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Teaching our tongues
Student-run language classes: RESOURCES
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A student-run language program is an excellent way to celebrate linguistic diversity in your school, while also validating the home languages and cultures of the school community at large. The students become the teachers and the teachers often become the students in this fun and valuable activity. On this page you will find many of the materials necessary for starting your own program, including student job application, a sample calendar, a passport template, certificates, and information about celebrations and advocacy. Have fun! |
- Student job application: In order to "apply" for a job teaching their languages, interested students were asked to fill out a job application with information such as the language or languages they would teach, the types of activities they would include in their lesson, the materials they would need for their class, and a reason why they want to teach their language.
- Sample calendar: Student-run language classes require a good bit of organization. Students are asked to list the days/dates that they are available to teach their mini-lesson. The coordinator then develops a language calendar with the names of students and their languages. If there are many students who wish to offer the same language, several days can be given to accomodate them. Similarly, if only a few students volunteer to offer one language and time is limited, they can be scheduled to teach together, thus exposing students to a "team teaching" model!
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- Passport template: Before students attend the classes, they can be given a blank passport. The student/teachers can be given a special stamp that relates to their home language, country or culture. At the end of every class session, students are given a stamp in their passports. At times, world language teachers have translated the stamps into extra credit points as a means of encouraging participation in the event.
- Certificates: The "teachers" are given certificates in appreciation of their service to the world language department and in recognition of their willingness to share their home language and culture with the school community.
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- Sign-up wiki: Once classes are scheduled, the remaining students are asked to "register" for the classes they wish to attend. If space is limited, a "cap" on each class can be set using a wiki. In our school, students signed up on the wiki during their world language period. They can also be given access to sign up before or after school. Once a class is full, the wikimaster can close that page to further sign-ups by students.
- Advocacy and celebration: Be sure to take lots of photos of the event! Students can be interviewed before and after their classes - what did they learn? how did they feel teaching their language? what did their classmates think of their friends and their teaching? Publish scrapbooks, blogs, newspaper and magazine articles, and more to keep the celebration going!
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