How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century - Guilderland ...

GUILDERLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETING
NAME OF COMMITTEE: Foreign Language Early Start Committee
DATE OF MEETING: June 15, 2004
MEMBERS PRESENT: Nancy Andress, Cathy Beadnell, Martha Beck, Mary Helen Collen, Karen
Covert-Jones, Marian DeSantis, Debbie Drumm, Barbara Fraterrigo,
Martha Kemp, Lynn Luffman, Al Martino, Wendy Meola, Jennifer
Politano, Stephanie Sakmar, Karen Shields, Dianne Walshhamton
CHAIR:
Nancy Andress
RECORDER:
Mary Helen Collen
ITEMS DISCUSSED BY TOPIC:
1. Welcome
Introductions were made. Handouts were distributed: LOTE NYS standards, Basic Structures of
FLES, National Standards for Foreign Language.
2. Discussion Groups on Reading
Group work - 10 minutes, discussion.
Each table assigned a section:
Section 2: Background - History
Section 3: Rationale for Early Second Language Study
Section 4: Augmentation for Implementation
Questions:
• most important points of section?
• What questions do you have?
Each group reported on these questions.
Section 2:
Important Points
• Important in a global economy
• sensitivity to other cultures
• 1999 Education Excellence for All Children Act - 25% of elementary schools with a foreign
language program by 2005
• 2000 Educate America - All students will leave grades 4, 8 and 12 with a demonstrated
competency in foreign language
Questions:
• How supportive?
Section 3:
Important Points
• FLES tied to cross-cultural understanding and attitudes toward others.
• 10 years - critical period for attitude development
• ELL students taught in (native) primary language first. Ownership own language first.
• Learning cannot be isolated needs of society
• Paradigm shift: melting pot - pluralistic society
• Children started FLES earlier age = higher 2 nd language achievement over long-term
• Studies done on aphasic people - children regain speaking ability where adults can’t
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