Building a Gateway for Language and Culture: Lessons from STARTALK

1. Building a Gateway for Language and Culture: Lessons from STARTALK ACTFL November 20, 2010

2. Welcome

3. Presenters • Betsy Hart, Director of National Outreach, National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland and Program Director for STARTALK • Meg Malone, Senior Research Associate, Center for Applied Linguistics

4. Presentation Overview STARTALK: • Mission, vision, processes and programs • Impact on language teaching and learning • Lessons learned about short-term language programs • Resources for the field

5. Images of STARTALK

6. Mission To provide summer language learning opportunities for students and professional development opportunities for teachers in critical languages

7. Goals • To have programs in all 50 states by 2011, offering up to 10 languages • To increase the quality and supply of teachers of critical languages throughout the nation • To stimulate significant increases in the number of students enrolled in the study of critical languages • To improve the quality and effectiveness of critical language curricula

8. STARTALK Vision • Focus on learners • More students studying critical languages • Longer sequences of instruction • More meaningful language learning outcomes • Effective use of technology

9. STARTALK Vision • Focus on teachers • Increased number of highly effective and certified world language teachers • Better system for preparing and certifying world language teachers • Rigorous preparation • Demonstrated skills and knowledge • Continued opportunities for professional development • Increased leadership, coordination and incentives from federal and state agencies

10. STARTALK Vision • Focus on programs • Technical assistance to local and regional programs • Academic year programs adopting the STARTALK models

11. Current STARTALK Languages • Arabic • Chinese • Dari • Hindi • Portuguese • Persian • Russian • Swahili • Turkish • Urdu

13. Quality and Consistency STARTALK Endorsed Best Practices • Implementing a standards-based and thematically organized curriculum • Facilitating a student-centered classroom • Using the target language for instruction • Integrating culture into language instruction • Adopting and using authentic materials • Conducting performance-based assessment

14. The STARTALK Process • Application • Conferences • Curriculum Development & Approval • Site Visit • Reflection • Analysis and Reporting • Research

15. Application • National competition • Online application • Eligibility requirements • Priorities • Review Process • Triple-blind review

16. Conferences • Spring Conference: Setting Expectations • Orientation for new programs • Professional development • Networking opportunities • Fall Conference: Sharing • Sharing successes and challenges • Networking opportunities • Professional development • Planning for future years

17. Curriculum Development • Online Curriculum Template • Common template and user guide • Incorporates backward design principles • Integrates standards and STARTALK-endorsed instructional strategies/best practices • Available at http://startalk.umd.edu/curriculum-guide/#templates

18. Curriculum Template

19. Site Visit • Site Visit Team • Team Leader and relevant specialists • Language and curriculum specialist • Purpose and procedures • Standardized protocols • Class observations • Interviews with students and staff • Feedback to programs • Debriefing (face to face) • Report

20. Reflection • Conferences • Surveys • Reports • Focus groups • Ongoing conversations • Networking among participants

21. Analysis & Reporting • Surveys • Pre/post participant • Program directors • Program instructors • Site visitors • Team leaders • Reports • Discussion and dialogue

22. Sample Student Program (1/2) • STARTALK Student Program at University of Massachusetts, Boston • 3 week intensive Chinese program • High school/middle school • 102 applicants • 58 students enrolled • Combination residential/day program

23. Sample Student Program (2/2) • STARTALK Student Program at University of Massachusetts, Boston • Teacher involvement • Pre-program curriculum planning • Understanding of curriculum development process • Flexibility • Site: Moved to suburbs to accommodate more students • Logistics: Part residential/day program • Content: Combine language and art and music • Detailed planning • Content • Logistics

24. Sample Teacher Program (1/2) • STARTALK Arabic Teacher Training Program at Boston University • Four weeks offsite (online course) • Two weeks onsite (face-to-face) • Practicum (secondary or post-secondary) • Field trip to Outreach Center for Middle Eastern Studies

25. Sample Teacher Program (2/2) • STARTALK Arabic Teacher Training Program at Boston University • Novice and experienced teachers of Arabic • Enrollment: 21 • Establishes learning community • Mentor teacher program

26. STARTALK’s Impact on Teaching and Learning • Capacity • Infrastructure • Participants • Research

27. Enrollments: 2007 - 2010

28. Student Programs by Grade Level

29. 2010 Distribution of Programs

30. Impact: Capacity • New academic year programs • Additional opportunities for students • More effective programs for students

31. Impact: Infrastructure for Critical Languages • Increased number of highly effective teachers • Improved resources for language instruction and assessment • Innovative online resources for teacher development

32. Affective Impact: Students • 96% enjoy learning languages • 98% think it is important to learn about other people and places • 78% plan to continue studying the STARTALK language

33. Affective Impact: Teachers • Increased confidence in teaching • Increased willingness to implement effective strategies • Increased collaboration among STARTALK trainees

34. Impact: Research (1/3) • Professional journals • NCOLCTL • FLANNALS (accepted) • Presentations at Professional Conferences • LTE Symposium Proposed

35. Impact: Research (2/3) Collaboration between Center for Advanced Study of Language and CAL, 2009-present • Investigated ways to assess outcomes of short-term language programs • Pre-pilot (2009) N= 96 • Pilot (2010) N= 396 • Three instruments • Recommendations for STARTALK programs

36. Impact: Research (3/3)Instruments for Research Study

37. Lessons Learned about Short-term Language Programs (1/2) • Students • Unexpected demand • Follow-up for heritage schools • Opportunities beyond Saturday schools • Inclusion of non-heritage peers • Opportunity to learn language in STARTALK setting • Category IV languages are learnable! • Transformational experience • Continue in school year, university • Socializing with other language lovers

38. Lessons Learned about Short-term Language Programs (2/2) • Teachers • Unexpected demand • Profile • Highly educated • Native speakers of target language • Most unaccustomed to US educational settings • Predominantly female • Shifting age group • 76% plan to pursue certification • Combination programs

39. STARTALK Challenges • Duration of summer programs • Opportunity to continue • Program variety (length, level, focus) • Teacher experience • Teacher and student programs • Professional development • Standardization and flexibility across programs • Assessment

40. Stakeholder Feedback • Importance of continually gathering feedback from stakeholders (program directors, instructors, students) • Surveys • Focus groups • Conversations

41. Resources for the Field • STARTALK Multimedia Workshop Collection • STARTALK Classroom Video Collection • Online Curriculum Template Development Guide • Sample planning and classroom materials • List of resources by language www.startalk.umd.edu

42. Reflections & Conclusions • Continual process of feedback and improvements • STARTALK’s impact and future directions • Support needed for short-term language programs • Professional development needs of LCTL teachers

43. Questions?