NEW STANDARDS FOR FOREING LAGUAGE TEACHING:

In order to provide consistency across teacher education programs in terms of what should be expected of  foreing languages teacher candidates,  the NCATE/ACTFL  program standards for foreing laguage teacher education programs considers three major aspects of teaching: content-area and pedagogical knowledge, skills in teaching , and disposition for teaching.  The document identifies six content standards that categorize the broad areas in which teachers are expected to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and dispositions:  1- Language, linguistics and comparisons;  2- cultures, literatures, and cross-disciplinary concepts; 3- language acquisition theories and instructional practices.  4- integration of standards into curriculum and instrucion; 5-  assessment of languages and cultures;  and  6- professionalism.  Each of the content standards is organized into two or three supporting standards that describe in detail the specific types of  knowledge, skills, and dispositions (i.e. attitudes and personal qualities that facilitate effective teaching)  that candidates must demostrate.   

ARRIBA. ABAJO, ABIM-ABAM-ABOOM

For more than 25years, Concordia Language Villages has been offering year-round opportunities for young people to experience language and culture learning in an immersion emvironment .  The mission of the weekend programs is to help prepare young people for responsible citizenship in the global community.  At the Village the use of English is clearly separated from the use of the target language.