The Proficiency-Based Classroom: Building on the Standards

Abstract

Proper communication is the most important element in any classroom, in particular, a foreign language classroom. Foreign language acquisition is essential, with many secondary schools and higher education institutions worldwide requiring foreign language studies in order to receive a degree. Students can learn foreign languages in many ways based on the ACTFL Standards: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. These standards expand the expectations of teaching methods as the guidelines in which a student is able to use the language outside of the classroom. The most important of these standards is Communication, which is the sending of a message from one individual to another. In this study, I will focus on the Communication standard, in particular, verbal communication in the classroom. Many students in the foreign language classroom struggle with the conversational aspect; therefore, teachers are focusing more on how to aid students in conversational learning. Furthermore, teachers incorporate cultural knowledge as a means to expand language acquisition in the classroom, giving language a context. In this presentation, I will study research on language acquisition and the ACTFL Standards; I will discuss proficiency-based projects I have done in addition to projects I plan on using in the classroom after graduation.