21st Century Children and the Role of Foreign Language

According to the Partnership for 21st Century skills, “Every child in the U.S. needs 21st Century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders. This can be accomplished by fusing the three Rs and four Cs. To successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges and a globally competitive workforce, U.S. schools must align classroom environments with real world environments by fusing the three Rs and four Cs:

• The three Rs include: English, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography.
• The four Cs include: critical thinking and problem solving; communication, collaboration; and creativity and innovation.”

Recognizing the need to close the gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st Century communities and workplaces, Oak Grove School identified “Studying, Selecting, and Integrating 21st Century Skills” as a major component of its Strategic Plan. Research supports foreign language and global awareness are important pieces of 21st Century skills.

Increasingly we hear key leaders outline the imperative for the United States to “strengthen its language policy”, that other nations recognize they operate in a global economy and that “understanding other societies and cultures is both valuable in its own right and necessary to be competitive”, and that the “line between domestic and international issues is increasingly blurred.” If this is the world of our 21st Century children, how does foreign language support their success in that world?

According to Advocacy Chair of the California Language Teacher’s Association, Nicole Naditz, “World language programs also provide one of the only avenues for students to explore the diverse perspectives that shape how others in the world respond to situations within and beyond their communities....If we aren’t providing language and cultural education to our students, are we really preparing them to assume roles in the global society they are inheriting? Can we claim to have graduated students with a full complement of 21^st century skills if they can’t communicate in the languages their future employers need? What about the languages needed by our community organizations? Or those needed during these times of increased concern for national security? How are we preparing our students to interact in positive and productive ways with those from cultures different from their own?”

Interested in reading more about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills or the California Language Teacher’s Association? Click on the following links: http://www.p21.org http:/www.clta.net

Note: The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has “5 C’s” they refer to when teaching foreign language. Although similarities exist in the category definition, they are different and define the manner in which each group organizes their materials, standards, and goals.