Teaching in the Target Language:

The Key to Linguistic and Cultural Proficiency

Maggie Chen

Iman Hashem

Brandon Zaslow

Mandarin in Schools Conference

Los Angeles, November 1, 2014

California World Language

Project

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

Since 2007 STARTALK has developed the capacity of

states to deliver programs in less-commonly taught

languages including Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Korean,

Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu

STARTARK has developed a set of endorsed principles

that have been validated in STARTALK programs in these

languages and align with ACTFL’s World Readiness

Standards, California’s World Language Content

Standards, the Common Core State Standards and US

Government Principles for Language Learning

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

☐ Implementing a Standards-Based and

Thematically Organized Curriculum

• Essential Questions, Knowledge and Skills

• Backward Design

• Integrated Performance Tasks

• Stage- and Age- Appropriate Themes

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

☐ Adaptation and Use of Authentic Materials

Rich in Language, Culture and Content

• Range of Stage- and Age-Appropriate

Authentic Materials (Print/Non-Print/Variety

of Technological Formats)

• Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives

• Common Core Content

• Language as a Tool for Communication

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

☐ Use of the Target Language, Making

Language, Culture, and Content

Comprehensible to Students

• Use of the Target Language 90% of Time

• Use of Strategies to Make Language, Culture,

and Content Comprehensible to Students

• Monitoring Comprehension, Adjusting

Instruction as Necessary

• Avoiding Translation by Teachers and Students

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

☐ Facilitating a Learner-Centered Classroom

• Frequent, varied opportunities for

interpretation of authentic materials

• Daily opportunities for use of content

knowledge, cultural and communicative skills

• Individual, paired, small group activities with

opportunities for meaningful communication,

acquisition of knowledge, self direction

STARTALK Endorsed

Principles

☐ Conducting Performance Based

Assessment

• Formative Assessments, Feedback to Inform

Learning and Teaching

• Assessment of Knowledge, Cultural and

Communicative Skills

• Integrative Performance Tasks

Use of the Target Language

“To acquire a new language, learners need to do

more than hear the teacher speak about the

foreign language. They need to hear the teacher

speak in the language.” Krashen

“Input is to language acquisition as gas is to a car.

An engine needs gas to run; without gas, the car

would not move an inch. Likewise, comprehensible

input in language learning is what gets the ‘engine’

of acquisition going. Without it, acquisition simply

does not happen.” Lee and VanPatten

Use of the Target Language

Donato

• Not all gas is good for your car.

• Refined gas is better than crude oil.

• Similarly, not all input is good for language

learning.

• Input beneficial to language learning is a kind of

‘refined language,’ modified and simplified in

ways that make it comprehensible to learners.

Use of the Target Language

Create Comprehensible LANGUAGE by:

• Paraphrasing (or saying it in an easier way)

• Slowing down the rate of delivery

• Defining words by example, not translation

• Using structures students are familiar with and

building on them over time

• Using key words and phrases more than once

• Using tone of voice to emphasize key parts of the

message

Use of the Target Language

Create a CONTEXT for increasing comprehension by:

• Making sure students have knowledge of the topic

and the objective of the lesson

• Providing a meaningful and purposeful context

• Using gestures to make meanings clear

• Using visuals and props

Use of the Target Language

Create Comprehensible Interactions with Learners

• Using active comprehension-checking prompts.

Not “Do you understand?” but rather

“Show me you understand.”

• Using questioning sequences in sufficient quantity.

yes/no > forced-choice > open ended

• Providing students with ways to clarify and confirm

their understanding. (Can you say it again? More

slowly please. Do you mean X? )

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator

ACTFL’s Language Educator