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France Welcomes Community College Students

In another move to promote relations between these old allies, the Cultural and Scientific Services of the French Embassy in Washington launched a two-part program entitled Community College Abroad in France, in partnership with Community Colleges for International Development and the n+i network (a network of 50 top engineering schools in France). The Community College Abroad in France program includes two components: a ten-day non-degree-granting summer boot camp, and a four-year degree-granting program.

Part of the Transatlantic Friendship and Mobility Initiative, a dual initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched in 2014 to increase and diversify student mobility cross-Atlantic, the community college program echoes the French Embassy’s mission to reach new audiences—in this case, American students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs.

Seventeen community college students from across the U.S. specializing in engineering and environmental science took part in this June’s ten-day non-degree-granting pilot boot camp in Paris. The program included a series of professional and scientific visits to learn about air quality control (Ballon d’air de Paris), environmental management practices for water distribution (Usine d’Austerlitz), innovative urban transportation, and lighting management in Paris.

Offering graduate studies abroad, the four-year degree-granting program in France is open to a small group of hand-selected students following the completion of their two-year associate degrees at U.S. community colleges with honors. Selected students are offered the opportunity to complete a Diplôme d’ingénieur (engineering degree) within four years of graduating from a community college.

Students begin the program with a pre-Diplôme d’ingénieur, a preparatory year in France, which allows them to become acquainted with new methods of study and to strengthen their French language skills. This is followed by a three-year work-study Diplôme d’ingénieur at one of the top-50 engineering schools of the n+i network.

The program is designed to offer students professionalized training while enabling them to self-finance their degrees. Students attend classes part-time while completing paid part-time internships.

The French Embassy also offers one student a scholarship to finance the pre-Diplôme d’ingénieur year in France. This year, the laureate is Daniela Markovic from the honors college at Lonestar College in Houston Texas. She will start July 2017.

Community​ ​College Abroad​ ​in​ ​France​​ aims​ ​to​ ​open​ ​up​ ​the​ ​classic​ ​junior​-year​-​abroad​ ​experience​ ​to community​ ​college​ ​students​. Amid soaring tuition prices in the U.S., they ​make​ ​up​ ​a significant​ ​portion​ ​of​ ​America’s​ ​post-high​-school​ ​student​ ​body​ ​but​ ​rarely​ ​find​ ​the​ ​means or​ ​programs​ ​to​ ​do​ ​some​ ​of​ ​their​ ​studies​ ​internationally.

According​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Community​ ​College​ ​Research​ ​Center​ ​at Columbia​ ​University,​ ​39​% ​​of​ ​all​ ​undergraduates​ ​in​ ​the​ ​2015–16​ ​school​ ​year​ ​in​ ​the​ ​U.S​. ​were​ ​at two-year​ ​community​ ​colleges,​​ but​ ​only​ ​2​% ​of​ ​them​ ​studied​ ​abroad.

Greek for Young Refugees

Greek schools are welcoming in more refugee and migrant children who have been stranded in the country. Major efforts by the Greek Ministry of Education, Research, and Religious Affairs supported by UNICEF to get as many children as possible into school are seen as a crucial step to integrate refugee and migrant children into Greek society and to turn the fundamental right of education into a reality for each and every child in the country.

“Without education, a generation of children in Greece will be lost, without necessary skills to contribute to their countries and economies and at greater risk of exclusion. Getting children whose lives have been on hold back into school will help them communicate and socialize with Greek children and help them rebuild their futures,” says Laurent Chapuis, the country coordinator for UNICEF’s refugee and migrant response in Greece. “It is not only crucial for the mental health and psychosocial well-being of refugee and migrant children, it will reactivate their development and bring back a sense of stability in their unsettled lives.”

“We applaud the generous plan and tireless efforts made by the Greek government to welcome refugee and migrant children in school,” says Sofia Tzitzikou, the president of the Hellenic National Committee for UNICEF. The Ministry of Education is committed to opening the doors of its public schools to as many refugee and migrant children as possible, by establishing reception classes for children residing in temporary sites as well as those living in urban accommodation.

“The inclusion of refugee and migrant children in Greek schools has only positive aspects as Greek children—not only will they learn in a multicultural, peaceful, and caring environment, all these children will also be fully vaccinated before they enroll in school just in the same way as Greek children,” says Tzitzikou. “The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are working closely together to guarantee mandatory vaccination and preventative health examinations will take place before the start of reception classes. Once enrolled, refugee and migrant children will be given intensive Greek language support to accelerate their language acquisition.”

Some refugee children have missed up to two and a half years of schooling during their journeys, and less than a third of the 12,000 children of school age have had access to formal education. Language barriers and capacity within the system, stress and trauma leading to poor concentration and high drop-out rates, and resistance to learning Greek as many hope to continue their journeys to other parts of Europe are among the factors that have kept children out of school.

French in ‘Mortal Danger’ of Gender Neutrality

Les Soldates de la Paix – art installation in Paris

The Académie Française, the world’s authority on the French language, has issued a bleak warning against “inclusive writing” which promotes the use of gender-neutral words, claiming that: “The multiplication of the orthographic and syntactic marks that [inclusive writing] requires would lead to a disunited language, disparate in its expression, which would create confusion verging on incomprehensibility.”

The recent movement to replace default masculine nouns, such as les soldats, used when referring to mix of male and female soldiers with the gender-neutral les soldat(e)s, has been reinforced by a barrage of revelations of sexual abuse in France triggered by the Harvey Weinstein case in the U.S.

The academy’s statement went on to say that: “More than any other institution, the Académie Française is sensitive to developments and innovations in the language, since its mission is to codify them. On this occasion, it is less as a guardian of the norm than a guarantor of the future that it raises a cry of alarm. Faced with this ‘inclusive’ aberration, the French language is now in mortal danger.”

See below for full text of statement (in French):

 

Déclaration de l’Académie française sur l’écriture dite “inclusive”

Le 26 octobre 2017

Déclaration de l’Académie française

 

DÉCLARATION de l’ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE
sur l’ÉCRITURE dite « INCLUSIVE »

adoptée à l’unanimité de ses membres
dans la séance du jeudi 26 octobre 2017

Prenant acte de la diffusion d’une « écriture inclusive » qui prétend s’imposer comme norme, l’Académie française élève à l’unanimité une solennelle mise en garde. La démultiplication des marques orthographiques et syntaxiques qu’elle induit aboutit à une langue désunie, disparate dans son expression, créant une confusion qui confine à l’illisibilité. On voit mal quel est l’objectif poursuivi et comment il pourrait surmonter les obstacles pratiques d’écriture, de lecture – visuelle ou à voix haute – et de prononciation. Cela alourdirait la tâche des pédagogues. Cela compliquerait plus encore celle des lecteurs.

Plus que toute autre institution, l’Académie française est sensible aux évolutions et aux innovations de la langue, puisqu’elle a pour mission de les codifier. En cette occasion, c’est moins en gardienne de la norme qu’en garante de l’avenir qu’elle lance un cri d’alarme : devant cette aberration « inclusive », la langue française se trouve désormais en péril mortel, ce dont notre nation est dès aujourd’hui comptable devant les générations futures.

Il est déjà difficile d’acquérir une langue, qu’en sera-t-il si l’usage y ajoute des formes secondes et altérées ? Comment les générations à venir pourront-elles grandir en intimité avec notre patrimoine écrit ? Quant aux promesses de la francophonie, elles seront anéanties si la langue française s’empêche elle-même par ce redoublement de complexité, au bénéfice d’autres langues qui en tireront profit pour prévaloir sur la planète.

 

Study Abroad Improves Job Prospects

A new study released by the Institute of International Education’s Center for Academic Mobility Research and Impact reveals positive impact for study abroad participants in the job market post-graduation. Participating in study abroad is known to increase global competence, including language skills and cultural literacy. However, there have previously been no measurable basis to determine what is needed to be globally competent and what should be taught in study abroad programs.

The study found that study abroad increased a number of skills, including cognition, curiosity, flexibility, adaptability, confidence, self-awareness, intercultural skills, interpersonal skills, communication, problem solving, language, tolerance, teamwork, leadership skills, and work ethic.

Findings

  • Study abroad was seen to increase career possibilities due to interviewees having a broader understanding of career possibilities and more confidence to pursue them.
  • The skills gained through study abroad had long-term impacts on progression and promotion. Interviewees answered that study-abroad helped contribute to a job offer, to skill development in jobs, and to be promoted to management-level positions where communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to understand and work with others were important.
  • Long periods of study abroad had a high impact on subsequent job offers and the development of skills, while short-term programs were effective in developing teamwork skills. This is possibly because short-term programs tend to be more structured and team-oriented than longer term programs, where independent study is more common.
  • STEM majors highly value the gains made in skills outside of their majors during study abroad. Those in these fields said that study abroad programs were less diverse than regular programs, and that they were able to develop more “soft” skills that other programs in their fields lacked.
  • Choosing a less familiar destination was positively associated with skill development and sense of career impact.
  • Student intentionality and highly structured programs contribute to skill development.

The conclusion of the study states, “Across U.S. higher education, there is a strong emphasis on preparing U.S. students to secure jobs after graduation

in order to ensure their own economic prosperity and to contribute to the economic development of their communities, states, and the country as a whole. Study abroad provides a unique opportunity for students to gain work-related skills in a global context. This study has found that study abroad contributes to the development of transferrable skills and positive employment gains in different ways depending on program characteristics, study destinations, and the intentionality of students in leveraging study abroad experiences for employment. Most notably, the ability to understand differences between cultures and individuals emerged as a skill that contributes to individuals’ career progression. Within the context of today’s global economy, most students will move into jobs where they work for or do business with international companies, as well as work with diverse colleagues. Accordingly, the work-related skills gained through study abroad can be powerful tools for career success.”

 

 

NSW Australia Passes First Aboriginal Languages Bill

Hundreds gather outside NSW Parliament in Sydney to usher in historic piece of legislation. Photo Courtesy NSW Parliament

New South Wales (NSW) recently passed legislation that acknowledges the value of indigenous language, and the importance it holds to the country’s First Peoples and to the cultural heritage of NSW. The legislation is a milestone for Australia, as it is the first bill enacted to expand and protect Aboriginal languages in Australia. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Sarah Mitchell was optimistic about the new legislation, stating “The NSW Government has worked tirelessly alongside Aboriginal communities, Elders and language experts to develop legislation that acknowledges the importance of Aboriginal languages for past, current and future generations,” Ms Mitchell said. “I am proud of how far we have come and I’m committed to working alongside Aboriginal people from right across the State as we continue on this journey to promote and reawaken languages.”

The legislation created a new not-for-profit government agency called the Aboriginal Languages Trust. According to the bill, “The objective of the Trust is to provide a focused, coordinated, and sustained effort in relation to Aboriginal languages at local, regional, and state levels.” The goals of the trust include bringing in professionals with knowledge of Aboriginal languages to provide advice and director for Aboriginal language activities. This not only creates an informed environment, but also creates possible jobs for Aboriginals.

Other goals include identifying and promoting Aboriginal language activities, promoting education and employment opportunities in Aboriginal language activities, developing resources, and providing guidance to the Government. The trust will also encourage the wider use and appreciation of Aboriginal languages and work with the Geographical Names Board on the use of Aboriginal languages in the naming of geographical locations.

The legislation also set out to create an aboriginal languages strategic plan in order to nurture the growth of Aboriginal languages. The plan will be created by the trust over the course of the next two years.

Unity in a Second Language

Sixty students from 170 countries in New York City presenting their work at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Hall, after a week interacting and discussing complex global issues—that is the joyful finale of the Many Languages, One World (MLOW) Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum.

MLOW gives students the opportunity to work together in transnational, multilingual teams to address complex global issues related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and to develop action plans for implementation in their own countries, thinking globally and acting locally.It is important to look at the multilingualism of MLOW from the perspective of world language educators. In addition to all its other strengths, MLOW is also a wonderful global example of “translingual” and “transcultural” competence. It is equally important to look at the language skills and intercultural competencies demonstrated by the MLOW student winners, which are beyond impressive.

Based on the vision of J. Michael Adams, the late president emeritus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, MLOW is intended to highlight the significance of multilingualism in global citizenship. Organized by ELS Educational Services and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), under the leadership of co-founders Mark Harris, president emeritus of ELS, and Ramu Damodaran of the UNAI, and hosted on a local campus, the Many Languages, One World Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum invites college and university students to submit an essay on an assigned topic in a learned second language that is also one of the official languages of the UN. Launched in the fall of 2013, MLOW completed its fourth edition in 2017, having been hosted on the campuses of Adelphi, Hofstra, and Northeastern universities.

The MLOW Experience

MLOW is typically announced in the late fall or early winter, with essays due in February or March. Full-time college and university students at least 18 years of age may enter by submitting an essay of no more than 2,000 words in a learned second language on an assigned topic related to the role of multilingualism in global citizenship. Essays are evaluated, and finalists are interviewed by Skype in the late spring, with winners selected—ten for each of the six official languages—in late spring.

The student winners are brought to the U.S., all expenses paid, where they participate in a youth forum and prepare their UN presentations, which they deliver in the General Assembly Hall of the UN. A celebratory luncheon in the Delegates Dining Room at the UN is followed by sightseeing in New York City (and, in 2017, Boston as well) before the students return home.Over its history, the MLOW experience has varied only slightly, in terms of its length, which has increased by several days, and in terms of the host campus—Adelphi University in 2014 and 2015, Hofstra University in 2016, and Northeastern University in 2017.

Another variation was that, in 2015, 70 winners were selected in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. In 2017, a reflection session at the Institute of International Education (IIE) after the day at the UN was added, with students and facilitators making a personal commitment to the SDGs.

The most visible change has been the addition of the Northeastern University Global Youth Conference in 2017, extending the student stay by several days and giving the student winners the opportunity for Boston visits and sightseeing. In terms of the learning experience, in 2017, more emphasis was placed on student research, with the student winners working with the language facilitators on research related to their country-specific action plans during the weeks leading up to MLOW.

The student winners in each language group were also able to hear the research presentations on the specific SDG assigned to the group by each group member as it related to his or her country.In keeping with the theme of sustainable change, the role of the facilitators is inspired by the spirit of appreciative inquiry, which focuses on a positive approach in bringing about change.

Despite the serious nature and complexity of the global issues, the focus on the potential impact of young voices from around the world as change agents generates positive dialogue, potential solutions, and proactive action plans.

MLOW and Multilingualism

It is important to remember exactly what has brought the student winners to MLOW and to the UN. Of course, knowledge of one of the six official languages of the UN as a second language is the first reason that comes to mind, but is it the only one?

It is interesting to think about the students during the entire contest cycle, from the moment that the contest is announced, online and on many college campuses around the world.Busy students, in the middle of an academic year, take on the challenging and time-consuming task of writing a 2,000-word essay on a relatively abstract topic—related to multilingualism and global citizenship—in a learned second language. The thousands of applicants each year (over 2,000 in 2017) are highly accomplished language students, creative thinkers, and focused young adults with the discipline and mindset to opt for deep thought in a distracted, multitasking environment.

Representing 1,950 universities around the world in 2017, the student winners have largely accomplished this feat on their own.The now-250 MLOW winners are memorable in many additional ways—charismatic, with world-class social skills, and demonstrating impressive public-speaking skills and great courage as they make their way to the U.S.—sometimes against great odds, and at some risk—and then take their place at the podium in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, where they deliver their presentations.

It is possible that their ability for “deep work,” requiring sustained solitary effort, as well as their creativity and problem-solving ability, demonstrated both in their essays and in their UN presentations, have been enhanced by their experiences learning and mastering multiple languages. The skills developed by the young language learner are precisely those skills that are apparent at such a high level among the MLOW winners.

Just as multilingualism has been related to problem solving, creativity, and increased mental acuity in older age, the process of foreign language learning—requiring focus, concentration, and continued effort—may be key for these high-performing young adults, many of whom have gone on to continued high-level international involvement, further university study, and successful emerging careers.These are all reasons to encourage language study and learning among as many young people as possible, yet sadly, the majority of U.S. students do not study world languages, and the vast majority of U.S. adults are not able to carry on a conversation in a language other than English. Of the 60 MLOW 2017 student winners, two were from the U.S.

The MLOW Effect

MLOW is a multilayered transformational experience for all the participants, with student winners actually meeting each other, their facilitators, and other staff in person for the first time after months of contact via email and, in the case of the interviewers, via Skype. For many student winners, it is their first trip to the U.S., and for some, their first trip beyond their countries or regions.Their excitement quickly dissipates the little, if any, shyness that may have existed.

New friends are quickly found, and laughter, as well as serious conversation, fills the student residence halls, cafeterias and dining halls, classrooms, and campus walkways.The multilingual student winners, generally fluent in several languages, have no difficulty communicating—in the language of their winning essay within their working groups, or in a regional language or a global language that they share. Conversations beginning in one language can often be heard switching to a second or third language as different participants join or leave the conversation and sometimes revert back to the original language or another language the students have in common.

The camaraderie within and across the language groups, and teamwork within the language groups as the student winners race against time to complete their UN presentations, are inspirational, especially when the diversity of the students is taken into consideration, confirming the importance of diversity in creativity and teamwork.The strength of the bonds of friendship and respect among the students is evident during the event, but further demonstrated by the ongoing relationships that have existed now over several years among winners past and present, via social media and numerous mini-reunions and encounters at subsequent international student events and programs.The story of the MLOW winners and the MLOW experience will continue to unfold as these remarkable young people continue to make their way—and make their mark—in a globalized world.

Future Directions

The MLOW experience is transformational and inspirational on many levels. Although the student winners have written masterful essays, the prospect of speaking at the UN, before a large audience and viewed around the world on UN Web TV, must be daunting for more than a few, who bring both intellect and courage to the task, performing beautifully, for the world to see.

It is also interesting to observe the strength of the relationships that develop among students from such diverse cultures and backgrounds, brought together for a brief period of time. However, the incredible impact of the framing concept—that multilingualism plays a significant role in the development of global-citizenship mindset and values—is clearly and incontrovertibly demonstrated by the quality of the research and writing, dialog and conversations, and the high-stakes UN presentations created and delivered by these students.Action steps for world language and international education supporters interested in supporting the development of advanced levels of foreign language proficiency include working together with academic, governmental, and corporate partners to support high-profile events at all levels that mirror and echo the MLOW commitment to multilingualism.

The question we should ask ourselves, our children, and our communities is no longer “Why study a foreign language?” but rather “Why not?” and Why not now?”
Concluding ThoughtOne of the student winners sums up the spirit of MLOW and the power of multilingualism in her UN presentation on gender equality, Goal #5, delivered in French, the learned second language of her winning essay, when she said, “Les portes étaient fermées. Non, elles me semblaient fermées. Afin de les ouvrir, je me suis munie de l’arme redoutable de la génération millénaire, je me suis munie de ma plume.” (The doors were closed. No, they seemed closed to me. In order to open them, I used the formidable weapon of the millennial generation—I used my pen.)

References

Cain, Susan. (2012). Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. NY: Crown.Dreifus, Claudia. “The Bilingual Advantage.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html Florida, Richard. (2008). Who’s Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. NY: Basic.MLA. (2007). “Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World.” https://www.mla.org/Resources/Research/Surveys-Reports-and-Other-Documents/Teaching-Enrollments-and-Programs/Foreign-Languages-and-Higher-Education-New-Structures-for-a-Changed-World Kharkhurin, A. (2012). Multilingualism and Creativity. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Livermore, David. (2016). Driven by Difference: How Great Companies Fuel Innovation through Diversity. NY: AMACOM. Many Languages, One World. https://www.manylanguagesoneworld.org/McComb, Chris. (2001). “About One in Four Americans Can Hold a Conversation in a Second Language.” http://www.gallup.com/poll/1825/about-one-four-americans-can-hold-conversation-second-language.aspx MLA Enrollment Survey. https://www.mla.org/Resources/Research/Surveys-Reports-and-Other-Documents/Teaching-Enrollments-and-Programs/Enrollments-in-Languages-Other-Than-English-in-United-States-Institutions-of-Higher-Education National K–12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey. https://www.americancouncils.org/ForeignLanguageSurveyNewport, Cal. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. NY: Grand Central.Student Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum. (July 2017). “Many Languages, One World.” http://webtv.un.org/search/student-essay-contest-and-global-youth-forum-many-languages-one-world/5516444897001/?term=many%20languages%20one%20world&sort=dateUN. The Sustainable Development Goals. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/Weiner, Eric. (2016). The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World’s Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. NY: Simon and Schuster.Cooperrider, David. “What Is Appreciative Inquiry?” http://www.davidcooperrider.com/ai-process/

 

Kathy Stein-Smith, PhD, is associate university librarian and adjunct faculty in foreign languages and related areas at Fairleigh Dickinson University–Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, New Jersey. She is chair of the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French) Commission on Advocacy. She is a member of the ATA (American Translators Association) Education and Pedagogy Committee, the CSCTFL (Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Advisory Council, and the NECTFL (Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Advisory Council. She also serves as French language facilitator at MLOW (Many Languages, One World). She is the author of three books and several articles about the foreign language deficit, has given a TEDx talk, “The U.S. Foreign Language Deficit—What It Is; Why It Matters; and What We Can Do about It,” and maintains a blog, Language Matters (https://kathleensteinsmith.wordpress.com/).

Dutch Courage? Alcohol May Actually Help Improve Foreign-Language Skills

It’s a popular belief that alcohol helps improve speaking skills for a foreign language, but the belief can be easily passed off as a perceived improvement instead of an actual improvement. A new study has confirmed, however, that acute alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on the pronunciation of a foreign language.

Many studies have been conducted that prove the various ways that alcohol impairs several aspects of cognitive functions, such as working memory. These cognitive functions are necessary for word pronunciation, so it would seem counterintuitive that acute alcohol consumption would actually help pronunciation instead of hurting it. The long-held explanation for the popular belief that acute alcohol improves foreign-language performance is that alcohol may alter bilingual speakers’ perception of their own ability to speak the second language. A general increase in confidence is often seen when consuming alcohol, and higher self-esteem is linked to overconfidence in performance.

The study observed 50 undergraduate psychology students at Maastricht University in the Netherlands who were German natives that had learned Dutch as a second language. All of the students reported that they drank alcohol occasionally. The students were divided into two groups—one group was given hot water to drink while the other was given vodka and bitter lemon drinks. The participants were unaware of which group they were a part of.

After the participants drank their beverages, they took a breathalyzer test to see if they were at the target blood alcohol levels (the non-alcohol participants did this as well. Then they were told to speak for two minutes either for or against animal testing in Dutch. The participants were then told to rate their performance 1-5. The speeches were also recorded, and two native Dutch speakers who were unaware of which groups participants were a part of rated the performance of Dutch language skills 0-100 and also graded pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and argumentation 1-10.

On average, before the experiment all participants rated their Dutch language skills as average to good, and there were no significant differences between the two groups on self-reported Dutch language skills prior to the experiment. Contrary to the hypothesis that those who consumed alcohol would have higher self-reported skills, both groups had around the same self-reported scores. The surprise came, though, when the Dutch judges rated the language performance of participants who consumed alcohol to be significantly better than that of participants who consumed water. The higher scores were given for pronunciation, while grammar, vocabulary, and argumentation did not significantly differ between groups.

The study concludes, “Does alcohol improve foreign language skills? Our findings sug- gest that consumption of a low dose of alcohol results in higher observer ratings of foreign language skills, whereas the self- evaluation of one’s own foreign language skills is unaffected by a low dose of alcohol. A general overconfidence gained from drinking alcohol (‘Dutch courage’) could not account for these findings. The findings of this study need replication in future studies, testing participants learning languages other than Dutch and varying the amount of alcohol that is consumed to further explore the effects of acute alcohol consumption on foreign language proficiency.”

Dual Language Learners Lacking in Preschool

The Migration Policy Institute and the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy have released a new report on the young Dual Language Learner (DLL) population in California. The report was pooled over the 2011-2015 period of children 8 and under, and found that these DLL’s with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English at home are less likely than their English-only peers to access high-quality early childhood programs even though they benefit disproportionately from such services.

DLL’s make up a significant amount of student population in California, coming in at 60%. 57% of DLL’s live in low-income families and 29% of DLL parents have less than a high school education. Non-DLL’s, on the other hand, have a population of 36% who live in low-income families and 5% of parents who have less than a high-school education.

Research has shown the significance of early learning in influencing future success, thus the low-levels of DLL’s in pre-K programs may lead to the discrepancies seen between ELs and non-ELs in later academic outcomes. By the time EL’s and non-EL’s reach fourth grade, significant differences in both math and reading skills can be observed. Non-EL’s reach scores of 244 and 240 in math and reading, respectively, in NAEP testing, which is higher than EL scores of 183 and 211.

The report concludes that more policies must be enacted in order to ensure that young children who speak a language other than English at home, and who are learning English as a second or third language have the same opportunities and equal access to high-quality pre-K as non-ELs.

Study reveals how bilinguals use emoticons to find consensus

UAlbany professor part of team looking at collaboration among astrophysicists in the United States and France

Co-authors on the article are Cecilia R. Aragon and Nan-Chen Chen from the University of Washington and Judith F. Kroll from the University of California, Riverside.

Naysayers like to cite the popularity of emoji and emoticons as yet more evidence of the erosion of language and literacy and, perhaps, civilization itself. But studying how people use them can reveal much about our ability to socialize and exchange information.

For example, a recent study by a team of researchers that included UAlbany Professor of Psychology Laurie Feldman includes important findings about how bilinguals use emoticons to optimize communication.

“Patterns of emoticon use constitute a novel yet systematic, nonverbal aspect of communication,” said Laurie Feldman, one of four researchers on the study. “Adult scientists who do not speak the same first language and who worked together for four years altered their use of emoticons and vocabulary depending on the communication style of others in the conversation.”

Participating in the study, which was published in July in the journal Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, were 30 astrophysicists in the United States and France. The group collaborated remotely to observe and control a shared telescope.

In an increasingly digitalized world, where cross-cultural collaborations like the one analyzed in the study are bound to become more common, learning ways of bridging communication gaps with new technology becomes ever more valuable.

“Successful communication and decision-making is at the core of productive remote collaboration,” the study states. “A key to success is apprehending the experiences and emotional cues of others.”

Feldman and her collaborators identified and studied patterns in communication in the AOL Instant Messenger chat logs generated by the scientists. They found that emoticon use among the bilinguals (all French-English speakers) differed in significant ways from their English-speaking counterparts.

The French speakers were fluent in English, so they could have easily expressed themselves in words, yet there were differences in the ways they used emoticons relative to the English-only speakers. Bilinguals used both a wider vocabulary of emoticons and a greater number of them per message. More significantly, they were better able to adjust their vocabulary according to their monolingual partners, and this was especially conspicuous for emoticons.

“Emoticons are sensitive to the same cognitive and social pressures as words when we communicate,” Feldman said. “It’s not a conscious decision, you define a common vocabulary to use and reuse with someone without being aware of it, and it turns out that emoticons are part of that shared vocabulary.”

Code-switching

When bilinguals “code-switch,” or alternate between two or more languages, they are changing how they communicate with respect to the words they choose, while adhering to the idea they intend to share.

One reason why translating word-for-word from one language to another is problematic is because some combinations of words take on a meaning that cannot be predicted from the individual words that comprise the message, according to the study.

“In the case of idioms – ‘It’s raining cats and dogs,’ for example — word-to-word translation can even be humorous if words are selected without regard to the overall meaning,” Feldman said.

However, the research shows that combining words and emoticons is more like code-blending because emoticons can alter the interpretation of the words that accompany them.

Because emoticons aren’t regarded as constituting a true linguistic “code” in and of themselves, “any evidence for trade-offs between words and emoticons is particularly interesting,” Feldman said.

Feldman, a cognitive psychologist interested in language, joined the UAlbany faculty more than 26 years ago. Her research examines speaking and reading in native speakers and non-native speakers of a language with special attention to the ways we combine meaningful elements (morphemes) to form longer words.

 

Understanding Dyslexia and How Alternative Teaching Methods Can Help Breed Success

In honor of National Dyslexia Awareness Month, Eric Horowitz examines this learning difference and suggests assistance to help students overcome it

 

In some cases, a dyslexia diagnosis may mean that alternative teaching methods might be necessary to help children be successful, for it is through empowerment of bright students with dyslexia that they will ultimately fulfill their potential.

What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference. It affects a child’s ability to read and may also interfere with reading comprehension, spelling, writing, math, and judgement. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence or vision. Children with dyslexia have trouble decoding words, matching letters to sounds, recognizing individual sounds in words, and using those skills to read accurately and fluently.

The most common learning issue, dyslexia may affect as many as 17% of the population; most experts agree that the number is at least 5–10%. The wide range is because dyslexia is a catchall term for disorders that affect reading or interpreting words, letters, or symbols, and experts have not reached agreement on precisely what falls in that category.

Daily Functions
Dyslexia affects a number of daily functions. Writing, for example, requires the ability to synthesize or develop a thought, work out how the thought will be written, and perform the physical act of writing. Each of these steps requires a different brain process, and all must work correctly and in sequence to get a cohesive thought onto paper. A child with dyslexia will struggle with one or more of those steps; instead of a structured, well-ordered sentence, words may be jumbled and misspelled.

The automated processes in the brain that humans use every day to complete daily tasks are also affected by dyslexia. A child with dyslexia has poor memory recall and forgets words or concepts quickly. Also, a child with dyslexia may not always hear what others hear. For instance, “Pacific” might become “specific.”

Dealing with Dyslexia
The earlier dyslexia is recognized and diagnosed, the sooner intervention can begin and a child can be helped appropriately. Early signs of dyslexia can appear in preschool; they may look like a child being unable to recognize when two words rhyme or having difficulty learning new words. Older children may have trouble reading, spelling, writing, or comprehending what they read.

Each child with dyslexia has a unique learning profile, and education must involve an individualized, systematic program for the child. For example, phonemic awareness is the ability to break words apart and manipulate sounds; children with dyslexia need extensive repetition and focused instruction in this skill. They may also need to read much more to help the brain learn to interpret patterns and recognize words.

Additionally, children and their families may need extra support and specialized instruction such as through an individualized educational plan (IEP), occupational therapy, or a specialized school with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio and trained teachers experienced in learning differences. Beyond streamlined textbooks and academic instruction, students with dyslexia need interventions to enhance reading practice, develop fluency, support vocabulary development, boost math comprehension, maximize individual and whole-class learning, cultivate keyboard skills and healthy work habits, and monitor progress.

A Silver Lining
While dyslexia can certainly cause difficulties in reading, the inability to rely on memory means children with dyslexia can become very good at solving complex problems. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Einstein were all dyslexic. The condition helped them develop excellent imaginations, which gave them the ability to create inventions, art, and concepts that transformed the world.

Dyslexia can also foster tenacity; a child with dyslexia does have to try harder, but that can be seen as part of the learning process and lead to great success in other areas of his or her life in the long run. If your child has dyslexia or displays characteristics of concern, please seek advice. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome for the student.

Eric Horowitz joined the Prentice School teaching staff in the fall of 2007. He completed his undergraduate studies both in New York City at Sarah Lawrence College and in London at the London School of Economics and earned his MA in education. Eric has completed year two of the Slingerland multisensory structured language approach through the University of San Diego and continues to use the Slingerland method in the classroom. The Prentice School, located in N. Tustin, California, is a private, certified nonpublic school through the California Department of Education and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Prentice offers an unparalleled learning experience to students with learning differences who possess average to high intelligence and whose needs have not been met in a more traditional classroom setting.

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