World Languages
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is in the process of developing certification for instructors of Native American Languages in Oklahoma public schools. A committee will be formed to review past certification in our state, investigate similar certification in other states, and work to develop the new certification standards in collaboration with Oklahoma’s Tribes. All interested parties wishing to be part of the committee may complete an application by October 17, 2012, to apply. Download an application form here. Contact either of the following people for additional information:
Desa Dawson Dwight M. Pickering
Director World Languages Director of American Indian Education
(405) 521-3035 (405) 522-1591
Desa.Dawson@sde.ok.gov Dwight.Pickering@sde.ok.gov
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Today's students must be prepared to operate in a global society, and language study is an important part of preparing them to meet the demands of an ever-changing world. As stated in the profession's national goals, communication is at the heart of second language study, whether the communication takes place face-to-face, in writing, or across centuries through reading of literature. Through the study of other languages, students gain a knowledge and understanding of the cultures that use that language; in fact, students cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs. Learning languages provides connections to additional bodies of knowledge that are unavailable to monolingual English speakers. Through comparisons and contrasts with the language studied, students develop greater insight into their own language and culture and realize that multiple ways of viewing the world exist. Together, these elements enable the student of languages to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world in a variety of contexts and in culturally appropriate ways. As is apparent, none of these goals can be separated from the other. (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 2006, p. 31)
The Office of Standards and Curriculum is available to provide professional development to teachers in their local area, either face-to-face or through videoconference or webinar (point-to-point/distance learning) technology. In order for the professional development to have as much impact as possible, for face-to-face interactions, groups need to include representation from at at least 5 districts, an entire county, or that contain at least 45 teachers. For point-to-point/distance learning technology interactions any size group can be accommodated.
Standards
Oklahoma C3 Standards for World Languages
Checklists
- Novice Level Range - Teacher Planning Checklist
- Novice Self-Evaluation Student Checklist
- Intermediate Self Evaluation Student Checklist
- Preadvanced Self-Evaluation Student Checklist
- Portfolio Checklist - Example Form
- Textbook Evaluation - Sample Form
World Languages'Teacher Organizations
- American Association of Teachers of French (AATF)
- American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
- American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP)
- American Classical League (ACL)
- American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR)
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- American Sign Language Teachers Association
- Central States Conference on Foreign Languages
- Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS)
- National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL)
- National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS)
- National Network for Early Language Learing (NNELL)
- Oklahoma Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (OKAATG)
- Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers' Association (OFLTA)
- Southwest Conference on Language Teaching (SWCOLT)
Amiens-Oklahoma Partnership
For More Information, Contact:
Desa Dawson, Director of World Languages, SDE, (405) 521-3035
