45
language, but can be used for teaching a number of languages efficiently. To acquire a sensibility
for the sounds and rhythm of a language, one has to hear the best samples of a spoken
language. This is precisely the function of the language laboratory. Some highlights of the
language laboratory are given below:
1. It is a tool designed for teaching any language.
2. It helps one to learn pronunciation, accent, stress and all other aspects of the phonetics of a
language.
3. Effective communicative training programmes for the general public, private and corporate
sectors, junior and senior level officers can be given through the lab.
4. Web-content creation, the setting up of in-house news magazines, corporate publicity and
identity, and teaching materials can be generated through the language laboratory.
5. General documentation, software documentation and all forms of technical documentation
can be done.
6. Experts can utilize the laboratory for creating and editing scientific and technical materials
for teaching language.
7. The language laboratory enables one to conduct courses for various groups of people like
students, faculties, businesspeople, etc.
8. Short-term and long-term coaching classes for international examinations like IELTS,
TOEFL and other competitive examinations can be organized.
9. Online courses and paperless examinations can be conducted through the language
laboratory.
As the ability to communicate effectively has become the prerequisite for anyone who
ventures into a new profession, the need for developing such a skill is a much-felt phenomenon
today. Both governmental and private institutions focus their attention on students developing their
communicative skills. As technology has entered into every aspect of human life, it has extended
its advanced products into the field of communication. So everyone strives to get the best on the
market.
Before examining the various techniques that may be employed for teaching the English
language, one must understand the process one goes through while learning any language.
Language is not something we inherit; rather it is a skill that we acquire from the environment and
through practice. In other words, in order to acquire the English language, we must first create an
environment where we may hear, listen to, copy and speak the language on a regular basis. This is
important since English language is hardly used in our day to day business. Secondly, the emphasis
has to be on practice, since it is only through repeated practice that one may develop proficiency in
its usage. So the early the process of practice program starts, the early these learners would be able
to adopt this foreign language as their own. It is a fact that young learners learn through a natural
process without the fear of evaluation or any embarrassment. That‘s why it is recommended that
English skill development programs should begin at an early stage with a thorough stress on the
functional usage of English. These programs must cover all the aspects of Communicative
Language Teaching i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (LSRW).
In order to achieve the desired consequences, there is a need to develop and provide proper
infrastructure to the pupils of English language. And that is where the requirement of multimedia
equipped language laboratories becomes mandatory. These laboratories not only help generate the
necessary environment where one listens to the language on a regular basis but also facilitate the
practice required for its acquisition. Only the teacher‘s lecture oriented approach is not sufficient to
solve the purpose which can be done through an interactive teaching and learning methodology.
Mark Warschauer explains the importance of multimedia saying,
―Multimedia technology exemplified today by the CD-ROM allows a variety of media (text,
graphics, sounds, animation and video) to be accessed on a single machine. What makes multimedia
even more powerful is that it also entails hypermedia? That means that the multimedia resources are
all linked together and that learners can navigate their own path simply by pointing and clicking a
mouse.‖ [6].
46
Thus there are a number of benefits of using these multimedia language laboratories as a
medium of instruction:
1. Multimedia increases the teacher student interaction because it provides us with ample
number of channels to communicate i.e. video chat, text chat, voice chat. It also incorporates a lot of
audio visual elements.
2. Multimedia laboratories covers all the aspects of language learning such as grammar,
pronunciation, vocabulary, free speech, intonation and modulation and remedies to relieve the
pupils from the regional influences of the mother tongue.
3. Multimedia laboratories enhance the retention level of the students because the students can
watch the lessons visually as compared to just being a passive listener. They get an opportunity to
watch even the missed pre- recorded classes and presentations. The full featured archives also
contribute in revising the lessons any time. Important classroom sessions can also be recorded for
the future reference.
4. Multimedia laboratories can compensate for the shortage or lack of quality faculty. The
recorded lectures through digital libraries can be used where the expert teachers are not available.
Even the live interactive lectures by experts can also be broadcasted.
5. These laboratories deliver an opportunity for the students to keep an entire hold on their
own learning. The software involved let the pupil work according to their capacity and also
provides instant feedback for constant improvement.
6. Multimedia also helps the students to resolve their weaknesses in terms of pronunciation.
Irrespective of teacher‘s accent, the students get hold of the correct accent as the practice on these
gadgets is imparted by expert‘s neutral accent which is free of various regional influences.
7. Multimedia also empowers the learners to do the self assessment because of its unique
feature of listening – recording and comparing which again provides an opportunity for self
evaluation. The learners can also track their own progress through the course and generate
personalized performance reports. In a way such infrastructure helps the learners to sharpen their
abilities along with providing privacy during practice with no embarrassment or fear of evaluation
by their peers or superiors.
8. These laboratories not only help the learners acquire this foreign language but also allow
them to give a complete makeover to their personality too. A lot of programs in these laboratories
include the group discussions, presentations, role plays, personal interview skills etc. Along with
this they can sharpen their intellectual capability, enhance creativity, judge their approach to solve
various problems and prune their leadership skills through this multimedia infrastructure. It also
helps them develop confidence, competence and command over English language, thus making
them a perfect professional.
In conclusion, on the basis of the previous discussion, this study does not present enough
evidence to show that the communicative language teaching method is more effective than it is in
the traditional classroom. However, this study would like to suggest some directions for teachers'
reference. First, teachers should prepare themselves for the use of modern computer technology.
Foreign language training will not always take place in a traditional classroom. With the help of a
setting such as a multimedia laboratory, foreign language training will be more efficient. Teachers
should have the clear idea of how a traditional classroom is different from a multimedia laboratory.
To serve that purpose well, this study summarizes the previous discussion as below.
Traditional classroom
Multimadia Laboratory
Layout
Matrix
Matrix
Teaching tools
Chalk, blackboard, audio tapes
Local computer network, video on
demand.
Teaching
materials
Textbook
Interactive computer software
Communicative
activities
Imaginative role-play
Realistic computer-simulated
environment
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: |