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‘Due Status’ for Hindi

India’s New Education Policy, which is currently being formulated, will give Hindi its “due status,” according to the country’s minister for human resource development, Satyapal Singh.

“When the education policy was introduced in 1835, Lord Macaulay said that India’s people will remain Indians in their looks and blood, but their thinking will be British. Whenever we escalate talks about working for the mother tongue, things don’t move forward,” said Singh while addressing an award ceremony at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). “Who were the leaders in the country who did not let Hindi get its importance? Soon, a new education policy is coming.

It is very unfortunate that people think little of themselves if they don’t speak English. Just as you can’t change your mother, you can’t change your mother language,” he said.

In 1835, during the British rule of India, Macaulay authored the “Minute on Indian Education,” which called for reform of the country’s high schools to deliver “useful learning” in English. He argued, “We have to educate a people who cannot at present be educated by means of their mother tongue. We must teach them some foreign language.” He maintained that Sanskrit and Persian were no more accessible than English to the speakers of the Indian vernacular languages and existing Sanskrit and Persian texts were not suitable for “useful learning.”

The legacy of this policy lingers in India, where English education is regarded by many as a status symbol, while many regional languages lack official recognition.

Twitter Recognizes Swahili

Swahili (Kiswahili) has become the first African language to be recognized by Twitter. The network now recognizes Swahili words and offers translation of the widely spoken and written East and southern African language. However, it has still not been added to the language settings of Twitter.

Up to now, Twitter has referred to most African languages as Indonesian in terms of translation, which led to protests with the hashtags #SwahiliIsNotIndonesian and #TwitterRecognizeSwahili.

Kenya’s minister of sports and heritage celebrated with a tweet. “Kiswahili which is widely used in East Africa, is Kenya’s national language & it unites the people of Kenya.”

Swahili is spoken by more than 50 million people, mainly in East Africa, and is a national language of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

Reading for Number One

Bruce B. Brown examines how independent reading can transform the oute to English language acquisition

Whether in the elementary grades or adults in higher education, for English language learners (ELLs), reading is the most important skill to acquire and master (Alsamadani, 2011; Carrell, 1989). Along with the necessary skills of comprehension and fluency, reading helps ELLs develop and build essential vocabulary necessary for succeeding in school. English as a second language (ESL) research has long been interested in the various aspects of reading and its effects in comprehension and understanding (Alsamadani, 2011; Schell, 1991). According to Schell, 1991, there are two prerequisites for optimal reading growth: quality instruction, and adequate independent or recreational reading time. The main focus of this article is to determine how independent and recreational reading contributes to an effective reading program, while it will also provide suggestions as to how instructors may incorporate independent and recreational reading into erudition.

Independent and Recreational Reading Efficacy
Independent and recreational reading has been around since the invention of writing and has evolved into many forms of pleasurable reading throughout history.

Recreational reading can be defined as students reading by choice rather than as a result of tasks assigned by teachers (Hughes-Hassel & Lutz, 2006). Independent reading, on the other hand, covers a broader spectrum, which permits readers to explore a wider range of materials, assigned or pleasurable, for the purpose of obtaining knowledge and information.

According to many studies, the establishment of independent reading programs in schools, such as allotting free, uninterrupted, independent reading time, can improve various reading skills. Some of these skills include increasing students’ fluency and comprehension, as well as increasing vocabulary. Research also indicates a strong relationship between independent and recreational reading and school achievement (Allington, 2006; Hughes-Hassel, & Ludtz, 2006; Krashen, 2004).

Several studies have been conducted on independent or recreational reading. In one such study, Kelly and Kneipp (2009) explored the relationship between recreational reading and creativity in students. Creative students are students who have a rich fantasy life and enjoy fantasy-related activities. Through independent reading, students increase their creativity and, hence, increase their awareness of experiences, are more inspired, and invoke personal and emotional reactions. Kelly and Kneipp (2009) concluded that recreational reading develops creativity in students, which increases general knowledge, writing skills, and overall academic achievement.
Hughes-Hassell and Lutz (2006) surveyed 214 middle school students in an urban school community. While 73 percent of the students said they engage in leisure reading, 24 percent of leisure readers said they were consistent readers, and 49 percent said they read when they get a chance. Of the remaining 27 percent, 22 percent said they read only what they were assigned for school, and six percent said they did not read at all.

Other studies support the relationship between recreational/independent reading and academic achievement. Reis, et al. (2008) designed a study to examine the amount of time spent on recreational reading with intermediate elementary students to the positive affect of student achievement. The study found that when students were engaged in sustained independent reading they produced more favorable outcomes in reading fluency.

Focusing on empirical research with ESL learners, Wu Hui-Ju (2011) concluded that extensive reading positively affects ESL students’ comprehension and fluency performance as well as having a positive influence on students’ writing performance. Wu Hui-Ju suggests three strategies. With the first strategy, the students select reading material of interest that is within their reading ability level. After reading it, the students write a reaction report. In the second strategy, the teachers are role models and participate in independent reading with the students. The third strategy recommends that teachers frequently give feedback on students’ readings and interactions during the reading process.

Kinds of Recreational Reading
According to Krashen (2004) there are three kinds of in-school recreational reading programs: sustained silent reading (SSR), self-selected reading, and extensive reading. SSR is a time during which a class, teacher and, in some cases, the entire school reads for a designated amount of time during school hours. Students are allowed to choose their own reading materials, which include nonfiction or fiction books, magazines, or newspapers. Most SSR plans encourage students to continue reading out of school and permit students to change books when they lose interest. A great benefit to SSR is that it allows the teacher to model the habits, choices, and attitudes good readers develop (Gardiner, 2005; Krashen, 2004; Trelease, 2006).

During self-selected reading, free reading is a part of the language arts program, with teachers holding conferences to discuss students’ reading. Self-selected reading includes and usually begins with teacher read-alouds. The teacher reads to the students from a wide range of literature. Next, the students read silently from a variety of books related to the read-alouds’ topic or theme. While the children read, the teacher conferences with several students each day and records their progress. The students also maintain a folder to log pages read and give a brief daily summary (Atwell, 2007; Krashen, 2004; Trelease, 2006).

Extensive reading integrates a large number of self-selected print materials on a wide range of topics or themes. Material is at the students’ independent reading level, of interest to them, and they can read it more than once if so desired. The students periodically give short summaries of what they have read. The purpose of extensive reading is to seek pleasure, information, and general understanding. It also helps facilitate good reading habits and motivation for reading such as improving reading comprehension and improving writing abilities. Many ESL instructors use this approach (Bell, 2001; Day & Bamford, 1998; Krashen, 2004).

For many schools, SSR has been chosen to promote independent reading (Nichols, Rickelman, Young, & Rupley, 2008). Researchers, such as Bryan and Reutzel (2003), Krashen (2005), and Nichols, Rickelman, Young, and Rupley (2008) suggest that the primary purpose of SSR is to encourage students to read more and to increase their enjoyment of reading. McCracken (1971) developed and refined SSR into six basic guidelines that are still practiced today: (1) everyone reads self-selected materials silently, (2) teachers model by reading silently, (3) SSR takes place at the same time each day, (4) students select one piece of reading material for the entire time period and may not look for reading material during the SSR time period, (5) no assignments or records are kept, and (6) interruptions are not allowed.

Independent/recreational reading enables readers to select materials from various genres to read on their own. These should be materials that are highly interesting and motivating to the students. The goal of recreational/independent reading is pure enjoyment and to satisfy the desire to expand personal knowledge (Allington, 2006; Krashen, 2004; Miller, 2009; Lessesne, 2003; Taylor, Frye, & Maruyama, 1990).

Over the years, educators have attempted to incorporate into reading programs independent and recreational reading practices, strategies, activities, and incentives that spark and promote students’ interest and desire to read for pleasure (Block & Mangieri, 2002; Herald & Wiegand, 2006; Mangieri & Corboy, 1981; Pressley 2002; Schell, 1991). The rationale behind silent independent reading is that reading is a skill, and the more students practice, the better they become as readers. The simplicity of its format makes it easy to implement in any literacy program. Using an independent silent reading plan, the students and modeling teachers select their own reading materials and read silently at a regular time each day. Usually no work is assigned, students simply list the titles of books or reading material they read (Atwell, 2007; Block & Mangagieri, 2002; Fink & Samuals, 2007; Krashen, 2006; Mangieri & Corboy, 1981; McCracken, 1971; Trelease, 2006).

Bryan and Reutzel (2003) asserted that success of the independent silent reading approach depends on the teacher. The approach fails when teachers are supervising rather than modeling reading and the classroom is lacking reading materials (Bryan & Reutzel, 2003). According to Krashen (2005, 2008), a successful plan happens when students are reading to themselves for limited amounts of time.

Oral reading or read-aloud methods, directly or indirectly, help promote independent reading and affect recreational reading habits (McPhearson, 2008; Morrison & Wlodarczyk, 2009). In a teacher survey, Block and Mangieri (2002) found that teachers ranked reading to children daily as one of the most important methods to motivate students to read independently and for pleasure.

Other practices cited by researchers suggest increasing the amount of time spent in independent reading (Block & Mangieri, 2002; Bryan & Reutzel, 2003; Krashen 2004; Trelease, 2006). These practices include incorporating novels into content area lessons, sharing and discussing books read, replacing regular reading instruction with free reading trade books once a week, increasing parents’ knowledge of the importance of recreational reading, teachers’ modeling of the pleasure that they receive from reading pursuits, continuously making newly published books available to students, and exposing students to a wide variety of genres in classroom-based and school-wide libraries (Block & Mangieri, 2002; Schell, 1991; Trelease, 2006).

Researchers also endorse the use of technology to promote recreational and independent reading. There are a variety of ways to use technology in the classroom such as Accelerated Reader or Scholastic’s Reading Counts (Balajthy 2007). Another technological method is the Degree of Reading Power Book-link, which provides computer-based assistance for recreational reading. This program is designed to identify appropriate books for students with particular interests (Balajthy, 2007).

Technology is used to stimulate and enhance the independent readers’ desire to read more as well as to read more accurately. Rich sources of author and illustrator web sites as well as online bestsellers and children’s literature may enhance the love of recreational reading (Halverson and Smith, 2009).

eBooks are the latest reading technology tools that can motivate students to read independently and for pleasure. eBook users can download copies of a wide range of reading materials from websites, many public libraries, or purchase them from online bookstores.
There are other independent and recreational practices examined and endorsed that are worth mentioning. Individual reading choices are materials that students have independently chosen for recreational reading. Promoting development of ownership in reading helps students take full responsibility and possession of their reading process through the reading of materials they have chosen (Hooper, 2005; Mohr, 2006; Zeece, 2007). Collecting together reading material according to author, specific topic, or theme of reading has also been found to spark interest and encourage further independent and recreational reading (Atwell, 2007; Daniels, 2002; Hart, Burts, & Rosalind, 1997; Miller, 2002; Robinson, 2005: Sanacore, 2006).

Strategies for independent and recreational reading
Currently, there are three prominent strategies practiced in schools to help promote recreational reading: Literature Circles, Grand Conversations, and Book Talks. The goal of Literature Circles is to motivate students to read more through the enjoyment of social interaction in peer groups. In traditional Literature Circles, after a brief introduction from the teacher, students are divided into groups to read fiction or nonfiction books. Students are given roles or responsibilities that help guide their reading and meet on a regular basis to discuss agreed-upon sections of the book. The strategy ends with students presenting their book to their peers through presentations (Daniels, 2002). Researchers have examined the Literature Circle approach and have found that the strategy motivates students in free, independent reading time (Daniels, 2002; Sandmann & Gruhler, 2007). Students often feel an increased sense of responsibility toward their group and their own learning through the use of the various roles and discussions from the reading circle activity (Sandmann and Gruhler, 2007).

Grand Conversations are student-directed, whole class discussions. The strategy is different from other whole group discussions because it is completely student directed and typically focuses on a big question (Afflerbach, Pearson, & Scott, 2008). Research supports the assertion that a Grand Conversation expands comprehension of independent reading and encourages further silent reading (Afflerbach, Pearson, & Scott, 2008; Beeghly, 2005; Maloch, 2002; McKeown, Beck, & Blake, 2009).

Keeping students connected to books is critical for creating recreational and independent readers. One easy strategy to help motivate students to read is through book talks. A book talk, in its broadest definition, is an oral report or chat about a particular book with the purpose of sparking an interest in the listeners to read the book (Littlejohn, 2006). There is limited research conducted on the efficacy of book talks, but, according to Triplett and Buchanan (2005) they “continue to rouse minds and hearts to life” in public schools across the nation. Triplett and Buchanan (2005) conducted research with 14 first, second, and third grade struggling readers to identify strategies that engage students cognitively, motivationally, and emotionally. They concluded that book talks are an important aspect in promoting recreational reading.

Independent and recreational reading is an important aspect of a reading curriculum. It is essential that educators, including ESL instructors are up-to-date and informed of the various practices, strategies, research, and programs that support independent and recreational reading.

Bruce B. Brown, Ed.D., is a reading specialist and professor for Intensive Reading Education at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He received his Doctorate of Education degree with the University of South Dakota in 2011 and his Reading Specialist Masters Degree in 1991.

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Reading, Writing, and Giving Back

Kristal Bivona gets inspired by voluntary literacy projects

Non-governmental organizations have more opportunities to serve and support education than ever today as pressure increases on schools to look beyond public funding. Here are two nonprofits and a free literary magazine that are helping children and youth by promoting reading and writing outside of the classroom.

These inspirational organizations are all driven by the often underestimated fact that when given access, young people get excited about literacy.

Get Lit
On Saturday mornings, Get Lit Players aren’t drooling on their pillows or watching TV. They come from all over the city of Los Angeles to recite and write poetry. Many take several buses and commute for over an hour to share classic poems and recite their own creations at the Actor’s Gang in Culver City. These young poets have a spark. Not only do they recite their original poetry with fire in their eyes, but they recite poems from centuries past with a conviction that can leave an audience in tears. Get Lit brings out the poet, the reader, and the performer in each of the students.

One of the most impressive features of a Get Lit workshop is the culture that’s created. Students from different schools, grades, cultural backgrounds, and neighborhoods use the gift of gab to spill their guts to each other, tackling difficult personal topics such as sexuality, family problems, and gang violence. Everyone listens and supports their fellow poets with finger snapping, praise, and constructive criticism. Get Lit has created an environment of mutual respect and students know that they can focus on fine-tuning their poetic language and nailing delivery instead of worrying about being judged by their peers.

Get Lit serves schools and youth in the Los Angeles area. Founded and directed by Diane Luby Lane, it aims to give youth opportunities for developing a passion for literature, poetry, and language. They currently work with about 42 schools through their in-school program that provides standards-based curriculum for teachers to adopt.

Most recently, Get Lit has trained 18 language arts teachers in Los Angeles to use Get Lit curriculum in classrooms around the city. Teachers can order an advance copy of Get Lit, A 12-Week Course in Literacy (and Life) Through POETRY by Diane Luby Lane, a guide to teaching their standards based curriculum in the classroom. Arts evaluator professor James Catterall and and his team from the University of California, Los Angeles evaluated the Get Lit In-School Program. They followed four classes in Watts, Compton, South Central, and Long Beach area schools for a period of six months. They published the results of their findings, which conclude that the in-school curriculum is “immensely effective,” writing, “Get Lit promotes good thinking, thoughtful words, high student engagement, and improved student motivation. Students say they find a voice and learn about themselves through poetry.”

Over the next four months, over 2,500 students will study classic poetry and workshop their original spoken word response poems with their own teachers using the curriculum. In April, National Poetry Month, these students can participate in the citywide Classic Slam and compete for college scholarships and poetic supremacy.

For news and information about getting involved in Get Lit, visit www.getlit.org.

For an advance copy of the Get Lit curriculum, email [email protected].

First Book
It’s not news that the biggest hurdle in fostering literacy around the world is providing access to books (see Stephen Krashen’s “Reading for Pleasure” in Language Magazine, December 2011). However, First Book shares some shocking statistics about the reality of underserved children. For example, in some of America’s lowest-income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children. Books are not only missing in homes, but also in many pre-schools and after-school programs that serve low-income families. First Book aims to give these children the chance to grow into engaged and capable bookworms by making books more accessible to families, educators, and organizations.

To date, First Book has doled out over 85 million books in the U.S., reaching children and youth who otherwise wouldn’t own an age-appropriate book. First Book also recognizes the need for developing the mother tongues of children whose first language is not English by providing some bilingual and Spanish language titles. Books in Spanish also present opportunities for parents to read to their child in Spanish and feel more included in the development of their child’s reading skills.

First Book provides reduced-cost and free books for educators and programs that work with underserved students. The First Book Marketplace is an online store that offers quality literature and resources at accessible prices. They have also organized a clearinghouse where publishers can donate their products, called the First Book Book Bank, which are then distributed to students. Publishers are excited to take part in First Book’s Marketplace and Book Bank as they are reaching a large, untapped market. Even though the publishers earn much less here than they do through retail sales, First Book’s timing is perfect as the publishing industry is working hard to adapt to changing markets and technologies. Chandler Arnold, the executive director of the First Book Marketplace, told the New York Times: “Publishers have historically had to fight hard for their slice of the market segment. Here we’re making the entire market bigger. What we want to do is unabashedly change the way our country educates our hardest to reach children, and do it in a way that generates revenues for the publishing industry so that they take it up.”

First Book co-founder Kyle Zimmer is still amazed at the impact of her organization after two decades. “It’s genuinely inspiring to see how eager kids are to become readers,” Zimmer said. “I heard just last week from the principal of a school in Texas who came in to the school one morning at 6:45 a.m. to find one of her fourth-grade students reading on the front steps. He had a new book from First Book, and it was too chaotic to read quietly at home, so he came to school early to read.

“It’s hard knowing that a child’s need is so great, but hearing how hungry he is for the chance to read makes me want to work even harder to get him more books, and get books to the millions of kids just like him who are still waiting for us.”

Zimmer also hopes to continue expanding First Book’s reach internationally. First Book Canada has been connecting young readers to books for three years and there are plans to go beyond North America.

“We’ve been refining our model for a long time, and it’s ready for global expansion, so we’re actively hosting discussions to design our efforts in India. But, as always, we are being careful to develop our strategies in partnership with educators, organizations, and interested parties who are on the ground serving the children we care so deeply about,” Zimmer explained.

For news and more information about First Book, visit www.firstbook.org.

Want to receive First Book books? Visit www.firstbook.org/receive-books.

Apiary Magazine
“Written by humans,” Apiary magazine brags. And it’s written by humans of all ages. Started by a group of young writers and poets in Philadelphia, Apiary sets out to unite the city through poetry. Co-founder and editor Lillian Dunn explained, “We’re not only creating a magazine that’s fun to read, we’re building community by letting very different people share their experiences with one another. Literature is amazing because this works on a national and a global level — you can read Tolstoy, a dead guy from Russia, and be transformed by his ideas and moved by his characters’ predicaments. But by focusing on Philadelphia, we let our readers know — this writer, who is moving you to tears or making you laugh, might be the person next to you on the subway. We hope it makes our readers more curious about and empathetic towards their fellow Philadelphians. And finally, we hope it makes the case for Philly as a literary city — a town buzzing with artists of all ages, who care enough about their lives and those of their fellow human beings to write about them and write about them beautifully.”

Apiary 3, released in 2011, is the third magazine and the first free issue. Having caught the attention of advertisers, including Philadelphia based M.F.A. programs, the editors of Apiary were able to cover the cost of publishing and distributing the magazine. Apiary is now a service to the city, giving authors a platform for publication, fostering a local literary community and sharing it at no cost to readers. With a print readership of about 2,000 and an online following of over 1,000, Apiary is reaching across Philly one poem at a time.

One important initiative for Apiary is providing a venue for young poets’ writing. Their youngest author was eight years old at the time of publication. “We have to work smart to get youth submissions into Apiary. Sending out e-mails to overworked classroom teachers doesn’t cut it,” Dunn said. “We’ve found the most efficient way to reach engaged kids and teachers is to partner with larger organizations — the excellent Philadelphia Writing Project, for example. They are already working with teachers who make creative writing a strong part of their curriculum. We also work with youth writing workshops at cultural organizations.”

Dealing only with local authors and workshops, word of mouth becomes a key part of earning more readers, but also discovering talent. “A lot of our home-runs — the excellent pieces that make adults say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know kids could write like that!’ are acquired by word of mouth, by talking to someone who says, ‘I know this kid who is a stellar writer, and they really could use a place to publish their work,’” Dunn explained.

To read Apiary 3 online, visit www.apiarymagazine.com.

Tips for Teachers
Diane Lane offers the following advice on creating a comfortable atmosphere for a creative writing workshop:
“If you are a teacher with an established classroom, it’s nice to rearrange all the chairs for that day; someone sits in a new spot. Suddenly it really does open you up to experience the class differently. I find that kids like to share more than you would think, but they have to feel it’s a safe space so it has to be led by a teacher that really respects his or her students. Maybe a teacher could start by sharing something personal all about him or herself. The teacher could say, ‘Anything that goes down in this room has to remain in this room or you will be asked to leave the class, but we’re really going to share and we’re really going to learn to trust each other and come together as this special unit.’ Maybe they can name the unit something special so it feels like something different than the normal English class.”

Kyle Zimmer on getting more resources for literacy in the classroom:

“I do have one major tip for teachers serving children in need – please sign up with First Book so that we can help provide you with an ongoing supply of quality books. You can sign up online — it only takes a few minutes.”

Lillian Dunn on weaving creative writing into class:

“Let it be a daily thing. Just read a poem out loud every day, even if you don’t analyze it. Let a kid share his or her poem every day. Ten minutes a day can create a lot of writers. Don’t spend an hour at the beginning of a workshop taking apart a poem, analyzing it word by word, as many lesson plans call for. Instead, ask students to find phrases that resonate with them, interest them, and ask why. At the beginning of an exercise, it helps to be very structured. Not structured in a Mad Libs way, but give concrete parameters — three sounds, three smells, three sights. Then, once there’s something on the paper, turn them loose.”

Kristal Bivona is assistant editor at Language Magazine.

THE FUTURE OF POETRY

Aishah Allah Interview and her poem “Confetti”

Confetti by Aishah Allah, Get Lit

Confetti makes me sad
Colorful yet broken
I wish confetti were more like puzzle pieces
Easy to be put back together and perfect if no pieces are missing
But we can never be put back
Ripped down to shreds, living with regret, messy
Confetti makes me sad shooting in the air with flying colors at special occasions
But what happens when it’s over?
Stepped on, swept up, back to where you came from
Forgotten
Each individual piece scattered on the floor reminds me of my own brokenness
My confusions, my regrets
My life like these tiny pieces of paper will never be perfect
They say we’re all together in being alone
But they’ll say anything to make you feel like you belong
Confetti
If you could talk what would you say?
If you had a head, would it hang low or be held high?
If you could grow up what would you aspire to be?
Because I see so much of you in me
Confetti
You are not just a one-night stand
Or an explosion to get reaction only to be forgotten
You had potential
You could have been a card for a sick grandmother lying in her deathbed
A love letter from a lonely soldier to his wife and six kids
A paper airplane for a cancer patient
Song lyrics for a suicidal teen on the verge of forever
You could have been sheet of paper
But you let them decide
And they said you look better in bits
So they ripped and ripped and ripped
Waiting for your refusal but you were silent
Confetti you were silenced
But now that you are broken, don’t let the wind push you around
Plant your pieces on the ground
Make magic of your smithereens
Let them know you were once a tree
Because your branches are still branches to me
Confetti
My earth quakes when you fall to the ground
Pick yourself up when no ones around
Force your pieces into a smile
Inspire
Like you have inspired me
I am the person you didn’t get to be
So I’ll walk around with an a.k.a and a nametag that says, “confetti is my name”
And I will wear it proudly
Oh! I will wear it with no shame
C-O-N-F-E-T-T-I, confetti

Ode to a Comma by Tepi Ennis, Apiary

Sight
Of minute ink flourishes
First stroked by austere authors’ fingers
Only the imprint of meticulous love
Remains upon pale leaves of skin
And the fingerprints of those before me
Who did not try, as I do now

For you I worship
You who could topple the mightiest of men
So seemingly insignificant is
Your ink-black body, cradled
between bones of ancient trees
Not of creation, will or whim
Sprung from necessity’s womb
Worth every touch
Of the pen from which you fall
Sugar in afternoon tea, drips assembled
When books are shelved
Left among pages, you are momentarily forgotten
But

In the intermittent silence
Rests recognition
Of your presence, a comfort
In the fog of language that rolls over my aching
ears

Loyally standing vigil
Despite masters’ neglect
And I fear I have
Left you unwritten
far too many times before

The Moon by Eboni, Apiary’s youngest poet

The moon is a bouncy ball
That bounced all the way to the sky
And never came back

The Tree by Stephanie Sutton, Apiary

Windows and doors suggest you come into
The mushrooming streams of leaves
Settled in the way of being.
The emerald tendrils beckon to tickle your cheek.
The stems of this house are lonely,
The lazy invitation is alluring, distressing.
I imagine a twilight-filled dance party,
A twisting and turning tirade
Of romances underneath the branches,
Of welcoming.

Fred Armisen Spanish-Language Comedy to Come to HBO

Actor and writer Fred Armisen, known for T.V. series “Portlandia”, is creating a new Spanish-Language comedy, “Los Espookys,” on HBO.  Armisen will be a co-writer and executive producer for the show, and will also appear in the role of Tico. Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres will co-write the series, set in a surreal version of present-day Mexico City. The show will star Bernardo Velasco, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Fabrega, Torres, and Armisen. The show will follow a set of friends, turning their love for horror into a peculiar business.”

In the show, Velasco plays the leader of Los Espookys, Renaldo. Ciangherroti, a Mexican actress based out of Mexico City, play the character Ursula, who is a dental assistant. Because of her job she has access to teeth, and provides them to the group. Fabrega, who has appeared alongside Armisen in “Portlandia,” plays Ursula’s sister and test dummy, while Armisen plays Tico, Renaldo’s valet driver.

From what has been leaked about the show, it seems like the series will be along the same vein of the 2004 comedy-horror film “Shaun of the Dead”, 2017 award-winning comedy horror film, “Get Out.”

Arabic Becomes Sweden’s Second Language

For over 800 years, Finnish has been Sweden’s largest minority language, but, thanks to the recent influx of asylum seekers from predominantly Arab-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Arabic has now replaced Finnish, Stockholm University researcher Mikael Parkvall argued in an opinion piece published in Svenska Dagbladet.

The estimated number of Arabic speakers in the Scandinavian country of 10 million is “over 200,000.” According to this calculation, the number of Arabic speakers has doubled over the past decade, while the aging Finnish population has been shrinking.

Parkvall highlighted the lack of official statistics on this matter, which he found “strange,” given the fact that Sweden takes pride in its statistical tradition.While the United Nations and the Council of Europe have both suggested that Swedish authorities show an interest in this issue, their proposals have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, Parkvall noted, stressing that Sweden has no qualms about keeping records on potentially sensitive things like political sympathies, STDs, or cannabis consumption.

“The reason is the sensitivity of the matter. Mapping out language affiliation is considered to be almost the same as identifying ethnicity, and mapping ethnicity is almost the same as plotting genocide. It is thus in reference to ‘personal integrity’ that the Swedish state is most proud of its ignorance of the issue,” Parkvall wrote, citing Finland, Switzerland, and Canada as multi-language countries that are perfectly able to maintain their democratic traditions while keeping track of their language use.

​In recent years, Arabic has been gaining ground in the Swedish media and public life. Swedish Radio has had broadcasts in Arabic since 2013. In April 2017, Sweden arranged its first-ever Arabic book fair, epitomizing the growing importance of Arabic in everyday life.

It’s worth noting that one-quarter of Duolingo’s users in Sweden are studying Swedish, making it the highest percentage of residents learning the official language of the country in which they reside, according to company data.

 

 

Brexit Blamed for England’s Drop in Language Learning

According to the British Council’s 2018 Language Trends survey of schools in England, less than half of 16-year-olds study a language other than English, down from three fourths in 2002, and Britain’s exit from the European Union was cited in the report as having a “negative impact on student motivation and/or parental attitudes towards language learning.”

Figures for GCSEs – exams taken by English students at the end of compulsory education, when they are aged 16 – are key to assessing trends. In 2002, about three fourths of students studied languages other than English for their GCSEs. Two years later, the government stopped making languages compulsory at GCSE, and by 2011, participation had declined to just 40%. This climbed back up to 49% in 2014, after the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which measured schools on the proportion of students who took a combination of math, English, sciences and humanities, including a modern or ancient language.

However, the latest figure has dropped back to 47%. Students in London are more likely to choose languages than their peers outside the capital, as are girls and students at merit-based schools.

After the age of 16, overall enrollment is stable, but figures French (still the most popular foreign language taught in English schools) have dropped by nearly a third since 2005, while German is down by 37%. However, numbers for Spanish and other languages have increased substantially.

Brexit is affecting teacher supply and student motivation. More than two thirds of public schools and 78% of private schools currently employ teachers without UK citizenship who are citizens of other EU countries. Schools report negative impacts on staffing, and fears about future recruitment and retention of language teachers.

But, the most significant impact of Brexit reported by schools was in relation to attitudes towards language learning. Just over a third of public schools reported that leaving the EU is having a negative impact on student motivation and/or parental attitudes towards language learning.

Higher standards may also be affecting enrollments. From September 2017, the British government introduced new exams at GCSE and A level (the exams taken after two years of study, at the age of 18), that were designed to be more rigorous and elevate standards of language competence.

Teachers report that because the new language exams are more difficult and require a lot of learning in a relatively short space of time, fewer students are choosing to try them. More than two thirds of public schools say that lower-ability pupils are now less likely to take a language at GCSE level. One respondent commented that ‘the new GCSE will make better linguists, but this is only true for the few higher-attaining pupils’. In short, language learning in English schools is becoming skewed towards higher ability pupils.

Native speakers and heritage learners make up a sizeable proportion of candidates for language GCSEs. These students often study outside of school time, or as an extra subject. While it is positive that these pupils, who already have access to another language outside school, are able to gain a qualification, “their addition to the figures conceals a crisis in traditional language learning post-16,” according to the British Council report.

The Language Trends survey also showed economic inequalities in access to language learning. Schools which take in larger proportions of pupils who are eligible for free school lunches timetable languages for fewer hours per week during the compulsory phase. They also allow more pupils to drop languages after only two years, and have lower participation rates at GCSE level. Private schools have a higher uptake of languages, offer a more diverse range of languages, and provide more opportunities for international experience compared to those in the public sector.

In the UK, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland decide their own educational policies. In Scotland, policy is based on the European Union 1 + 2 model, which is “designed to create the conditions in which every child will learn two languages in addition to their own mother tongue.”

The report concludes that: “The responses show the challenge of overcoming the social and cultural divide that the Brexit vote revealed. Unless we can achieve greater equity in language learning, so students from all backgrounds can benefit from the rich opportunities that learning a language offers, this divide may become even wider.”

Download the report at https://www.britishcouncil.org/research/language-trends-2018

California Goes Global

California’s superintendent of public instruction, Tom Torlakson, has launched Global California 2030, which is a call to action “to vastly expand the teaching and learning of world languages and the number of students proficient in more than one language over the next twelve years.”

In recognition of their tireless efforts to expand multilingualism in California, Jan Gustafson-Corea, CEO of the California Association for Bilingual Education, mastered the ceremony, and Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, executive director of Californians Together, delivered an inspirational speech.

The initiative’s aim is to better prepare California students for the 21st-century economy, broaden their perspective and understanding of the world, and strengthen the diversity of backgrounds and languages that make California’s culture and economy vibrant and dynamic.

“The mission of Global California 2030 is to equip our students with the world language skills to succeed in the global economy and to fully engage with the diverse mixture of cultures and languages found in California and throughout the world,” Torlakson said. “We are setting high goals and dreaming big to help our students and our state.”

Global California 2030 goals include:
By 2030, half of all K–12 students participate in programs leading to proficiency in two or more languages, either through a class, a program, or an experience.

The number of students who receive the State Seal of Biliteracy, which is nationally recognized for college admissions and career opportunities, more than triples from 46,952 in 2017 to more than 150,000 in 2030. By 2040, three out of four graduating seniors earn the Seal of Biliteracy. The seal is earned by demonstrating proficiency in a language in addition to English.

The number of dual-immersion programs that teach languages besides English quadruples from about 400 in 2017 to 1,600 in 2030.

The number of new bilingual teachers authorized in world language classes more than doubles between 2017 and 2030.

The initiative was inspired by the views California voters expressed so clearly in 2016, when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 58, a ballot measure to eliminate barriers to dual-language immersion programs.

Its launch also coincided with today’s call for action by leaders in American business, government, and education, including Language Magazine, to support a national effort to strengthen language education so that individual Americans can more effectively participate in a global society and the nation as a whole can prosper in a global economy.
#AmericasLanguages

“As the world comes closer together, fluency in another language opens up opportunities for people to succeed economically and to take part in diverse cultural activities,” Torlakson said as he called on educators, parents, legislators, community members, and business leaders to help create a multilingual California. Widespread support will be needed to expand access to world language classes, programs, and experiences; to train more bilingual teachers; and to improve the quality and availability of advanced language classes.

“Our ambitions for Global California 2030 are high, but so is our ability to work together with our partners toward common goals,” he said. “Together, we have the skills, creativity, and vision to give all students the opportunity to learn another language.”
For more information, visit the Global California 2030 web page (https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in).

Help Establish National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards

Dual Language Education of New Mexico (DLeNM) is seeking public comment on the initial draft of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards. Please click the link below to provide feedback on the document.

CLICK HERE to download the NDLETS DRAFT.

Submit comments to:  https://dlenm.formstack.com/forms/public_vetting.

The goal of this process is to get a general sense of the value of the proposed Standards for the preparation of dual language immersion teachers in a variety of program types.

New Eye Language Helps Paralyzed People Communicate

A new language called Blink to Speak aims to improve the lives of people with paralysis and have difficulty with speech, and recently won the Health Grand Prix for Good at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The guide outlines a new language that uses eye movements for communication for people with paralysis. The language was created by Dr. Hemangi Sane, Founder and President of Asha Ek Hope Foundation and Deputy Director of DueirGen Brain and Spine Institute in Mumbai, India.

The new language aims to overcome hurdles that paralyzed patients have. While there are currently systems that help paralyzed people communicate, they are typically quite expensive, so they aren’t available to everyone. Blink to Speak is available for free, and can be a temporary or permanent solution for patients to communicate with others.

The language is based upon eight key alphabets—eyes shut, blink, look left, look right, look up, look down, wink and eye roll. The guide lays out around 60 phrases made up of these alphabets which function similar to sign language. For example, furious winking means “Emergency,” while four blinks means “I want to go to sleep.” There is also an entire alphabet (A-Z) laid out in the guide.

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