Case for Foreign Language in the Elementary School

Our students are learning and growing in a rapidly changing world that is far more globally interconnected and culturally diverse than we had envisioned at the close of the 20th century. As we are now well into the 21st century, research and test scores consistently reveal that U.S. students are not prepared to take their place as the servant-leaders of their time where opportunities for active participation require the ability to compete, cooperate, and communicate cross-culturally. Research shows that language is acquired best when instruction is initiated in early childhood and sustained over an articulated number of years. Since the 1960’s pedagogical methods for teaching foreign language to elementary students have been developed and refined. The Sequential FLES, FLEX, and total immersion approaches have especially proven to produce foreign language proficiency in younger students to varying degrees. It is imperative that educators have a forward focus based on a biblical perspective of their calling to prepare students for works of service within the global context in which they live. Therefore, it is important that students are allowed the opportunity to become proficient in at least one other world language in order to equip them to effectively and competently acquire the skills needed in order to engage our world today