Dr. Kathleen Stein-Smith is Associate University Librarian and Director of Public Services at Fairleigh Dickenson University. Stein-Smith is a dedicated foreign language educator, language learning advocate, and subject matter expert on the U.S. foreign language deficit and the role of multilingualism in global citizenship. She is the author of three books and numerous articles on foreign language issues. Since January 2015, Stein-Smith has served as the Chair of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) Commission on Advocacy. Her 2013 TEDx talk on the U.S. foreign language deficit has had almost 10,000 views, and her blog, Language Matters, has had over 20,000 views. In this episode, Stein-Smith shares numerous practical ideas that faculty and administrators across the institution can use to promote language learning for all. She builds a research-based case for the value of multilingualism, multiple pathways student for language learning, and multi-stakeholder advocacy for closing the language learning gap.
Resources Mentioned
- United Nations Academic Impact
- FIU Language Day
- Lead With Languages
- Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC)
- “Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World,” Modern Language Association)
- “Not Lost in Translation: U.S. Job Market Needs Foreign Language Skills,” New American Economy Research Fund
- “Making Languages our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers,” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
- Cultural Intelligence, by David Livermore
Great Quotes
"If you look at the history of our country, bilingual education and multilingualism, it's not as new of concept as we think…There's literature that links multilingualism with creativity, with creative problem‑solving, with rational decision‑making, with tolerance, for ambiguity, comfort rather than fear in unfamiliar situations...the benefits go on and on."
"Languages and cultures are the quintessential examples of interdisciplinarity. They are life."
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