Alberta Spanish Programs of Study

1. Alberta Spanish Programs of Study A Webinar for Visiting Teachers from Spain Christina Bexte Curriculum Manager, Languages

2. International Language Programming in the Alberta K-12 system Alberta students learn languages: • at home, • in the community, and • at school.

3. Languages in Alberta Alberta communities are diverse; our communities reflect a wide range of languages and cultures; those of: • our First Nations (indigenous/Aboriginal) peoples • Canadian francophones… as well as speakers of French from around the world (French and English are Canada’s official languages) • immigrants from around the world, from a wide range of cultures and linguistic backgrounds.

4. Linguistic/Cultural Diversity… Non-official mother tongues by immigrant status and period of immigration, Canada, 2006 Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-555/figures/c1-eng.cfm

5. Linguistic/Cultural Diversity…Top 11 Non-official mother tongues reported in Canada: *Chinese languages includes persons have a Chinese language as mother tongue (including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Taiwanese, Chaochow (Teochow), Fukien and Shanghainese as well as a residual category (Chinese languages not otherwise specified). Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-555/figures/c1-eng.cfm

6. Encouraging Choice and Recognizing our Linguistic/Cultural Diversity… …. have led to a variety of language programs in the K - Grade 12 system …with various entry points.

7. International Language Programming in the Alberta K-12 system • Provincial/territorial governments in Canada have the responsibility for Education. • Alberta Education determines the curriculum standards for Kindergarten to Grade 12. • Local school authorities are responsible for the implementation of programming, that is: • determining the programming that best meets local school/community needs, and • implementing the programming

8. International Language Programming currently in Alberta School Authorities School authorities in Alberta, including: • jurisdictions • charter school jurisdictions • private schools • schools in First Nations communities offer language learning opportunities to their students.

9. School authorities in Alberta have a range of language program choices available to them: Alberta school authorities may deliver either: • an available provincial language program of studies or • a current, authorized locally developed/acquired language course.

10. Which International languages are offered? • …as locally-developed • course series? • examples include: • Arabic • Cantonese • Filipino • Greek • Hebrew • Korean • Polish • Portuguese • Russian … through provincial programs of study? Blackfoot Chinese (Mandarin) Cree French German Italian Japanese Latin Punjabi Spanish Ukrainian Additionally …there are increasing numbers in after-school/evenings language program in community heritage language schools.

11. Languages in Alberta Language Programs in Alberta Locally – developed/acquired course series may be developed/implemented

12. Language program options for Spanish: • Spanish Bilingual programs Language Arts courses are 1 component of an alternative (bilingual) language program • Spanish Language and Culture course series Language and Culture course series consist of instruction in the target language and culture, timetabled (95 hours K-Grade 9; 125 hours per high school 5-credit course). The course series reflect the number of years of instruction: 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-Y. In Alberta there are two types of provincial Spanish language programs:

13. Spanish Language Programs in Alberta

14. Language Programming Enrollments 2009/2010: Since 2006, Alberta authorities have been reporting their language enrolments. In 2009/2010 school authorities reported enrollments in: • French (French immersion and French as a Second Language (FSL) • 6 First Nations (Aboriginal) languageswere reported: Cree, Blackfoot, Nakota (Stoney), Dené, Tsuu T'ina, and Saulteaux • 19 international languages : Arabic, American Sign Language(ASL), Chinese(Mandarin), Chinese(Cantonese), Filipino, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese. (Note: Some languages are offered exclusively in community heritage language schools e.g., Cantonese, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Portuguese, Swedish and Vietnamese.)

15. What does preliminary data reveal re Spanish Enrollments last year? *2009/2010 preliminary data • 200 schools in 57 Alberta school authorities across Alberta (35 jurisdictions, 3 charter schools, 18 private schools and 1 heritage language private school) reported enrollments in Spanish language programming in 2009/2010. • 4 of these jurisdictions offered Spanish bilingual programming (K-grade 10) in 16 schools in Edmonton and Calgary. Grade K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

16. Spanish Enrolments 2006/2007-2009/2010* Spanish program enrolments are on the rise in Alberta. *2009/2010 data is preliminary.

17. International Languages Programs of Study • Chinese 中文 • German (Deutsch) • Italian (Italiano) • Japanese 日本語 • Latin (Latīna) • Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • Spanish (Español) • Ukrainian (Українська) • Assessment Materials for 9-year Programs • Related Documents • Key Contacts at: http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/interlang.aspx

19. What is an Outcome? Alberta’s curriculum is written with a focus on outcomes i.e. the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students are expected to achieve by the end of a grade and/or course.

20. Student outcomes are not activities or strategies, that is:

21. Assumptions … We believe… • Language is communication. • All students can be successful learners of language and culture, although they will learn in a variety of ways and acquire proficiency at varied rates. • All languages can be taught and learned. • Learning Spanish as a second language leads to enhanced learning in • the student’s primary language • related areas of cognitive development and knowledge acquisition.

22. Bilingual programs Bilingual programming in international languages is designed to promote all-round personal development by fostering social, emotional, moral, intellectual and creative growth.

23. A Spanish Bilingual Program includes: • the Language Arts course series (at http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/interlang/spanish.aspx) • other subjects taught in Spanish • determined by the school authority • outcomes as outlined in the Alberta programs of study (at : http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers.aspx )

24. Spanish Language Arts What are the components and outcomes of Alberta’s Spanish bilingual program language arts curriculum?

25. Alberta’s Spanish Language Arts… • GeneralLanguage Component has… • 5 General Outcomes COMPONENTS: • General Language Component • Specific LanguageComponent • Culture • Specific Language Component • has… • 2 General Outcomes • (SPECIFIC LANGUAGE (i.e. Spanish) AND CULTURE)

26. Learning Outcomes for Spanish Language Arts SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS: GENERAL LANGUAGE COMPONENT In the Kindergarten to Grade 12 Language Arts sequence, students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to…

27. Learning Outcomes for Spanish Language Arts • Specific Language • Component: • ... acquire Spanish to • … understand and • appreciate languages, • and… use Spanish confidently and competently in a variety of situations for • communication, • personal satisfaction and • further learning. Students will…. • CULTURE: • … explore, understand and appreciate the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world for • personal growth and satisfaction • participating in, and contributing to, our multicultural Canadian society and the world.

28. Spanish Language and Culture Alberta’s language and culture curriculum is outcomes based, applications driven… • What are the.. • key components • outcomes • of this program ?

29. Spanish Language and Culture … Key components? • into four components: • APPLICATIONS • LANGUAGE COMPETENCE • GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP • STRATEGIES Alberta’s language and culture programs of study are all organized • … then by • General outcomes (GO’s) • →Cluster • →Strand • Specific outcomes (SO’s) • → by grade • becoming more complex over time.

30. General Outcomes… … are broad statements identifying the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students are expected to achieve, for example:Applications [A]● Students will use target language in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes.Language Competence [LC]● Students will use the target language effectively and competently.Global Citizenship [GC]● Students will acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be effective global citizens.Strategies [S]● Students will know and use strategies to maximize effectiveness of learning and communication.

31. Specific Outcomes: Each general outcome is further broken down into specific outcomes that students are to achieve by the end of the course/grade ● Specific outcomes are: • interrelated and interdependent • categorized under cluster headings which show the scope of each of the four general outcomes • further categorized by strands and clusters which show thedevelopmental flow of learning from the beginning to the end of the program (In the classroom, a number of outcomes will be dealt with simultaneously and in an integrated manner.)

32. Applications Students will use the international language in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes • to impart and receive information • to express emotions and personal perspectives • to get things done • to form, maintain and change interpersonal relationships • to extend their knowledge of the worldfor imaginative purposes and personal enjoyment

33. Language Competence Students will use the international language effectively and competently. • attend to form • interpret and produce oral texts • interpret and produce written texts • apply knowledge of the sociocultural context • apply knowledge of how discourse is organized, structured and sequenced

34. Global Citizenship Students will acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be effective global citizens. • historical and contemporary elements of the target culture(s) • affirming diversity • personal and career opportunities

35. Strategies Students will know and use strategies to maximize the effectiveness of learning and communication. • language learning • language use • general learning

36. Language learning is an ongoing process • Spanish outcomes reflect a progression of development that matches the developmental stages of the students. • The specific outcomes for each course reflect the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students are expected to achieve by the end of that course. • Students are expected to demonstrate the specific outcomes for the current course and build upon their prior knowledge and skills from previous grades/courses.

37. Language learning is integrative, not merely cumulative • Language learning is reinforced, extended and broadened over time: • general and specific outcomes established in this program of studies are intended to be delivered in an integrated manner. • lexical fields, learning strategies or language functions are revisited at different points in the program, but from a different perspective, in broader contexts or at a slightly higher level of proficiency each time. An expanding spiral model shows that progression is not only vertical (e.g., increased proficiency) but also horizontal (e.g., broader range of applications and experience with more text forms, contexts and so on).

38. Modes of Communication Language programs use three modes of communication to organize some of the specific outcomes: • Interaction (direct, face-to-face oral communication, written communication, involving negotiation of meaning and generally requiring more speed but less accuracy ) • Interpretation (receptive communication of oral and written messages: reading, listening, viewing) • Production (communication of oral and written messages, which may be enhanced by representing the meaning visually)

39. Language Competence [LC]: • Using the target language effectively and competently • … requires a great deal of practice … • Just because we taught it – doesn’t mean they ’got it’! • The language curriculum allows us to reinforce this repetition in the grammatical elements strand of language competence(LC),

40. Strategies Component: … the General Outcome is: Students will know and use strategies to maximize the effectiveness of learning and communication. We focus on… Strategies help students learn and communicate more effectively and more efficiently.

41. Key Program References: • Provincially developed language programs in a wide variety of International languages, including Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Spanish and Ukrainian are posted at: http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/interlang.aspx • Alberta Language programs are posted on Learn Alberta at: http://www.learnalberta.ca/

42. Learn Alberta at: http://www.learnalberta.ca/

43. Questions about provincial International Languages’ Programs of Study? Contact: Christina Bexte Curriculum Manager, Languages Education Program Standards and Assessment Division, Curriculum Sector Arts, Communications and Citizenship Branch Alberta Education 8th Floor, 44 Capital Blvd., 10044–108 StreetEdmonton, AB, Canada  T5J 5E6 Ph.: 780-422-3216 Fax: 780-422-3745