Part 1
“Teaching Intonation in Discourse Using Speech Visualization Technology” (Levis & Pickering, 2004)
Levis and Pickering’s study on teaching intonation as something that interplays with discourse as opposed to studying how it functions in out-of-context sentences was intriguing, in that it made me more aware of the need to do so in my own language classes. Currently, none of the language courses I have taught have truly emphasized intonation as part of a learning component. While input is definitely authentic, after reading this article, I realized that many L2 learners in Spanish courses do not inherently pick up on intonation or especially in terms of paragraph markers (paratones) which I tend to notice immediately when they are asked to read a passage out loud in class. While I do occasionally prompt them with audio feedback, I think the article makes a relevant point in addressing that “learners who received audio-visual feedback demonstrated improved perception and production of intonation patters in the L2 and an increased sensitivity to pitch movement” (507). Prior to this reading, I assumed that L2 learners would acquire this skill and apply it effectively overtime with practice (and even more so if immersed in the language and culture consistently through a study abroad program). However, by monitoring and assessing student progress, it is clear that this becomes more of a concrete learning objective for the learner if he/ she is able to track their own progress.
Part 2
Google Apps
Torrey’s presentation on GoogleDocs and its collaborative usage reminded me of how limitless all of the Google Apps really are as far as being effective tools for students and collaborative projects. I have previously used it for sign-up sheets (and still do use GoogleDocs) since it allows students to reflect on topics at home, and decide which thematic unit or module they wish to present on in groups of three without feeling pressured to decide immediately. I also encourage students to use whatever apps they may find relevant for sharing information with their peers. I especially try to use this when having groups brainstorm on certain topics or relevant things they would like to share with the class as a whole, such as making a collaborative list of favorite films in Spanish. What I still have yet to try out is the GoogleVoice widget (soon I will though, it seems too exciting to pass up!).
Christine, I think it's commonplace for language instructors to assume that learners will acquire pronunciation skills over time, especially if they have great exposure and/or study abroad. But most people (teachers and students alike) aren't even aware of intonation, either in L1 or L2. L2 teachers hardly ever teach L2 intonation because they don't know that much about it, so a first step is awareness training and thinking about which patterns are most important for comprehensibility and successful, appropriate communication.
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteAside from the few that I took with native speakers, the language classes I attended didn't really mention intonation either. Perhaps my teachers thought we would pick up on it naturally, without any explanation. It is possible to do so, but this ability may come more naturally to certain students rather than others. Like Dorothy pointed out in her response and in her 1998 article, maybe one of the major problems in teaching this specific area of language competence is that intonation is generally not well understood. For good or bad, language is inherently messy. I would tend to think that any overt training (for both students and teachers?) of perceiving and producing intonation patterns is a step in the right direction.