Evolution of Foreign Language

By Lmcrespo

  • 1635 - The first Latin Grammar School is established.

    In April 23, 1635 the oldest school in America is established, the Boston Latin School. Reverend John Cotton wanted to create a school like the Free Grammar School of Boston, England, in which Latin and Greek taught. At Boston Latin School, the students would study fundamental subjects, and as part of the curriculum they would also study Latin and Greek. Grammar was taught as a set of rules. Practice was done through written exercises.

  • 1890 - Grammar-Translation Method

    Students learn grammatical rules and then apply those rules by translating sentences between the target language and the native language. This method ignores the active use of the target language. German scholar Karl Plötz adopted this method. Grammar was taught as a set of rules. Students learned the vocabulary via translated lists. This method was criticized by those who favored that languages ought to be learned by actually speaking and listening.

  • 1960's - Foreign Language classes are introduced in elementary schools.

    Language classes were seen as a way make US residents globally competitive.The US National Defense Education Act funded university foreign language programs to ensure that Americans would fare well against the Russians, who launched the Sputnik 1 satellite just a year before. It also funded summer institutes for teachers, who then brought their language skills and tech-focused teaching methods to US classrooms.

  • 1967 - ACTFL founded

    The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is an American organization aiming to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. Their Mission Statement, which was adopted in November 2005 says: "Providing vision, leadership and support for quality teaching and learning of languages. "

  • 1980's - National Foreign Language Center(NFCL)

    The National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) was founded in the mid-1980s as a result of a novel national interest in improving foreign language and international studies education by President Carter's Commission on Language and International Studies in 1979. In 1986, thanks to multimillion-dollar donations from the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Exxon Education Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

  • 1996 - Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century

    The first national standards were released. This version of standards addressed issues and delineated standards common to all second-language learning yet contained examples in many languages. These standards describe the "what" (content) of world languages learning and form the core of standards-based instruction in the world languages classroom.

  • 1998 - ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K–12 Learners

    It describes the language performance of students of foreign languages across the three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, Presentational, following specific periods of classroom instruction. Informed by the Standards for Foreign Language Learning, these guidelines are based on the experience and advice of hundreds of language educators at all levels of instruction
    throughout the United States.

  • 2014 - The National Standards are “refreshed”.

    These revised Standards include language to reflect the current
    educational landscape, including Common Core State Standards, College, and Career Readiness, and 21st-century skills. The Standards influence learning in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels. The five “C” goal areas (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) stress the application of learning a language beyond the instructional setting, (WORLD-READINESS STANDARDS FOR LEARNING LANGUAGES, 2014).