making the language laboratory effective
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/10/2019 Making the Language Laboratory Effective
1/5
Making the Language Laboratory Effective
Author(s): Norma A. GarnettSource: Hispania, Vol. 50, No. 2 (May, 1967), pp. 319-322Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and PortugueseStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/337586
Accessed: 29/12/2008 09:40
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless
you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you
may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.
Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained athttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=aatsp.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed
page of such transmission.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the
scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that
promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portugueseis collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve
and extend access toHispania.
http://www.jstor.org
http://www.jstor.org/stable/337586?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=aatsphttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=aatsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/337586?origin=JSTOR-pdf -
8/10/2019 Making the Language Laboratory Effective
2/5
SHOP-TALKHOP-TALK
(8)
Our
culture makes
a fetish
of
"organization."
And
it
cannot be denied
that a course which is well
organized
is
more
likely
to be effective than one which
is disorganized. Students tend to be im-
pressed
with a course which shows
careful
preparation
and
organization,
and
feel less
kindly disposed
toward
a course which
lacks
organization.
However,
it is
quite
possible
for
inadequate
materials
to be well
organized
by
an
uninspiring
teacher. The
question,
then,
is not
"organization,"
n
and
of
itself,
but the
organization
of what
by
whom,
to
what end and
with
what
fairly
discernible results.
(9) The importanceof intellectual and
cultural
content in
text
materials even
in
a
beginning language
course cannot be
overestimated,
specially
when
dealing
with
adolescents and
young
adults.
Language
teachers must remember hat a student who
is exposed to literary values, philosophical
problems,
scientific
concepts,
historical
traditions, and political
revolutions
in
his
(8)
Our
culture makes
a fetish
of
"organization."
And
it
cannot be denied
that a course which is well
organized
is
more
likely
to be effective than one which
is disorganized. Students tend to be im-
pressed
with a course which shows
careful
preparation
and
organization,
and
feel less
kindly disposed
toward
a course which
lacks
organization.
However,
it is
quite
possible
for
inadequate
materials
to be well
organized
by
an
uninspiring
teacher. The
question,
then,
is not
"organization,"
n
and
of
itself,
but the
organization
of what
by
whom,
to
what end and
with
what
fairly
discernible results.
(9) The importanceof intellectual and
cultural
content in
text
materials even
in
a
beginning language
course cannot be
overestimated,
specially
when
dealing
with
adolescents and
young
adults.
Language
teachers must remember hat a student who
is exposed to literary values, philosophical
problems,
scientific
concepts,
historical
traditions, and political
revolutions
in
his
other coursesis
entitled
to
some
intellectual
stimulation even
in an
elementary
lan-
guage
course,
and this
can
be
accomplished
despite
the
necessity
of a lot of time to
be
spent
on the acquisition of language
skills.
As a
postscript,
we
might
add
that the
success of our intensive
program
with
the
first edition
of
Modern
Spanish
in
the
summer
of
1965
encouraged
us
to have
another summer
program
n
1966,
this time
with
the
second
edition
of Modern
Span-
ish, and organized along lines similar to
those of last
summer.
One
of the two
teaching
assistants
in
1966
taught
in the
1965
program,
the other was new
to the
program
but
had
the
necessary
competence
and
training
to
do an effective
job.
And
the role
of director
and
teacher in the
program,
which I
had
in
1965,
was
filled
in
1966 by
Prof.
Joan
Ciruti.
other coursesis
entitled
to
some
intellectual
stimulation even
in an
elementary
lan-
guage
course,
and this
can
be
accomplished
despite
the
necessity
of a lot of time to
be
spent
on the acquisition of language
skills.
As a
postscript,
we
might
add
that the
success of our intensive
program
with
the
first edition
of
Modern
Spanish
in
the
summer
of
1965
encouraged
us
to have
another summer
program
n
1966,
this time
with
the
second
edition
of Modern
Span-
ish, and organized along lines similar to
those of last
summer.
One
of the two
teaching
assistants
in
1966
taught
in the
1965
program,
the other was new
to the
program
but
had
the
necessary
competence
and
training
to
do an effective
job.
And
the role
of director
and
teacher in the
program,
which I
had
in
1965,
was
filled
in
1966 by
Prof.
Joan
Ciruti.
MAKING
THE LANGUAGE
LABORATORY EFFECTIVE
NORMA
A. GARNETT
Warwick Veterans Memorial
High
School, Warwick,
Rhode Island
MAKING
THE LANGUAGE
LABORATORY EFFECTIVE
NORMA
A. GARNETT
Warwick Veterans Memorial
High
School, Warwick,
Rhode Island
The
expensive
language
laboratory-
equipment,
area, material,
staff-now
very
much
in
vogue
for the
teaching
of
foreign
languages
is
a constant
subject
for
discus-
sion,
disagreement
and
questioning.
Such
a
debate
is
healthy
and
it
shows
the excite-
ment and
interest
among foreign
language
teachers today. The now famous Keating
Report
came to
a
negative
conclusion as
to
the effectiveness of the
language
labo-
ratory.
This
was
repudiated by
the
Lorge
Report
and
various
qualified
authors
speak-
ing
in
defense of the
language laboratory.
In the
arguments pro
the
language
labora-
tory,
certain criteria have
appeared
as
con-
stants. These
six
points
are
fundamental
in an
effective
application
of the
language
laboratory
for
the
teaching
of
foreign
lan-
guages.
(1) Skill of teacher as critic, model,
guide.
The
expensive
language
laboratory-
equipment,
area, material,
staff-now
very
much
in
vogue
for the
teaching
of
foreign
languages
is
a constant
subject
for
discus-
sion,
disagreement
and
questioning.
Such
a
debate
is
healthy
and
it
shows
the excite-
ment and
interest
among foreign
language
teachers today. The now famous Keating
Report
came to
a
negative
conclusion as
to
the effectiveness of the
language
labo-
ratory.
This
was
repudiated by
the
Lorge
Report
and
various
qualified
authors
speak-
ing
in
defense of the
language laboratory.
In the
arguments pro
the
language
labora-
tory,
certain criteria have
appeared
as
con-
stants. These
six
points
are
fundamental
in an
effective
application
of the
language
laboratory
for
the
teaching
of
foreign
lan-
guages.
(1) Skill of teacher as critic, model,
guide.
(2)
Enthusiasm
and
energy
of
teacher;
teacher motivation.
(3)
Excellence
of
program
materials,
closely
related
to classroom
mate-
rials.
(4)
An
efficient,
valid
testing
and
grad-
ing program.
(5)
Frequent
and
regular
practice
ses-
sions,
preferably
two
twenty-minute
sessions
each week.
(6)
Efficient
and
quality machinery
that
is
adjustable
to
needs and
aims of
individual school
programs.
As a teacher
of
Spanish
in a
public
secondary
school,
I
have often been
asked
by
teachers
in
other
schools,
"Do
you
use
the
language
laboratory?"
"What
do
you
do there?"
"Don't
you
feel
you're wasting
valuable time?" "What programsare you
using?"
"Do
your
students
pay
attention
(2)
Enthusiasm
and
energy
of
teacher;
teacher motivation.
(3)
Excellence
of
program
materials,
closely
related
to classroom
mate-
rials.
(4)
An
efficient,
valid
testing
and
grad-
ing program.
(5)
Frequent
and
regular
practice
ses-
sions,
preferably
two
twenty-minute
sessions
each week.
(6)
Efficient
and
quality machinery
that
is
adjustable
to
needs and
aims of
individual school
programs.
As a teacher
of
Spanish
in a
public
secondary
school,
I
have often been
asked
by
teachers
in
other
schools,
"Do
you
use
the
language
laboratory?"
"What
do
you
do there?"
"Don't
you
feel
you're wasting
valuable time?" "What programsare you
using?"
"Do
your
students
pay
attention
31919
-
8/10/2019 Making the Language Laboratory Effective
3/5
HISPANIA
or 'fool around'?"
and so forth.
These
are
all
real,
practical
questions
to which
lan-
guage
teachers
using
laboratories should
have the answers. I would like to share
with you some of my experiences, giving
real,
practical
answers
concerning
the
pro-
lem
of
making
the
language
laboratory
effective.
With
our textbooks
we have correlated
tapes
for Year I and
II
(for
Spanish
III
we have correlated
tapes
for our
readers
only).
Each
chapter
is
covered
by
two
programs,
including
review
work,
basic
pattern
construction,
drill
changes,
listen-
ing-comprehension,
and
so forth. The stu-
dent
may
use
his text as
a
reference
in
the
language
laboratory
f he
desires,
and
most students
prefer
to do so. Review
tapes
are also included. The
programs
for
Spanish
II
offer a bit more
variety
but
less
oral
participation.
We have
regularly
scheduled
periods
in
the
laboratory.
Each class
of
language study
is scheduled for one
20-25
minute period
each
week.
This means that we meet seven
times
as much
per week
in
the
classroom
as in
the language laboratory.This, I feel,
is a judicious proportion. If we were to
increase the time in either situation I
would prefer increasing the language labo-
ratory period, not at the expense of the
classroom but
as
a
supplementary period
to be taken from study hall or after-school
time, and with the lab work done
on
an
individual basis. Since language laboratory
work is
mainly
reinforcement
of
class
study, repetition would always be
benefi-
cial. The
fact
that each class attends
a
regularly scheduled
1
a b o
r
a
t
or
y period
ratherthan practice on a hit-or-miss ched-
ule is effective in
itself, indicating
to
the
student
the value
placed on
the
laboratory
by the faculty.
However one grades laboratory work,
whether
by
oral or
written
response, grad-
ing also gives status to the laboratoryex-
perience, indicating to the student that
practical aural-oral work is an important
part
in
the
learning of a foreign language.
In
the
classroom
only one student at
a
time
may participateorally. In the language
laboratory veryone may participate.A com-
parison
of
progress s obviously more possi-
ble here for
the teacher
(by
the
process
of
monitoring)
than in
the
classroom.
When
the
teacher
regularly grades
oral
produc-
tion,
by any
individual means convenient
or agreeable, the student realizes that the
teacher is
stressing
the value
of
practical
communication of
a
foreign language.
A
tangible
motivating
factor in
secondary
schools is
grades.
Students understand
the
status of
grades;
they
know
that
grades
are
means to an
end.
Disappointing
as this
might
be
to
us as
teachers,
we must
realize
that
few
students come to us with an
innate search for
knowledge,
a
natural
motivation. If
we can achieve motivation
by
using
the stimulus of
grades,
I feel we
are forcedto do so. Gradingfor each period
in
the
language laboratory
has
given
"motivation" o
my
students and
I
do
not
find
many
of them
"fooling
around."
The
accumulated
grades
(I
grade
"very
good"
(+),
"average"
-),
"poor"
0))
for each
quarter
is
the equivalent to one hour
exam in weight value. For first-year stu-
dents I
do not
grade
until
second quarter.
One
important problem
in
laboratory
work is the
boredom
owing
to
a lack of
variety in programs. The correlated text-
book-tape programs are essential,
but
they
can
lose their
effect
if
they
are
the
only
program used
in
the
laboratory.
The
pat-
tern as
well as
the
voices is
the same
for
the
whole
year.
This
could
mean that the
students
using
the
same
procedure ap-
proximately
36 times
each
year
would
listen to
and answer the same
voices.
And
consider the
teacher
who
has
this
same
number
of
laboratoryperiods multiplied by
each of
her
classes
Needless
to
say, every-
one would enjoy a change, some variation,
not to
speak
of
the benefits and
positive
effects
gained through
such
a
change.
Boredom
does not
spare
the
learning pro-
cedure in either
the
language laboratory
or in
the
classroom
I have
enjoyed experimenting
with new
formats, programs, and procedures
in
the
language laboratory, and
I think
my
stu-
dents have
enjoyed
it
also.
Certainly
both
students
and
teacher
have benefited
by
it.
I
deliberately change
the
programs
or
my
classes so that they do not know what we
are
doing
that
period
until the class
is
320
-
8/10/2019 Making the Language Laboratory Effective
4/5
-
8/10/2019 Making the Language Laboratory Effective
5/5
HISPANIAISPANIA
idioms
for
Spanish
III,
but time and
energy
are the
only problems
Tapes
purely
for cultural
supplement
are suitable
programs
to use
for
variation.
Special
music for
holidays,
historical ac-
counts,
regional
music,
the
everyday
sounds
"al
mercado,"
"a la
corrida,"
"al
campo,"
"a la
ciudad,"
interviews
of
important
and
interesting people,
selections
of literature
and
interpretation
can all
be used.
Some
of this material with
questions
on
compre-
hension
can be
prepared
by
the teacher
himself. Possibilities
are
endless.
It is well
worth
the
money,
time and
energy
involved
to obtain
or
prepare
such material
(un-
fortunately
the
language laboratory
s
still
young
and
we
do
suffer
from a lack of
appropriate programs
such as
these.)
Stu-
dent
enthusiasm and
interest,
perhaps
even
motivation,
increase as a result. Now the
language laboratory
offers
the
frosting
on
the
cake, by treating pupils
to
informative,
descriptive subject
matter where the learn-
ing process
is
disguised
under
the veil of
entertainment.
This
practical application
of
foreign language learning
makes sense
to American students.
For Spanish III I have used dictation
tapes
to
vary
the
laboratoryprogram.
These
are
spoken by
native
speakers
and
consist
of
typical passages
from
Spanish
authors.
I
prefer
the
nineteenth-century
realist
novelists and
try
to
avoid
Romanticists
and
critics
whose
vocabulary
would be
too diffi-
cult
and
unfamiliar to them.
Each
dicta-
tion,
a
paragraph
in
length,
is
repeated
idioms
for
Spanish
III,
but time and
energy
are the
only problems
Tapes
purely
for cultural
supplement
are suitable
programs
to use
for
variation.
Special
music for
holidays,
historical ac-
counts,
regional
music,
the
everyday
sounds
"al
mercado,"
"a la
corrida,"
"al
campo,"
"a la
ciudad,"
interviews
of
important
and
interesting people,
selections
of literature
and
interpretation
can all
be used.
Some
of this material with
questions
on
compre-
hension
can be
prepared
by
the teacher
himself. Possibilities
are
endless.
It is well
worth
the
money,
time and
energy
involved
to obtain
or
prepare
such material
(un-
fortunately
the
language laboratory
s
still
young
and
we
do
suffer
from a lack of
appropriate programs
such as
these.)
Stu-
dent
enthusiasm and
interest,
perhaps
even
motivation,
increase as a result. Now the
language laboratory
offers
the
frosting
on
the
cake, by treating pupils
to
informative,
descriptive subject
matter where the learn-
ing process
is
disguised
under
the veil of
entertainment.
This
practical application
of
foreign language learning
makes sense
to American students.
For Spanish III I have used dictation
tapes
to
vary
the
laboratoryprogram.
These
are
spoken by
native
speakers
and
consist
of
typical passages
from
Spanish
authors.
I
prefer
the
nineteenth-century
realist
novelists and
try
to
avoid
Romanticists
and
critics
whose
vocabulary
would be
too diffi-
cult
and
unfamiliar to them.
Each
dicta-
tion,
a
paragraph
in
length,
is
repeated
three times. The
first time the
speaker
narrates
at a
normal rate of
speech.
The
second
time
he
speaks
very
slowly
and
in
short
phrases.
The
third
time he narrates
almost up to a normal rate giving the stu-
dent an
opportunity
to
correct his
para-
graph.
Two
dictations
are
given
in a
single
laboratory
period.
In
our
language
laboratory
library
we
have a
variety
of
pattern
drill
tapes
avail-
able. For
Spanish
III
I
generally
program
a
tape
to
reinforce the
classroom
subject
matter:
radical
changing
verbs, ordinals,
idioms with
tener, hacer,
haber,
direct
object pronouns
and
so forth. This effec-
tively reestablishesthe principles used and
explained previously
in
the
classroom,
only
this time
some other
voice
is
doing
the
pattern
drill.
Briefly
then,
I feel
that the
question
concerning
the
effectiveness
of
the
language
laboratory
is
outdated.
The
real question
now is how to
best utilize the
potential
of
the
language laboratory
n
the
teaching
of
a
foreign language. By sharing with you
some of
my experiences,
some of
my experi-
ments,
and
some of
my
ideas
as a teacher
of Spanish on the secondary evel, perhaps
I
will
have
stimulated
others to
experiment
with
new
and different
language laboratory
programs.
I
would,
in
my turn, appreciate
learning
how
other
teachers
of
foreign
language
are
attempting
to
make
an
effec-
tive
application
of
the
language laboratory
in
their courses of
study.
three times. The
first time the
speaker
narrates
at a
normal rate of
speech.
The
second
time
he
speaks
very
slowly
and
in
short
phrases.
The
third
time he narrates
almost up to a normal rate giving the stu-
dent an
opportunity
to
correct his
para-
graph.
Two
dictations
are
given
in a
single
laboratory
period.
In
our
language
laboratory
library
we
have a
variety
of
pattern
drill
tapes
avail-
able. For
Spanish
III
I
generally
program
a
tape
to
reinforce the
classroom
subject
matter:
radical
changing
verbs, ordinals,
idioms with
tener, hacer,
haber,
direct
object pronouns
and
so forth. This effec-
tively reestablishesthe principles used and
explained previously
in
the
classroom,
only
this time
some other
voice
is
doing
the
pattern
drill.
Briefly
then,
I feel
that the
question
concerning
the
effectiveness
of
the
language
laboratory
is
outdated.
The
real question
now is how to
best utilize the
potential
of
the
language laboratory
n
the
teaching
of
a
foreign language. By sharing with you
some of
my experiences,
some of
my experi-
ments,
and
some of
my
ideas
as a teacher
of Spanish on the secondary evel, perhaps
I
will
have
stimulated
others to
experiment
with
new
and different
language laboratory
programs.
I
would,
in
my turn, appreciate
learning
how
other
teachers
of
foreign
language
are
attempting
to
make
an
effec-
tive
application
of
the
language laboratory
in
their courses of
study.
THE "SE ME" CONSTRUCTION: SOME COMMENTS
J. CARY DAVIS
Southern Illinois
University
THE "SE ME" CONSTRUCTION: SOME COMMENTS
J. CARY DAVIS
Southern Illinois
University
One
of the sentences listed
by
Professor
Schmitz
in
his
excellent article in SHOP
TALK
(Hispania,
Sept.
19661),
as an
ex-
ample
of direct
object-preceding-indirect
object,
is
highly
questionable:
No
me le
calientes
la
oreja
a
la
muchacha.
This
is
obviously
a
case of two indirect
objects,
one a "dative of interest," the other a
"dative
of
possession."
This
example,
like
One
of the sentences listed
by
Professor
Schmitz
in
his
excellent article in SHOP
TALK
(Hispania,
Sept.
19661),
as an
ex-
ample
of direct
object-preceding-indirect
object,
is
highly
questionable:
No
me le
calientes
la
oreja
a
la
muchacha.
This
is
obviously
a
case of two indirect
objects,
one a "dative of interest," the other a
"dative
of
possession."
This
example,
like
several
others,
is
drawn
from
Gallego's
Cantaclaro, and
certainly
does not
repre-
sent
so-called"standard"
peech.
The
other
type-sentences
(No
te
me
indisciplines...,
etc.)
are
authentic
examples
of
te/me,
te/le
order
of
direct
plus
indirect
object.
Ramsey-Spaulding
has this to
say
about
the matter: "Among the untaught, how-
ever,
me
se and
te se
are
frequently
used
several
others,
is
drawn
from
Gallego's
Cantaclaro, and
certainly
does not
repre-
sent
so-called"standard"
peech.
The
other
type-sentences
(No
te
me
indisciplines...,
etc.)
are
authentic
examples
of
te/me,
te/le
order
of
direct
plus
indirect
object.
Ramsey-Spaulding
has this to
say
about
the matter: "Among the untaught, how-
ever,
me
se and
te se
are
frequently
used
32222