"We are committed to the notion that all students
who major in our departments should know English and at
least one other language. This is a radical stance, and it is not one with which
students—or faculty members—can always comply with ease.
Nonetheless, our political and social lives are not “English
only,” domestically or internationally. The value of fluency in
multiple languages cannot be overstated in the twenty-first
century, when the emergent conditions of life bring more of us
more often into circumstances that, on the one hand, ask us to
travel through the complex terrain of a globalized economy and,
on the other, bring far-flung local parochialisms to our doors
through the vastly expanded reach of new communication
technologies. Students who study languages other than English
are achieving not merely formal communication but also
sophistication with the nuances of culture—both in the sense of
culture as art, music, and poetics and the broader sense of
culture as a way of life."
NYSAFLT encourages you to
use these documents below to help educate those who have contact with foreign
language whether it is through their children or themselves directly. A
suggested use for these documents is at Open House, or to encourage another
foreign language teacher to join our organization. If you are a non-NYSAFLT
member using this information, we kindly ask that you join our organization so
you, too, may benefit from this and numerous other materials we have to offer
you. This is just a sampling of what we can offer you to help you be a better
teacher of languages other than English.
Former LOTE Student Survey
If you are a former student of a language other than
English who uses that language (or another) in your
work now, please take a few moments to
fill out this questionnaire. Through your
responses, we hope to develop new and better
advocacy tools to promote the teaching and learning
of foreign languages. Thank you for your help!
The
NYSAFLT Promotional Video, created by Micah and Jan Strauss,
explains what our organization is all about. The video,
which lasts only 2-3 minutes long, is an excellent preview
to what NYSAFLT can do for you as a foreign language teacher
or supervisor. We encourage you to download it free of
charge from our website. This video earned Micah and Jan the
Outstanding Journalist/Media Presenter Award at the Annual
Meeting of 2004.
Are
you interested in becoming a teacher of
foreign languages? ACTFL (The American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages) has put together 3 Public
Service Announcements to demonstrate what
FUN it is to share your love of language and
culture with others. For more information
about Discover Languages Month and all that
ACTFL is doing to recruit teachers, please visit
ACTFL.org.
S.3744
(PDF) - Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program (NYSAFLT
encourages you to send contributions to support the NYSAFLT
Student Travel Abroad Fund to NYSAFLT Headquarters)
S.6230(PDF) - Directs the
commission of education to establish an incentive program for
school district wishing to implement programs of foreign
language in the elementary schools; further directs the
commissioner of education to establish an incentive program for
college students wishing to become foreign language teachers and
makes an appropriation therefor.
A.8882
(PDF) - Directs the commission of
education to establish an incentive program for school district
wishing to implement programs of foreign language in the
elementary schools; further directs the commissioner of
education to establish an incentive program for college students
wishing to become foreign language teachers and makes an
appropriation therefor.
NYSAFLT Position Statements Adobe
Acrobat is required to view and print all documents.
NYSAFLT has recently released position statements
relating to how NYSAFLT approached particular language issues that
arise in New York State. Click here
to reach this document.
New York State Association of Foreign
Languages, Inc. (NYSAFLT)
2400 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14214
716.836.3130 | 716.836.3020 (f) info@nysaflt.org
"We are committed to the notion that all students
who major in our departments should know English and at
least one other language. This is a radical stance, and it is not one with which
students—or faculty members—can always comply with ease.
Nonetheless, our political and social lives are not “English
only,” domestically or internationally. The value of fluency in
multiple languages cannot be overstated in the twenty-first
century, when the emergent conditions of life bring more of us
more often into circumstances that, on the one hand, ask us to
travel through the complex terrain of a globalized economy and,
on the other, bring far-flung local parochialisms to our doors
through the vastly expanded reach of new communication
technologies. Students who study languages other than English
are achieving not merely formal communication but also
sophistication with the nuances of culture—both in the sense of
culture as art, music, and poetics and the broader sense of
culture as a way of life."
