Integrating Multimedia into Language Teaching

Page No.: 
7
Writer(s): 
Lance Knowles

Multimedia has recently become a hot topic among language teachers and program
administrators. Computer labs have been equipped with the latest computers,
and a variety of software applications have been installed. Users no longer
look to multimedia and computers to provide special effects and entertainment.
The emphasis now is on effectiveness, reliability and teacher support.

Given the vast differences in how language programs are set up, multimedia
is used in many different ways. The effectiveness of multimedia, then, is
relative to the particular implementation. In some cases, students are put
into a lab and left to themselves, with little or no guidance. In other
instances, multimedia is used as a teaching aid in the classroom, with the
teacher utilizing the multimedia to present and model the language. Students
then work in groups or rotate into computer stations where they can practice
on their own.

There are several broad factors to consider when deciding how to allocate
the use of multimedia and teacher resources in a program. For example, language-learning
software is probably most effective at the lowest language levels (Foreign
Service Interview levels 0 ­ 1+), where repetition and intensive listening
and speaking practice are essential, and where students are most dependent
on the language models provided for them. At higher levels (FSI 2 and up),
reading has a larger role and students become more self-reliant in the language,
lessening the need for as much multimedia in the overall mix of activities.

Another important point is that the frequency of study is generally more
important than total study time, particularly at the lower levels. With
daily practice, 20 to 30 minutes a session, improvement can be quite rapid,
especially if these practice sessions are followed up by classroom activities.
These activities vary, of course, with language level, student age, learning
maturity, and cultural background. And successful classroom integration
requires teachers to be involved, motivated, and supported. A good teacher
can make a tremendous difference.

Not only can teachers provide an effective learning environment and mix
of activities, but also, by taking the generalized language that any multimedia
or text based course provides, they can guide students to the specific language
needed in their individual circumstances. Role-plays, oral presentations,
group activities and even choral repetition are all meaningful, useful activities
that promote language learning.

Teacher support and motivation is certainly no easy issue. Teachers in
the language teaching profession come with their own agendas, needs and
intellectual biases, just as language students do. While some are eager
to enhance their skills, a significant number of teachers are reluctant
to change anything at all. Teacher support must therefore address a large
number of issues, including the most basic introduction of how to turn on
and use a computer as an everyday tool.

Those who believe that learners can work on their own and that good teachers
are becoming less important need to face the fact that the drop-out rate
in self-study programs is very high. Few students are motivated and disciplined
enough to stay the long course which language learning requires. Rather,
it is the combination of classroom instruction and multimedia study and
practice that is most effective.

Effective use of technology requires that teachers have a practical understanding
of how multimedia differs from other forms of language input and how it
can affect the teaching-learning process. Unfortunately, even recent graduates
from MA programs have been given little practical training in how to use
multimedia, often because their programs have few, if any, experienced faculty
who have the background or training to provide guidance. In particular,
the multi-sensory nature of multimedia is often unappreciated when analyzed
or presented, and it is this dimension that sets multimedia lessons apart
from textbooks and traditional language labs.

When students are really trying to hear a phrase, for example, we note
that they often shut their eyes, in effect shutting out visual noise. This
shows how auditory and visual input often conflict, for example when a picture
and audio are presented together. The visual input dominates. A more effective
technique would be to have the student listen first, and then show the visual
after a suitable pause. If you say "a red ball," most people will
visualize a red ball, which is a mental act, unless they are seeing a picture
of a red ball. When visualization occurs, it helps to input the language.
The delayed showing of the picture serves to confirm whether or not comprehension
has occurred, but doesn't interfere with the listening and visualization
process.

Multimedia provides a means to involve the senses in various ways and
in varying degrees of interactivity. Learning to sequence sensory input
is a valuable technique that some teachers know instinctively, while other
teachers seem to have no sense of it. An awareness of how the senses work
or don't work together is especially important when trying to coordinate
multimedia with classroom activities and in identifying the roles each kind
of instruction should play.

One of the greatest strengths of multimedia lessons is the ability to
provide, direct, and monitor effective language practice. Effective language
practice is a subject seldom focused on in teacher training programs, yet
it is sequenced practice which is at the heart of skill acquisition, whether
it be music, language, or playing baseball. An overlapping sequence of general
preview, focused listening and speaking tasks, review, extension, and more
review -- while applying the same sequence to something different -- is
a powerful prescription for language mastery. This kind of practice, combined
with suitable classroom activities and teacher instruction, can greatly
accelerate the process of language learning.

As someone who has been involved in multimedia from its start, I deal
with the problem of how to orient and support teachers on a daily basis.
In response to requests from our clients, we are now offering training programs
that help schools and companies as they shift to technology-assisted language
teaching. We are also offering shorter courses to teachers who wish to upgrade
their skills through organizations such as JALT. These courses allow for
considerably more depth and focus than has been possible in commercial or
conference presentations, where we have been presenting for more than ten
years.

In addition to addressing language teaching methodology, these new courses
provide participants with clear, step-by-step analyses of multimedia lessons,
different types of interactivity, and practical guidelines of how best to
integrate multimedia into a variety of learning situations. Record keeping
and computer assisted tests are also presented and analyzed, though time
constraints limit the amount of detail that can be covered in any one course.
Upon completion, demonstration programs and documentation will be given
to participants, along with a Certificate of Completion.