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DOCUMENT-RESUME FL 017 674 Thrush, The Computer Emily andA. Language Learning: Productivity PUB DATE Mar^ Tools 88 in^ the^ Classroom. NOTE 27p.; Teachers Paper of presentedEnglish to at Speakers the Annual of OtherMeeting Languages of the PUB TYPE Information^ (22nd,^ Chicago, Analyses^ IL,^ March(070)^ 8-13,-- Reports^ 1988). - Evaluative Papers (150) /Feasibility (142) -- Speeches/Conference EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Class *Courseware;^ Activities; Elementary^ *Computer Secondary^ Assisted Education;^ Instruction; *English Instruction(Second^ Language);^ *Media^ Selection;^ Second^ Language ABSTRACT Early programs for computer-assisted language learningfirst generation were limited of microcomputers. in size and power As theseby the capabilities capabilities have of the advantageincreased, of^ it tools^ has^ becomeoriginally^ possible intended^ for^ languagefor use inteachers the business^ to^ take world, telecommunications.such^ as^ word^ processors, The advantages^ spreadsheets, of these^ databases, packages^ text over^ analyzers, small,^ and discreteflexibility drill of andcontent, practice greater or game student programs involvement include withunlimited the content material,With the applicationand higher degreeof several of relevance principles to ofstudents' good language life goals. teaching, asin revealedclass activities in research, at all productivity grade levels tools and suchfor allas thesedegrees can of be used language skill. (Author/MSE)
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ON THE COMPUTER. AND LANGUAGE LEARNING:
CDr--1 PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS IN THE CLASSROOM
CD Emily A. Thrush, Georgia Institute of Technology. Presented at
the 22nd Annual TESOL Convention (8-13 March 1988, Chicago, Illinois). Abstract: were limited Early in sizeprograms and powerfor Computer by the capabilitiesAssisted Language of the Learning first generation of microcomputers. (^) As those capabilities have increased, it has become possible for language teachers to take advantage of tools originally intended for use in the business world, such as word processors, spreadsheets, data bases, text analyzers, and telecommunications. The advantages of these packages over small, discrete drill and practice or games programs include unlimited flexibility of content, greater involvement of the student population with the content material, and higher degree of relevance to students' life goals. This paper reviews several principles of good language teaching as they apply to computer assisted instruction, and outlines several classroom activities using productivity tools. These activities include suggestions appropriate for all grade levels and degrees of language skills.
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the-blank exercises onto the computer, turning the computer into a very expensive "page turner". However, these programs were not a complete disaster. (^) They provided extra practice for students who needed it but didn't get it in the classroom. (^) They gave instant feedback that allowed the students to check their hypotheses about the language and make adjustments to the model of the language they were building in their heads, then to further test out that model on subsequent problems. (^) They gave non-judgmental feedback to students self-conscious about trying out their leveloping language skills on real people, who might laugh at them. (^) And, most importantly, students loved these programs (^) especially students from traditional educational systems, since they were more used to and comfortable with rote learning. The extra bells and whistles of technology added appeal to a familiar structure.
But most teachers hated drill and practice programs. Practitioners of language teaching had long since abandoned the audio-lingual approach, which stressed modeling and repeating rather than meaningful communication. The computer software available throughout most of the '70's seemed to demand a return to techniques that violated the instructors' philosophy of language education, and failed to incorporate principles
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confirmed by research in language learning.
The result was that many English as a Second Language programs put off investing in computers, many teachers avoided using them (and often developed elaborate defense systems against the use of technology in any form), and many publishers stopped developing software because it seemed the market wasn't there. Things came very much to a stand-still in the U.S.
The Games Model
Fortunately, in Great Britain, (^) the system continued to encourage research and innovation. The educational system is much more centralized there, and better co-ordination of efforts is possible. The primary impetus in developing software for language learning came from the British Council, an arm of the government that serves to promote the use of the English language throughout the world. (^) In addition to large staffs and well- equipped facilities in many countries on all continents, the British Council supports materials development at its central offices in London and at major universities in the U.K. (^) This is where the second generation of computer use for language learning evolved.
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Language instructors were, for the most part, happier with the games, They looked more modern, allowed more flexibility in the use of language, and many could be played in groups, giving the students motivation to communicate with each other in a realistic way to accomplish a joint goal. But there were problems with the games model, too. For one thing, (^) most games were small scale and only provided practice with limited structures or aspects of the language. (^) Furthermore, students quickly got tired of playing the same games over and over again. The solution was to have many different games aNdailable, but there weren't that many on the market, and even if there had been, most ESL programs have very limited budgets, especially for "frills" like computer games.
Productivity Tools
As the available memory and power of small, inexpensive computers grew, some members of the language teaching community began to see the possibilities in using productivity tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases. (^) The advantages were obvious: these programs had unlimited flexibility since the content material could be changed endlessly; the purchase of one
program would provide many hours of usage; and the students would be learning real, marketable skills along with the language especially useful for immigrant groups. (^) The very nature of these programs as real world tools permits the kind of "authentic labour" that Stephen Kemmis and colleagues (1977) described as the top level node, Emancipatory, in a 4 level paradigm of CALL. Most importantly, these tools helped the computer to fill its most effective role in the classroom that of a tool and a resource for the student and the instructor not a mechanical tutor, or a supposedly omnipotent, all- powerful giver of knowledge, reward, and punishment. An additional benefit of productivity tools is that they lend themselves well to cooperative group work. (^) An overwhelming body of research supports cooperative learning as more effective in increasing achievement and promoting good interpersonal relationships than competitive or individualistic learning. A study by R. Johnson, D. Johnson, and Stanne (1986) compared the interaction and achievement of students in cooperative, competitive and individualistic groups. Seventy-five 8th graders were assigned to three conditions in groups of four to work on a computer simulation teaching map reading and navigational skills. In the first condition, students were told that they would be completing individual worksheets every day, but their grade would
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correctable documents make word processors ideal for language teaching. In addition, students of English as a second language benefit perhaps more than anyone else from spelling check programs that help them to learn spelling in a meaningful context, and from text analyzers that can point out problems in their prose such as heavy usage of vague, general terms in place of specific, concrete vocabulary. Many who come from cultures where another alphabet is used are relieved no longer to have to struggle painfully with producing unfamiliar letters. Considerable research has supported the value of word processing in the teaching of writing. (^) Studies have shown that the use of word processors reduces writing anxiety (Rodrigues, 1985 and Kurth, 1987), reduces mechanical errors (Daiute, 1986), increases spelling accuracy, en.:ourages better word usage, increases the number of supporting details, and results in longer compositions (MacGregor, 1986). Word processors are being used in more ways than simple composition production, however. (^) Text on a monitor screen can be seen easily by more than one person, and many teachers are capitalizing on that to facilitate group revision and peer evaluation. (^) Others are using networks and bulletin boards to engage students in real communication with others, both inside and out of their home institution. (^) Furthermore, word processors
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are even easier than authoring systems for teachers to use in creating activities.
Spreadsheets and data bases, on the other hand, are on beginning to come into extensive use, partly because they are less obviously useful for language activities than word processors, and partly because teachers tend to be less familiar with them. The major benefit of these tools (^) that it is not necessary to have a computer for every one or two students to use them is often overlooked. (^) Students can be actively involved in gathering information to put into the computer, thus practicing their reading, researching, and speaking skills, or they can draw from the data stored by the program to perform a wide range of language activities. These applications programs, then, are particularly useful in a classroom rather than a lab setting, where students can move from task to task, drawing on all the resources available to them, including the computer.
LANGUAGE LEARNING/TEACHING AND COMPUTERS
Much of the impetus for the use of productivity tools for language teaching has come from the current wisdom and beliefs about the principles of good language teaching. For computer
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computer, students should be assigned to work in small groups to accomplish a task. In the process of coming to an agreement about how to go about the task, they will necessarily get the right kind of practice. Productivity tools provide the ideal environment for this kind of task based activity.
- Constant correction of grammar and pronunciation may help students set up an internal monitor for self- correction, but it also slows down acquisition of fluency as students pause to audit each unit of output. (Krashen, 1982) Drill and practice programs, therefore, should be used in combination with problem-solving that encourage fluency.
- (^) Good writing is achieved by writing, revising, re- writing and more re-writing not by looking at models or hearing lectures about writing. The process approach to writing instruction now widely used- focuses on the stages of producing a finished product, not just the product itself. (^) This requires the teacher to look at drafts and parts of compositions, giving feedback which students use in revising their work.
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Word processing capabilities encourage students to revise and re-write by making it so easy. Also, a writing lab allows the instructor to work one-on-one with students, looking at their writing while it is still on the screen still "fluid". Corrections made at this point are usually seen as suggestions, where comments on what the student considers a finished product are perceived as criticisms.
EXAMPLES OF USES OF PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS (from Thrush, 1987)
Word Processors
- (^) To introduce students to the word processor, the instructor may enter some passages of text containing the kinds of errors the students often make. Editing commands are then used to correct the errors. It is easier for students to learn how to edit before they start worrying abott creating and saving files; and when they start producing original work, they can concentrate on composing rather than on learning new
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rhetorical analysis and phonetics ("go" rhymes with "snow" because "o" and "ow" spell the same sound). More advanced students might be asked to fill in the last line of the limerick, again sharing the results with the class.
- (^) A word processor serves as a very good message service. Students can leave messages for each other by saving files under the receiver's name. (^) Each student can check the directory of files every day to see if a message has been left. (^) Or two students who wane to correspond with each other can create a file under their initials, then leave each other messages in the file. (^) This can result in some ,:eal communicative practice, especially if it is used with a mixture of international students and native speakers. If the computer is networked or connected to a modem, the range of communication can be greatly broadened.
- Advanced students can use the "search" function to look at examples of the use of specific structures. For example, they can find every use of "because" in a
passage, then analyze the relationships between the ideas in the sentences. It is important that the material they are examining is genuine, native speaker prose passages from newspapers, magazines, or old administrative files containing business letters and reports are all good. Some very interesting discoveries can be made this way (^) when one group of students checked a file of business letters to find the most common usage of "if" conditional, they found the use of the verbless "if possible," "if necessary," which was even included in their formal curriculum.
- In a laboratory situation, it is often difficult for students to concentrate and compose original works. Unless invention software is available to stimulate the creative process, the lab is more suitable for revision and collaboration. Students might work together to make second draft revisions as prompted by teacher comments on the first draft. Or they might look at each others' files and make comments and suggestions directly onto the file.
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- Intermediate students can enter information about their own countries, or about countries they have researched in groups. Questions asked of the database can involve comparison and cause and effect relationships.
- (^) Advanced students can find comparative data on such issues as pollution, poverty, salary levels in different countries, or some other area of interest of the class. By asking questions of the data base, they can build a file of supporting details for a comparison- contrast composition or debate.
- Family Feud students complete worksheets on preferences in food, T.V. shows, music, sports, etc., then enter data into a data base individually. (^) One person acts as moderator and asks questions, queries the data base. The team of students that correctly predicts the 5 most named items in a category gets 10 points. (^) The team with the most points at the end wins.
- NuL:rition students research foods in the basic food groups and enter information into the data base on the
protein, carbohydrate, and calorie content. They can then check their daily meals for nutritional totals. Or they can design ideal meals, daily food plans to provide the Recommended Daily Allowance of key nutrients.
- Children can research a topic such as dinosaurs and enter the data. Then they can ask the data base questions such as "What dinosaur lived in the Triassic period, was lizard-hipped, and had a small head?" They can begin to form ideas about how scientists classify living things, about what characteristics distinguish one category from another.
- Data bases on specific subjects such as history, geography, etc. are becoming available. While use of these "pre-packaged" materials will not give the students as much practice with research and reading skills, they are an excellent source of content for assignments.
Spreadsheets
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