Language Center University of Maryland

3 Overview Life cycle of a world/foreign language teacher STARTALK’s vision for teacher supply system Lessons learned from STARTALK Future initiatives

Two STARTALK Goals for Teachers LCTLs Different program types (immersion, online, etc.) Increase quantity Teacher effectiveness Standards- and performance- based, student-centered Enhance quality

Certification /Licensure Professional Developmen t & Life Long Learning Teacher Preparation Teacher Recruitment Aspiring individuals Teacher candidates/ Apprentices Novice teachers Practicing/ Master/ Teacher trainers Life Cycle of a WL Teacher

6 Improve a Supply System of Highly Effective World Language Teachers Individual Needs & local demands State Certifica tion Prep & support

STARTALK Impact: Teacher Programs # of Teacher Programs Arabic Chinese Hindi55 Persian24 Urdu34 Swahili2 Turkish2 Total305368

Teacher Participants # of Teacher Participants Arabic Chinese Hindi3548 Persian229 Urdu613 Swahili9 Turkish1 Total

2009 STARTALK Teacher Profile 17% are native speakers of English 92% list the target language as their native language 6% were born in the United States 86% are female 38% of the 2007 participants returned in % live in CA; 8% in VA; 7% IL

Teacher Programs: Language Backgrounds

Age Group Distribution

Educational Background & Credentials Educational Background: – 93% have at least a bachelor’s degree – 46% have a master’s degree – 5% have a doctorate degree Certification: – 17.2% are already certified – 56% plan to become certified

Professional Experiences

What Did They Need? Pedagogical/descriptive linguistics/culture Standards-based curriculum design Communicative teaching methods Assessment skills English for professional purposes Classroom management, US educational system and culture Appropriate paths to certification

Lessons Learned: Participants’ Evaluation of the Programs Supportive institutions (99%) Knowledgeable instructors (99%) Adequate materials (93.7%)

16 Key Administrative Elements Opportunities to observe master teachers in actual classrooms and via video clips Opportunities to engage in practice teaching and/or micro teaching Close collaboration between teacher and student program

17 Curriculum Balance of theory and practice Course work relevant to participant needs and aligned with program goals A focus on communicative language pedagogy and assessment, with the National Foreign Language Standards as a foundation

18 Instruction and Assessment (1) Differentiation of instruction to match participants and their needs Opportunities to collaborate to create instructional units, lessons, activities, and/or assessment Micro-teaching with peer and instructor feedback Modeling of best practices or activities in classroom instruction

19 Instruction and Assessment (2) Resources that teachers can use Adequate time for reflection via journaling, discussions, and idea sharing, and providing timely feedback on the work/journals Opportunities to share their own work Fostering of a community of learners

Greatest Pre/Post-Program Gains in: – Writing an effective lesson plan – Grouping students in different ways (small group, pairs, full-class) – Setting reasonable expectations for students – Providing students with appropriate feedback

21 Teacher Certification: A National Issue – Each state has its own requirements – Count seat time instead of competency – Inadequate or inappropriate requirements to certify native speakers of the language – Inflexible program design – NCLB complicates the problem

Mentoring, Retention, & Professional Development States are increasing efforts to address the issues of LCTL teachers and their needs There is not much of a system in place to work with LCTL teachers Language specific professional organizations take the responsibility, should work with state and local educational agencies Need mentors who understand language- specific issues, needs, and K-16 contexts

How Can We Address WL Teacher Issues? Alternative routes to certification – Address their gaps – Capitalize on their skills and experience Opportunities for observation and mentored practice (summer and other) Access to workshops or networks (summer, DL/BL) Virtual/local communities of practice

24 NFLC/STARTALK Certification Summit December 9-11, 2009 in Arlington, VA Invitation Only: 100 participants – States sending teams (Policy maker, WL consultant, Certification officer, Higher Ed rep); government observers; – business leaders; – professional organizations

25 NFLC/STARTALK Certification Summit Expected Outcomes: to create: a common vision for developing a linguistically and culturally competent citizenry; a shared knowledge base of information and resources from all participating stakeholders; and a set of recommendations and action plans on the national and state levels to address the shortage and effectiveness of world language teachers.

STARTALK Teacher Development Library: Available in Spring 2010 Classroom Videos Online Multimedia Teacher Development Workshops 12 institutions

27 Useful Resources National Foreign Language Center at UMD National Council of State Supervisors For Languages go to the State Report page for certification requirements; also has the contact information of the state supervisor of the states listedhttp://

28 Questions or Comments? Thank you! Contact Us: Catherine Ingold Shuhan C. Wang