Listen Up! Digital Audio in Foreign Language Instruction
"Students today may not know what an audiocassette is," says Jenise Rowekamp, director of the College of Liberal Arts Language Center. For the traditional-aged student, this statement is blindingly obvious. For those of us who at one time acquired a fair-sized music collection on cassette, this is slightly unsettling news. For Rowekamp, who has taught a graduate level course on technology use in teaching foreign languages for over a decade, the audiocassette is one of many media useful for teaching languages, an array that includes streaming video/audio, compact discs, Web-based voice tools, and until recently, even reel-to-reel recordings.
Teaching Strategies
No matter the medium used, good teaching strategies are fundamental. Before digital audio, foreign language teachers used video/audio clips—from movies, commercials, and television—in the classroom. Rowekamp says a lesson is effective even if the student can't comprehend everything that is said in the clip; of greater importance is creating a lesson that is appropriate for the student's level of mastery. For example, students in a beginning French class may view a brief French television news report about a significant decline in bread consumption. A reporter interviews a nutritionist and patrons of a local bakery. Beginning students might not understand everything that is said, but for today's lesson they will simply listen carefully and raise their hands every time they hear the word pain (bread). According to Rowekamp, this approach is simple and effective: "Students' response to the use of audio/video is uniformly positive. It can be very satisfying to be able to pick out the words." The students are exposed to authentic speech and hone their listening skills. And that clip can be reused for lessons both basic and advanced.
Digital Technologies
While audiocassettes and videocassettes work very well for foreign language instruction, digital audio offers many advantages, including greater mobility and access for both students and instructors. For example, the Language Center is currently testing the Horizon Wimba Voice Tools, a set of Web-based tools especially suited for foreign language teaching. Students can listen to authentic speech clips posted on the Web site anywhere and anytime. And as Rowekamp says, "access is huge" when it comes to foreign language instruction. Instructors and students also can participate in both live and asynchronous audio discussions. An added bonus: instructors can be freed from hauling around bags full of audio cassettes of students' practice recordings, as the recordings can be posted on the Web or even e-mailed directly to the instructors.
Newer audio technologies also enable instructors to exert greater control over content. Thanks to the Web, they now have access to a wider range of foreign language materials. New formats afford greater flexibility as well. For example, DVDs are more effective in the language classroom than VHS, as instructors have the option of turning off the subtitles and using captioning instead so students can both read and listen in the language being taught. And if commercial media is not available, an instructor can create her own content with user-friendly equipment and software. A Dutch instructor, Jenneke Oosterhoff, did just that to compensate for lack of access to Dutch media in the U.S. After a trip to the Netherlands, camera in tow, she had plenty of footage for classroom use.
What does the future hold when it comes to the use of audio in foreign language teaching? Perhaps students of the future will regard compact discs in the same way students today regard the audiocassette. But instructors will continue to explore the potential of new digital audio technologies while building on effective teaching strategies.
Related Resources
- To learn more about how campus instructors and others are using digital audio in their teaching and research, see "Thinking with Our Ears": Enhancing Learning with Digital Audio.
