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##  What We Can Learn from Foreign Language Teaching in Other Countries.            ERIC Digest.                                                                 

During the last decade, new efforts have aimed at improving foreign             language education in the United States (see, e.g., National                    Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 1999). A recent                study concerned with the need to strengthen foreign language skills             among U.S. students examined the successes of other countries.                  Conducted by the Center for Applied Linguistics, the study collected            information from 22 educators in 19 countries about foreign language            instruction in their elementary and secondary schools. The countries            represented in the study are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada,                Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy,                Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru,            Spain, and Thailand. Information was also gathered on China,                    England, and Hong Kong from comparative education reports. 
Study              participants responded to a series of questions about language                  teaching methodologies, strategies, and policies in their countries             that could inform language teaching in the United States. Answers to            the key question, "What do you think are three of the most                      successful aspects of foreign language education in your country?"              allowed study researchers to identify eight exemplary                           characteristics of foreign language education in the countries                  surveyed. This digest examines these characteristics and discusses              what the United States can learn from them. WHAT WORKS IN OTHER               COUNTRIESAn Early Start 
Many respondents reported that                    beginning foreign language study early promotes achievement of                  higher levels of language proficiency. Seven of the countries                   studied have widespread or compulsory education in foreign languages            by age 8, and another eight countries introduce foreign languages in            the upper elementary grades. In many cases, a second foreign                    language is offered or required in the elementary grades. This                  contrasts starkly with the United States, where the majority of                 students who study a foreign language do not start before age                   14. 
A Well-Articulated Framework Several respondents noted the                importance of a well-articulated curriculum framework that motivates            and guides the development of an effective system of foreign                    language education. Many European countries have adapted their                  foreign language teaching at the national level to the frameworks               and standards articulated by the Council of Europe's language policy            and activities. Modern Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. A             Common European Framework of Reference (Council of Europe, 1996),               developed and revised over the past decade, has had high impact. The            Framework is a planning instrument that provides a common basis and             terminology for describing objectives, methods and approaches,                  skills, practices, and assessments in language teaching, and it is              used for planning syllabuses, examinations, teaching materials, and             teacher training programs throughout Europe. 
Rigorous Teacher                 Education 
One of the most often cited factors related to                      excellence in foreign language education is a well-trained teaching             corps. In Morocco, English teachers are among the best trained                  teachers in the country. After a 4-year degree in English from a                university or teacher training college, including one year of                   specialization in literature or linguistics, students spend a year              studying language teaching methodology and getting practical                    training. 
A crucial factor in teacher quality is the status of the            teaching profession, because it directly impacts the quality of                 candidates who go into teaching. In Finland, potential teachers are             recruited from among the best high school graduates. Teaching is a              highly valued profession, and admission to universities, where all              teacher education takes place, is very competitive. This creates a              high degree of selectivity and increases the prestige of a teaching             degree. 
Pre-service training that integrates academic subject                 studies with pedagogical studies and teaching practice is considered            one of the most successful aspects of foreign language education in             several countries. In some countries, including the Netherlands and             the United Kingdom, study and work abroad programs contribute to the            high level of language proficiency among foreign language                       teachers. 
Comprehensive Use of Technology 
Innovative                        technologies and media are frequently cited as a way to increase                access to information and entertainment in a foreign language,                  provide interaction with speakers of other languages, and improve               foreign language teaching in the classroom. 
"Access to Information            and Entertainment." Most respondents, in particular those from                  Canada, Denmark, and Thailand, highlighted the importance of the                Internet and specialized databases for information retrieval. In                smaller countries, many television shows are broadcast in a foreign             language and subtitled rather than dubbed. In Denmark, where English            is omnipresent through the many U.S. and British television                     programs, films, computer games, and music videos, teachers have                developed successful strategies for integrating their students'                 informal foreign language exposure into classroom                               teaching. 
"Interaction and Collaboration With Speakers of Other               Languages." Access to information on the World Wide Web and the use             of new information technologies, especially networked computers, has            contributed to increased communication among foreign language                   teachers and students in many countries. Through e-mail, mailing                lists, discussion groups, and chat rooms, the Internet has increased            access to and communication in the foreign language with both native            and nonnative speakers. 
Effective Teaching                                    Strategies 
Respondents mentioned several innovative methods for               language instruction, which fall roughly into the categories                    highlighted below. 
"Integration of Language and Content Learning."            Learning content-area subjects through the medium of a foreign                  language has become increasingly popular in many of the responding              countries. In some cases, a foreign language is used as the medium              of instruction in non-language subjects, frequently at the secondary            school level when students have acquired sufficient proficiency in              the foreign language. In Luxembourg, for example, both German and               French are used as a medium of instruction throughout students'                 school careers to support simultaneous learning of both languages.              In immersion programs, called "bilingual programs" in Europe,                   primary school children are taught subject matter almost exclusively            in a second or foreign language. 
"Communicative Teaching Methods."            In Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, and Spain,             a focus on communicative and intercultural learning has not only                stimulated a productive discussion of teaching objectives, methods,             and underlying rationales that are now reflected in curricula and               textbooks, but has also resulted in increased oral and written                  proficiency for their students. 
"Focus on Language Learning                   Strategies." Several respondents reported that a recent focus on how            to learn a foreign language has been important to the success of                language education in their countries. In Denmark, for example,                 teachers focus on raising students' awareness of various                        communication strategies, including strategies to bridge vocabulary             gaps, reading and listening strategies, and general language                    learning strategies. 
"Building on the First or Subsequent                     Languages." Particularly in bilingual or multilingual countries or              in those with a large number of language minorities, respondents                stated that successful approaches consider students' first languages            as a foundation upon which to build second language proficiency. In             Luxembourg, several projects demonstrate that acknowledging the                 sociocultural context and the already developed competencies of                 children in their first language will boost learning of subsequent              languages. 
"Other Successful Methods." Other notable methods                  include the sole use of the foreign language in the classroom; a                modular approach to teaching in which students are grouped according            to proficiency level rather than age or grade level; and                        project-oriented learning that emphasizes the use of authentic                  materials through technology and integrates learning about                      English-speaking countries with language and content                            learning. 
Strong Policy 
A number of respondents mentioned the               importance of policy formulation. Language and education policies at            the national, regional, and local levels can facilitate or inhibit              strong language education. 
"Language and Education Policies." In              Australia, one of the most successful aspects of foreign language               education relates to the National Policy on Languages (NPL) (Lo                 Bianco, 1987), which provides a framework for language education.               The NPL has initiated pluralism in the languages being offered,                 supported projects for indigenous and first language education, led             to policy development in each Australian territory, and resulted in             the near-universal introduction of languages at the primary                     level. 
"Foreign Languages as Core Subjects." One of the most                  influential policies with respect to foreign language learning is               the status of languages within the school curriculum. In all                    European countries and in Canada, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Thailand,            at least one foreign language is compulsory for all                             students. 
Assessment 
Several of the educators surveyed                      highlighted assessment as one of the best practices in foreign                  language education in their country. In most of the countries,                  nearly all assessment of students' foreign language learning occurs             in the context of specific courses, with grades or credit for                   completion assigned by teachers. The only national or regional                  examinations that include language proficiency assessments are                  school-leaving examinations administered at the end of secondary                education. In the Netherlands, there are central school-leaving                 examinations developed by a national testing institute and                      administered at the end of secondary school. Students attending the             pre-university stream take the exam, which includes achievement                 tests in three foreign languages: English, French, and German.                  Results account for 50% of the final grade in the subject. A result             of these central exams, which are in accordance with the European               Framework, is a coherent approach with respect to the                           curriculum. 
In China, the Matriculation English Test (MET)                    assesses not only grammar and lexis but also their use, thus leading            to a decrease of rote memorization in English learning                          practice (see, e.g., Hamp-Lyons, Hood, Sengupta, Curtis, & Yan,                 1999). 
Maintenance of Heritage, Regional, and Indigenous Languages            Several respondents described programs that teach the mother tongue             of speakers of languages other than the dominant one in their                   country. These programs contribute to foreign language success by               helping maintain existing language resources in a country and by                fostering achievement among minority populations. Some of the most              successful practices in Canada are found in heritage language                   programs. The Canadian federal policy of bilingualism is framed                 within a context of multiculturalism that promotes recognition of               the value of languages other than English and French. Several                   provinces have heritage language programs in their official school              curricula. WHAT THE UNITED STATES CAN LEARN FROM THIS"Start               language education early." The United States needs a national                   commitment to elementary school language teaching for all children.             The federal government can provide leadership in developing                     long-term policies for enhanced teacher training, incentives for                school districts to offer early language instruction, and a detailed            research agenda. 
"Learn from others." We need to look outside our             borders and learn from the mistakes and successes of other                      countries. In particular, we need to look to countries like ours                that have a single official or national language but that are                   nonetheless succeeding in developing citizens with bilingual or                 multilingual proficiency. 
"Conduct long-term research." The U.S.              education system can benefit greatly from the development of a                  long-term research agenda that incorporates longitudinal studies of             a variety of early language learning models of                                  instruction. 
"Provide stronger leadership." A stronger and more               coherent government-wide effort is needed to create the atmosphere              and opportunity to improve language education in the United                     States. 
"Identify how technology can improve language                         instruction." A major question remains about how successful                     technology is in improving foreign language instruction. We need                specific research on how technology can best be used to increase                students' proficiency in other languages. 
"Improve teacher                    education." The United States needs to conduct a more in-depth                  investigation into how some countries are recruiting high-caliber               students into teaching and providing top quality in-service and                 pre-service training. 
"Develop appropriate language assessments."             The effective assessment practices used in other countries are worth            studying given the salience of assessment in U. S.                              education. 
"Designate foreign language as a core subject." In                 districts and schools in the United States where foreign language               study is part of the core curriculum, there is a more rigorous                  approach to curriculum development, professional development, and               assessment. Designating foreign language study as a core subject is             essential for a successful program. 
"Take advantage of the                    sociolinguistic context." American educators need to take advantage             of the sociolinguistic context in which we live by promoting the                learning of languages spoken by indigenous groups and by immigrants             and refugees in this country, as well as by our neighbors in Canada             and Mexico. CONCLUSIONCompared to students in much of the                 world, U.S. students lag far behind in their foreign language                   capabilities. The study discussed in this digest has provided                   valuable insight into successful foreign language education in other            countries. The United States can learn a great deal by studying                 these successes and using the information to implement practices and            policies that will support the development of better foreign                    language education and a higher level of foreign language                       proficiency among our citizens. 
<REFS>REFERENCES

Council of                Europe. (1996). "Modern languages. Learning, teaching, assessment: A            common European framework of reference." Strasbourg, France: Author.            Available online. 
Hamp-Lyons, L., Hood, S., Sengupta, S., Curtis,             A., & Yan, J. (1999). "Best practices: A literature review of                   effective instructional design and learner processes in acquiring               second/foreign language at primary and secondary levels." Hong Kong:            Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of English. 
Lo                   Bianco, J. (1987). "National policy on languages." Canberra:                    Australian Department of Education. 
National Standards in Foreign             Language Education Project. (1999). "Standards for foreign language             learning in the 21st Century." Lawrence, KS: Author. -----This            digest is based on the report, Foreign Language Teaching: What the              United States Can Learn from Other Countries, by I. Pufahl, N. C.               Rhodes, & D. Christian, published in December 2000 by the ERIC                  Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, Center for Applied                  Linguistics, Washington, DC. 
This digest was prepared with funding            from the U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Educational Research and            Improvement, National Library of Education, under contract no.                  ED-99-CO-0008. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the            positions or policies of ED, OERI, or NLE.                                   **Title:** What We Can Learn from Foreign Language Teaching in Other Countries.            ERIC Digest.                                                                 **Note:** Based on "Foreign Language Teaching: What the United States Can                 Learn from Other Countries" (December 2000).                                 **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, 4646 40th Street,              NW, Washington, DC 20016. Tel: 202-362-0700; For full text:                     http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest.                                           **Descriptors:**  Educational Policy,  Educational Technology, Elementary Secondary              Education,  Foreign Countries, Heritage Education, Language                     Maintenance, Language Tests, Second Language Instruction, Second                Language Learning, Student Evaluation,  Teacher Education,  Teaching            Methods                                                                      **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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