What Foreign Language(s) Should Be Taught at OGS?

“Vulcan!  It is the most common language spoken in the world!”  

“Jawaese!  It is a language much more likely to be needed in the future!”

“Rodian!  It is essential to our children’s academic growth!”  

“Adorii would be great to have based on our global economy!”  

“Tuskan!  It is important from a national security standpoint!”  

“Borg is not relevant in today’s world!”

Although the above conversational quotes discussing language selection are meant to be humorous, they are also meant to illustrate how passionate and emotional the discussion around language selection can be.  When designing a foreign language program, determining which language(s) will be taught is potentially the most controversial issue.  Some experts go so far to recommend this decision be the last one made in order to keep the issue from becoming divisive.  We all have reasons as to why we believe a particular language should be taught.  Ultimately though, we are aware that finite time and resources mean we cannot teach every language and a choice needs to be made.

So what is the criteria that should be considered when selecting a foreign language(s) to be taught in a particular school?

Local Demographic Influence - The various languages spoken in and around the school’s community may want to be considered.  Opportunity for use outside the classroom provides some benefit and students already fluent in the target language can play important roles in the classroom, enhancing the classroom experience and providing an opportunity for those students to further build self-esteem.

Stakeholder Input - Understanding the thoughts and opinions of the school’s stakeholders is important.  

Availability to regularly recruit certified teaching staff in the target language(s) -  The best foreign language program in the nation can be designed for a school, but if the school does not have a pool of certified teachers who speak the target language to regularly recruit from, the program will not be sustainable over the long term.

National demographic trends - Understanding the future demographic make up of a nation and how that nation is positioned globally can play a role in language selection in order to help prepare students for the world they will navigate as adults.

Geographically influenced language choice - Different parts of the country have different exposure to cultures and languages that may want to be considered.  For example, many foreign language offerings in the Pacific Northwest of the Unites States are Japanese and Russian based the proximity of those countries to that area as compared to other parts of the United States.

All are important criteria to consider and discuss when choosing a foreign language(s) to teach at a school.  In addition to the above, it is also important to be aware of these primary factors:

“Language experts state that the specific language [taught] is not critical.  It is the early introduction [of the language] and selecting a language where there are available teachers skilled in the language.”

- Helena Curtain
Internationally recognized Expert on Second Language Teaching Methodology
Former Foreign Language Curriculum Specialist, Milwaukee Public Schools
Former Elementary, Middle/Junior High, and High School Foreign Language Teacher

NOTE: The illustrative conversation at the beginning of the article is based on parent comments from the March 2011 Foreign Language Survey.  In order to not bias the foreign language selection discussion, actual languages were replaced with languages from Star Trek and the Star Wars Trilogy.