Highlights from...
Early Language Learning Symposium
November 11, 2005 8:00 am - 1:30 pm
University of Washington Denny Hall, Room 216
Media Coverage
Early Language Learning Symposium at UW
A symposium held by the UW's Language Learning Center earlier this month
has several students, faculty and staff members re-considering language
requirements and when to begin teaching language.
University of Washington Daily (11/23/2005)
Goal of the Symposium
To provide a forum for dialogue among educators, administrators, college faculty and students, parents, and community groups about the value of providing early language learning opportunities for children and the implications to our educational systems K-12 through higher ed when more students are learning more languages earlier and longer.
Some specific questions to consider:
- What are the hidden benefits to beginning language learning early?
- What does it take to offer early language learning in the schools?
- Language acquisition and language learning -- where do they intersect?
- What can parents do to give their children the benefits of early language learning experiences?
Agenda
Note: To access streaming video of several of the
presentations, visit:
http://depts.washington.edu/llc/symposium.php
This video requires Quicktime Player (also linked on LLC website).
8:00 Registration and morning refreshments
8:15 Welcome
- Dr. Paul Aoki, Director of the Language Learning Center at the UW
8:20 Exploring Models for Early Language Learning
- Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki, Washington State Coalition for International Education, Consultant to John Stanford International School
8:35 Beyond Colors and Numbers: Global Passport to
Culture-Based Language Learning in a FLES and Immersion Classroom
iEARN PowerPoint
(67,645 K opens in a new window)
- Jennifer Geist, iEARN (International Education and Resource Network)
- Hiromi Pingry, Japanese Immersion teacher at John Stanford International School and iEARN teacher
9:20 Break with muffins and coffee
9:30 Keynote: Recent Research on Child Bilingualism (PowerPoint)
- Dr. Julia Herschensohn, Chair of Linguistics at the UW
10:15 The Hidden Benefits of Early Language Learning
Moderator: David Montero (raised bilingually);
Panel: Parents with their children who have been raised in a
bilingual/bicultural environment:
- Klaus and Carmina Brandl (14) (German and Spanish)
- Paul and Natalya Aoki (17) (Japanese, plus other languages)
- Hedwige & Richie Meyer (15) (French)
11:00 Break with refreshments
11:15 Language Learning for Heritage Speakers
- Hussein Elkhafaifi (Arabic language) (unable to attend)
- Maria Gillman (Spanish classes at UW)
12:00 How do we make this happen? Break-out and networking sessions on:
- Preschool Programs
(facilitated by Jackie Mighdoll & Hedwige Meyer)
- FLES and FLEX Programs
(facilitated by Jennifer Geist & Bridget Yaden)
- Immersion and Dual Language Programs
(facilitated by Michele Anciaux Aoki and Hiromi Pingry)
- Middle and High School Programs and Implications for Higher Ed
(facilitated by Klaus Brandl, Erin Jones, and Katy Armagost)
- Heritage Language Learners and Programs to Meet Their Needs
(facilitated by Paul Aoki and Maria Gillman)
- Other Topics as needed...
Each breakout group should identify some key issues or challenges they face and some "first wins" -- action items that are doable in the near future.
1:00 Taking Action - What Next?
- Reconvene to share next actions, closing words by Paul K. Aoki
1:15 Closing of the Symposium
Resource Tables
The following organizations had information to share at the Symposium:
- AFS Global Educators Program
- International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)
- Melody Institute, Inc.
- Speak Your Languages
- Sponge
- The Evergreen School
- University of Washington > Educational Outreach
- University of Washington > Language Learning Center
- Washington State Coalition for International Education
Resource Packets
Items for the Resource Packets.
| Resource | # of pages |
| Models for Early Language Learning | |
| Early Language Learning
Program Goals http://www.cal.org/earlylang/progdev/chart.html |
2 |
| Elementary School Foreign
Language Programs http://www.cal.org/earlylang/typfls.htm |
4 |
| Why Immersion? http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol4/ Feb2001_WhyImmers.html |
2 |
| Dual Language 101 (New
Mexico) http://www.duallanguagenm.org/101.html |
2 |
| Two-Way Immersion http://www.cal.org/crede/twoway.htm |
2 |
| Benefits of Second Language Learning | |
| Learning second language
changes brain http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242853/ |
3 |
| Brain Research: Implications for Second Language Learning Fred Genesee, McGill University http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/0012brain.html |
5 |
| Bilingualism | |
| Children and Bilingualism http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Bilingual-Children.htm |
2 |
| Raising Bilingual Children http://iteslj.org/Articles/Rosenberg-Bilingual.html |
3 |
| Bilingual Acquisition http://www.earlychildhood.com/Articles/index.cfm? FuseAction=Article&A=38&PrintVersion=73 |
3 |
| Bilingual Reflections of an
Immersion Student http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol7/ Feb2004_Bilingual_Reflections.html |
4 |
| Heritage Language Learners | |
| Spotlight on Heritage
Languages article.asp?parentid=4629 |
2-3 |
| Tapping a National
Resource: Heritage Languages in the United States http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0202brecht.html |
6 |
| For Breakout sessions... | 4 |
| What is Bilingual
Education? http://www.nabe.org/education/index_archive.html |
2 |
| Two-Way Immersion FAQs http://www.cal.org/twi/FAQ.htm |
7 |
| Using English Achievement
Data to Promote Language Immersion http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol3/ Mar2000.pdf |
4 |
| Choosing an Immersion Model http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol2/ Feb1999_Moorhead.html |
4 |
| Heritage Languages: Tapping
a "Hidden" Resource By James Crawford http://www.nabe.org/research/multi.html |
4 |
| Heritage Spanish Speakers'
Language Learning Strategies http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0206hancock.html |
7 |
| General Resources | |
| ACIE Articles Online
Archive http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/ (American Council on Immersion Education) |
5 |
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the following UW Departments and Centers and other community organizations for providing financial and in-kind support of the Early Language Learning Symposium.
University of Washington
- Center for West European Studies
http://jsis.artsci.washington.edu/programs/cwesuw/
- Department of Asian Languages and Literature
http://depts.washington.edu/asianll/
- Department of Germanics
http://depts.washington.edu/uwgerman
- Department of Linguistics
http://depts.washington.edu/lingweb/
- Department of Scandinavian Studies
http://depts.washington.edu/scand/
- Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
http://depts.washington.edu/slavweb/
- Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
http://depts.washington.edu/spanport/
- Division of French and Italian
http://depts.washington.edu/frenital/
- Language Learning Center
http://depts.washington.edu/llc
- Simpson Center for the Humanities
http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/
- University Book Store
http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/
And our community partners:
- Alliance Française de Seattle
http://home.earthlink.net/~afdesea/network.htm
- International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)
http://www.iearn.org
- Starbucks (Queen Anne Store)
http://www.starbucks.com/
- Washington State Coalition for International Education
http://internationaledwa.org