Ben,
Our friend from the Ohio Dept. of Ed sent this out to the Ohio Foreign Language Association listserv. I put in bold the important thing I want you to see. Read Jody’s comment below the post to explore why I say there is neither shakin’ nor bakin’ going on in Ohio. Her use of the term self-deception is very accurate. No personal attacks on anyone in the comments below, because the deception (I’m a good teacher and I’m doing a good job!) is completely unconscious and is the result of an honest kind of ignorance, one that we are just now starting to understand.
Dear OFLA Colleagues,
If you are a teacher of a modern language and you are not already following the ACTFL’s recommendation of teaching in the target language at least 90% of the time, you will need to prepare yourself to do so by the time Ohio’s newly revised academic content standards (which fully embrace this recommendation) go into full force during the 2014-2015 academic year. Conveniently, the ACTFL’s current spring professional development Webinar series (see reminder announcement below) is designed to help teachers make the transition from a grammar-centric teaching approach (where English is the language of instruction much of the time) to a truly communicative approach. The topic of today’s Webinar, Exploring Culture through the Target Language, is particularly relevant. Many teachers note that teaching aspects of the target culture in the target language can be particularly challenging. Consider signing up for this timely offering, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. today. If you’re not able to participate in this one, the next one on April 17th – Maintaining Communication through the Target Language – also promises to be highly useful. You can also still register to access the first Webinar – Learning Content through the Target Language – if you want. I hope many of you will take advantage of these quality offerings from the ACTFL.
Warm regards,
Ryan T. Wertz
World Languages Consultant
Office of Curriculum and Assessment
Ohio Department of Education