The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT 78 DECEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Simply explaining these advantages to children helps them keep a positive atti- tude about learning the next language. Just as students must build upon different mathematics concepts from algebra to calculus, there is a similar value in learning and being exposed to multiple languages. FLO: How long will it take for a Foreign Service child to become fluent in a second language? CB: That depends on the length and type of exposure to the language. Today, language educators use the term “proficiency” to describe progress in terms of speaking, writing, listening and reading; whereas in the past, we tended to measure these skills in isolation. For example, many of us learned languages years ago by studying and being tested on the grammar of the language. Today, there are national assessments that measure a student’s language proficiencies over time in ways similar to the oral and writing proficiency scales and assessments used by the Foreign Service Institute. We have adapted those scales and assessments to the K-12 environment, and researchers have determined how much time and under what circumstances language proficiency improves. As a result, we now know that students who begin languages at an earlier age generally have better pronunciation than older learners. We also know that the amount of time necessary for English speakers to learn all domains (reading, writing, etc.) of certain languages is much greater than with others. For example, English speakers reach higher proficiencies in Romance languages much faster than they do in Mandarin, Japanese, Korean or Arabic. Children who are exposed to a language in the classroom, at home and in social environments make faster progress through all domains of language use. The research also shows the benefits of placing students in partial or full immersion language settings. That is, when the language program is carefully planned to include content from other subject areas (e.g., science and music) Continued on page 86