Foreign Language Assistant

Last updated

A foreign language assistant (FLA) is an assistant teacher, usually a native speaker, assisting a teacher of modern foreign languages in another country in lessons about the native language of the assistant. [1]

Contents

The programs are meant to be of benefit for both assistants and pupils. It should help to improve the foreign language skills of the pupils on the one hand and is, on the other hand, an opportunity for the assistants to deepen their language skills and their cultural knowledge, as well as a chance to get an insight into a different educational system. [1]

In Germany, the responsible institution behind the FLA program is the Educational Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst), which is a governmental institution of the ministers of education of the federal states in Germany that organises and arranges international exchange programs in education on behalf of the federal states.

Duties

A foreign language assistant either assists teachers in their language lessons or teaches small groups on his/her own. Foreign language assistants work a maximum of twelve hours per week, mainly in secondary schools. Tasks vary and include conversation exercises like roleplays, providing sources and interesting information for cultural studies lessons, and rehearsing exam situations. The duration of stay is usually eight to nine months.

See also

Related Research Articles

Language education – the process and practice of teaching a second or foreign language – is primarily a branch of applied linguistics, but can be an interdisciplinary field. There are four main learning categories for language education: communicative competencies, proficiencies, cross-cultural experiences, and multiple literacies.

Teacher Person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competences or values

A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

Kindergarten Preschool educational approach

Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th century in Bavaria and Alsace to serve children whose parents both worked outside home. The term was coined by the German Friedrich Fröbel, whose approach globally influenced early-years education. Today, the term is used in many countries to describe a variety of educational institutions and learning spaces for children ranging from 2 to 6 years of age, based on a variety of teaching methods.

An Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) is a foreign national serving as an assistant teacher in a Japanese classroom, particularly for English.

Fulbright Program Merit-based grants

The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States. The program was founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 and is considered to be one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world. The program provides approximately 8,000 grants annually – roughly 1,600 to U.S. students, 1,200 to U.S. scholars, 4,000 to foreign students, 900 to foreign visiting scholars, and several hundred to teachers and professionals.

Education in Germany Overview of education in the Federal Republic of Germany

Education in Germany is primarily the responsibility of individual German states, with the federal government playing a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between one and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory. Overall, Germany is one of the best performing OECD countries in reading literacy, mathematics and sciences with the average student scoring 515 in the PISA Assessment Test, well above the OECD average of 497 points. Germany has a less competitive system, leading to low rates of bullying and students having a weak fear of failure but a high level of self-confidence and general happiness compared to other OECD countries like South Korea. Additionally, Germany has one of the largest percentage of top performers in reading among socio-economically advantaged students, ranking 3rd out of 76 OECD countries. This leads to Germany having one of the highest-educated labour forces among OECD countries. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Germany is achieving 75.4% of what should be possible for the right to education, at their level of income.

English as a second or foreign language Use of English by speakers with different native languages

English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL), English as an additional language (EAL), English as a New Language (ENL), or English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The aspect in which ESL is taught is referred to as teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), teaching English as a second language (TESL) or teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Technically, TEFL refers to English language teaching in a country where English is not the official language, TESL refers to teaching English to non-native English speakers in a native English-speaking country and TESOL covers both. In practice, however, each of these terms tends to be used more generically across the full field. TEFL is more widely used in the UK and TESL or TESOL in the US.

Student exchange program Program in which secondary school or university students study abroad

A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions.

A foreign language is a language not commonly spoken in the country of the speaker. However, there must be a defined distinction between foreign language and second language. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to.

A language school is a school where one studies a foreign language. Classes at a language school are usually geared towards, for example, communicative competence in a foreign language. Language learning in such schools typically supplements formal education or existing knowledge of a foreign language.

The history of education in Africa can be roughly divided into pre- and post- colonial periods. Since the introduction of formal education to Africa by European colonists, African education, particularly in West and Central Africa, is characterised by both traditional African teachings and European-style schooling systems. The state of education reflects not only the effects of colonialism, but instability resulting from and exacerbated by armed conflicts in many regions of Africa as well as fallout from humanitarian crises such as famine, lack of drinking water, and outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and Ebola, among others. Although the quality of education and the quantity of well-equipped schools and teachers has steadily increased since the onset of the colonial period, there are still evident numerous inequalities in the existing educational systems based on region, economic status, and gender.

Baku Slavic University (BSU) is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences Public university in Yerevan, Armenia

Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, is a public university in Yerevan the capital of Armenia, operating since 1935. It is named after the Russian poet and historian Valery Bryusov since 1962.

A paraprofessional educator, alternatively known as a paraeducator, para-pro, paraswami, instructional assistant, educational assistant, teacher's aide or classroom assistant, is a teaching-related position within a school generally responsible for specialized or concentrated assistance for students in elementary and secondary schools.

Language exchange is a method of language learning based on mutual language practicing by learning partners who are speakers of different languages. This is usually done by two native speakers teaching each other their native language. Language exchange is different from other Language learning methods as there is usually no set syllabus or activities. Language exchange is sometimes called Tandem language learning.

World Learning International nonprofit organization

World Learning is a 501(c)(3) international nonprofit organization that focuses on international development, education, and exchange programs. Based in Brattleboro, Vermont, World Learning "unlocks the potential of people to address critical global issues" through its core program areas: The Experiment in International Living, the School for International Training, and International Development and Exchange Programs.

Practices in language education vary significantly by region. Firstly, the languages being learned differ; in the United States, Spanish is the most popular language to be learned, whereas the most popular languages to be learned in Australia are German, French, Italian and Mandarin Chinese. Also, teaching methods tend to differ by region. Language immersion is popular in some European countries, but is not used very much in the United States.

The Deák Ferenc Bilingual High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Szeged, Hungary established in 1988. It is the youngest secondary educational institution in the city of Szeged. It is named after Ferenc Deák, a famous 19th-century Hungarian politician who is also known as the Sage of the Nation. From the beginning, language education served as the main focus of the school in addition to its mission to provide a multifunctional place amidst its surroundings of panel housing estates, hence it leases out the Theater Hall—which can be opened together with the Atrium—for various cultural programs. The school has been participating in the debate forum called European Classes since 1997, it is the member of the initiative PUSCH, and that of the DSD program since 2008. The rate of acceptance to higher education is 89-90%.

Virtual exchange is an instructional approach or practice for language learning. It broadly refers to the "notion of 'connecting' language learners in pedagogically structured interaction and collaboration" through computer-mediated communication for the purpose of improving their language skills, intercultural communicative competence, and digital literacies. Although it proliferated with the advance of the internet and web 2.0 technologies in the 1990s, its roots can be traced to learning networks pioneered by Célestin Freinet in 1920s and, according to Dooly, even earlier in Jardine's work with collaborative writing at the University of Glasglow at the end of the 17th to the early 18th century.

Teaching English as a second language (TESL) or Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) are terms that refer to teaching English to students whose first language is not English. The terms TESL, TEFL, and TESOL distinguish between the location and student population of a class. TEFL describes English language programs that occur in countries where English is not the primary language. TEFL programs may be taught at a language school or with a tutor. The minimum TEFL requirement is a 100-hour course, however the 120-hour course is strongly recommended because it will help you get hired for the highest-paying teaching position available. TESL and TESOL include English language programs that occur in English-speaking countries. Oftentimes, these classes serve people who have immigrated there or whose family speaks another language at home. TESOL is a general term that describes TEFL and TESL programs and is a widely accepted term in the field of English language teaching. TEFL teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. ESL and TESL are outdated terms because they do not include students who speak more than one language prior to their study of English. Students who are learning English in their home country, typically in school, are EFL students. More generally, students learning English are referred to as ELLs.

References

  1. 1 2 "British Council - Learning". Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.