Maine Perspective Front Page
Governor's Academy to Focus on Language and Culture
Preparing young people with the information, skills and cultural competency offered through modern languages to enhance their opportunities in the 21st century is the goal of the Governor's Academy for Language and Culture - a Learning Results Initiative at UMaine.
The Governor's Academy, July 5-15 on campus, is sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Classics at the behest of the Chancellor and Dean Rebecca Eilers. Focusing this first year on "Languages: Global Tools for the 21st Century," the Academy will offer 10-day language immersion summer camps for students ages 14-17. The camps will focus on beginner to advanced second language skills in French, German and Spanish. Students will be actively involved in a combination of instruction and experiential learning, all aimed at integrating Maine's Learning Results in Classical and Modern Languages as a natural part of their education.
Maine's Learning Results are a blueprint for the comprehensive revision of the K-12 curriculum, emphasizing the preparation of students for a fulfilling and successful life in the "global century."
"We hope to introduce Maine students to the wider world of the global century," says Tina Passman, chair of the Department of Modern Language and Classics and the Governor's Academy for Language and Culture. "We'll do that by not only giving them an introduction or continuation of language skills but a glimpse of the technology out there for the global century, and contact with people who live and work in the international sector. By giving students first-hand acquaintance with the possibilities, they will better know how they can be equal players in the 21st century."
Participants in this first Governor's Academy will develop a cohort interested in continued support of language education, Passman says. A Website will facilitate students' post-Academy exploration of languages, cultures and diversity.
Concurrent with the Governor's Academy will be a graduate-level Teachers Institute for Language & Culture, July 11-13. Designed for teachers in grades 6-12, the institute will feature workshops, discussion groups and experimental learning opportunities relevant to integrating Learning Results for Modern and Classical Languages into the curriculum. Following the institute, a Website devoted to the Learning Results initiative will facilitate networking between participants and serve as a resource for all educators in the state. In the next academic year, regional follow-up programs will be offered throughout the state for the teachers in the institute.
Also as part of the Governor's Academy, UMaine students will be eligible to earn up to six credit hours by taking part in MLC 496 - Fieldwork in Modern Languages, working with the 14- to 17-year-old participants.
The Governor's Academy for Language and Culture is an initiative of Gov. Angus King in response to Maine's Learning Results Task Force. It is the first of two Governor's Academies established in the University of Maine System to assist secondary students and teachers implement the state's Learning Results. The second Academy, focusing on careers in marketing and advertising, occurs in August at the University of Southern Maine.
The Governor's Academies have been established through partnership, collaboration and the best use of resources of the state Board of Education, the Governor's Office and the System. That same tripartite philosophy also has been important on campus as the Department of Modern Languages and Classics works to organize the first annual Academy.
In addition to the leadership and resources of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics, which offers five language majors and a Critical Languages Program, the Academy also is tapping other campus resources, including the Intensive English Institute, the Office of International Programs and the Maine Business School, with its expertise in international commerce.
The Governor's Academy for Language & Culture has support statewide from such groups as the World Affairs Council in Portland. The Academy's statewide steering committee, chaired by Passman, involves representatives from the Governor's Office, the Learning Results Task Force, Center for Community Inclusion, the College of Education and Human Development, and international businesses.
The Department of Modern Languages and Classics first offered teacher training workshops in the mid-'80s. In recent years, those annual workshops have been sponsored by the Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME). A fall FLAME conference, "Cross-cultural Connections and Comparisons," will be held at UMaine Oct. 15-16.
"It is part of our mission of service to the state," says Passman. "For years, we have offered teacher training in modern and ancient languages in Maine. Now Learning Results are demanding an increased level of training for all teachers in languages and culture. Part of our Department's role is to be available to those teachers to help with their preparation and enrichment."