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Seeing Themselves in the Story

In honor of Women’s History Month, this Pass the Mic article features an interview with Chanda Austin, author of Qiana’s Braids, which was inspired by the lack of representation of Black girls and their hair stories as part of diverse children’s literature.

Tell us about yourself and your work advocating for linguistically diverse learners.
I currently work in DeKalb County Schools, a district outside of Atlanta, Georgia, as an English learner (EL) coordinator. I have been employed in DeKalb for over 20 years in several capacities. DeKalb County Schools serves over 15,000 linguistically diverse students and their families. I always tell people that we are a United Nations. Our department serves as a support for teachers, administrators, students, and their families. One of my most important roles, I believe, is ensuring that teachers are empowered with instructional strategies and knowledge to ensure that linguistically diverse learners are receiving equitable education.

That’s amazing! What are some of the languages represented in DeKalb? Can you give us an example of how you help to support and advocate for linguistically diverse learners?
There are over 150 languages spoken in DeKalb County Schools and over 160 countries of origin represented. The top three languages represented in our district are Spanish, with over 15,000 speakers; next Burmese, with over 1,000 speakers; and then Amharic, also representing over 1,000 speakers. In my role, I ensure that our schools are following state and federal guidelines as they relate to screening, placement, and instruction. As an advocate for our families, it is important that I am versed on current policies that relate to each of these areas. As we support our linguistically diverse families, our department houses a parent outreach program as well. In our parent outreach program, we teach parents about the day-to-day operations of the school district and most importantly how to navigate public education. We also empower them with the knowledge of whom they should contact about concerns. For example, at the high school level, it is important that parents know who the counselors are and their role in making sure that their children are on track for graduation.

In addition to serving as an advocate, you find time to write creatively. You wrote and published Qiana’s Braids. Tell us about that experience and why the story is needed.
I actually wrote Qiana’s Braids in 2018. Qiana’s Braids sat on my computer until the pandemic happened. It was during this time that it was completed and self-published. Qiana’s Braids was really birthed from two experiences. One, my daughter really struggled with her own hair and her self-esteem at the time. My stylist suggested that she wear braids to see how we could manage her hair differently. So, week after week, I would sit in the hair salon, and there was something about sitting there that I realized how our stories needed to be told. Our stories need to be told in an authentic, unapologetic space. I also wanted children of color to see themselves in the texts they read. I was really specific while working with my illustrator. I wanted to be sure the characters actually looked like Black girls. I believe that children should be able to see the story before they read the story.

So, would you agree that some underlying themes Qiana is addressing are self-love and care? Those concepts can be particularly difficult for young people. How does the belief that children should be able to see the story before they read the story help to cultivate cultural pride and validation? Especially the significance of braided hair.
As I think about the process of me actually putting the story of Qiana’s Braids on paper, I am reminded of what I wanted readers to walk away knowing and believing about Qiana, her family, and the Black hair experience, which is a story in and of itself. Oftentimes, people just think that braids are a protective hairstyle. I wanted my readers to have some history around braids and how important they have been in Black history and remain so as part of Black culture. For example, braids have been used to hide and transport valuable goods during the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans would use the patterns in their braids, also known as cornrows, to escape their plantations. So, as I think about cultural pride, being able to understand how a hairstyle could actually bring people to freedom is history that needs to be highlighted. I want all children to understand the importance of this information. I want little Black girls to read this book loud and proud and understand that they are representing an important part of history. I want policy makers to “humanize” Black hair and stop creating policies for Black people that make natural hairstyles “unprofessional.” There is nothing unprofessional about parts of your body.

The book has gone international! That’s fantastic, tell us about that partnership.
I have a beautiful partnership with Brothers and Sisters in Christ Serving (BASICS) International in Ghana, Africa. BASICS is an organization that is dedicated to ending illiteracy and poverty through promoting literacy and economic empowerment. I was able to donate 100 books to BASICS. I am excited about visiting Ghana this summer.

That’s fantastic! How did that partnership start?
As part of my work, I wanted to donate books to an international organization that focused on literacy. For guidance, I reached out to a friend who had donated dolls and books to Ghana. I was immediately directed to BASICS. I had several meetings with the founder, Patricia Watkins, to discuss how we could partner. Mrs. Watkins was very clear that their organization is intentional about having culturally relevant materials for the students who participate in their program. We had a lengthy conversation about Qiana’s Braids and how this story would be a beautiful addition to some of the work around literacy that they were already doing.

What are your plans for Qiana? How do you want her story to be shared?
After I return from Ghana, I will start writing another story about Qiana’s visit with her grandmother. I believe that being in that space will give me an authentic experience with Africa and will bring the story to life for readers. I am hoping that it brings a heightened awareness of diversity and diverse experiences.

What guiding questions/open-ended questions can we add to accompany a read-aloud? Think about lesson planning…
Qiana was getting her hair braided for the first time for Back to School. If you were Qiana, how would you feel?
What are some things that make you feel good about yourself?

Do you have any other writing projects you are working on? Do you view writing as a form of self-expression, advocacy, or something else?
I am currently working on a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) coloring book. This project is exciting because I am an HBCU graduate and several of my family and friends are HBCU graduates. I really wanted to celebrate the campuses that I chose to highlight and give children just a little bit of information about each one. Writing has become a form of therapy as well as advocacy. My hope is that I am writing relevant information to keep readers engaged, empowered, and happy about literacy.

What advice do you have for those who are interested in writing children’s books?
The biggest advice that I would give anyone who is interested in writing children’s literature is finding a good illustrator. As mentioned before, the pictures should tell the story. Also, invest in a good editor. I had to reprint my book several times because of errors that my human eye missed. Lastly, have fun! You have a story and someone needs to hear it.

Chanda Austin is an author, an educator, a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and mother to an amazing, talented teenage daughter. A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Chanda holds a BS and an MEd from Alabama A&M University and an EdS in school leadership from Cambridge College.

Comprehensive Study Predicts Loss of 1,500 Languages

A comprehensive study warns that 1,500 endangered languages could no longer be spoken by the end of this century. Published in Nature Ecology and Evolution (www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01604-y), the study, led by the Australian National University (ANU), charts the widest range of factors ever putting endangered languages under pressure and identified predictors that put endangered languages at high risk.

Co-author Professor Lindell Bromham said that of the world’s 7,000 recognized languages, around half are currently endangered: “We found that without immediate intervention, language loss could triple in the next 40 years. And by the end of this century, 1,500 languages could cease to be spoken.”

One finding is that more years of schooling increased the level of language endangerment. The researchers say it shows we need to build curricula that support bilingual education, fostering both Indigenous language proficiency and use of regionally dominant languages.

“Across the 51 factors or predictors we investigated, we also found some really unexpected and surprising pressure points. This included road density,” Professor Bromham said. “Contact with other local languages is not the problem. In fact, languages in contact with many other Indigenous languages tend to be less endangered. But we found that the more roads there are, connecting country to city and villages to towns, the higher the risk of languages being endangered. It’s as if roads are helping dominant languages ‘steamroll’ smaller languages.”

The researchers say the findings also have important lessons for preserving many of the endangered languages spoken by Australia’s First Nations peoples.

“Australia has the dubious distinction of having one of the highest rates of language loss worldwide,” Professor Felicity Meakins from the University of Queensland, one of the study’s co-authors, said. “Prior to colonization, more than 250 First Nations languages were spoken, and multilingualism was the norm. Now, only 40 languages are still spoken and just twelve are being learned by children. First Nations languages need funding and support. Australia only spends $20.89 annually per capita of the Indigenous population on languages, which is abysmal compared with Canada’s $69.30 and New Zealand’s $296.44.”

Professor Bromham said that as the world enters the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous Languages in 2022, the study’s findings are a vital reminder that more action is urgently needed to preserve at-risk languages. “When a language is lost—or is ‘sleeping,’ as we say for languages that are no longer spoken—we lose so much of our human cultural diversity. Every language is brilliant in its own way. Many of the languages predicted to be lost this century still have fluent speakers, so there is still the chance to invest in supporting communities to revitalize Indigenous languages and keep them strong for future generations.”

This article appeared in Language Magazine’s January 2022 issue.

Transformation in Online Teaching Environments

Without a doubt, the past two years have been unlike any others, and the pandemic has had an immense and cascading impact on economic, social, and educational systems around the world. In particular, teachers started the year unaware that their face-to-face classes would undergo a radical shift in the way teachers approached their classes, and students and parents have had to find their ways in the shifting tides of learning as a result. Indeed, although the need for novel approaches to online learning has been promoted for years (Flavin, 2012; Flynn, 2013; Horn and Staker, 2014), the idea of disruptive innovation with regard to education was thrust upon so many teachers with little warning or preparation.

This dramatic change has forced us to rethink how we teach and engage our learners, colleagues, and families. Any radical upheaval in educational systems is filled with struggles and pain, but we have also experienced a meaningful transformation in our teaching.

The Initial Wave of Uncertainty
Initially, when we heard of the most serious consequences of the pandemic in our respective countries, we could not absorb the realities and potential consequences of such an ongoing event. In fact, citizens honestly thought that lockdown would never knock on their doors, and yet it did. For example, although Brazil had been through other crises over the years, the immediate and radical impact of this pandemic was devastating and terrifying for all, particularly from an economic perspective. The fear of losing jobs most certainly kept people awake at night, whether in Brazil, the US, or any other part of the world. As a result, many teachers have struggled to learn new tools to manage their classes effectively. That said, the fearful conditions caused by the uncertainties of COVID-19 have forced teachers into transforming their teaching in innovative ways. With this in mind, we want to share some possible devices and online services that can enhance your online teaching experience into a form of oasis amid the chaos. We realize that many teachers are struggling on shoestring budgets, and for that reason, the suggestions made here try to cast a wide net for a variety of scenarios.

1. Microphones, Web Cameras, and Other Devices
Perhaps the backbone of any online class is the technology that drives it, and your recording gear should take center stage, along with a solid pedagogical rationale for using it. Many teachers are working on their laptops, and the built-in webcam and internal microphone might be all they have. However, using a good-quality USB microphone should be the first priority. The Blue Yeti USB microphone has been a top choice for many people over the years because of the variety of recording patterns, but there are many much cheaper USB options today by FIFINE, such as the K668, which is ideal for podcasting and online teaching at around a quarter of the price. If you are interested in increasing the quality of your video, the Logitech c920 HD Webcam is a very popular choice. Aside from these two items, there are a variety of other devices including lighting, green screens, teleprompters, and tripods that can add to your arsenal of teaching tools, and these options are discussed in the video “New Twists, Tricks, and Tools to Enhance Your Online Lessons” (https://youtu.be/NI6IlqKpU-Q). With some of this gear, you can achieve even better results using the teaching ideas and services explained in the next section of this article.

2. Online Music
Music has been shown to have healing properties, and listening to music is considered effective in decreasing stress hormones (Porshi, 2020), so teachers can certainly make some use of relaxation in these tough times. There are countless possibilities for teaching through music, and the best part is that most of them do not require higher computer skills. Teachers can play music through their online teaching platforms such as Zoom as students complete various teacher-generated tasks such as fill-in-the-blanks, sentence order exercises, and sing-along activities to make classes more exciting and pedagogically appealing. If your students are camera shy, you can suggest they turn off their cameras and bring out the artist within, helping them be less inhibited to participate and engage. You can also access websites like lyricstraining.com that offer different activities with music organized by level. Activities based on music simply seem to resonate with any audience.

3. Zoom Whiteboard
Zoom is a popular web-conferencing service that many individuals and institutions use for delivering live online instruction. One of the most exciting features that Zoom offers is the built-in annotation toolbar and a whiteboard on which you can write or draw with several different tools according to your purpose. If you want to make written notes, you may use the typing tool to change the size, color, and style (bold, italics) of your font. Zoom’s toolbar also offers a wide range of possibilities, such as drawing freehand, and you can also add arrows, shapes, checkmarks, and more.

Furthermore, a valuable feature of the whiteboard is that you drag around text boxes that you create and organize the board just as you would in your physical classroom. In addition, it is possible to use the toolbar on any material that you share with your class, not just on the whiteboard. You can draw, write, and highlight over a PDF file or a web page you are sharing. You can use the Save button to have a screenshot of your notes taken and saved. The countless options available make the whiteboard indispensable for teaching.

4. Google Documents
Aside from offering a powerful search engine, Google delivers top-notch educational tools, most of which can be used for free with a free Google account. Google knows how to please and has a solution to almost any problem. One of the best tools is Google Docs for on- and offline use. Google Docs also has an autosave feature, so there is no fear of losing data. You can access all your documents from any device just by logging into your associated Google account. All of the essential features from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint function on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Furthermore, documents are shareable, which makes sending Word or PowerPoint documents to colleagues or students through email unnecessary. All you need to do is assign viewing and/or editing privileges to as many people as you wish, and everyone will be able to work on the same document in real time. It is also possible to see who has done what because every version of the document is also automatically saved. As mentioned earlier, you can use Zoom’s annotation features to make notes right on top of an open Google Doc page as part of class instruction.

5. Flipgrid 
In addition to the tips and tools mentioned so far, Flipgrid (www.flipgrid.com) is by far one of the most powerful free web-based tools for creating an online space to create and share video discussions with your students, and the public if so desired. Educators can create a free account and then create discussion prompts to which their students can respond using a smartphone or their computers with webcams. For many teachers, the features of Flipgrid have made it possible to give speaking assessments that would typically have been done in high-end computer labs or not at all. Because Flipgrid was acquired by Microsoft a few years ago, teachers can have some assurance that this service will be supported into the future.

Conclusion
As highlighted throughout this article, the pandemic has triggered a multiplicity of changes to the traditional language-teaching and learning landscape, but such unique circumstances have also led to a healthy measure of innovation that will reverberate in educational circles for years to come. Language teachers tend to be very chameleonic in how they respond to new environments, and some adversity tends to be the birthplace of great ideas. The ideas mentioned in this article shed light on current tools that can change your teaching experience.

Resources
Microphones
Blue Yeti USB Mic – https://amz.run/4B1D

FIFINE K678 USB Podcast Microphone – https://amz.run/4Av8

FIFINE k670 USB Condenser – https://amz.run/4B10

FIFINE k668 USB Microphone – https://amz.run/4B1B

Purple Panda Lavalier Lapel Microphone – https://amz.run/4AvB

BOYA Lavalier Condenser Microphone – https://amz.run/4B0x

Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam – https://amz.run/4Bct

Green Screens and Lights
Portable Green Screen Backdrop – https://amz.run/4Av7

LYLYCTY Green Screen Backdrop – https://amz.run/4B15

Neewer Light Stand – https://amz.run/4B0z

Softbox Lighting Kit – https://amz.run/4Bdg

Neewer Dimmable 176 LED Video Light – https://amz.run/4AvA

Selens Portable Round Reflector – https://amz.run/4Av1

Tripods
Neewer Portable Desktop Mini Tripod – https://amz.run/4B0K

Mini Tabletop Tripod – https://amz.run/4B0w

References
Flynn, J. T. (2013). “MOOCS: Disruptive innovation and the future of higher education.” Christian Education Journal, 10(1), 149–162.

Flavin, M. (2012). “Disruptive Technologies in Higher Education.” Research in Learning Technology, 20.

Horn, M. B. and Staker, H. (2014). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. John Wiley and Sons.

Porshi, J. M. (2020). “Music Relieves Stress and Anxiety during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Asian Research Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 38–42.

Elaine Oliveira has been teaching English as a foreign language for adults for the last 18 years in Brazil, and she has developed her own online training platform on which she bases her instruction today.

Randall Davis is the program academic coordinator at the English Language Institute at the University of Utah. He also is creator of Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com).

Russian Newspaper Defiantly Publishes in Ukrainian

Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Muratov who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, is publishing Friday’s edition in Ukrainian as a show of solidarity against Putin’s invasion. The editor-in-chief of Moscow-based newspaper Novaya Gazeta spoke defiantly of his “shame” for Russia’s ground invasion of Ukraine, saying Friday’s edition would be published in Ukrainian and Russian.

Muratov, who was recognized last year for fighting for freedom of expression, said that the unprovoked assault on Ukraine has effectively pushed Russia toward nuclear war and only a Russian anti-war movement could save the planet.

In a video posted to Novaya Gazeta‘s website and social media pages, Muratov said his team felt “grief” and “shame” over the unprovoked invasion. He said he feared that Putin was taking Russia towards a “nuclear salvo”. 

Friday’s edition of his newspaper will be published in Russian and in Ukrainian, Muratov said, “because we do not recognize Ukraine as an enemy, or the Ukrainian language as the language of the enemy”.

His comments come after Russian ground forces invaded Ukraine from several directions, including occupied Crimea, and hours later broke into the Kyiv region. Meanwhile in Russia, hundreds of peaceful anti-war protestors have been arrested.

Russia was ranked 150th of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Scores of journalists working at several Russian outlets bravely signed an open letter on Thursday to condemn the invasion. 

More than 100 municipal deputies from across Russia signed a similar letter, Novaya Gazeta reported.

FY 2022 Language Resource Centers Program Competition

The International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office at the U.S. Department of Education has announced the opening of the competition for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Title VI Language Resource Centers (LRC) Program.   The LRC Program provides grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs for establishing, strengthening, and operating centers that serve as resources for improving the nation’s capacity for teaching and learning foreign languages. Funded centers provide teacher training and conduct research, materials development, assessment, and dissemination projects.  

Application Available: Feb. 23

The FY 2022 LRC application package is now available at www.grants.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is April 25, 2022. 

IFLE expects to make 16 new awards totaling $2,746,768 under the FY 2022 LRC competition. The estimated range for awards is $130,000-$197,000 per year.

Application Technical Assistance Webinar

A pre-application virtual technical assistance webinar was held on Feb. 9. The webinar covered a variety of topics, including LRC program requirements, selection criteria, questions, and answers. A recording of the webinar is available to stream on YouTube at the link below.

The LRC program provides funding to institutions of higher education in the United States for establishing, strengthening, and operating centers that serve as resources for improving the nation’s capacity for teaching and learning foreign languages. LRC activities include effective dissemination efforts, whenever appropriate, and may include

  • research and dissemination of new and improved teaching methods, including educational technology;
  • development and dissemination of new teaching materials;
  • development, application, and dissemination of performance testing;
  • training of teachers in the administration and interpretation of performance tests, the use of effective teaching strategies, and the use of new technologies;
  • significant focus on the needs of those who are teaching and learning the less commonly taught languages;
  • development and dissemination of materials designed to serve as a resource for foreign language teachers at the elementary school and secondary school levels; and
  • operation of intensive summer language institutes.

Here’s a Google map of FY 2021 IFLE grantees with links to learn more about the institutions that are currently funded under the LRC program:

Michigan English Test Goes Global

Michigan Language Assessment has launched their digital Michigan English Test (MET), a secure, affordable testing solution meeting the evolving needs of global test takers and accepting institutions. MET Digital is now available most days of the year, nearly anywhere in the world, at authorized test centers and from home.

To address the challenges posed by the pandemic, different stakeholders emphasized the importance of increased flexibility and access. In addition to meeting these needs, MET Digital also follows high standards of test security, validity, and reliability.

“A lot of research has been conducted on the MET since its initial launch more than a decade ago. That research provides strong evidence on the validity and reliability of the test, so test users can depend on the outcomes from the test,” said Gad Lim, PhD, director of assessment at Michigan Language Assessment.

MET Digital makes it possible for an even larger population of world language speakers to take a secure English proficiency exam trusted by universities, professional boards, governments, and other recognizing organizations across the globe. Test results are securely accessed through the Michigan Language Assessment Portal, typically within five days.

MET Digital offers a unique feature to improve test taker experience and results. Test takers who feel their performance does not adequately reflect their skills can now choose to retake one of three sections of the four-skill MET Digital when they receive their initial results, reducing stress and expenses to meet their certification requirements. The highest of the two scores is listed on the final report with an indicator to show the retaken section.
https://michiganassessment.org/michigan-tests/met-new

State Teaching Certification


Elementary and secondary school teachers in most states in the US must have a degree in education with an endorsement or add-on certification in ESL. Certification requirements can be obtained from state departments of education and may be reciprocal from state to state. University teacher-training programs offer the required courses and are another source of information regarding state certification requirements.

Here are some key features of certification in states where there is a high or fast-growing demand for EL educators:

California
EL/Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Program
Teachers at all grade levels and in all content areas working in California must complete English learner (EL) coursework as part of the standard teacher preparation process. Approved teacher preparation programs for becoming a licensed educator in California will include this coursework as part of the bachelor’s or master’s program, so new educators in California will automatically earn an EL/Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) authorization on their teaching credential upon earning their teaching license.
Teachers who completed their education through an out-of-state program have three options for achieving EL authorization:
Take and pass the California Teachers of English Learners (CTEL) exam, which is offered four times a year. You can study for the CTEL by attending district or county training. Learn more at www.ctcexams.nesinc.com.
Complete at least twelve units of college coursework. For the list of approved programs, visit www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/reports/data/approved-institutions-and-programs.
Complete a combination of university coursework and the CTEL exam. If you’ve passed one or more CTEL exams, you may qualify for EL authorization by completing fewer courses through select colleges/universities.

California’s two-tiered credentialing system for teachers involves the completion of an induction program (a two-year, job-imbedded program) that provides close support to teachers during the first and second years of teaching.
After completing one of the state’s approved induction programs (www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/teacher-induction), teachers are then eligible for a clear teaching credential.
 
Texas
To become an ESL teacher in Texas, candidates need to:
Earn a Degree in TESOL while Completing a Teacher Prep Program
The course of study will need to include an approved educator preparation program (https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/approvedprograms.asp).
There are three types of ESL educator preparation programs, which correspond to different grade levels:
ESL generalist for grades 4–8
ESL generalist for early childhood through grade six
ESL supplemental for all grades—this option is only available if you are already a certified Texas teacher and are adding on an extra ESL certification
Complete the Texas Testing Requirements
Candidates need to complete up to three assessments (Basic Skills Test, Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Exam, ESL Test) to be eligible for certification. See the Texas Education Agency Electronic Testing Service (ETS) website (https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-testing/test-registration-and-preparation).
Apply for Teaching License and TESOL Certification
At this point, prospective xx= submit an application to become certified ESL teachers through the Educator Certification Online System (https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-certification-online-system).
Applications need to include official transcripts from degree and ESL educator preparation programs. Test scores are automatically sent to the Texas Education Agency once they are calculated.
Add ESL to an Existing Certificate
Certified teachers in Texas can also add an ESL certification to their existing certifications by passing the appropriate ESL test that corresponds to the grades to be taught.

North Carolina  
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction offers both a primary and an add-on K–12 ESL license. New teaching candidates can earn an ESL bachelor’s or master’s degree through a state-approved educator preparation program or earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in elementary, secondary, or special education and complete the required ESL education through a track, minor, or concentration.
If you are already a North Carolina licensed teacher, you can earn an add-on ESL license by completing an undergraduate certificate, graduate certificate, or master’s in ESL.
With a bachelor’s degree in another field, you may qualify for a master’s degree leading to an initial teaching license. Many schools that offer bachelor-level teaching certificate programs also offer master’s options that include all of the coursework and practical experience necessary.
All prospective EL teachers in North Carolina must pass the Praxis exams (Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading, Writing, Mathematics) Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing unless they hold qualifying ACT or SAT scores. In addition, they must pass the Praxis II: English to Speakers of Other Languages (www.ets.org/praxis/prepare/materials/5362).

GOALLLLLL!

Because learning a new language is often a multiyear effort, learners require regular and consistent ways to understand their progress and link that progress back to the broader aim of being able to speak and write in the new language. Persistence in learning a new language is key to getting from those first halting vocabulary words into true fluency. Student goal setting provides a context, vocabulary, and set of systems that can help students achieve that persistence. Language researchers and educators have been at the forefront of exploring how goal setting works (Lee and Bong, 2019; Moeller et al., 2012), establishing that goal setting is one of the most impactful practices teachers can employ to drive improvements in student outcomes in any subject (Hattie, 2021; Marzano, 2009).

For nearly every part of an educational system that has data, there’s a goal to improve that data. We set goals for district attendance, goals for class-wide improvement on standardized test scores, and goals for students on their IEPs (individualized education programs). These goals can be their own valuable and important motivators for the educators in a school system.

However, goals like these are fundamentally different from the kinds of goals that motivate students and support learning growth. Learning goals should be designed to help students understand where they are in their learning journey, where they are going, and how they will get there.

Three Characteristics of Effective Goals
To meaningfully change student outcomes, teachers and students should work together to design goals that support meaningful, long-term changes in the behaviors and mindsets of learners. To do so, those goals should have three important characteristics.

First, effective goals are individualized for learners. Certainly, our hope for students learning any language is the same: speaking and writing proficiently. But each student starts their learning journey at a different place, each responds to different incentives and motivators, and each has a different relationship between the new language and the life they want to live. For these reasons, setting the same short-term goal for every learner and expecting them to reach the same benchmarks at the same time doesn’t make much sense. Students need their own individual goals to account for their individual differences.

True individualization of goals goes a step further. Students should play a central role in deciding what their learning journey will look like and the steps they will take to get there. Certainly, students need help: educators bring to bear meaningful data about each student’s performance, a clear understanding of the trajectory of learning in each area, and the ability to mentor younger students as they build the skills necessary to take independent control of their learning. But the most engaging learning—the kind most likely to give students the encouragement they need to persist in language learning—is the kind students own themselves.

Second, goals should be mastery oriented. Mastery goals are those that focus on learning for learning’s sake: learning to get better at something, become a more well-rounded person, or discover more about the world. Their opposite—performance goals—focus on learning for the sake of appearing competent, outperforming others, or pleasing some authority feature. Research has clearly found that performance goals have a negative relationship with student outcomes (Anderman et al., 2011; Ciani et al., 2010; Maehr and Zusho, 2008) and only mastery goals can routinely jumpstart motivation and student ownership of learning (Ames and Archer, 1988; McGregor and Elliot, 2002; Wolters, 2004).

Educators play an important role in how mastery oriented their students become. Mastery-oriented teachers demonstrate the purposes of learning by rewarding effort, describing the intrinsic rewards of learning, and celebrating students for their ability to grow. Performance-oriented teachers, by contrast, highlight students highest on the achievement continuum, reward specific performance on assessments, and give students little role in understanding or acting on their learning data (Marsh et al., 2014). All students come to school with different ideas about learning, but educators can substantively shift students’ thinking over time.

Finally, effective goals balance what is meaningful with what is attainable. To motivate students, it’s necessary to give them learning targets that matter, those that produce outcomes the students will find meaningful.

At the same time, goals should necessarily be attainable enough that students feel they can regularly succeed and any failure to meet their goals is short-lived. Striking this balance is tricky, but important.

Benchmark assessment data can often provide hints about what kind of growth students typically achieve between test events. Beyond the data, tying a short-term learning goal to something a student is highly interested in (a book they want to read, a subject they want to communicate about, a place they want to visit) can motivate them far more than a goal that doesn’t relate to their interests.
None of these values should distract from the fundamental belief that all students can achieve mastery over a given language given the right amount of time and learning support. Underneath all goal-setting practice is the belief that all students can achieve at high levels. Crafting the right kind of goals, however, makes that success more likely by giving students the motivation and ownership they need to achieve at their highest potential.

Changing How We Talk and Think about Goals
The prospect of setting truly individualized, mastery-oriented, meaningful, and attainable goals for each learner can feel daunting. Bringing a new way of thinking about what goals should look like can have broad implications for how IEPs are written, how school-level performance is measured, how educators are rewarded, and how we think about learning itself. More fundamentally, though, the spirit of goal setting is about the relationship between educator and student, adjusting the ways we talk and think about learning with one another. 
The joy that comes from learning a new language has always had an intrinsically motivating quality. Goal setting focuses on matching that motivating quality with classroom policies and procedures that support learners as they power through their difficult moments, persist through struggle and disappointment, and gradually accumulate the knowledge and skills they need to speak and write in a new voice.

References
Ames, C., and Archer, J. (1988). “Achievement Goals in the Classroom: Students’ learning strategies and motivation processes.” Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(3), 260–267.
Anderman, L. H., Andrzejewski, C. E., and Allen, J. (2011). “How Do Teachers Support Students’ Motivation and Learning in Their Classrooms?” Teachers College Record, 113(5), 969–1003.
Ciani, K. D., Middleton, M. J., Summers, J. J., and Sheldon, K. M. (2010). “Buffering against Performance Classroom Goal Structures: The importance of autonomy support and classroom community.” Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35(1), 88–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2009.11.001
Corwin (n.d.). Visible Learning MetaX. www.visiblelearningmetax.com
Lee, M., and Bong, M. (2019). “Relevance of Goal Theories to Language Learning Research.” System, 86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102122
Maehr, M. L., and Zusho, A. (2008). “Achievement Goal Theory: The past, present, and future.” In Handbook of Motivation in School. Routledge.
Marsh, J. A., Farrell, C. C., and Bertrand, M. (2014). “Trickle-Down Accountability: How middle school teachers engage students in data use.” Educational Policy, 30(2), 243–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904814531653
Marzano, J. M. (2009). Designing and Teaching Learning Goals and Objectives: Classroom Strategies That Work. Marzano Research Laboratory.
McGregor, H. A., and Elliot, A. J. (2002). “Achievement Goals as Predictors of Achievement-Relevant Processes prior to Task Engagement.” Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(2), 381.
Moeller, A. J., Theiler, J. M., and Wu, C. (2012). “Goal Setting and Student Achievement: A longitudinal study.” Modern Language Journal, 96(2), 153–169. https://doi.org/10/cw2ct5
Stronge, J. H., and Grant, L. W. (2014). Student Achievement Goal Setting. Routledge.
Usher, A., and Kober, N. (2012). “Student Motivation: An overlooked piece of school reform.” Center for Education Policy.
Wolters, C. A. (2004). “Advancing Achievement Goal Theory: Using goal structures and goal orientations to predict students’ motivation, cognition, and achievement.” Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 236–250. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.2.236

Chase Nordengren, PhD, is a senior research scientist at NWEA, where he supports the professional learning team. His research includes the development and execution of needs assessment and program evaluation services for partners; supporting school improvement processes; and thought leadership on formative assessment and student goal setting practices. With insatiable curiosity, Chase works closely with leading scholars from around the globe—including Thomas Guskey, PhD—turning theory into actionable practices to drive instructional improvement.

He is the author of Step into Student Goal Setting: A Path to Growth, Motivation, and Agency (2022, Corwin).

Could French Prevail in Europe?

France’s European affairs minister Clément Beaune is taking advantage of France’s presidency of the European Union’s (EU’s) Council for the first time since Brexit by trying to make French its leading language.

Beaune called it a “scandal” that French is not more widely spoken in the bloc and reaffirmed France’s call for French to become a more prominent language throughout the EU.

A motion has been introduced to provide more language classes to EU diplomats and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in order to emphasize French’s importance in the union, according to Beaune, who told France Inter: “French must find a place in Brussels. However, it should not be done in a traditional manner. I had a lot of conversations with MEPs and diplomats about it. We came up with a very concrete proposal with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, my Francophonie colleague. For example, starting January 1, we will train many more elected officials from all over Europe, European diplomats, and European officials in French. I’m sick of saying, ‘Friends, the document isn’t published in French,’ it’s a scandal.

“We need to push ourselves even more. We must entice people to learn French, return culture, and educate young people in the language,” Beaune continued.

With France assuming the rotating presidency of the European Union’s Council for the first half of 2022, a diplomat revealed plans to replace English as the bloc’s official “working language.”

Apparently, all Council meetings will be held in French, according to the unnamed diplomat, with notes and minutes being written in French first. “We will always ask the Commission to send us the letters it wishes to address to the French authorities in French, and if they do not, we will wait for the French version,” they added.

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