Why Learn A Second Language?
Communicating is at the center of the daily life. The U.S. has to educate its children to linguistically and culturally prepared to relate successfully in American society and abroad.
Learners of a second language and its cultural context requires:
Competence in more than one language and culture to be able to:
-communicate with other cultures in various scenarios
-look beyond the typical borders
-participate more in the world community and marketplace
-develop insight into their own language and culture
-act with better knowledge about self, other cultures, and relationship among cultures
-obtain effective access to other bodies of knowledge
Success as language and culture learners leads to:
-access to language and culture studies that are integrated into school experience
-benefit from proficiency in more than one language
-experiencing language and culture learning in various ways and scenarios
-students acquiring proficiency at various levels
Language and culture education is part of the core curriculum:
-that requires the use of effective strategies, assessment procedures, and technologies
-that reflects the evolution of learning and instructional standards at national, state, and local levels
-that advances basic communication skills and higher thinking skills.