The Foreign Language Education program (French and Spanish, initial license, undergraduate) has undergone substantial review and revision based on the new NC Professional Teaching Standards, 21st Century knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and extensive collaborative review with practitioners and faculty from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to create a revised teacher education program that prepares foreign language teachers for k-12 classrooms.
Course Objectives: to prepare students to become knowledgeable practitioners with regard to the following teacher standards:
1. Teachers demonstrate target language competency commensurate with their role as a second language model by functioning effectively in interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes using listening, speaking, reading and writing.
2. Teachers demonstrate understanding of the basic linguistic components of the target language.
3. Teachers demonstrate familiarity with multiple cultures represented by the target language as they relate to products, practices and perspectives.
4. Teachers demonstrate insight into how the target languages and cultures compare to the students' language(s) and culture(s).
5. Teachers demonstrate familiarity with current theories in second language acquisition, human cognitive development and brain research.
6. Teachers create and manage a classroom environment conducive to second language learning.
7. Teachers employ multiple strategies to engage students actively and effectively in learning the target language and cultures.
8. Teachers identify, select, adapt and use a wide variety of instructional resources and technology to enhance student learning and to provide access to the target language and cultures.
9. Teachers understand the sequential nature of the second language curriculum and articulate the instructional program accordingly.
10. Teachers link the skills and knowledge between the broader curriculum and second language instruction.
11. Teachers implement assessment strategies that address all second language modalities (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and culture in order to measure student achievement and proficiency.
12. Teachers affirm that second language learning is appropriate for all students regardless of ability, language, background, race, ethnicity, gender, religion and other cultural factors.
13. Teachers recognize the unique contributions of heritage learners and adapt curriculum and instruction to meet their needs.
14. Teachers maintain and enhance linguistic and cultural skills beyond the classroom.
15. Teachers understand and communicate the value of learning language other than English to students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and the community at large.