The Gift of Languages

Kathleen Stein-Smith, Fabrice Jaumont

Description

The emergence of newer international standards and the focus on STEM education are transforming entire educational sectors. Yet, as schools focus more attention to developing global competencies and 21st century skills in their pedagogy, it has become critical to re-engage educators and school communities with the goals of language education, multilingualism, and multiliteracy while promoting interconnectedness, empathy, and mutual comprehension among our youth.  With this in mind, it is important to understand the potential of multilingual education as it can serve our societies’ new expectations, and provide the right tools for success to our younger generations.

The Gift of Languages: Paradigm Shift In U.S. Foreign Language Education explores the many advantages of multilingual education and sets the stage for a new paradigm in our approach to teaching and learning languages. The book touches on the issue of foreign language deficit in the United States and the changes that need to occur in our schools to better serve our children and our linguistic communities. The book also explores the growth of dual-language education in recent years and explores the connection between both multilingual programming and solving the United States’ foreign language problem.

The discussion on language education in the United States has never been neutral; moreover, it has traditionally provided substantive direction and exerted significant authority over educational policy. Yet, this debate needs to move towards viewing multilingual education as an essential approach for our society, and as something that should be prevalent among educational policymakers. The audience for this book includes educators, language teachers, school leaders, school boards, program directors, scholars, and policy makers particularly if they want to join forces in building the future of education and investing in the multilingual capital of our nation.

This book is part of The Bilingual Revolution Series.

Preface    15

Foreword    17

Why a Paradigm Shift is Needed    19

The Case for Foreign Language Skills    35

The Societal Benefits of Multilingualism    51

Bridging the Language Gap in the United States    60

Bringing about a Paradigm Shift    65

A Pathway to Effective Foreign Language Learning    82

The Potential of Dual-Language Education    91

The Global Significance of Multilingualism    103

Empowering Communities for a Multilingual Future    115

References    119

About the Authors    135

About TBR Books    137

About CALEC    139

Sujets

• Foreign Language study
• Lettres et linguistique
• Language

Informations

• Publié par: CALEC
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781947626232
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Bilingual RevolutionSeries
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


A Program of The Center for the Advancement of Languages, Education, and Communities (CALEC)
 

Our Books in English

The Gift of Languages: ParadigmShift in U.S. Foreign Language Education by Fabrice Jaumont andKathleen Stein-Smith
Two Centuries of French Educationin New York: The Role of Schools in Cultural Diplomacy by JaneFlatau Ross
The Clarks of Willsborough Point:The Long Trek North by Darcey Hale
The Bilingual Revolution: The Future ofEducation is in Two Languages by Fabrice Jaumont

Our Books in Translation

Die bilinguale Revolution: DieZukunft der Bildung liegt in zwei Sprachen by FabriceJaumont
Larevolución bilingüe: El futuro de la educación está en dos idiomasby Fa briceJaumont
ДВУЯЗЫЧНАЯ РЕВОЛЮЦИЯ : БУДУЩЕЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ НА ДВУХ ЯЗЫКАХ by Фабрис Жомон
La Révolutionbilingue: Le futur de l'éducation s'écrit en deux langues byFabrice Jaumont




Upcoming

الثورةثنائية اللغة مستقبل التعليم يُكتب بلغتين فابريس چومون
双 语革 命 双 语革命 ： 两种语言铸就 教育的未来 by Fabrice Jaumont
 
Rewolucja Dwuj ę zyczna : Przysz ł o ść edukacji jest w dwóch j ę zykach by Fabrice Jaumont
 
バイリンガル革命の日本語訳出版の支援をお願いしま す by ファブリース ＝ ジュモン氏は、
La Rivoluzione Bilingue by FabriceJaumont

By the SameAuthors


Kathleen Stein-Smith. The U.S. Foreign LanguageDeficit: Strategies for Maintaining a Competitive Edge in aGlobalized World (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2016).
 
Kathleen Stein-Smith. The U.S. Foreign LanguageDeficit and How It Can Be Effectively Addressed in the GlobalizedWorld: A Bibliographic Essay (Edwin Mellen Press, 2013).
 
Kathleen Stein-Smith. The U.S. Foreign LanguageDeficit and Our Economic and National Security: A BibliographicEssay on the U.S. Language Paradox. (Edwin Mellen Press, 2013).


FabriceJaumont. Partenaires inégaux: fondations américaines et universitésen Afrique (EditionsMaison des Sciences de l’Homme, 2018).
 
Fabrice Jaumont. Stanley Kubrick: TheOdysseys (Books We Live by, 2018).

Fabrice Jaumont. The Bilingual Revolution: TheFuture of Education is in Two Languages (TBR Books, 2017).
 
Fabrice Jaumont. Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2016).

 
 
THE GIFT OF LANGUAGES
Paradigm Shift in U.S. ForeignLanguage Education
 
 
Fabrice Jaumont & KathleenStein-Smith
 
 

 
 
\
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TBR Books New York
 
Copyright © 2019 by Fabrice Jaumont andKathleen Stein-Smith
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted inany form or by any means, without prior writtenpermission.
 
TBR Books is a program ofthe Center for the Advancement ofLanguages , Education, and Communities. Wepublish researchers and practitioners whoseek to engage diverse communities ontopics related to education ,languages , culturalhistory , and social initiatives.
 
TBR Books
146 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn ,New York
www.tbr-books .org | contact@tbr-books .org
Front Cover Illustration © JonasCuénin
 
ISBN 978-1-947626-22-5(paperback)
ISBN 978-1-947626-23-2(eBook)
Library of Congress ControlNumber:  2018914029
 
 
 
 
 
Contents

 
PREFACE 15
FOREWORD 17
THE GIFT OF LANGUAGES 19
WHY A PARADIGM SHIFT IS NEEDED 21
THE CASE FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS 37
THE SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF MULTILINGUALISM 53
BRIDGING THE LANGUAGE GAP IN THE U.S. 63
BRINGING ABOUT A PARADIGM SHIFT 69
A PATHWAY TO EFFECTIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING85
THE POTENTIAL OF DUAL-LANGUAGE EDUCATION 93
THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MULTILINGUALISM 105
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES FOR A MULTILINGUAL FUTURE117
REFERENCES 123
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 141
ABOUT TBR BOOKS 143
ABOUT CALEC 147
Praises
 
 
“ We are at a critical point inour nation in which we can continue to hold on to ourmonolingual past or embrace a multilingual and moreinclusive future.  The Gift ofLanguages  helps us prepare and understand the necessaryparadigm shift to adopt and implement a multilingualcurriculum and mindset in our schools andcommunities . Co-authored by two pioneers and experiencedexperts in the bi- and multilingual education space, thebook is a must read for educators , policy makers, communityleaders, students , and interested parents who want tomake meaningful changes now.”
– Andrew H. Clark, Ph.D. Chair,Dept. of Modern Languages & Literatures, FordhamUniversity
 
 
“ The Gift of Languages should awaken all Americans, especially the policy makers, forthe need to raise future generations of multilingual citizens to compete and thrive in our global community. One of ourfounding fathers and presidents, Thomas Jefferson, spoke to andacted upon the need for teaching languages when hefounded the University of Virginia; as a nation , we have notlived up to his words and actions. Let us remind ourselves that westarted out a linguistically and culturally diverse group ofpeoples that came together to build a strong nation over the years.Linguistic diversity is the gift that our nation needs to giveitself!”
– Francesco L. Fratto, President,The Foreign Language Association of Chairpersons andSupervisors

“Mastering languages isessential for communicating with and understanding others,respecting each other, and appreciating our heritages and ourroots. The Gift of Languages offers an invaluable toolbox forpolicy makers, educators, families and students who are alreadyworking in the field of language and those who hope to create thekind of paradigm shift that the authors advocate. The book providescogent arguments in favor of expanded language learning at alllevels, and especially argues in favor of expanding the breadth andvariety of multilingual educational opportunities already spreadingin public school systems from Utah to Louisiana to New York andbeyond.  The authors cite examples of the “BilingualRevolution” already underway and provide the kinds of arguments andexamples that resonate for educators and drive policy towardsfurthering the way we value language education in the UnitedStates. The book is indispensable for anyone interested in thefuture of foreign language education.” – Jane F. Ross, Ph.D.President and Founder, French Heritage Language Program
Preface
 
 
O ver 60% of people on theplanet are bilingual or multilingual — which suggests that this isthe norm for human beings — and multiple studies demonstrate thecognitive, social, political, and financial benefits ofbilingualism. Yet in the United States, we regularly hear newsstories about people being shamed, bullied, and sometimes violentlyharmed for speaking other languages, even when they also speakEnglish.
 
Accessibly written, this book offers detailedarguments for both why and how the nation shouldembrace and promote linguistic diversity. Options for adults areexpertly addressed, yet the authors invest even greater passion anddetail in promoting early educational programs in which no child isleft monolingual. I can think of no better way to shift ournation’s view of itself from “English Only” to “English Plus” andcreate a more inclusive society.
 
We need a roadmap, and this book clearly lays outthe territory and possible trajectories as it motivates us to makethe journey.
 
 
Kimberly J. Potowski, Ph.D.
 
Professor in the Department of Hispanic and ItalianStudies University of Illinois at Chicago
Foreword
 
 
T he emergence of newerinternational standards and the focus on STEM education aretransforming entire educational sectors. Yet, as schools focus moreattention on developing global competencies and 21st centuryskills in their pedagogy, it has become critical to re-engageeducators and school communities with the goals of languageeducation, multilingualism, and multiliteracy while promotinginterconnectedness, empathy, and mutual comprehension among ouryouth. With this in mind, it is important to understand thepotential of multilingual education as it can serve our societies’new expectations and provide the right tools for success to ouryounger generations.
 
This book exploresthe many advantages of multilingual education and sets the stagefor a new paradigm in our approach to teaching and learninglanguages. It touches on the issue of the foreign language deficitin the United States and the changes that need to occur in ourschools to better serve our children and our linguisticcommunities. The book also explores the growth of dual-languageeducation in recent years and the connection between bothmultilingual programming and solving the United States’ foreignlanguage problem.
 
The discussion on language education in the UnitedStates has never been neutral. Moreover, business and geopoliticalpriorities have traditionally provided substantive direction andexerted significant authority over U.S. educational languagepolicy. Yet, this debate needs to move towards viewing multilingualeducation as an essential approach for our society, and assomething that should be prevalent among educationalpolicymakers.
 
In our opinion, it is time to change the paradigm offoreign language education to meet the urgent needs of ourstudents, and of equipping all of them with the strong languageskills they need to navigate - both socially and professionally -an increasingly open and competitive world.
 
To change the paradigm is to create schoolenvironments where languages are morepresent, taught in class and lived outside the classroom, in acommon project led by school communities and in which the practiceof languages will combine pleasure andefficiency.
 
To change the paradigm is to create a sharedlanguage culture in schools first, by mobilizing the skills ofteachers from all disciplines and by encouraging all actors toshare the gift of languages.
 
To change the paradigm means unleashing energies andencouraging the creativity of all actors in linguistic communities,valuing their ideas and pr