February has been designated as Discover Languages month by the ACTFL Board of Directors.  ACTFL members are encouraged to organize events and activities around this theme during the month of February. 

For a list of ideas, click here.

Campaign Cornerstones:

The key cornerstones of this sustained public awareness campaign include:

Public Awareness, Advocacy and Policy

Throughout the campaign, there will be a focus on advocating for language education with a strong public awareness component at all levels of instruction, Pre-K through adulthood, and at all levels of influence from the local community to the national level.  As part of this advocacy campaign, there will be a strategic plan to shape policy in a variety of arenas.

Research and Practice

The Discover Languages campaign will include a strategic plan for research to promote best practices to enhance the quality of language teaching and to identify both cognitive and social benefits of language learning.

Resources and Collaboration

The Discover Languages campaign will seek to provide a unifying effort among all language professionals by working collaboratively on projects to promote language education and to identify resources that meet the needs of the constituent groups of language professionals.

ACTFL Board Designates February as Discover Languages Month!

As part of the sustained public awareness campaign to promote language education, the ACTFL Board of Directors has designated the month of February as Discover Languages month.  This effort will be celebrated annually as a time when language educators can help to raise public awareness by focusing on language programs and the important benefits that people of all ages gain from learning languages.

As a continuation of the 2005: The Year of Languages national campaign, the Discover Languages effort will combine raising public awareness about languages with the development and implementation of programs for students which focus on language use beyond the classroom.  One way that students are motivated to continue their language study is by showing them the applicability of their linguistic and cultural knowledge in the real world, to their daily lives and to their future endeavors.

Language educators organizing activities and events during Discover Languages month will be able to build upon the momentum that was generated during the 2005: The Year of Languages promotional effort.  This will be a time annually when students are considering their future language study so it is an opportune time for teachers to highlight the important benefits and practical applications of language learning.  Bringing the benefits of language programs to the attention of school administrators and guidance counselors, to parents and community leaders, and to legislators and the media will all be part of a successful Discover Languages month.

And just as with the 2005 national campaign, ACTFL stands ready to assist members with organizing events.  The Discover Languages website at www.discoverlanguages.org will provide resources for teachers to use to Celebrate...Educate...and Communicate...The Power of Language Learning!  The Discover Languages store will be filled with promotional products to help bring attention to your events, the Discover Languages logo will be available for your use on materials publicizing your activities, and there is a list of ideas for organizing events.  As the Discover Languages site continues to be constructed, teachers will find additional resources available.  Suggestions are welcome and can be submitted to Marty Abbott, Director of Education, at mabbott@actfl.org.

We look forward to hearing about your events and activities.  Please send us any media coverage, digital pictures or other news about your Discover Languages success stories!

Discover Languages Video Contest