What learners should take away from their beginning language studies

We all know that many of  our students in our lower-level language classes are not planning to continue studying after they leave our doors at the end of the semester. So what can we do to maximize use of the time we have with them, and possibly convince them to stick around?

I attended a presentation by Grant Goodall from the University of California San Diego and  Darcy Lear from the University of Chicago, sponsored by McGraw Hill, on "What Learners Should Take Away from their Beginning Language Studies." The ideas presented align very well with our institutional goals and really give us something to think about in designing activities.

First, Goodall spoke to how language courses address the deeper intellectual skills that colleges highlight:  (Anyone recognize our General Education Learning Outcomes?) 

• the experience of learning a language
• international studies
• transcultural competence
• how language works
• critical thinking skills

Goodall made a statement that intrigued me, "Most humans speak more than one language; this is our natural state, not an aberration." He argues that navigating multiple languages is part of the human experience that, by remaining monolingual, we deny ourselves.

Second, Lear addressed how early language courses can teach our students the valuable professional skills that industry leaders have identified as most important for recent grads:

• written and verbal communication
• ability to analyze and synthesize
• organization
• problem-solving
• decision-making
• ability to behave in culturally appropriate ways

There is no doubt that we want to prepare our students to think critically about their academic and career goals (yes, I just quoted our QEP topic!) Let's go a step further and explicitly teach them skills to help them in their professional lives.

I have long connected the dots in my own mind about how language courses teach these intellectual and professional skills laid out by Goodall and Lear. However, I can probably count on my fingers the times I've made that connection explicit to my students. We need to be more blunt about it! Students are in our classrooms thinking about language - the language homework they're doing, the language test they're facing, etc. They need to be reminded that they're learning so much more. And when they can understand that, they become great allies in the fight to keep and grow language programs in our colleges.