Building Connections: Language, Globalization, the Global Citizen, and the Impact of Policy

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Building Connections Language, Globalization,
the Global Citizen, and the Impact of Policy

• Leah Mason
• CASIE Research Fellow
• Doctor of Education Student
• Teachers College, Columbia University

Global Language Convention April 17-20,
2008 Funded by the Center for the Advancement and
Study of International Education
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• How are students in 21st century schools
  communicating?
• What languages do they know and use, and how do
  these languages shape their worldview?
• What is the role of policy?

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The United States Language

• No official language
• 311 languages spoken
• 18 of US households speak a language other than
  English in the home
• English-Only Movement
• 44 of HS students enrolled in foreign language
• Top 3 FLs Spanish, French, German
• Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Russian
  and Urdu combined

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The European Union Language

• 23 official languages
• 458 languages spoken
• 56 able to hold a conversation in a language
  other than their mother tongue
• 28 speak 2 languages mother tongue at the
  conversation level
• 90 of students enrolled in English as a Foreign
  Language
• Most popular foreign languages English, French,
  German, Spanish, and Russian

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• Nationalism
• Changing boundaries
• Global cosmopolitan citizenship
• The increasingly technologically driven,
  interactive, and competitive global cultural
  economy of the 21st century has created labour
  demand for high levels of technological
  capability, communicative competence, and
  continuous upgrading of skills. (Rassool, 2007,
  p. 8)

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Language planning
Nonlinguistic goal
Ferguson (1977) Cooper (1989)
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United States EuropeanUnion

• National Security Language Initiative
• Language as security concern

• Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic
  Diversity An Action Plan 2004-2006
• Language to be supported and encouraged for
  community

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• United States
• Critical languages
• Reform
• Respect other cultures
• Learn about America and its citizens
• All ages

• European Union
• Mother tongue plus two
• Competitive knowledge-based economy
• All ages

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• Increase language learning for younger learners
• Increase capacity of foreign language teachers
• Improve the quality of foreign language teachers

• United States
• STARTALK immersion instruction in critical
  languages
• Civilian Linguist Reserve Corps

• European Union
• Research on pedagogical and linguistic skills for
  teachers
• Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
• Public outreach campaign

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• United States
• Department of Education
• Department of State
• Department of Defense
• Office of the Director of National Intelligence

• European Union
• European Commission
• European Parliament
• Member States
• Education and Culture
• Commission on Multilingualism

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• United States
• Limited research

• European Union
• Extensive research

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United States

• Critical languages defined
• Hyperbolic language
• designed to dramatically increase
• Essential component of US national security
• citizens are totally unprepared
• Foreign languages

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European Union

• Building a single Union
• Building a common home in which to live, work
  and trade together means acquiring the skills to
  communicate with one another effectively
• Society based on knowledge
• learning other languages contributes to this
  goal by improving cognitive skills and
  strengthening learners mother tongue skills,
  including reading and writing.
• Economy
• making sure that European citizens, and
  companies, have the intercultural and language
  skills necessary to be effective in the global
  market-place.
• Understanding and communication in other
  languages as a basic skill
• language competencies are part of the core of
  skills that ever citizen needs for training,
  employment, cultural exchange and personal
  fulfillment.
• The language-friendly environment
• every community in Europe can become more
  language-friendly by making better use of
  opportunities to hear and see other languages and
  cultures, thereby helping to improve language
  awareness and learning.

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• United States
• External

• European Union
• Internal

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• This program is a part of a strategic goal, and
  that is to protect this country in the short term
  and protect it in the long term by spreading
  freedom. Were facing an ideological struggle,
  and were going to win.
• US President George W. Bush
• Languages are fundamental for Europeans wanting
  to work together. They go to the very heart of
  the unity in diversity of the European Union. We
  need to nurture and promote our linguistic
  heritage in the Member States but we also need to
  understand each other, our neighbours, our
  partners in the EU. Speaking many languages makes
  businesses and citizens more competitive and more
  mobile.
• - Leonard Orban, Commissioner of Multilingualism

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Classroom Impact

• Opportunities
• Challenges

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Thank you! lmm2119_at_columbia.edu