This summer, I took a trip to Quito, Ecuador. I came back with a second-degree burn, a severe bladder infection, and 10 cents in my pocket because I was robbed. Twice. In fact, the only way my trip could have been worse was if I didn’t speak Spanish. In cases like this communication is key, and speaking another language makes that communication possible.
As UW-Madison students, we are fortunate to have one of the most highly ranked foreign language programs in the U.S., or for that matter, in the world. UW-Madison has the capacity to teach 80 languages and teaches 40 regularly during the academic year, and only UC-Berkeley has a similar teaching capacity. Our language teachers receive intensive training through “mini teaching” cross-departmental workshops. In addition, our professors try to accommodate for different styles of language learning and attempt to cater to all students’ language learning preferences.
In many ways, the language department at UW-Madison is bringing language learning from the past into the present. French professor and director of the Language Institute Sally Magnan said compared to 20 years ago, language instruction has become much more flexible and geared toward the many dynamic communities in which language is used. Gone are the tiresome sentence diagrams of yesteryear. Updated teaching techniques, Magnan said, help students build a base that will enable them to continue learning — even when not in class. Magnan points out students with strong grammar skills taught at Madison will be able to read texts in a foreign language, and this ability “is essential for a college-educated person in this era of globalization,” Magnan said.
But what about students who are just trying to fulfill a language requirement and will never need to read and interpret foreign texts, but still wish to gain a working knowledge of a language? Although Madison instruction usually caters to different learning styles, students are mostly assumed to be avid language learners, and language-teaching methods at Madison are a one-size-fits-all. It would be nice to think everyone in my Spanish class will try to perfect his or her Spanish, but many may not have the time or natural inclination to attain full fluency. Basic math and science courses delve only into the most universal aspects of their subjects and aim to give a general understanding. Madison’s language department, however, teaches everyone as if they will reach expert ability.
First lady Jessica Doyle, speaking of acquiring language skills during her extended 1967 Peace Corps stay in Tunisia, said, “Listening comes first, then speaking, then reading and writing.” Even multi-year language students may not be fully fluent until they are surrounded by the culture and language they wish to learn. Why is this so? Simply because in that situation, using the foreign language becomes unavoidable. If communication is the basis for success in fluency, then speaking and listening should be the major components in Madison’s language classrooms.
In keeping with their tradition of language education that will enable reading and analyzing texts, the primary learning focus of the language department is grammar and vocabulary from textbooks and supplementary readings. To encourage speaking and listening, students break off into pairs or trios to discuss the topic at hand, but this is not always effective for the students, since the pairings are with other learners of their same level. If a student misspeaks, his or her classmates may lack the knowledge to correct the error.
During a lecture, a teacher may call for a student to answer a short question relating to the subject matter at hand, but this gives the student very little practice at speaking, since the students are not required to give detailed answers. Also, by learning only vocabulary words provided in a textbook, students may learn words they might not need in a real-world setting and also may gloss over words that might be necessary.
The language program at Madison does do a sufficient job at providing listening experience through the Van Hise’s language lab, and most classes above an elementary level are taught in the subject language. However, since communication in class is minimal, teachers have no way to judge effectively whether or not students understand them, and because little emphasis is placed on speaking, there are large gaps in what the student can understand and articulate.
If our language departments implemented a more conversational approach in elementary language classes, not only would they provide students with the strong basis to continue their language studies by reading and interpreting texts, but they would also provide equally strong skills to those who do not wish to continue their studies but still want a practical application for what they have learned.
As Magnan said, “Language is a way of opening ourselves up to the world, so we can think, learn and communicate cross-culturally.” Even for business, math and other majors, learning a foreign language can broaden horizons and deepen understanding. By improving our communication, we gain a cultural awareness that helps us see ourselves and others in a new light. By adapting traditional language teaching methods to make them more accessible to students with all levels of learning skills, the language departments of Madison gave the gift of communication by bringing language learning into the present. And by incorporating more conversational aspects, they could certainly move language learning into the future.
Taylor Nye ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in English, French and Spanish.
