Dave Porter Weblog

Canada: Ontario's International Scholarship Program

    QUEEN'S PARK, ON, Feb. 23 /CNW/ - Over the next two years, more than 1,000 college and university students will have the opportunity to complete a portion of their studies abroad thanks to a new McGuinty government scholarship program being launched today, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced today.    
    "Our government is proud to help students who want to expand their experiences by studying abroad," said Bentley. "These new scholarships will help students pay for international studies and help Ontario's competitive edge through the global knowledge they bring back with them."    
    The new Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships will enable 272 students to study abroad this year. Next year, 800 students will have this chance.
    The scholarships, valued at $2,500 each, are being supported by a $3 million government investment over the two year period.     The scholarships will be awarded based on a combination of financial need and academic merit, with special consideration given to students from under-represented groups - Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities - and francophones. Students interested in applying should contact the international and/or financial aid office of their college or university.    
    "Students, and ultimately Ontario's future prosperity, will benefit from the further expansion of knowledge and skills acquired across the globe," said Tyler Charlebois, director of advocacy for the College Student Alliance. "These scholarships will allow Ontario students to further expand their knowledge and skills while learning about life in different cultures and countries."    
    The government is also working to enrich the educational experience of all Ontario college and university students by:    

Building on existing student exchange agreements with Germany and France as well as developing new agreements with China, India and the United States.     -   

Facilitating the signing of more than 20 agreements - during Premier McGuinty's recent trade mission to India - between postsecondary institutions in Ontario and India. The agreements include student and faculty exchanges, research collaboration and the creation of joint programs.

Supporting initiatives to increase the number of international students attending postsecondary institutions in Ontario.    

As part of the $6.2 billion Reaching Higher plan, the Ontario government is making an investment of $1 million in 2006-07, $3 million in 2007-08, and $5 million in 2008-09 to assist in the internationalization of Ontario's postsecondary education system and ensure the province remains competitive.

MI: New Education (R) Evolution

From Tom Watkins paper "New Education (R) Evolution" about e-learning:

    Michigan’s children are entering a  world that is global, agile, disruptive, entrepreneurial-driven and knowledge based. Will they be ready? They will not be unless our schools change. With our collective imaginations and visionary, bold leadership we have the power to raise the bar, setting high expectations for all Michigan students. With technology, learning may be customized to meet the needs of each student. An old saying suggests that you cannot steal second base without taking your foot off first base. Michigan cannot lead in the 21st century without casting off the anchors of attitude, law, public policy and beliefs that bind us to the 20th century industrial education model.

    E-learning allows educators to move from the historic and medieval learning mode of the “sage on stage,” imparter of knowledge to any time, any place learning.

    E-learning is on demand bringing learning to people rather than simply bringing people to learning. In a world where knowledge expands exponentially, it is critical to our state and nation’s success that our systems of public education not just adapt to change but lead that change. A school constrained by time and space is operating inthe past and will be surpassed by global competitors. Learning 24-7 is no longer a dream – but a reality.

We need to ask if our laws, policies, procedures and practices support the knowledge age economy. Do they encourage and reward the digital revolution, boost technological innovation, enhance students’ and worker’s skills and promote agile entrepreneurship and lifelong learning? Or, is our system of education organized and structured to survive or thrive in the 21st century economy.

MI: Engage China and the rest of Asia

Hometownlife.com article "China trips opens eyes, doors to new opportunities"; by Tom Watkins on a visit by 18 Michigan educators and business people to China:

...Ask yourself why, if China has the fastest growing economy and is likely to surpass the U.S. as the largest economy in the world over the next two decades, it's language, culture, history and language are not taught in more of our schools today?...

...Perhaps former state school board member and current Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael David Warren Jr. sums it up best when he says: "China is clearly undergoing a fundamental economic and related cultural transformation. They undoubtedly are attempting to become a new superpower. Unlike the other threats we currently face, we can confront this one best by engagement and building bridges. They appear to be anxious to learn from and about Americans, and to become cooperative partners. By such engagement, we can foster in China the way of life we cherish here - freedom, representative democracy, and justice. The opposite approach - building walls - will only exacerbate our differences and degrade our influence."

Certainly, there are naysayers that fear the rise of China. I believe it is important that we engage China and the rest of Asia on a economic, cultural, scientific and educational level in ways that will benefit Michigan and America.

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the persons doing it.

— Chinese proverb....

NC: Online Mandarin Course Developed

From the North Carolina newpaper The News and Observer article "Courses may speed the spred of Chinese: Shifting global economy draws more students to the complex language:"

Levi Harder's friends think he's crazy. After all, learning a foreign language is difficult enough. But Chinese? The sophomore at Enloe High School in Raleigh says he's only thinking ahead: Levi sees himself as an engineer, but he's also betting that China will be a part of that future. "China is becoming a very important country," the 15-year-old said.

North Carolina's educators agree, which is why the state is pioneering online instruction in Chinese so it will no longer be the most exotic of foreign languages taught in the state's schools. Numerous questions about the class must still be resolved, including the best way to hold useful conversations as part of an online class. Its scheduled debut this fall will be small, with maybe two dozen students.

But state officials hope the online courses eventually will open Chinese to more students. Underwritten by the federal government with $300,000 over three years, the program could eventually be offered to other states that want to boost Chinese language classes.

Currently, Enloe and just a few high schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district offer the language in North Carolina. Last year, only about 140 high school students in Wake and Charlotte took Chinese. Many were children of Chinese parents.

MD: 2 Maryland Schools Get Guest Teacher

From the Washington Post article "2 St. Mary's Schools Add Chinese Classes:"

When St. Mary's County public schools administrators decided to start a Chinese language program, they went straight to the source.

St. Mary's is one of 34 school districts across the country that will host a guest teacher visiting from China for the next 18 months. Zhijun Peng, an English teacher from Kunming, in southern China, will teach Mandarin to eighth-graders at Leonardtown Middle School and ninth-graders at Leonardtown High School next year.

"We've recognized the importance of the Chinese language in the world, and we want our students to be able to compete on a global level," St. Mary's Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said. "But in the U.S. we do have a shortage of teachers qualified to teach Chinese, so we're absolutely thrilled to be able to host a native speaker as a teacher."....

Federal Foreign Language Strategy

A Subcommitte of the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on 1/27/07 to examine "examine the government's efforts to increase foreign language education to meet our federal workforce, national security, and economic competitiveness needs." The hearing was titled "Lost in Translation: A Review of the Federal Governments Efforts to Develop a Foreign Language Strategy."

Senator Akaka said:

"...However, strengthening national security should not be the only reason for improving the country’s language proficiency. The basic economic and career security of many Americans is now tied to foreign language capability. Increased globalization allows Americans to compete for jobs in a marketplace that is no longer confined to the boundaries of the United States. One basic skill required to thrive in this new economic environment is fluency in foreign languages...

Senator Voinovich said:

...Without an educated applicant pool of Americans proficient in critical foreign languages, we cannot meet the needs of our twenty-first century workforce, nor can we maintain America’s position as a global leader.

According to the 2000 Census, only 9.3 percent of Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently, compared with 52.7 of Europeans. I think the fact that so many people around the world have learned to speak English is wonderful, but it has also had the unfortunate effect of lessening Americans’ incentive to learn a foreign language...

Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness Michael L. Dominguez said:

...Foreign language skill, cultural awareness, and regional expertise are emerging as core competencies for our 21st Century Total Force. The Active and Reserve Component military personnel and our Department of Defense civilians who make up the Total Force, as well as our supporting contractor personnel understand that these are essential war-fighting skills and vital force capabilities for mission accomplishment...

Rita Oleksak, President to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, said:

...In this age of instant global communication, worldwide economic competitiveness, and challenges to our national security, we need to rethink how we prepare students for work, how we prepare the military, and how we prepare our diplomats to interact with other nations. While other nations around the world are producing a citizenry that can communicate with others in their languages, the U.S. remains largely monolingual in its approach to education, as well as its approach to business, national security and international relations...

Take a backward step in Palo Alto

Expanding Mandarin programs has it obstacles as a NY Times article "Palo Alto Board Rejects Classes in Mandarin" illustrates. One wonders what world these nay-saying Palo Alto parents think their children will live in.

...But after weeks of debate occasionally tinged with racial overtones, the Palo Alto Unified School District decided early Wednesday against a plan for Mandarin language immersion, citing practical concerns as well as whether the classes would give the small group of students in them an unfair advantage.

The proposal, which was voted down 3 to 2 after a marathon six-hour meeting of the district school board, would have established two classes taught mostly in Mandarin — the world’s most spoken language, used by nearly one billion Chinese — to 40 kindergarten and first-grade students at a local elementary school...

The idea for a Mandarin immersion program was first floated here four years ago. The most recent plan was proposed to the board in December and then modified earlier this month. If approved, Palo Alto would have joined two other Bay Area cities with Chinese language immersion programs in schools. They are Cupertino, a Silicon Valley neighbor, and San Francisco, which has two Mandarin immersion programs and five in Cantonese, another Chinese dialect.

NC: Chinese starts in North Carolina counties

Article "Guilford chosen to teach Chinese"; in the Greenboro, N.C., New-Record.com:

HIGH POINT — Northwood Elementary, Ferndale Middle and High Point Central High schools will start offering Mandarin Chinese courses in August as part of an effort to help students compete for jobs in the global marketplace. 

Guilford County Schools was one of three districts in North Carolina chosen to participate in the College Board’s Chinese guest teacher program. Schools in Forsyth and Union counties and 18 other states will receive teachers this month.

The College Board, which administers the SAT and other college entrance exams, created the exchange program last year as a way to increase the number of schools offering Advanced Placement Chinese, said Selena Cantor, director of Chinese Language and Culture Initiatives....

MI: Online Resources at Confucius Institute

Michagan State University's Confucius Institute offers an variety of online resources for learning Chinese:

MSU Confucius Institute (CI-MSU) was established in collaboration with China Central Radio and TV University under the authorization and sponsorship of China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Its objective is to meet the ever-increasing demand for Chinese education in the U.S., providing quality Chinese learning materials and experience to both K-12 students and adults and helping training qualified teachers of Chinese.

Currently, CI-MSU is working on three major projects: podcast of existent video-based Chinese learning materials and daily news, online Chinese courses for K-12 students and adults, and Chinese instructor training program.....

Learn Mandarin via online game

Investor's Business Daily article "Video Games Aim to Make Difficult Language a Bit Easier" by Sheila Riley:

Taking a cue from much-hyped phenomena such as "World of Warcraft" and "Second Life," teachers of Mandarin — China's notoriously difficult official language — are moving from classrooms to cyberspace.

Educators are finding ways to teach the language through online interaction and role-playing games rather than rote instruction.

One example is "Zon — The New Chengo Chinese." The five-level, massive multi-player online game weaves Chinese history and geography into an immersive environment aimed at middle- and high-school students.

It is a way to transmit authentic language and culture through technology, says Yong Zhao, the Michigan State University professor behind the game.

 "Every government, if they are rich enough, will find a way to help other people understand their culture and learn their language," he said.

MSU is working with the Chinese government-sponsored Confucius Institute to develop the game. The organization promotes Chinese language, history and culture.....

Chengo Chinese has it own website.