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French Strikes Positive Chord with Migrants

ThinkstockPhotos-471445794As Europe struggles to deal with the influx of refugees fleeing conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East, opinions are polarizing between those who want to seal Europe’s borders and those who wish to grant these migrants the dignity of residence. Beside the northern French port of Calais, at the vast refugee/migrant camp called the “Jungle” by the vitriolic British press, some migrants are looking on the positive side and using their waiting time to learn French.

The school opened in July after a group of migrants asked for assistance in learning the local language to help with assimilation. French lessons are being offered by volunteer teachers after local charities came together. Although the school is small, with classrooms only able to hold around 30 pupils, it contains all the basics required to learn.

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EU Reacts to Russian Reporting

The European Union’s (EU’s) foreign affairs department announced last month that it was launching a rapid-response team to counter what it considers biased Russian media reports.

The unit, which will include ten Russian-speakers from EU member states, hopes to be fully operational by the end of September and will be part of the European External Action Service’s (EEAS’s) response to growing concern in eastern Europe and EU Baltic states about the destabilizing influence of Russian-language news reports

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Ancient Script Discovered in Georgia

11914893_861361783912097_1568782606319773018_n2,700-year-old inscriptions found by archeologists at the ancient site of Grakliani Hill in Georgia places prehistoric Georgia as one of the first civilizations to use written language. The writing was discovered on the altars of a 7th century BC temple dedicated to a fertility goddess. “The writings on the two altars of the temple are really well preserved. On the one altar several letters are carved in clay while the second altar’s pedestal is wholly covered with writings. The inscription is so important, that goes beyond the limits of Georgian science and will be the subject of an international study. The new discovery will change the particular stage of the history of the world’s manuscripts,” said Vakhtang Lichelo, head of the Institute of Archaeology of Georgia’s State University.

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Frederick County Repeals English-Only Ordinance

ThinkstockPhotos-153630616Frederick County has repealed a controversial ordinance making English the county’s official language, which was implemented three years prior. Frederick was Maryland’s first county to issue an English-only ordinance, something that has been proposed multiple times at the national level, but ultimately rejected because many believe that English-only laws violate the U.S. Constitution’s due process and equal protection. “The existing ordinance that’s on the books really sends an anti-immigrant message, a message that says you are not welcome here to anyone who does not speak English as their first language,” CASA regional director Elizabeth Alex told CBS Baltimore.

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‘Merkel’ is Now a German Verb

Council of the Baltic Sea States Summit 2012Merkeln is in the lead for the German publishing company Langenscheidt’s annual Youth Word of the Year. Winning by over 20%, the word is a verb meaning, “to do nothing, make no decisions, and issue no statements,” alluding to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s seemingly intentionally vague statements on domestic issues. According to NPR News, while Merkel does have a reputation of being decisive internationally, she is domestically known for her wait-and-see approach to politics. The hashtags #Merkelschweigt (Merkel is silent) and #Merkelsagwas (Merkel say something) were trending on Twitter in Germany after neo-Nazis and far-right activists protested the opening of a new center for refugees in Heidenau.

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Preserving Australia’s First Languages

ThinkstockPhotos-78252437The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language and the Australian National University (ANU) are teaming up to document ten of Australia’s most endangered Aboriginal languages, including Mithaka from south-west Queensland, Dalabon from Arnhem Land, Warumungu of Tennant Creek and Ngarrindjeri from southern South Australia. “If we don’t act now we will lose a valuable part of our heritage. Australia has already lost many Aboriginal languages, and we’re going to lose more,” said Professor and Chair of Indigenous Linguistics at the ANU Jane Simpson. “These dictionaries will be treasure-houses of information on language, society, natural history, land and cultural traditions.”

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Community Colleges Go International

ThinkstockPhotos-77735835According to the Institute for International Education (IIE) Open Doors Report, almost 9% of international students in the U.S. were enrolled at associate-degree granting institutions last year, with students coming mostly from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Mexico. Community colleges are increasingly appealing for international students from more price-sensitive areas of the world and both two-year and four-year educational institutions are taking notice of the trend. “We have found recruiting international students from community colleges to be very beneficial for our campus. Our experience is that the geographic diversity represented by international enrollments allows us to meet students from across the globe in one location,” Lisa Przekop, director of admissions at UCSB, told ICEF (International Consultants for Education and Fairs) Monitor. “Transfer students have had a little more life experience so they bring a nice level of maturity and they have also successfully completed transfer preparation so we know they can adapt to upper division coursework on our campuses.”

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September 2015

September 2015 Cover

Namer of Thrones
Game of Thrones’ language creator, David J. Peterson, details his extraordinary career as Hollywood’s linguist-in-chief

Building to Code
Virginia “Jenny” Williams uses assessment and scaffolding to support the five stages of second-language acquisition

Focus on the Student
Adisack Nhouyvanisvong explains how improved assessment can increase personalized learning for all students

The Home Run Experience
Vinnie Jordan Henkin and Stephen Krashen chronicle the Naruto Breakthrough: How the discovery of manga books was a catalyst in the English language development of a teen

True to Form
A compilation of formative assessment programs to complement the Common Core-aligned tests

Investing in German
Why and where to learn the übercool language of economics, engineering, and design

Last Writes
Richard Lederer explains how our last names reveal a lot about our days of labor

Reviews Jobshop Source and more.

California Supports Leaders in ELL Education

Elementary school pupils running outsideThe 2014 California Language Census found that over 22% of California public school students are English language learners (ELLs) and over 43% speak a language other than English at home. The California Department of Education provides assistance for schools to achieve the following goals: (1) Ensure that English learners acquire full proficiency in English as rapidly and effectively as possible and attain parity with native speakers of English. (2) Ensure that English learners, within a reasonable period of time, achieve the same rigorous grade-level academic standards that are expected of all students.

Californians Together, in collaboration with the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) invites mid-career leaders in English Learner education and advocacy to apply for a three-year fellowship. Fellows will be part of an initial cohort of 15, and will be immersed in research, as well as mentorship and skill development to inspire and prepare advocates to work at multiple levels (state, district, community) to establish strategic action agendas, move policy and practice, develop and leverage research, work with media, and build and mobilize coalitions championing the right to quality education for English Learners.

Full details and a link to the online application can be found here.

Applications are due no later than September 25, 2015.

 

 

South Africa’s Plans for Chinese Language Education

ThinkstockPhotos-460766243In the wake of university student protests against multilingual instruction in South Africa, the South African education system announced plans to implement optional Chinese language classes in schools. The Chinese language is the latest of about a dozen new languages proposed for South Africa’s education system, including German, Serbian, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Telegu, and Urdu. China and South Africa recently signed an agreement that identifies five ares of cooperation, including curriculum development, mathematics and science, teacher training and research, and development in basic education, as China is now South Africa’s largest trading partner. Last year, a public opinion survey showed that South Africans have mixed feelings about China, and teachers unions are speaking out. “We’ll oppose the teaching of Mandarin in our schools with everything that we have,” the country’s largest teachers union told Mail & Guardian Africa. “We see it as the worst form of imperialism that is going to happen in Africa,” the group’s general secretary, Mugwena Maluleke said.

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