Training for CTLs / LCTLs...

How similar training could be beneficial...
Twelve survey participants either didn't answer this question, or said they didn't know of training for teachers of French, German or Spanish, although a few of these said that LCTL teachers could benefit from similar training, whatever it may be (i.e., that some training in language teaching would be better than no training in language teaching).

Many of the respondents to this question saw advantages to teacher training that is the same as or similar to that conducted for teachers of French, German and Spanish (CTLs). As one participant observed, it is no secret that being a great native speaker does not guarantee that one is a great teacher. Respondents suggested that any training in language pedagogy is better than no training, and that good, general university courses that offer an overview of teaching methodologies and SLA theory should apply to the teaching of any language. Workshops, such as those offered by ACTFL and the regional and state foreign language organizations, are also useful, as are summer institutes like the CORLAC Summer Institute at Bryn Mawr, staffed by many successful language teachers. A teacher with an open, creative mind can gather ideas from any of these that can be adapted to his/her own language.

Survey participants noted that CTL teachers often take part in teaching and testing workshops; LCTL teachers would benefit from similar workshops which would raise their awareness about important issues of learning, teaching and testing. This would be especially helpful, according to one respondent, because,

"...despite pedagogical methods training, there is a great tendency to trod serially lock-step through the available text because that is the easiest thing to do, especially if you have another full-time job and little time to prepare for the language teaching assignment..."

One respondent felt that attending CTL training could be beneficial because it would allow one to receive an introduction to the most up-to-date methods and theories, learn about technology, and become familiar with the newest textbooks in the "major languages" so one sees how new teaching methods are applied in practice and how they could be adjusted to the LCTL. Another felt that even if LCTL teachers cannot apply every technique from such training, collaboration with other teachers can stimulate creativity, and collaborative action research is needed to test which strategies work under which situations.

Another respondent pointed out that at many institutions, graduate students in French, German and Spanish can choose a program track in SLA, and suggested that LCTLs at those institutions could also give their students the opportunity to choose the SLA track apart from the Linguistics/Literature tracks. (The respondent is introducing this opportunity for African languages at UW-Madison).

Possible pitfalls
Some survey participants were more cautionary in their response to this question. They said that, while courses like classroom management, SLA, etc. can be shared, and other courses aimed at teachers of the CTLs can be beneficial, LCTL teachers must have enough of their own training to be cognizant of the fact that they cannot simply apply techniques learned from CTL teacher training to their own classrooms. Several people noted that the problems and goals in LCTL teaching are quite different, and that the significant linguistic/cultural differences between French, German and Spanish and most LCTLs require significant modifications to theories/models/paradigms. According to one,

"... The issue of language learning is not strictly one of methodology, but of programming which seeks to incorporate a larger set of questions from user needs, goal clarification, program design and evaluation, etc..."

A couple of people also noted the problem of feasibility for LCTL teacher training at specific institutions, arguing that French, German and Spanish require enough teachers to justify resources for materials and programs for teacher training, but that there are few programs of equal breadth and depth for LCTLs. Others, however, have already suggested solutions. Rifkin (1992), for example, discusses how to do teacher training and education specifically for LCTLs such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian. One survey participant proposes an annual teacher preparation conference for LCTL teachers. Another respondent suggests that LCTL teachers would best be served by developing a core of "master teacher-trainers" that could work throughout the US to train other teachers, rather than focusing teacher training for a specific institution.