Danny Hollinger's Education Blog

Language Immersion in Arabic and Chinese

Danny — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:28:44 +0000

The demand for K-12 international educational programs that include language training is increasing dramatically in the United States. Arabic, in particular, is experiencing dramatic growth. Designated a “strategic” language by the U.S. government, Arabic faces unprecedented demand for instruction in schools across the U.S., from kindergarten upwards. Not long ago, Middle Eastern languages comprised only 2 percent of all foreign language classes in the United States. A Modern Language Association survey revealed a 92 percent rise in Arabic enrollments between 1998 and 2002 — to 10,600. From 2002-2006, the number of students enrolled in Arabic courses in college increased from 10,584 students to 23,974 students—a 126.5% jump.

The U.S. Department of Education has responded to meet the demand for new Arabic education. Federal funds for various international education programs are up 33 percent since 2001 to $103.7 million in 2004. Specifically, grants for foreign language and area studies rose 65 percent during this period. A myriad federally-funded opportunities are available for students and educators to learn Arabic in the United States. The U.S. government is also encouraging schools to start language training sooner. “We’re living in a global society,” said Wilbert Bryant, deputy assistant secretary for higher education in the U.S. Department of Education. “We must be able to speak the languages of many countries. The only way is to start at K-12. It’s the only way to remain competitive and retain our position as the superpower in the world.”

In addition to Arabic, the rise of China is driving new demand for Chinese language speakers across business and social sectors. Yet schools throughout the United States are largely unprepared to meet this need, lacking qualified teachers, programs, or creative uses of modern educational technologies, according to a study by Asia Society. The report, entitled “Expanding Chinese Language Capacity in the United States,” calls for a national commitment to new investments in teaching Chinese language and culture. Created by Asia Society’s education division, the report documents a growing consensus among national security and business leaders, educators, and foreign language experts. Its analysis of the current status of Chinese language instruction concludes that the current infrastructure to support recruitment of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is woefully inadequate.

As China grows into a major world player, Chinese language skills are becoming critical to national prosperity and security. Yet, a recent study shows only 24,000 students in grades 7-12 study Chinese, a language spoken by 1.3 billion people. In contrast, more than one million students learn French, a language spoken by only 80 million people. “Our nation’s schools are locked in a time warp. By ignoring critical languages such as Chinese and the essential cultural knowledge needed to succeed, our school systems are out of step with new global realities. This report urgently highlights the need for an expanded national commitment to world languages and international studies,” said Charles Kolb, President of the Committee for Economic Development.

FACULTY CULTURE AND STUDENT LEARNING

Danny — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:47:53 +0000

The nature of relationships among adults in schools is the single greatest determinant of students’ academic and social success. While subject-area knowledge and teaching skills are necessary, a school’s culture – especially faculty culture – creates the conditions for teaching and learning. Yet, sadly, faculty culture is typically characterized by departmentalization, turf wars and isolation. As Roland Barth articulates so well, “All too often, the adult relationships are (in that wonderful phrase from preschool education) parallel play. For hours at a time, two- and three-year-olds in a sandbox can be so engrossed in themselves, in their own work and project and tools, that they are oblivious to anybody else in the sandbox. This is thought to be a stage of development through which two- and three-year-olds soon pass on their way to far more sophisticated forms of human interaction. But I’d say that parallel play characterizes most of what I see going on in schools. The self-contained classroom is parallel play. The English department that doesn’t interact with the math department is parallel play. One school doing one thing, the school a mile down the road doing something different, oblivious to each other, is parallel play. Parallel play is endemic. It’s as if we have a case of professional arrested development. When adult relationships in schools are interactive, too often they are adversarial. As one teacher said, “You know we educators have drawn our wagons into a circle and trained our guns…on each other.” As if there aren’t enough people outside shooting at schools.”

Research clearly demonstrates that student learning correlates directly to adult learning. A faculty culture characterized by enthusiastic commitment to learning and personal growth, collaboration, and unremitting devotion to each and every student’s success is essential. In our schools, we need to elevate learning at all levels above all other concerns, activities and goals, and value dearly experimentation, new ideas, adventure and discovery. Teachers must teach teachers, observe each other, give constructive feedback, and collaborate across disciplines and languages. Learning is at its best in a school culture, created by adults and students, that values leaning above all else.

STANDARDIZED TESTING – CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

Danny — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:50:47 +0000

People who believe that standardized testing is a measure of quality education can’t see the forest for the trees. The current obsession with standardarized test scores diverts resources and energy away from authentic, meaninful and relevant learning. Consider the teachers who give students a list of words for a spelling test. Typically, most words on the list are not directly connected to other areas of study, are rarely, if ever, used in conversation and encountered occasionally at best while reading. Dutifully – or not – students memorize spellings for the test, most of which they will forget shortly thereafter. Another student receives a box of flash cards with vocabulary words from a company that charges $1,500 to help prepare students for the SATs. The message on the box is that memorizing the vocabulary words will likely increase the student’s SAT score. So, students spend hours upon hours memorizing words, the vast marjority of which they will promptly forget. Teachers stand in front of classes, deliver lectures and lessons, and give quizzes and tests. Students spend hours and hours memorizing the material for the tests. In fact, approximately 85 percent of educational services in public and private middle and high schools today is delivered in large-group didactic instruction, which is a well-documented weak method. Research shows that students remember only five percent of the content of a lecture six weeks later. They cram for exams, most of which they forget shortly after the tests.

Contrary to standard practices today, students learn best when their minds, bodies and emotions are engaged in meaningful and relevant learning, in juxtaposition to sitting in chairs at desks listening to teachers expound on a body of knowledge. Students need to participate actively in all phases of the learning process for learning to be meaningful, relevant and memorable. When teachers introduce “units of inquiry” organized around central ideas that guide teaching and learning across disciplines, students are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn – and remember what they learned.

We need to dispense with the antiquated notion that schools have two classes of citizens, the learners (students) and the learned (teachers). A new paradigm establishes first and foremost a commitment to the schoolhouse as a community of learners, where all engage in, model, and support in others the most important business of the schoolhouse – learning. In such a schoolhouse, students will be inspired to learn and achieve far above and beyond standard expectations. The result will be superior performance, which is best measured using authentic assessment tools. And for those addicted to standardized tests, the test scores of students from schoolhouses filled with inquiring student and adult learners will cure them of the addiction forever.

WELCOME TO HOLLINGER INTERNATIONAL & J DANIEL HOLLINGER’S EDUCATION BLOG

Danny — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:16:29 +0000

Danny Hollinger serves as President of Hollinger International, an education and leadership development firm focused on helping clients establish new schools and education programs, improve existing schools and education programs and strengthen leadership. Dr. Hollinger specializes in International Baccalaureate Programmes, leadership development and coaching, strategic planning and governance.

In addition to consulting, Dr. Hollinger is launching a new education blog. A visionary education entrepreneur with a distinguished track record in designing and delivering highly successful educational programs and services for students from diverse economic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Dr. Hollinger is looking forward to contributing to education reform through blogging.

Prior to consulting, Dr. Hollinger founded, built and led two international schools – transitioning them from start-up to full-scale operations. He developed pioneering dual-language immersion, International Baccalaureate Programmes in Arabic, English, French, Greek, Mandarin and Spanish. Dr. Hollinger created and led high-performing and collaborative faculty, management and leadership teams. He established partnerships with corporations, foundations, governments, schools and universities worldwide, and acquired and developed five campuses.

Dr. Hollinger serves on George Mason University’s FAST TRAIN Advisory Board and Next Generation Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.

Hollinger Associates International specializes in the following areas:

EDUCATION

· Establishing New Schools and Education Programs

· Improving Existing Schools and Education Programs

· Implementing International Baccalaureate Programmes

· Teaching World Languages Effectively

· Improving Student Performance and Annual Yearly Progress

· Providing Professional Development Services for Inquiry-Based, Interdisciplinary Teaching

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

· Developing Compelling Visionary Leadership

· Creating a Vibrant, Innovative Organizational Culture

· Building Collaborative, High-Performing Teams

· Selecting and Supporting Talented Leaders

· Planning Strategically

· Developing Strategic Governance

· Coaching Leaders