Information for Community Educators

The Virginia Department of Education recently accredited Washington and Lee’s Teacher Education Program of which foreign language education is a major component. But the foreign language element is much more than just a single methods course and practicum for future teachers. Two students (Richardson and Farrar) are working with two professors (Kuettner and O’jure) in an effort to make the FL program’s offerings unique. Goals for the project are multi-fold and include (1) researching and organizing course content, (2) developing an informative and useful website, and (3) creating fieldwork possibilities at local elementary schools. The focus of the research is community-oriented. The course syllabus is extensive and filled with selected readings and ancillary materials for present and future teachers of foreign languages, while the entire website, a central focal point, provides teacher testimonials, methods, approaches, case studies, and a guide with completed units for teaching foreign languages at the elementary level. The research ultimately seeks to benefit foreign language educators by creating a community resource where educators across the Commonwealth will find information and access a variety of materials to improve their own foreign language teaching methods.

Foreign Language Enrichment Program

This section provides foreign language educators (at all levels and for all languages) with resources to help improve and support their chosen methods for foreign language teaching. Here one can access the major components of the course Methods in Teaching a Foreign Language that is offered here at Washington and Lee.

This website also includes interviews from local foreign language educators in a forum called Teacher Talk. These educators have shared their ideas regarding methods in teaching a foreign language in this ongoing forum to encourage conversation about foreign language education. Feel free to contribute your own thoughts, ideas and resources to continue this open conversation.

Education 365: Methods for Foreign Language

The course Education 365: Methods for Foreign Language intends to provide students with an overview of foreign language teaching strategies based upon theory, practicum, and creativity. The course will also allow for full discussion and analysis of past and current thinking in second language acquisition in principle and in application. Furthermore, the course will prepare the foreign language teacher with the necessary know-how, dexterity, and confidence to be a capable teacher of foreign languages. In order to provide students with the appropriate knowledge and skills mentioned above, the Education 365 website was created.

The goal of the Education 365 website is to provide students with a clear and focused outline of the course requirements and subject material. Through their use of the website, students should have access to basic course information, supplementary resources, and other tools to help their understanding of the course material. By providing a roadmap for the course, this website hopes that students will utilize the website in all of its capacities to maintain an organized approach to learning about foreign language teaching methods.

  • Provide a roadmap of the daily and long term objectives of the course
  • Provide supplementary resources to further engage students in the course
  • Allow for student out-of-class interaction through the creation of a blog that contains student reactions to readings
  • Organize class materials thematically and on a day by day basis

Course Syllabus

Course Text, Journal, and Online Resource Information

Program Info

  • Newcomb Hall
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, Virginia 24450

Haley Sigler

Program Head

Melissa Gualtieri

Administrative Assistant