Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Argumentation And Debate In The Foreign Language Classroom: Russian And American University Students Collaborating Through New Technologies, N. Anthony Brown, Ekaterina V. Talalakina, Irina V. Yakusheva, Dennis L. Eggett

Russian Language Journal

As pressure to articulate clear learning outcomes has increased in recent years, many foreign language departments across the United States have drawn on proficiency guidelines established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) to define expectations of their curricula. Misguided perceptions in the past about the “hardness” of the discipline frequently stemmed from a combination of instructors relying on arbitrary measures rather than nationally recognized standards, and administrators failing to provide financial support needed to carry out proficiency testing.