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Show page 22 , Fall 2006 nstructors battle to maintain an Equitable Learning Environment BY KEVIN E.HARRIS PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIZABETH TAYLOR When preparing her lectures, Prof. Margaret Toscano considers the dynamics of her students and their various levels of ability in her language and classic literature classes. She believes an environment driven by cooperation, not competition, creates a classroom more conducive to learning. However, maintaining the integrity of the classroom learning could be challenging for some instructors from the languages and literature department in which instructors must contend with advanced students taking introductory-level classes. The instructors are trying to create an ethos in the classrooms, which an advance student may hinder, said Prof. Christine Jones, who teaches French in the department. Jones is not only concerned about the advanced students' learning but also the impact of the advanced students on other students, she said. For Toscano, who teaches Greek and Latin for the department, the concern stems from trying to keep her students engaged in the subject at hand. "I would worry that my graduate students were not being pushed enough," Toscano said. For example, Toscano makes sure that the undergraduates understand all of the background information of a particular topic they need before moving toward additional questions of interpretations. "You don't want to go over the heads of the undergraduates, but I didn't want to make it too easy for [the advanced students]," Toscano said. There are two types of advanced student: graduate students and students with high language proficiency. For example, a student may gain higher language proficiency from living in a foreign language environment for an extensive period. The department is most concerned about the latter students. To help alleviate this situation, students who have received any high school credit for a foreign language class in the five years prior to registering for the same foreign language course at the university must take the language placement exam, according to the department policy. In addition, the department distributes a language background form at the beginning of the semester to all first-year students. Based on the information provided, instructors may recommend students who have extensive experience in a language to take the placement test and register for classes at the appropriate level. "Occasionally, an advanced student will slip through the cracks, but most experienced instructors can spot them and direct them to take the placement test," said Lucia Fernando, a former adjunct instructor for Spanish at the university. "The reason why there is an ad-hoc policy is because, in most cases, advanced students are a hindrance rather than an asset in a beginning course," added Fernando, who now teaches Spanish at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. In introductory language courses, students often have to speak in the foreign language they are taking in front of their peers, Fernando said. Things get even more stressful if they know that some people in the class have a higher level of expertise. In addition, when the typical beginning students hear an advanced student in their class speaking the language, they can get frustrated when they realize that they are not able to produce at the same level. For that reason, the department has numerous programs in place to help advanced students take challenging courses in pursuit of a degree, according the Department of Languages and Literature's Web site. One such program includes the Special Language Credit program, which is designed to give students credit for language proficiency gained from substantial residence in a foreign language environment. |