The Language Teacher
July 2000

Integrating Multimedia into Language Teaching

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.



All materials on this site are copyright © by JALT and their respective authors.
For more information on JALT, visit the JALT National Website