French & International Meetups

The Pittsburgh French & International Meetup Groups is a well established group for French speakers of all ages and abilities to meet up and practice French conversation & share interests in French culture.

We have been meeting for French Conversation for the past 3 years Saturdays at the Coffee Tree on Walnut Street in Shady Side. We also meet most weeks at other locations in Pittsburgh for fun, conversation, & exchange of ideas.

This is a French club unlike any other French club in Pittsburgh. We are a group for casual French speakers looking to socialize and have a good time together. If you like meeting new, and socializing with interesting and fun people, stop reading and join this group now. We are the group for you.


The main Meetup website is here:
http://www.meetup.com/FrenchLessons/

The calendar is here:
http://www.meetup.com/FrenchLessons/calendar/

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ps. you can join us on these other groups, too!

Pittsburgh International Food, Languages and Cultures Group
http://www.meetup.com/Pittsburgh-International/

The Pittsburgh- Wexford Arabic Language Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/ArabicLessons/ Edit description
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The Pittsburgh French & International Meetup Groups is a well established group for French speakers of all ages and abilities to meet up and practice French conversation & share interests in French culture.

We have been meeting for French Conversation for the past 3 years Saturdays at the Coffee Tree on Walnut Street in Shady Side. We also meet most weeks at other locations in Pittsburgh for fun, conversation, & exchange of ideas.

This is a French club unlike any other French club in... (read more)Privacy Type:Open: All content is public.

How Global Language Learning Gives Students the Edge

Learning foreign languages boosts brain development, bridges cultural connections, and gives us an economic edge. So why isn't it a priority in public schools?
by Dan Fost

In the quickly evolving world of global-language learning, America is waking up to a new reality. Though we once asserted a sense of world dominance that relied on foreigners learning English, the United States is starting to hear the clarion call of a connected world in which knowing how to communicate in multiple languages is crucial. ...

To see the entire article: http://www.edutopia.org/global-language-learning

Two USDE GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education; National Resource Centers (NRC) Program for Foreign Language and Area Studies or Foreign Language and International Studies Program 84.015A
Modification 3
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=51483


Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education; Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships Program 84.015B
Modification 2
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=51484

Foreign Language Proficiency & Jobs

Employment Guide: Foreign language fluency offers edge on government jobs
The University of Pittsburgh
The Pitt News
By Simone Cheatham / Staff Writer
Published: Mon, 1 Feb, 2010
Experts say knowing a second language can help students find jobs in an unsteady economy.
Cheryl Finlay, the director of Student Employment and Placement Assistance, said knowing a foreign language can benefit students, especially if they want to work for government agencies, which have hired more than 1,000 language analysts and linguists since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks....
See entire article at: http://www.pittnews.com/article/2010/01/31/employment-guide-foreign-language-fluency-offers-edge-government-jobs

CIA Ups Foreign Language Requirements for Top Staff
January 29, 2010 10:43 AM
CBS NEws.com
Political Hot Sheet
Posted by Brian Montopoli

Central Intelligence Agency director Leon Panetta (left) announced Friday that the CIA is raising language requirements for employees looking to be promoted to the top ranks of the agency, the Senior Intelligence Service...
"Deep expertise in foreign languages is fundamental to CIA's success," ...
See complete article at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/29/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6154324.shtml

Eurocall 2010

EUROCALL 2010
8-11 September 2010, Bordeaux, France!!

Please note that abstracts for EUROCALL 2010 should be submitted via the
online submission system at : http://eurocall.webs.upv.es/abstracts2010/

The final date for submission is February 15, 2010.

Award winning WL Site to Improve Proficiency

World Language Assessment – Get In The Mode! is a multimedia website that empowers world language educators to improve student proficiency through a series of full-length professional development videos. The videos demonstrate achievement testing strategies that, while they don't measure proficiency, can enhance student proficiency.

The website was created by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB) in cooperation with the DPI. The site won the Instructional Media/Inservice Award from the National Educational Telecommunications Association.
See: http://www.ecb.org/worldlanguageassessment/index.htm

The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages

From the January 2010 Scientific American Mind |

The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages
Bilingual people process certain words faster than others
By Melinda Wenner

The ability to speak a second language isn’t the only thing that distinguishes bilingual people from their monolingual counterparts—their brains work differently, too...

See the complete article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bilingual-brains