White Helping Change Foreign Language Education

SALISBURY, MD---Dr. Arlene White, professor of French in Salisbury University’s Fulton School of Liberal Arts, is changing how foreign languages are taught. Most recently, White attended the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in New York where she chaired a roundtable on foreign language teacher preparation. She also presented a workshop entitled “Are Your Students Reading Up to PAR?” which was previously made to Somerset County foreign language teachers. White and Dr. Marianne Pearlman of Catonsville Community College co-chaired the Faculty Disciplinary Committee in Spanish for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Their work makes it easier for community college students who wish to become Spanish teachers to transfer credits to four-year schools. Students who receive an Associate of Arts in teaching Spanish will meet general education requirements and other prerequisites for acceptance into professional teaching programs. Other committees provided the same benefits to chemistry, mathematics and physics majors, who are in short supply throughout the state and nation. Next year, White and Ruth Malone, supervisor of English and foreign languages in Wicomico County, will provide three in-class training sessions to county foreign language teachers. The seminars, based on guidelines set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, provide opportunities for educators to stay abreast of professional trends. White has taught at SU since 1975, six years after beginning her career with Wicomico County Public Schools. She consults, conducts workshops, and writes curriculum for local school systems.