An Assessment of Spanish at Glendale Community College

Glendale Community College (Glendale, AZ)

The rapid changes in Eastern and Western Europe, the rising tide of democracy in this hemisphere, the war in the Persian Gulf, and the expansion of second language teaching throughout the United States, make this particular moment in history an appropriate one in which to assess our language programs. Glendale Community College, with an enrollment of over 17,000 full and part-time students, serves the northwest portion of the Valley of the Sun. Located in Glendale, Arizona, it is part of the Maricopa County Community College System. Close by are the West Campus of Arizona State University and the American Graduate School of International Management. At GCC, students can study Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, the most popular of the languages, with courses on the elementary and intermediate levels, as well as beginning conversation I and II and Spanish and Latin American Civilization. The more able and ambitious are counseled into the honors program courses offered in several of the foreign languages.

As in most junior colleges, students come from all walks of life with varying learner needs, attitudes, backgrounds, and purposes. Most daytime students satisfy the first two years of undergraduate requirements allowing them to continue their education at a four-year college. Many seek entry or reentry to the job market. A large segment of the student population is involved with English as a second language. They are highly motivated to take a language course, mainly Spanish, to reinforce their knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary, to increase their active speaking, thereby simplifying their transition into the American way of life.

A few are handicapped students with hopeful expectations resolved to train themselves to become employable. Others are mature citizens looking for ways to keep themselves useful and active. These individuals take a language for recreation and travel. Evening students are generally characterized as mature individuals who work full time in all the conceivable areas and professions. This group has definite goals and tends to take languages because it sees the need to become «internationalized». Still another group is composed of people whose spouses, many foreign, are students at the American Graduate School of International Management. These people are anticipating going abroad upon completion of their degree programs.

An assessment of our Spanish language education indicates priorities in the following areas.

The four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and culture goals are examined at each level by a staff which is fluent and has many years of teaching experience, which implements the best and most up-to-date learning strategies. Classroom activities provide the opportunity for mini-dramas, oral presentations, compositions, and the like, which can enable students to work in small groups, in pairs, and individually.

Common sayings, advertisements and reading selections present cultural insights including an introduction to the Hispanic world with brief historical-geographical and cultural capsules of the major Spanish-speaking countries of the world. Correct grammar is stressed at each level within the framework of conversation and comprehension. Fast moving exercises follow each grammar segment, which help to develop the oral/aural proficiency skills necessary to master a language. Each structure progresses from controlled response to open-ended, creative expression through supervised work individually and in pairs. Written exercises are designed to practice writing and translation skills and to reinforce the classroom activities. An

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individual student cassette program, free to students, reinforces the vocabulary and grammar presented in the classes. At the intermediate level, students are held responsible for presenting orally, in almost every class meeting, a theme or topic from the text or current events to which the rest of the class responds or asks questions.

Counseling students with such a mix and uneven preparation is imperative. Some students come with zero experience. Others have already had exposure to a language through a living experience or one to four years of study in high school. In some schools, French and Spanish are required in the seventh and eighth grades. There programs may be token ones or they may be well-planned, well-articulated and well-taught. Students ask, «Where should I begin to study? How long does it take to master a language? Does the state require a Spanish test to qualify for a particular position? What does it take to become fluent? Mastery of the language is to be able to do what with it?» Students may come with a background in Latin or another foreign language.

A growing problem is that many students work either full or part time. They need to work to pay for their car, gas, and apartment, and they can easily get overextended. Some want instant mastery of a foreign language, i.e. in one or two semesters. Of course, the relationship between time spent in language study and attainment of proficiency levels varies from individual to individual. Obviously, a student with «O» experience will need to work extremely hard and should be counseled to limit the number of courses he/she takes to be able to devote full attention to those courses chosen, especially the foreign language. Seriousness of purpose and depth of study are considered very important factors in one's success.

The old rule that one year of high school study is equivalent to one semester of college work is still observed. Of course, a more experienced student can be placed by an oral and written examination into a higher course level.

Although the four skill areas are learned at different rates by each individual, it is still recommended that for every hour in class, the student study at least two hours out of class. At GCC, the proficiency scales range in difficulty from Novice (0/0+) through Advanced High (2+). After the intermediate level, if a student has not reached the desired level of proficiency, but better proficiency is still needed, it is strongly recommended that he/she take one of the many foreign study programs, several of which are offered through the Maricopa County Community College System, as well as those offered by Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. They provide family live-in or University dormitory facilities for six to eight weeks, as well as semester and year abroad programs. In the past, the general public has relegated foreign language study to a rather low priority. Now, universities and the general public are beginning to realize the commitment which must be made to achieve proficiency and to maintain the United States lead in world markets.

As with all institutions, whether private or public, faculty evaluation is an on-going process. At GCC, all full-time and part-time instructors are evaluated on a regular basis. Part-time instructors are evaluated by the department chair or the evening supervisor. The evaluation process also includes a student opinion of Teaching Questionnaire which consists of eleven items with ranking from 1 (outstanding) to 5 (of less value). In addition, the students are asked to make comments which will be useful to the instructor to help him/her improve teaching skills. The written evaluation from the chair includes student comments typed verbatim. Full-time instructors are evaluated at least once a year for a three-year period of time. In addition, there is a second evaluation by a dean and a third by a peer faculty. New part-time instructors must have three evaluations, after which only the student evaluation is needed each semester. It is an instrument to share ideas and it is not feared, since it is practical and useful to all concerned.

The GCC High Tech Center is one of the most modern anywhere. Its computers include Apple-Macintosh, IBM, and terminals tied to a VAX mainframe. It is open to all academic areas all day and most of the night, including weekends. If an instructor wants his students to use the prepared exercises on the mainframe, arrangements are made for faculty and student accounts. Spanish «Teach» lessons are available for grammar and vocabulary at all levels. There are also book-specific disks available which are designed especially for the Spanish 101-102 sections which can be run on the IBM system.

Earlier, mention was made of the availability of take-home cassettes. These are intended for all levels and language courses. The free duplication service is done on quality cassettes provided by the student. GCC has obtained copyright privileges which are on file before any tape can be copied.

A new fifty-position language laboratory for use by the Foreign Languages, ESL, Drama, and Music Departments will be in operation by the end of January. Technicians will be provided to assist instructors in its use on a regular or open entry basis.

Numerous newsletter and bulletins are created with which to inform all employees throughout the District. In an attempt to upgrade and make training as convenient as possible, there are, free to all employees, training workshops at the GCC High Tech Center and at the District Office every semester and throughout the summer. These workshops feature a wide array of computer applications in their latest versions. Another workshop series is devoted to Career Development. These look at issues such as satisfaction and fulfillment from a job and readiness to move up, but with no place to go! Career assessment is a constant concern in many of the workshops and on the campus as a whole.

The Arizona State Legislature recently voted that all school districts must begin to implement one grade level of a second language beginning with the 1991-92 school year, with an additional year added each year in grades 1 through 8, for full implementation by 1999. Spanish will probably be the language of preference in most districts. With the rapid expansion of requirements and foreign language programs, the need for coordinated continuity goes beyond the traditional and imperfect transition between high school and college. For the first time since the NDEA Institutes in 1959, we can begin to take a look at the long view on educational and second language development. As language sequences are extended, they will encompass levels of language ability that have not previously been within the reach of the American public. The call for articulation has particular urgency now, and in the immediate future.

AT GCC, instructional efforts must meet, within a relatively short period of time, the needs of a significantly enlarged and mixed group of students. With continued good counseling, a framework for collaboration within the Foreign Language Department and with the various communities, and with optimal use of technology, GCC looks at its past and present with a view to its future. ¡Adelante!

ACTFL Newsletter, 2.4 (Summer 1990).

ACTFL Provisional Proficiency Guidelines. (Workshop begun in 1982 under a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education).

Glendale Community College, 1990-91 Faculty Handbook.

Glendale Community College, Fall Schedule of Classes, 1990.

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 75, Number 2, May 1992