A Self-Instructional Language Program on the High School Level

James J . PontiZlo

ABSTRACT O n e of t h e m o r e challenging aspects of language teaching at any level is providing rewarding and s t imulat ing s tudy to highly moti- v a t e d and g i f ted s tudents . This i s even m o r e a c u t e at t h e high school level, where good s tudents and the i r needs a r e o f t e n ignored in t h e adminis t ra t ive shuf f le of scheduling, a t t e n d a n c e regis ters , t h e needs of less-gifted s tudents , and t h e general l ack of classroom t ime. Many of t h e b e t t e r s tudents

During a c a d e m i c year 1974-75, under a grant f rom t h e Internat ional Paper Company to fund innovat ive teaching and learning s i tuat ions, 1

developed a self-instructional language program (SILP) at t h e high school level. This program was designed to expand t h e language department 's offer ings and, as par t of a l a r g e r e f for t , respond t o s tudent needs and interests . The SILP in modern Greek and Japanese was inst i tuted at North

Tonawanda (New York) Senior High School. 1

This t y p e of program, ini t ia ted by Pe ter Boyd- Bowman, Professor of Spanish and Director of t h e C e n t e r for Cr i t ica l Languages a t t h e S t a t e

what t h e s tudents have already learned using t h e 1. This and other innovative language programs offered at

North Tonawanda are mentioned in Helene A. Loew, "Options and Perspectives Updated: An Overview of Some Foreign Lan- uage Offerings in New York State," Foreign Language Annals, 9 f 1976). 66-70.

James 3. Pontillo (Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo) is Assistant Rofessor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane University, New Orleans, La.

become bored wi th language learning and 'drop out;' o t h e r s channel the i r energies in to o ther areas . A self-instructional language program, al though relat ively uncommon at t h e high school level , can offer these s tudents a challenging approach to language learning. Such a program c a n also provide t h e high school s tudent t h e opportuni ty to s tudy a language which might no t b e avai lable in t h e curriculum.

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University of New York at Buffalo, is current ly in use at many col leges and universities throughout

1

t h e country.L Highly mot iva ted s tudents work on the i r own with su i tab le textbooks and t a p e s and m e e t t w o or t h r e e t i m e s a week with a na t ive

speaker who acts as a t u t o r of t h e t a r g e t language.'

In small groups, no t exceeding f i v e s tudents , t h e tu tor drills t h e s tudents in pronunciation, f luency, responses to questions, etc., reinforcing

mater ia l a l ready learned. Tutors a r e nei ther t ra ined nor expec ted to introduce and explain mater ia l o r to test; the i r only funct ion i s to drill

2. Dr. Boyd-Bowman serves as Executive Secretary of the National Association of Self-Instructional Language Programs (NASILP). The Association offers tape duplication and a news- letter among the services to i t s members.

3. Three hours a week seems to be an ideal amount of time for tutorials. Budgets, schedules, availability of tutors, etc. tend to reduce this in some institutions where a SILP is offered. At North Tonawanda, three forty-minute periods a week were used and found to be sufficient.

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t e x t and tapes. Test ing is normally done at t h e end of t h e semes ter by bringing in an outside examiner who is a professor of t h e t a r g e t language at a col lege or university where t h a t language is of-

f e r e d in a t radi t ional classroom environment. The

examinat ion is oral , and i t s resul t is t h e only grade

t h e s tudent receives for t h e semester . The t e x t s and corresponding tapes for e a c h

language a r e se lec ted for their adaptabi l i ty to

self-instruction. The books in e a c h ser ies explain t h e grammar points in such a way t h a t t h e s tudents themselves can grasp t h e mater ia l without t h e need of a teacher . (A list of mater ia ls sui table for self-instruction in a var ie ty of languages is avail- able. ) 4

Clearly, such a language program is unsuitable for s tudents who do not possess a high degree of

both language ap t i tude and self-motivation. On t h e col lege level , such abi l i ty may b e de te rmined by t h e s tudents ' per formance in o ther language s tudy or through t h e Modern Language Apti tude

5 Test (MLAT), which can b e adminis tered to all appl icants , Students a r e then admi t ted t o t h e program on t h e basis of their MLAT scores and a personal interview. Students with low linguistic

ap t i tude , while not re jec ted , should be s t rongly

--

Such a language program is unsuitable for students

who do not possess a high degree of language aptitude

and self -motivation.

4. Peter Boyd-Bowman, Self-Instructional Language Pro- ms: A Handbook for Faculty and Students. Occasional

blication 120 (Alb any, N.Y.: State tducation Department, 1973), pp. 27-36. (Available for $1.50 from Peter Boyd-Bowman, Executive Secretary, NASILP, 207 Richmond Quad, Ellicott Complex, SUNY at Buffalo, Amherst, NY 14261.)

5. John 8. Carroll and Stanley M. Sapon (New York: Psycho- logical Corporation, 1959).

advised to s tudy a language in a more t radi t ional

class, where the i r probable success will be grea te r . While self-instruction is not sui ted for

everyone, t h e advantages of t h e program for stu- dents who qualify a r e enormous. I t i s one of t h e

f a s t e s t and most d i rec t ways of learning to speak a language. Languages for which t h e r e is l i t t l e

demand c a n be of fe red with this approach, even if t h e r e a r e only t h r e e or four students. Study

progresses at t h e student's own pace, without holding back o t h e r s or being held back by slower learners .

While most of what applies t o self-instruction

at t h e col lege level was appl icable for our program at North Tonawanda, I had to m a k e cer ta in modifi- cations. I dispensed with t h e MLAT and instead sen t quest ionnaires deal ing with t h e s tudents ' lan- guage ability, degree of motivat ion, and o ther ac t iv i t ies to their past and present language teachers and guidance counselors.6 In addition, I personally interviewed t h e candidates , asking

them the i r reasons for taking t h e language and determining their other in te res t s . During t h e

interview, I s t ressed t h e degree of self-motivation necessary for successful complet ion of t h e

program. From past e ~ p e r i e n c e , ~ I knew t h a t o n c e t h e real i t ies of a SILP w e r e explained to s tudents , unqualified or unrnotivated candidates would voluntarily withdraw. There were, therefore , no problems resul t ing f rom having to deny en t ry into

t h e program to unqualified s tudents who insisted upon admission.

The s t ruc tured na ture of our high school required t h a t t h e tutor ia l sessions be scheduled

during school hours. This involved a cer ta in amount of diff icul ty in order to align t h e s tudents ' s tudy or lunch periods with t h e hours when t h e

6. The maturity level of most high school students is such that this kind of checking, unnecessary at the college level, was essential. Quite a few students expressed interest in the SlLP but did not formally apply. A few, notorious for their lack of motiva- tion and language ability, thought initially that self-instruction was an easier method of earning credit.

7. I had been a SlLP student of Japanese, an intern in a program for potential SILP directors, and a co-director of the SILP at SUNY Buffalo in summer 1972. I am presently engaged in a SILP in Spanish a t Tulane University.

tu tors could be a t t h e school, but such diff icul t ies

w e r e minor. W e w e r e for tuna te in finding nat ive speakers

f rom t h e local a r e a who were willing to serve as

tutors . Using such people not only promoted good communi ty relat ions but also publicized t h e lan-

guage program in t h e surrounding area.* The

tu tors , I believe, took a more a c t i v e in te res t in t h e

Tutors are ne i ther t ra ined nor

e x p e c t e d to in t roduce and

explain mater ia l .

success of t h e program than might ones who w e r e

not o therwise involved with t h e school. 9

Perhaps o n e of t h e best methods of handling

taped mater ia l is by a one-to-one exchange. Stu- dents bring in a new t a p e or cassette which is exchanged for one pre-recorded for s tudy at home. The drawbacks t o this system a r e t h a t t h e s tudents cannot record and play back the i r own responses,

and t h e sound reproduct ion on their machines is of ten poor. These d e f e c t s a r e par t ia l ly compen- s a t e d for by t h e tutor ia l sessions, where, in a small group, the i r pronunciation can be readily correc- ted. Students can easi ly work in t h e lab, if one is avai lable , and, a t t h e s a m e t i m e , record a t a p e or cassette for fur ther work at home. At North

Tonawanda, w e used cassettes because they a r e easier to handle and s tore , and al l of our s tudents e i ther had a cassette player or had access to one. C a r e had to be exercised, however , to insure t h a t

t h e casse t tes ' channels w e r e compatible .

Another d i f fe rence between col lege and high

school was t h e amount of work to be covered. Using t h e formula t h a t one year of high school

language work was equivalent to o n e semes ter of

col lege s tudy, w e set as our goal learning o n e half of t h e mater ia l considered minimal for o n e

semes ter at t h e col lege level. Thus, although most

s tudents did more," what col lege s tudents w e r e expec ted t o learn in a semes ter was considered

adequate progress for t h e year . At North Tonawanda w e of fered Japanese and

Modern Greek as a resul t of s tudent in te res t . W e

f i r s t cal led a meet ing for prospect ive s tudents and

explained t h e program. The languages for which t h e r e was t h e grea tes t demand w e r e eventual ly

se lec ted . The motives ranged f rom a student of Greek ex t rac t ion wishing to learn his grand-

parents ' language to s tudents who wanted to s tudy

a n 'exotic' language, to those who w e r e in te res ted

in s tudying a language, any language, via t h e SILP

method. Although t h e r e w e r e s o m e differences between

our program and o n e on t h e col lege level , none exis ted in t h e manner of tes t ing. W e scheduled our exams to coincide with those of t h e nearby S t a t e University of New York at Buffalo and t ransported

our s tudents t h e r e to be tes ted . The examiners , both exper t s in the i r languages and experienced t e s t e r s of SILP students," w e r e asked to examine our s tudents a s if t h e y were col lege s tudents . On this basis, t h e program was q u i t e successf ul in t h a t t h e r e w e r e t h r e e grades of 'A' and t w o of 'B.'

Schools needing exper t examiners in a given language c a n c o n t a c t t h e neares t university where t h a t language is offered. '* Normally, transpor- ta t ion costs, lodging if necessary, and a n

8. The language department of the North Tonawanda Public Schools maintains a cordial relationship with the local press. 10. One student did cover one year's col lege material in one Thus, what was going on in the school was known in the year of high school study. For this he was given two years of high munrty, and tutors were not hard t o find. Schools in need of credit* tutors might also contact the foreign student off ice a t a local 11. The examiner in Greek was Dr. Sapountzis of the U S . college. Department of State, Foreign Service Institute, and the

are ~ u a , l y paid for their services at the examiner in Japanese was Eleanor H. Jorden of Cornell Univer- rate of between $3.00 and $4.00 per hour, during the 1972-73 sity' academic year, when the program functioned without funds, one 12. A Ilst of foreign language department chairpersons, of the tutors, the mother of a high school student and a native indicating the languages within each department, appears annu- speaker of Greek, volunteered her services f ree of charge. ally in the September issue of w.

9. Although

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honorarium of about $100 must be paid for each examiner.

provide for highly motivated students who might ordinarily become bored with the pace of the class. Using tapes and a book, with the teacher function-

ing as the tutor,14 some students enrolled in a traditional class could easily acce lera te and profit more from their language learning experience.

Since local conditions vary greatly, i t would

not be feasible to state an exact cost for such a program. The major ongoing expense, tha t for tutors, will vary depending upon the number of

tutorial sessions per week, t h e number of lan-

guages offered, and the different levels of each language. The hourly r a t e offered to tutors will also vary depending upon the locality. The prices

of books and master tapes must also be considered, but these a r e one-time expenses. The cost of tape duplication will depend upon t h e methods selected and the availability of dubbing facilities. The honoraria and transportation for t he outside examiners will also vary depending upon the number of languages offered, t h e number of stu- dents to be tested, as well as t h e proximity of a college or university where t h e languages a r e

taught. 13

Self-instruction in language learning is not

intended to replace any existing program. It can,

Self-instruction can give t h e

exceptional s tudent a n opportunity to study a language

not normally offered

in a high school.

however, expand existing language offerings

economically and give the exceptional student an opportunity to study a language not normally offered in a high school. On another level, t he self-instructional method, adapted for t he tradi-

tional classroom, can also offer the language teacher a means of individualizing instruction to

13. 1 would be glad to offer my services as a consultant, f ree of charge, t o any institution seriously considering a SILP. Send a stamped self-addressed envelope to: Dr. James 3. Pontillo, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118.

14. I am well aware of the demands placed upon teachers and upon their t ime. This tutorial session could be held while the other students were engaged in different activities. 1 have done this in my own classroom, and it has been very worthwhile. Besides being an enjoyable experience for the teacher, it also helps motivate certain students who, through boredom, might become disruptive. I t can also provide review for students who need more t ime t o master a certain point.

Two Language Games to Try Title: The Match Game

Equipment: Paper and pencils Rules: Divide the class into teams of th ree stu-

dents each. A question, such a s ' hame a color," is asked, and each team member writes down an answer without consultation with the other members of t he team. If all th ree answers differ, no points a r e awarded. The team receives one point if two answers match, and three points if all th ree answers match. The team with the highest number of points a f t e r a given number of questions is t he winner.

Variation: In order to elicit more varied responses, t he process of awarding points can be reversed, i.e., th ree points a r e given if all th ree answers differ, one point if two different responses a re made, and no points if all th ree students have t h e same answer.

Title: Around the World Equipment: Teacher- or student-made flashcards Rules: Students si t in as many consecutive seats as

required by the size of the class. The student in the first seat of the first row then stands in front of the student next to him or her. The teacher shows a flashcard which poses some linguistic or cultural question, e.g., a math problem to be solved using the foreign lan- guage, translating an expression into the foreign language, changing a verb tense, etc. If t h e student standing responds first (correctly), he or she moves on to the next student in the row. If t he student seated answers first , he or she stands up and goes t o the next student. The student who was standing takes the vacated seat, and the game continues. The first student to 'defeat' everyone and return to his or her original seat is t he winner.

These games were contributed by Karen Muskat, a language teacher at Wood Oaks Junior High School in Northbrook, 111.