Elev8/DESK is now supporting secondary students to begin learning an additional language. Our Introductory French 11 and Introductory Spanish 11 courses offer the opportunity to learn and practice foundational skills. Learners will begin, or expand upon, a groundwork for lifelong multilingual learning through social phrases and vocabulary supporting travel, friendship and employment. 

Learning languages is also really good for the brain. Did you know that adolescent learners are still within the ideal development window to aim toward fluency? Running counter to trends of “cognitive offloading" through technology, language learning supports self-reflective brain building by enhancing concentration, memory, creativity and communication skills. It also builds courage, since as new language learners, we must take risks and be willing to be imperfect in our attempts. 

About the instructor: Humanities teacher Andrea Mann has learned languages since childhood herself. She is committed to linguistic and cultural learning as a way of life. With French and Spanish being her most developed additional languages, for the last several years she has also been learning Nsyilxčn̓ (Interior Salish) and Siksikai’powahsini (Blackfoot) through community and land-based relationships. Within the conviction that every human culture holds unique and beautiful ways of knowing, she invites learners to embark on a connective adventure toward making their own multilingual discoveries and meaning.