The activities on this site are categorized according to the modes of communication defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. The modes are: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. See the table below for further descriptions of each mode. A breakdown of each mode by proficiency level can be found here: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational. These modes were developed to describe communication that is embedded in a meaningful context and that is purpose driven. The development of these modes was part of a larger re-imagining of what it means to teach a language, which marked a departure from former practices that taught foreign languages in a disembodied, discrete fashion through intense focus on grammar and vocabulary. While grammar and vocabulary are necessary components of knowing a language, the current ACTFL modes call for language to be taught in the living context of communication and culture.
| Interpersonal | Features negotiation of meaning between students, requiring requests for clarification, repetition, or rephrasing to achieve understanding.NOT scripted dialogues but rather more authentic communication in which students do not know what the other will say.“Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.” |
| Interpretive | Features the interpretation of meaning in written and spoken language without an interlocutor and where no negotiation for meaning is possible. Features the implementation of knowledge about the culture to draw culturally appropriate conclusions about the meaning of a given sample of language. May include written texts, movies, television or radio broadcasts, and speeches“Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.” |
| Presentational | Features the creation and delivery of spoken or written language in a way that is clear and appropriate for members of the target culture where no negotiation for meaning is possible. May include written texts (essays, reports, articles, etc.) or speeches“Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.” Guidelines for language presentations: they should be short—no more than 5 mins in one recording/presentation. Presentations should be in the target language and should be done at normal speed. |
Table adapted from More Than a Decade of Standards: Integrating “Communication” in Your Language Instruction by Sandy Cutshall (access here).