MAKING A CASE FOR GERMAN

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MAKING A CASE FOR GERMAN

• HOW SCHOOL COUNSELORS CAN HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE
  SUCCESS

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SCHOOL COUNSELORSADVOCATES FOR STUDENTS WHO
LEARN GERMAN

• Whats the status quo?
• WORLD LANGUAGES AND SCHOOLS TODAY

• 2 Why learn a world language?
• STATE REQUIREMENTS AND NATIONAL STANDARDS

• Why learn German?
• EVIDENCE OF LONG-TERM VALUE

• Whats unique about resources and support for
  German?
• THE POWER OF A SUPPORT NETWORK

• Wheres the evidence of success?
• THE POWER OF TEACHER SUCCESS

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THE USA IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY
1 Whats the status quo?
Fact The U.S.A is a multilingual society.
17 of Americans speak two languages.

• 53 of Europeans speak two languages.
• 26 of Europeans speak three languages.

Fact Learning world languages is core curriculum
content in European schools.
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LANGUAGE LEARNING IS DYNAMIC
2 Why learn a world language?

• DISCOVER LANGUAGES DISCOVER THE WORLD
• A sustained public awareness campaign of the
  American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
  Languages (ACTFL)
• STATE STANDARDS and NATIONAL STANDARDS
• Set clear expectations for student achievement
• Link teachers to progress in the field
• COMMITMENT and ACCOUNTABILITY
• The U.S. Department of Education has identified
  foreign language instruction as a core academic
  subject.

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LANGUAGES A CRITICAL NEED IN U.S. DEFENSE
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• Increased federal funding for K-12 language
  programs
• Increased federal funding for foreign language
  teacher education programs
• New funding for language positions in military,
  intelligence, and law enforcement
• Reconfiguration of government language programs

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HOW DOES LEARNING A WORLD LANGUAGE BENEFIT
STUDENTS?
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• accelerates intellectual development
• enhances creativity in problem solving

• COGNITIVELY
• ACADEMICALLY
• SOCIALLY
• INTERCULTURALLY

• expands academic opportunities
• meets university entrance requirements

• improves communication skills
• broadens perspectives

• enables students to live in a global village
• provides crucial cross-cultural competence

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GERMAN IS VALUABLE IN TODAYS WORLD
3 Why learn German?

• German-American connections continue to be the
  solid foundation of transatlantic relations
  economically, politically, culturally.
• Germany plays a central role in the European
  Union and has a significant position in the wider
  global context.
• 24 of the residents of the European Union speak
  German.
• 2,000 research and study grants are awarded to
  U.S. students annually to travel to German
  universities and institutes.
• 4,000 American students participated in an
  exchange with a German school in 2005.
• German is the second most-frequent language used
  for communication on the Internet.

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• GERMANY IS VITAL TO THE WORLD ECONOMY

• German is the 2 world business language.
• Germany is the 1 world export nation.
• The European Union and the U.S.A. have the
  worlds largest bilateral trading and
  investment relationship - 1 billion per day.
• German companies provide 700,000 jobs in the
  U.S.A. (e.g. Puma, Adidas, BMW, T-Mobile).

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• GERMAN IS WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF AMERICAN LIFE

• 43 million Americans claim German heritage.
• German is the third most common world language
  taught in the USA.
• Germany is a top destination for American
  students studying abroad.
• Germany sends more scholars than any other
  european country to American colleges and
  universities.
• The German-American Fulbright Program is the
  largest overall Fulbright Fellowship Program.

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THE POWER OF A SUPPORT NETWORK
4 Whats unique about resources and support?

• German institutions offer a wide variety of
  scholarships for students, generous stipends for
  teachers, and specific and ongoing assistance for
  programs.
• German institutions provide support for programs
  and comprise a dynamic educational community with
  a strong national and international network.

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THE GOETHE-INSTITUT AN EXCEPTIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM
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• 7 institutes in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los
  Angeles, New York,
• San Francisco and Washington provide
• professional development
• materials support for teachers
• stipends for study abroad
• student award programs
• e.g., AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
  CONTEST FOR STUDENTS IN THE USA AND CANADA FOR A
  SUMMER PROGRAM IN GERMANY

• 70,000 students from over 700 schools
  participate annually.
• Over 1.5 million students have been involved
  since 1991.

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• AATG American Association of Teachers of German
• UNPARALLELED, LOCALIZED SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP

• Support
• - Local chapter meetings, regional
  conferences, and national network of
  successful teachers
• Recruitment
• - help in establishing quality programs
• - successful ideas on increasing and
  maintaining enrollment
• Articulation
• - a network of K-16-coordinated programs
• - strong connections to business and community
• Advocacy
• - broad support for maintaining programs
• - specific guidance in strengthening programs

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THE POWER OF TEACHER SUCCESS
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• People take notice of the German program because
  it connects students to the real world.
  (teacher quoted at parent night)
• I started teaching German with forty-five
  students in two classes. People said they did not
  see the value of running the German program. I
  hung in there and I found that by teaching well
  I am now enjoying teaching German full time with
  125 students. (AATG listserv)
• Thanks to the support of the AATG, my program is
  growing and enrollment has doubled over the past
  two years. (AATG listserv)

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EVIDENCE STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
5 Wheres the evidence of success?

• For my law studies at Harvard I found my
  background in German to be an asset both in the
  classroom and in job interviews. I have little
  doubt that my German language skills led the
  international law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen
  Hamilton to hire me after graduation. For the
  last two years, German has been an integral part
  of my daily practice at the firm.
• Two summers ago, I won an all-expenses paid trip
  to Germany from the Goethe-Institut. I knew it
  would be fun, but I had no idea how significant
  it would be for me later in life. I am not the
  same person, I graduated with honors because of
  my German courses.
• What have been most important to me about
  learning German in school and in my development
  as an individual are the qualitative benefits.
  German has helped to shape my life. I feel
  like I am part of the world community.

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CONTACTS
American Association of Teachers of German
(AATG)112 Haddontowne Court 104, Cherry Hill,
NJ 08034-3668(856) 795-5553 www.aatg.org
Goethe-Institut Atlanta Goethe-Institut Boston
[phone] [phone]
www.goethe.de/atlanta www.goethe.de/boston
Goethe-Institut Chicago Goethe-Institut Los
Angeles [phone] [phone]
www.goethe.de/chicago www.goethe.de/losangeles
Goethe-Institut New York Goethe-Institut San
Francisco [phone] (415)
263-8760www.goethe.de/newyork www.goethe.de/sanf
rancisco Goethe-Institut Washington(202)
289-1200www.goethe.de/washington
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages (ACTFL) [phone] www.actfl.org www
.discoverlanguages.org