Spanish, French, German and ASL: Most Popular Languages Taught in US

December 8, 2010

Dan Berrett’s article, “Getting Their Babel On” (Inside Higher Ed, Dec. 8, 2010) shares the results of a study conducted by the Modern Language Association (MLA) in terms of university students in the US studying foreign languages. Here are the highlights:

  • The rate at which students took foreign language courses in 2009 remained constant, compared to three years prior.
  • The number of enrollments in language courses grew from 1.57 million in 2006 to 1.68 million in 2009, or 6.6 percent. However, the total number of enrollments in undergraduate courses as a whole also increased. In simple terms this means that language courses account for 8.6 of every 100 course enrollments in post-secondary institutions. That number has remained the same since 2006.
  • Of every 100 undergraduate degrees earned, 1.16 of them are in foreign languages.
  • 70 % of undergrad degrees in foreign languages are earned by women.
  • The most popular languages to study (aside from English, which is not considered a “foreign” language in the US) are Spanish, French, German, and American Sign Language, in that order.
  • American universities teach a total of 232 different languages.
  • Arabic boasted the highest increases in enrollments last year, with a 46% increase over the three previous years.
  • Graduate program enrollments in languages have dropped by 6.7 percent since 2006.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | education, languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Effective Learning Video – by students, for students

December 7, 2010

As many of you know, I am teaching a course in effective learning and metacognition this semester. We cover practical topics such as time management, note-taking, best study practices and how to prepare for exams. We also examine some theoretical aspects of metacognition and learning.

One assignment this semester was for students to undertake a group project that highlighted their learnings. One group produced a video which they have chosen to share publicly on YouTube. I am just so proud of them, I wanted to share it with you:

It’s a super demonstration of their understanding and personal growth during the course, as well as their use of technology to do a group project. Best of all, they got to highlight individual talents and skills to produce the video.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

3 Comments | education, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Ten Trends in 21st Century Education

December 2, 2010

Learning in this century differs greatly from education of the 20th century in some ways. As the first decade of the new millennium wraps up, we can look back and see these trends that have emerged and are likely to continue in the coming decade.

  1. Increased use and integration of technology.
  2. Globalized approaches to learning.
  3. Awareness of economic factors affecting education.
  4. Need for a highly skilled, competitive workforce.
  5. “Borderless” and cross-border education.
  6. Increased student and faculty mobility.
  7. Individualized, customizable, learner-centred approaches.
  8. Strategic partnerships and alliances among governments, school boards, schools and individual educators.
  9. Emergence of non-formal and informal learning, driven by technology
  10. Frameworks, benchmarks and other asset-based approaches to assessment.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

3 Comments | education, technology | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Journal article: “How to Use Skype in the ESL/EFL Classroom”

December 1, 2010

I’m so thrilled today! I’ve just been informed that the great folks at the Internet TESL Journal (ITESLJ) have released their latest issue of the journal. And it includes one of my articles.

This is a peer-reviewed journal, so I am just tickled pink. Here’s the article:

How to Use Skype in the ESL/EFL Classroom. Internet TESL Journal, November 2010 issue. http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Eaton-UsingSkype.html

There are a few other articles worth checking out too, such as Jon Shave’s article “A Teacher-Friendly Process for Evaluating and Selecting ESL/EFL Coursebooks” and others.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

1 Comment | ESL, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

My favorite sites to make your own crosswords

November 30, 2010

I love using crosswords in language classes. They’re an excellent way to get students thinking about the vocabulary they’re learning, to challenge them and to help them recall words from memory. Here are a few of my favorite online sites where teachers can make crosswords for free or very little cost:

Armored Penguin Crossword maker – Multilingual. Love this site!

Teach-nology Crossword maker – A site especially for teachers.

Variety Games.com – This site is a little more complex in how the words and clues are put together, but once you get the hang of it, it’s great.

Tools for Educators: Crossword maker

The Teachers’ Corner.Net – They ask for a linkback to their site.

ESL Galaxy Crosswords – This site has pre-made crosswords, available by themes. The pages have colorful backgrounds, too.

I’ve also heard about an $8 app for Mac Users: KrossWords (a shareware app written by Jerome Foucher), though I haven’t tried that one myself.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on My favorite sites to make your own crosswords | languages, second languages, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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