Language in Motion Basics
The Language in Motion Mission
Language in Motion expands, enriches, and energizes K-16 language and culture teaching and learning through educational outreach and professional development opportunities.
The Language in Motion Vision
By bringing together campus and school partners and by sharing resources across K-16, Language in Motion excites students to learn more about the world and its peoples, improves and enriches language and culture teaching and learning, hones intercultural skills, demonstrates the value of higher education and of studying language and culture, and supports networks of educators locally and nationwide.
Download the Language in Motion College/University brochure here.
Language in Motion Consortium Goals
Language in Motion is an educational outreach program whose mission is to expand and enrich K-16 language and culture teaching and learning by:
- Offering in K-12 classes personalized language and culture presentations by college students with knowledge of a second language or culture, who serve as enthusiastic role models.
- Enriching and expanding world language and culture curricula in isolated, under-resourced, and/or primarily homogeneous K-12 schools.
- Establishing and nurturing active, productive, K-16 professional networks and the sharing of international resources.
- Providing professional development opportunities in language and culture, including conference scholarships, immersion study, and workshops.
- Developing and supporting a nationwide consortium.
Language in Motion Consortium Partner Expectations
Language in Motion (LiM) originated at Juniata College in 2000, and since then, colleges
and universities have been invited to join a national consortium to implement the
LiM concept in ways that fit the unique staffing and programmatic needs at each institution
and in each community. In addition, partner schools are required to provide reports
to founder Juniata College and to assist with consortium development among all schools
as outlined below.
Initially, partners agree to consortium membership by doing the following:
- Agree to the Language in Motion mission, goals, and expectations.
- Sign the Use of Name policy (separate document).
- Provide proof of the institution’s tax-exempt status as needed.
- Champion the LiM program within their local context, both on and off campus.
As consortium members, partners will share with consortium partners the following:
- Ideas and materials developed in and from their own institutional and community settings that will improve the core program.
- Challenges and solutions to program challenges.
- Information, programs, professional development opportunities, or ideas that would further strengthen the consortium, its partners, or their K-12 participants.
- Their own program goals, structures, and budgetary needs.
Annually, or as requested, partners will:
- Attend a one- or two-day consortium meeting as scheduled in cooperation with partners.
- Participate in cross-consortium program assessment by jointly establishing assessment goals and sharing assessment tools and data.
- Provide an annual report with institutional information and program statistics and/or any other information required by a funder.
- Offer productive initiatives that bring together LiM program constituents, such as partners, undergraduates, faculty/staff, K-12 teachers, and/or K-12 students, on a national level.
- Assist with consortium grant proposals by contributing ideas and information and reviewing proposal drafts.
When possible, partners will:
- Present at professional conferences and/or publish on how and why Language in Motion is an effective program for one or more of its constituencies (colleges and/or their departments, college student participants, K-12 teachers, and K-12 students); this can be done individually or jointly with other consortium partners.
- Offer K-16 professional development opportunities in languages and cultures that all consortium partners and their participating teachers are eligible to attend.
- Identify, encourage, and assist new institutional partners (peer and aspirant and/or geographically close), i.e., share the model with other institutions with which they have or develop relationships.
Use of Name Request
If you would like to be a participating institution in the Language in Motion consortium, we ask that you demonstrate that by connecting yourself officially with our program.
Although each of the participating institutions are welcome to name their version of Language in Motion whatever they choose to name it, from purely a collaborative grants perspective it actually behooves all of the partners in the Language in Motion program to demonstrate a common thread and shared purpose. The easiest and most apparent way to demonstrate that connection is to share the same name, such as Language in Motion – [name of institution] or [name of institution] Language in Motion. If the partner chooses to name their version of the program something entirely different, a “small print” claim at the bottom of their letterhead noting that they are “A Language in Motion participating institution” would also demonstrate the connection (albeit less powerfully).
There are two side benefits to using the Language in Motion name: It establishes “prior use” of the name in each of the states wherein a partner institution resides and effectively inhibits others from using it in those states, and it establishes a brand and brand name that we can carry forward to even more partners and present to potential funders in the future.
If you would like to affiliate with our program, just send a written request (by mail or email to the appropriate address above) with the name you wish to use and we will gladly send you permission.
Please click here to download the request form
Current partners include:
- Juniata College (Founder), Pennsylvania
- Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania
- Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
- Drew University, New Jersey
- Iowa State University, Iowa
- Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania
- Lewis & Clark College
- Linfield College
- Loras College, Iowa
- Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania
- Middlebury College, Vermont
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies, California
- Old Dominion University, Virginia
- Pacific University
- Vassar College, New York (link to the course description)
- Westminster College, Pennsylvania
- Willamette University, Oregon (LiM expands across Oregon. Click here to the article)
"Language in Motion provides high-impact learning opportunities for our students and
visibility for the college while fostering positive community relationships. We love
it, and you will, too!"
- Dr. James A. Troha, President, Juniata College
“Language in Motion provides Juniata College Students with the opportunity to reflect
on meaningful intercultural experiences while enhancing the curriculum of the classrooms
in local school districts."
- Dr. Jamie Weaver, Dean, Juniata College Center for International Education
"Language in Motion is largely responsible for many educators and students starting
to think of Juniata as a place that offers great opportunities for international programs
and world languages."
- Dr. Henry Thurston-Griswold, Professor of Spanish, Juniata College