The Foreign language decision is killing me..

[rockala]

... I never knew about all this talk on the european guideleines and the possibility of us wasting :)kidding.....I mean spending time on learning a language and then it not being accepted so they repeat at college again or they have to test out and probably will not do well unless we have invested considerable time and have tutors or someone who can speak it. I simply do not know what to do.

 

I fear I am beginning to think we mine as well go light and let her fail and take it again in college. At least we can focus more on the other subjects and the SAT and Sat II subject tests. Would that really mess things up? Am I missing something? How do they do it all?

 

My dd has wanted to do biblical Hebrew, just has always been her desire. I do not know any other languages. Last week after reading some other recent threads and from Esther (I know you did hebrew -what did you use?) that maybe she should really do modern Hebrew first (she was ok with that) so there will at least be a test for her to take or that it will be accepted.

 

But now I am thinking of calling admissions at the local community college or even state if they will take her.....and maybe she should just do foreign language next year. That would eliminate the whole dilemma right? Are the college courses beginner though? Then I would probably make her do Spanish and learn biblical hebrew on her own. She already know the alphabet and has recited a Psalm in Herbrew at her messanic bat. And she has just about finished Galore park Latin Prep I.

 

Has anyone tried your childs first college course as one of a for lang? Am I missing a better road. I hate to say easier but it does seem that we are just not as focused as others on this one and are trying to meet criteria. I know that is not right, but I am trying my best.:tongue_smilie:

 

Kathy

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

... I never knew about all this talk on the european guideleines

 

American colleges don't follow the European guidelines, AFAIK. In a sense, it's only for those who are aiming at actual fluency, and not filling in a box for college admission (though the box checking would be achieved too)

 

Oh, and a college foreign language course is way more demanding than any high school course would ever be. If your child is not talented in language learning, she would have a hard time in a college course.

[Brindee]

I've only recently heard of the European guidelines also. Someone in one of the threads mentioned how in America you can go thousands of miles and not need to use another language. While in Europe, you don't have to go far to be in another country with another language. That is one reason it is stressed so much more there. However, I also agree that Americans have become rather lazy about other languages. I was allowed to get through school and graduate from college without having to take any languages at all! I WANTED to take languages, but it was pushed out of my schedule to make way for other things. :(

 

That said, I know many kids who go through what's available here and do very well with actually learning the language also. It depends on the drive of the parent and student, depending on how much immersion they want, or just marking it off. At least she'll have an understanding. If there's a way to involve her in a community that speaks Hebrew, or whatever language you and your dd choose, that would help. Tutors or outside/community classes can help as well. MANY Americans CAN speak other languages, really! It's not to the point of only people in other countries know how to speak at least 1 other language as it sounds by some of these posts! :) Really, she'll be fine. Just continue to do your best!

[Guest Barb B]

I would say only one college ds is looking at require some sort of placement test. Most that we have encountered accept our transcript as is. I know that Purdue University (West lafeyette) will accept our transcript as is and I don't know for sure but I think ds doesn't have to take foreign language once he gets there. It just all depends on the school. I think some colleges require foreign language to be taken at the college level but alot don't.

 

Also, I know it gets a bad rap around here - but I like rosetta stone - the latest version(version 3). It does teach grammar, lots of vocab . . . I do combine it losely with a book - but mostly for those grammar things we need to reinforcement on. I do it too so I can help the kids. I will not compare what we do to those European guidelines - but to U.S. schools and I know we are doing just as much as they (and probably wasting less time). We have never chose the route of taking it at the CC because it is a least half hour to 45 min. one way and it seems like such a waste of the day to get there and back. Like I said - I haven't experienced the foreign language thing to be a big deal at the colleges. And I have only seen one or two of the many we looked at this year during ds junior year that require a test in foreign language.

 

Barb

Edited April 13, 2010 by Barb B

[Reya]

Many schools at Purdue require foreign language. FWIW. Purdue, unlike many schools, doesn't have a universal "core" but a core that varies from school to school. My DH got to take weenie math, for instance, compared to mine even though he was a computer science major! He also didn't have to take foreign language.

[Photo Ninja]

To answer your question, yes, my dc have taken their foreign language at the community college without having had any prior instruction in that language. They did fine. The classes did require a lot of memorization and moved at a quick pace, but it was not a problem. Two dc took Spanish at the cc and another is taking ASL. FYI, ASL is accepted as a foreign language at many universities, but not at all, so be sure to check into that before choosing ASL as a foreign language. ASL was the best choice for dd because she was interested in it and it is required for her college major anyway.

 

My dc thought this was much easier than trying to learn from Rosetta Stone or another home course because they had a teacher, and they would have had to take a foreign language in college anyway, so they wanted to meet that requirement early (at least my dc who were not very interested in learning another language). My ASL dc will be starting her 3rd ASL cc course next semester and will take all 4 that the cc offers.

[Reya]

One year of high school language generally equals what's covered in one semester in college in the US. So it's usually the same but faster.

 

There are American fluency guidelines, too, published by the Foreign Language Institute and by the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages. When I talked about what's necessary to do well on an AP course, I meant just that--not anything about typical language learning in US high schools.

 

When assigning credit, you need to do something equivalent to a US high school language course OR BETTER. To do well on an AP test is a completely different thing from simply matching a typical HS course.

 

I'd say that to make a 5 on the AP Language test in HS, I had to reach Advanced Low on the ACTFL scale. I should have been Advanced Mid with decent instruction, but that wasn't to be.... At Advanced Low, I was better than 90% of undergraduate Spanish majors, and as I improved in college (to Advanced High, possibly Superior), I was still among the very best in pronunciation (given a day of practice, I was usually taken for a native speaker in most exchanges) but sank to about average among the grad students.

 

By the end of college, I could write a 5-page grad-level paper with 1-2 errors. In HS, I was desperately happy to have a mere half a dozen per page. It was really pathetic. They just don't teach writing in the schools!!!!!

[rockala]

with the convention looming a few days away, I am still unsure. I do appreciate all your posts though and wanted to let you know.

 

I cannot seem to get a response from the 1 college that may offer Hebrew. I think at this point I may have her to Latin Prep 2 for first semester next year and then try some of the at home Hebrew stuff I have for second. I had a Potter School teacher be kind enough to tell me the texts they use for a full year.

 

Perhaps after that dd may feel overwhlemed and succumb to Spanish at the local cc or something else. If it is meant to be the good Lord will provide a way for her to learn it otherwise.

 

I suppose I have seen enough texts online that perhaps combining the 3rd edition Rosetta Stone with them may prove acceptable to most colleges.

 

Thanks again,

Kathy