Programed Instruction and Foreign Language Learning--Problems and Prospects (original) (raw)
Related papers
Foreign Language Teaching and the Computer
Foreign Language Annals, 1986
This is theseventh column in a series presenting reviews of foreign languagesoftware and discussions of problems and perspectives in foreign language computer-assisted instruction (CAI). We are eager to receive materials for review, and to hear from Foreign Language Annals readers experienced in foreign language CAI who would be interested in submitting reviews to this column. We also invite suggestions of problems or topics on which future discussions might focus.
o y l a n @ u n i r o m a 3 . i t Abstract Researchers and practitioners in the field of language instruction largely agree today that proficiency in a foreign language requires more than grammatical competence: it requires a kind of know-how they call "communicative competence", of which grammatical competence is but a subset. The present paper claims that, although this view of language learning has been prominent for over a generation (Hymes seminal paper "On communicative competence" dates back to 1966), it has had little impact on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) projects. Indeed, CALL systems regularly use the most recent and technologically advanced hardware/software resources to implement the most out-dated grammar-based pedagogy; thus, the total instructional value of such systems is undercut by the very didactics they (often quite ingeniously) embody. In the present paper, a case is made for "Conversational Rebuilding", a recent trend in "communicative teaching" that has been implemented in a textbased CALL system built around a Common LISP Artificial Intelligence engine on a MacIntosh platform. It is argued that a system of this kind is likely to give more instructional value than systems using more sophisticated interfaces or architectures but which embody more traditional language teaching methods.
Have Computers ever Really Assisted Language Learning? Problems and Prospects
TISLID10 Proceedings, 2011
Early Computer Assisted Language Learning programs reflected the structural/behavioral view of language. This computer-based language instruction was characterized by the use of software that was prescriptive by nature. As developments in computer hardware and software were made, it appeared that AI might offer a way to give CALL software the ability to analyze student linguistic production. This line of research became ICALL, which explores the application of AI to the problem of language learning. While AI techniques looked promising, the results are still limited. Since progress in the area was slow questions were raised about whether ICALL systems could actually keep the promise. However, continued research and advances in the field of AI have made it popular once again. The ATLAS research group have developed a series of systems as part of an “iterative design process” that has helped to refine and test the theoretical ideas underlying a professional English learning framework. In their current project, I-AGENT, the decision was made not to develop an e-Learning platform in itself (as has been done in previous projects), but to focus on student modelling and reasoning for second language learning. The resulting I-AGENT system connects to Moodle to adapt study materials and activities to a student’s needs and progress.
Evaluating foreign language tutoring systems
The design of computational systems to support foreign language instruction needs to be grounded on what we know about human learning, language processing, and humancomputer interaction. Principles derived from these fields can be tested and quantified in the context of specific tutoring systems. Evaluation of the pedagogical impact of particular principles can best be achieved by comparing two tutoring systems that differ in controlled and manipulable ways.
Incorporating the Language Laboratory into the Classroom at the Advanced Level
Foreign Language Annals, 1985
ABSTRACT Studies on second language acquisition seem to indicate that listening and reading activities play a far more significant role in the development of fluency in a foreign language than do oral drills. In the early stages of language learning, assignments in the language laboratory complement classroom instruction with drills designed to reinforce grammar and develop linguistic competence. Upper division offerings, on the other hand, rarely coordinate language lab materials with classroom instruction. The technique outlined in this paper draws on the use of a wide variety of recorded language materials in conjunction with a structured format for developing fluency at the advanced level.