Anderson elementary school foreign language classes open young minds
Studies show that learning a second language in elementary schools increases students' cognitive skills and sets the foundation to become bilingual, but few schools offer the classes due to a lack of funding and availability of certified staff.
Concord Elementary School is one of the few public schools in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties that offers foreign language classes, such as French or Spanish, to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The classes are part of the International Baccalaureate theme for Concord Elementary, which Anderson School District 5 implemented six years ago. In Spanish classes at Concord, the students are introduced to the language. They learn about different Spanish-speaking cultures as well as phrases and simple sentences.
"We see them throughout the week," said Spanish teacher Becky Easton. "They're just little sponges and they love coming to Spanish class."
The goal of the courses is to teach the students to approach people from different backgrounds with an open mind. In classes, teachers highlight different cultures.
The young students learn to speak naturally in the classes. Teachers do not focus heavily on the grammar and conjugation typically taught in foreign language classes in middle and high schools.
"It's like teaching a baby to speak," said Concord Principal Beryl Barclay. "It's a much more natural process."
School officials say students who learn a foreign language at an early age tend to better grasp more advanced studies in upper-level language classes in high school and often display greater cognitive skills.
"Research shows there is an optimal window of time to learn a language at a young age," said Gregory Jones, Fairfax County (Virginia) School District world languages coordinator. "And with that, if students have a long sequence of opportunities to learn the language, they can gain high levels of proficiency."
Fairfax County has offered students a foreign language program in 68 of the district's 139 elementary schools for many years and has experienced the effects of those programs. It's easier for students to naturally pick up another language at a young age, and they also develop more critical thinking skills, resulting in improved academic performance at the schools that offer immersion programs, or related arts foreign language classes, several school officials said.
"As we are pulling data, we are finding that kids who are in the immersion programs are outperforming, or at least performing just as well as monolingual students," said Fairfax School District Elementary Specialist Beatrix Preusse-Burr.
Teaching students another language can also affect the economy, several educators said. The number of Spanish-speaking residents in the Southeast is increasing, and in a global economy, it's important for students at a young age to be introduced to another language, said Clemson University professor Mikel Cole.
"With Michelin and BMW coming to the Upstate, these are opportunities for schools to build rich, equitable language programs for English- and Spanish-speaking students and their families," Cole said. "A FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary Schools) program is a huge first step for districtwide reorienting to language diversity."
District 5 tried to implement a districtwide elementary foreign language program about 10 years ago, but the instructional video curriculum was not successful, school officials said.
Since then, Tripp Dukes, District 5 assistant superintendent for elementary instruction, said there have been conversations about alternative educational methods, such as online programs similar to Rosetta Stone.
To successfully expand a foreign language program, interactive instruction is needed, school officials and researchers said.
"You can't sit a kid down in front of a Rosetta Stone program and have them learn it. You've got to have them interact with people," Cole said. "In general, some computer adapted program may be useful ... but it can't be the only thing."
Officials in Fairfax County said one way to help make school programs successful is to start small with strong public and school district support. While finding qualified teachers for the language programs is difficult, the Fairfax district has paired up with the local universities, and the teachers help spread the word about job openings to their friends, Jones said. Support is also needed from the state department of education.
"What it boils down to is the schools have to make a commitment," Jones said.
But without resources and qualified teachers, it's not possible at this time for District 5. Hiring a Spanish teacher for each elementary school could cost the district more than $500,000, Dukes said.
"It's something we certainly would do if money were no object," Dukes said.
Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM