 |
| Hamilton Central School pupils participate in an after-school French class with Colgate volunteer instructors. (Photo by Tim O'Keeffe) |
A foreign language program taught by Colgate University volunteers at Hamilton Central School has proved beneficial for students young and old.
Sixty undergraduates studying French and Spanish spent six weeks last semester teaching roughly the same number of pupils in kindergarten through third grade.
The program, which has received “glowing” feedback from parents of the Hamilton pupils, will continue this spring, said Sarah Lewis, who coordinates the effort through Colgate’s Upstate Institute.
At the final French class taught last semester, second-grader Laura Trueworthy provided her own positive feedback.
Standing outside the large multipurpose room used for the classes, she quietly ticked off several French words she had learned, smiling as she talked about how much fun she had.
“She’s talked about it quite a bit and really enjoyed it throughout,” said her dad, Tim Trueworthy. “She has definitely picked up some things.”
|
More
Colgate French Club members who taught last semester underwent special instruction themselves. Seven students took part in a pilot course called Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum.
The course involved workshops co-sponsored by the Upstate Institute, Hamilton teachers, and Colgate professors.
The workshops included discussions with Yukari Hirata, assistant professor of Japanese, who talked about the linguistics of second-language acquisition; Spencer Kelly, assistant professor of psychology, who focused on early childhood psychology; and Monika Burczyk, lecturer in university studies, and Leigh Cuttino ’06, who talked about educational psychology and new pedagogies.
The course provided the students with new perspectives and helped them become better teachers, said coordinator Georgia Frank.
|
Colgate first-year Jaleith Gary also picked up a few things by teaching a Spanish class.
She immediately saw the need to brush up on her basic vocabulary and recognized she had to be “at the top of her game” to teach the language to others.
“In Spanish 202 I don't come across words like rectangle, rainbow, and butterfly very often, if at all, but those are the kinds of words that young children want to learn,” said Gary. “As teachers, it’s safe to say we all began to speak more fluently because we had to speak to each other in Spanish to set an example for our students.”
The Colgate students also learned what it takes to engage sometimes-antsy children for a full hour of instruction.
Brandon Grabowski ’08, who with fellow sophomores Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka and Bonnie Calhoun leads the French Club, said his team ran into a few speed bumps during the first couple of weeks.
”It was definitely a learning experience for us, too. We had to modify things as we went along,” said Grabowski, explaining that games they thought would work as instructional tools sometimes failed because they were too complex.
The current program sprang from the efforts of parents and Colgate faculty members such as Georgia Frank and Kira Stevens. Several years ago they enlisted French Club members to help teach after-school classes because demand was so high that some Hamilton schoolchildren had to be turned away.
In 2004, the foreign language program was made available to all interested children in grades K-2.
Becky Armstrong ’06 studied the program last summer as part of an Upstate Institute Field School internship, working with faculty members and Steven Winschel, principal of the elementary school, in an effort to provide more of a long-term structure to the program.
This past semester there were two Spanish classes and one French class; and no one had to be turned away.
The university’s Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education is now involved, adding a service learning component to the program. John Gallucci, associate professor of Romance languages and literatures, and Pilar Mejia Barrera, a Spanish lecturer, brought students from their classes into the program.
Political science professor Anne Pitcher is a member of a foreign-language advisory group of Colgate professors, Hamilton teachers and administrators, and parents.
Pitcher said children, particularly those 9-years-old and younger, enjoy numerous cognitive benefits from being exposed to another language.
“They aren’t as self-conscious at this age, so nothing holds them back,” said Pitcher. Not only do they benefit by acquiring new language skills, but research shows they will do better on tests, including the SATs, throughout their academic careers, she said.
Sabrina Rodak ’09 said she benefited in a number of ways by teaching French this past semester.
"I love kids and I love French, so it was a winning combination for me,” she said.
Elizabeth Harkins ’09 was a bit envious.
“I wish I had something like this when I was a kid. I just think it’s great to start young because it’s so much easier,” said Harkins, who plans to minor in French.
Tim O'Keeffe
Office of Public Relations and Communications
315.228.6634
