Delaware is using federal funding to support classroom-based instructors for its language immersion programs, but not all schools have this luxury—especially at the elementary level. To remedy this problem, many schools are turning to online language instruction.
One Michigan school district has taken a unique approach by establishing a “virtual foreign exchange program” so that students can take classes from teachers in other countries.
Oxford Community Schools’ virtual exchange program allows American and Chinese students to take online classes taught by teachers on the other side of the globe. Students from three Oxford sister schools in China are learning English from the district’s teachers, and in turn, Oxford students are learning Mandarin language and Chinese culture from teachers at the Chinese schools.
As the program grows, the district anticipates establishing similar virtual partnerships with other sister schools in countries such as Mexico and Spain, said William Skilling, superintendent of Oxford Community Schools and a 2012 winner of the Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards from eSchool Media.
Students in the virtual foreign exchanges have 24-7 access to course content. The classes themselves are synchronous, however, despite the 12-hour time difference: American students attend their classes early in the morning, and Chinese students log on late at night.
At the Provo eSchool, an online program that serves 1,100 K-12 students from all over Utah, students in third through 12th grade have access to Spanish, French, German, Latin, and Chinese courses from Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL), an offshoot of Middlebury College and its renowned Language Schools.
While students at the Provo eSchool are not required to take a foreign language, “about a quarter of the students do,” Dunnigan said. Offering foreign language instruction online, she added, “gives students a wider variety of options to choose from; not every school can have a teacher who’s certified in Chinese.”
The MIL curriculum is based on principles that studies show to be effective in language instruction, such as the use of authentic materials and experiences. For instance, Middlebury faculty have recorded real interactions between native speakers in different countries.
“We’ve built language learning activities using these videos, as well as authentic written resources such as newspapers,” said Aline Germain-Rutherford, chief learning officer for MIL and director of the French School at Middlebury College.
The use of authentic materials helps students learn not just the language, but also the culture. When watching videos of people greeting each other in Spain, compared to Argentina, “students can see the cultural differences between the two,” she explained. “It’s not just about the words and the structures.”
(Next page: How to have meaningful interaction in foreign language classes online)
- National Survey of Substitute Teachers Across K-12 Districts Reveal Professional Development, Flexibility and Community Engagement as Most Important Factors to Job Satisfaction - May 21, 2026
- Despite concerns, Gen Z students are optimistic about AI - May 20, 2026
- In Illinois, charting a path for responsible AI use - May 14, 2026
Comments are closed.