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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 082 414 EC 052 631 AUTHOR Franklin, Mayer J.; Friedl, Berthold C. TITLE Teaching Gifted Students Foreign Language in Grades Ten Through Twelve. INSTITUTION California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Div. of Special Education. PUB DATE 73 NOTE 46p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC -$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *Exceptional Child Education; *Gifted; Language Instruction; *Secondary School Students; *Second Language Learning; *Teaching Methods ABSTRACT Presented is information for teachers, administrators, and consultants concerned with teaching foreign languages to gifted high school students. Discussed in the introduction is the value of foreign language study, the psychological basis of language learning, and identification of language talent. It is advised that the student experience the language to see its potential for higher cognitive skills, and be given an opportunity to experiment in creative use of the language. Briefly considered are methodology, facts and concepts, psycholinguistic principles, and translation in foreign language teaching. The development of proficiency is seen to involve practice with sounds and vocabulary (principles of presentation and conditioning are offered) , grammar, speaking, reading, and writing. Suggestions for creative activities such as translating American cartoons are offered. Recommended source materials, teaching methods, and literary texts are listed. (DB)

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Page 1: DOCUMENT RESUME EC 052 631 Franklin, Mayer J.; …DOCUMENT RESUME ED 082 414 EC 052 631 AUTHOR Franklin, Mayer J.; Friedl, Berthold C. TITLE Teaching Gifted Students Foreign Language

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 082 414 EC 052 631

AUTHOR Franklin, Mayer J.; Friedl, Berthold C.TITLE Teaching Gifted Students Foreign Language in Grades

Ten Through Twelve.INSTITUTION California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Div.

of Special Education.PUB DATE 73NOTE 46p.

EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC -$3.29DESCRIPTORS *Exceptional Child Education; *Gifted; Language

Instruction; *Secondary School Students; *SecondLanguage Learning; *Teaching Methods

ABSTRACTPresented is information for teachers,

administrators, and consultants concerned with teaching foreignlanguages to gifted high school students. Discussed in theintroduction is the value of foreign language study, thepsychological basis of language learning, and identification oflanguage talent. It is advised that the student experience thelanguage to see its potential for higher cognitive skills, and begiven an opportunity to experiment in creative use of the language.Briefly considered are methodology, facts and concepts,psycholinguistic principles, and translation in foreign languageteaching. The development of proficiency is seen to involve practicewith sounds and vocabulary (principles of presentation andconditioning are offered) , grammar, speaking, reading, and writing.Suggestions for creative activities such as translating Americancartoons are offered. Recommended source materials, teaching methods,and literary texts are listed. (DB)

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FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY

V.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION & WELFARENATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

EDUCATIONTHIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPROOUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTHE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATiNG IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONSSTATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY

Teaching Gifted StudentsForeign Language in GradesTen Through Twelve

Prepared for the

DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONCalifornia State Department of Education

By

MAYER J. FRANKLIN andBERTHOLD C. FRIEDL

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This publication, funded under provisions of the Elementary andSecondary Education Act, Title V, was edited and prepared forphoto-offset production by the Bureau of Publications, CaliforniaState Department of Education, and was published by the Depart-ment, 721 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, California 95814.

Printed by the Office of State Printing and distributedunder the provisions of the Library Distribution Act

1973

School districts are encouraged to reproduce for their own use thematerial contained in this publication. The reproduced materialmust contain a statement at the front giving credit to the CaliforniaState Department of Education as the publisher. If a Departmentpublication contains passages reproduced by permission of anotherpublisher, the school district should itself request permission fromthat publisher to reproduce the passages.

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FOREWORD

In today's world of rapid communication and transportation,knowledge of foreign language has become a virtual necessity.Accordingly, the emphasis of foreign language study has shifted sinceWorld War II from language as a discipline to language as a means ofcommunication. The society of tomorrow will be a multilingual one,and our children must be prepared to be a part of that society.

Public educational agencies must now, 7 believe, take theresponsibility for maintaining the same quality of instruction inforeign language study as in other areas of the curriculum. A foreignlanguage program, as any educational program, must not only be ofhigh quality but must also be flexible enough to meet the individualneeds of its students. This publication, Teaching Gifted StudentsForeign Language in Grades Ten Through Twelve, contains informa-tion that will be valuable to teachers, administrators, and consultantswho are working to provide each gifted child with the opportunity todevelop his language talent to the fullest.

It is my hope that this publication will help to bring about soundforeign language programs for gifted students to prepare them for thechallenge of tomorrow.

Sverintendent of Public Instruction

iii

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PREFACE

This publication, Teaching Gifted Students Foreign Language inGrades Ten Through Twelve, is a product of an education projectauthorized and funded under the provisions of the Elementary andSecondary Education Act, Title V. It is designed for use by teachersof the mentally gifted. It is one of a series of publications preparedunder the direction of Mary N. Meeker, Associate Professor ofEducation, and James Magary, Associate Professor of EducationalPsychology, both of the University of Southern California.

The Title V project also resulted in the development of a series ofcurriculum guides for use in the teaching of mentally gifted minors inelementary and secondary schools. The guides contain practicalsuggestions that teachers can use to advantage in particular subjectareas. The guides were prepared under the direction of John C.Gowan, Professor of Education, and Joyce Sonntag, AssistantProfessor of Education, both of California State University atNorthridge.

LESLIE BRINEGARAssociate Superintendent ofPublic Instruction; and Chief,Division of Special Education

ALLAN SIMMONSChief, Bureau for Mentally

. Exceptional Children

PAUL D. PLOWMANConsultant in Education

of the Mentally Gifted; andPrincipal Project Coordinator

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CONTENTS

Foreword iii

Preface

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING GIFTEDSTUDENTS FOREIGN LANGUAGE, GRADESTEN THROUGH TWELVE

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

The Value of Foreign Language Study 1

The Psychological Basis of Language Learning 3

Identification of Language Talent 3

FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FORGIFTED STUDENTS 5

LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE TEACHING 7

Methodology 7

Facts and Concepts 8Facts 9Concepts 9

Psycho linguistic Principles 12

Translation 14

CHAPTER 4 DEVELOPMENT OF PROFICIENCY IN AFOREIGN LANGUAGE 15

Sounds and Vocabulary 15Principles of Presentation 16Principles of Conditioning 19

Grammar 23

Speaking 26

Reading 29

Writing 30

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CHAPTER 5 FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY ANDCREATIVITY 31

CONCLUSION TO TEACHING GIFTEDSTUDENTS FOREIGN LANGUAGE, GRADESTEN THROUGH TWELVE 35

SELECTED REFERENCES 37

Source Materials 39

Teaching Methods 39French 39German 39Russian 39Spanish 39

Selected Literary Texts 40French 40German 40Spanish 40

viii

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Chapter 1

Introduction to Teaching GiftedStudents Foreign Language,Grades Ten Through Twelve

Foreign languages have been a part of the curriculum as long asthey have been part of college entrance requirements. Since WorldWar II, however, the emphasis of foreign language study has changedfrom language as a discipline to language as a means of communi-cation, and foreign language is now one of the world's major studies.

High school students in many countries are required to learn atleast one foreign language. In addition, millions of other children andadults throughout the world are studying one of the majorlanguages English, French, German, Russian, or Spanish as ameans to a variety of practical ends.

The Hispanic heritage of the Southwest and California's proximityto Mexico and Latin America influence many California students tolearn Spanish as their first foreign language. French, German, Latin,Russian, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, and Greek arestudied as well, in that order of popularity. The study of Portugueseand Swahili has been introduced in some high schools in California,and Arabic is also being taught to a limited extent. Althoughauthorities tell us that Hindi is one of the ten modern languagesconsidered to be of greatest importance to the American public, it isnot usually taught in the United States. Esperanto, which is popularin Europe, is not being taught in California schools at present.

The Value of Foreign Language Study

The reasons students choose to learn a language are oftentraditional and determined by college entrance requirements. Occa-sionally, such factors as the student's immediate interests, hisparents' interests, the availability of teachers, or the nature Of thecommunity will influence him in this choiceAtudents often studymore than one foreign language as preparation for today's world ofrapid communication and transportation. Knowledge of otherlanguages has been made almost a 'necessity by our opportunities forforeign travel and by the current social and pOlitical conditions.

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There is no one "best" language. Many educators think that alanguage as it reflects the culture of a people is most important tothe understanding of the literature of other civilizations. They alsobelieve that language is the key to an understanding of other peoples,whether it is learned as a means of communication or as a key tounderstanding and enjoying the literature, art, history, and civili-zation of the people whose language is being studied.

When the student learns another language well enough to think,act, and feel in that language, he adds a new dimension to hispersonality. When he speaks a new language, he literally becomesanother person. His knowledge of a foreign language broadens thestudent's perspective on human life and values and increases hissensitivity to the nature and worth of other individuals. On .a largerscale, it helps him understand the problems of other nations and seehis own country in relation to other countries and other ways of life.By understanding contemporary cultures other than his own, thestudent heightens his awareness of-the-interpersonal and interracialrelationships that are formed, not only in the society in which helives, but throughout the world as well.

It may be well to note the characteristics of some of the modernlanguages that are taught in our schools. French and Spanish, themost common second languages for students in the United States,represent the literature, art, history, and cultures of two countriesthat have played a major part in Western civilization. German hasbeen important in science, mathematics, engineering, and medicine.Latin is basic to the understanding of modern Romance languagesand, like Greek, contributes to the understanding of Westerncivilization, especially in concepts of law, government, and phi-losophy - Hebrew holds the key to translating the world's greatreligious literature; in its modern form, this language has beenrevitalized in a nation reborn (Israel) as a spoken language, which forcenturies existed mainly in classical written form. Russian, con-sidered by many officials of the United States government to be oneof the most critical languages, possesses a great literature; it is also amust for students interested in space science and government service.Chinese, another language on the government's critical list, is spokenby one4ourth of the world's population.

There are those who believe that an artificial language that is freeof national chauvinism and prejudice should be learned by all as atool of international understanding and cooperation. They supportthe use of Esperanto as a means of better communication. But,whatever the language learned, facility in it develops kinship withinthe family of man and helps to eradicate barriers between people.

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The Psychological Basis of Language Learning

Language is communication. In the years since World War II,educators have learned a great deal about language and languagelearning. Recent research into the form and substance of languagesby modern linguists has provided increasingly accurate descriptivemethods.

The contributions of psychology to the teaching of languages are(1) insight into the process of acquiring linguistic habits; and (2)understanding of the teacher behavior that nurtures learning.Psychologists have defined the nature of the encoding and decodingprocess by which NV2 acquire our primary language: We becomefluent in our own language by behaving as linguists rather than bylearning rules about what to say. Studies have shown that the besttime for a child to learn a foreign language is in the early gradesbefore he has developed rigid speech habits and is still able to imitatesounds without inhibition. Speech patterns that the child establishesearly in life are reinforced first by parents and then by peers andteachers and nurture the child's language development.

Identification of Language Talent

If we are to communicate with the peoples of the world,knowledge of many languages is advantageous, and any gifted childwho shows facility with languages will need encouragement andnurturance of this talent. --

A basic step in providing language programs for the gifted is theearly identification of language talent. Sensitive teachers soonbecome aware of the nature of giftedness in a child, and manyrecognize certain evidences of such talent. It, i3 important to separategeneral consideration of how languages can be learned from speciallinguistic talent and how languages can or should be taught.

Youth is a great advantage in learning a language. Anotheradvantage is some familiarity with the language to be learned.Language learning takes place more readily if the language isexperienced in real-life situations rather than if it is seen or heardonly as- a set of disembodied utterances or exercises. Another factorthat is favorable to the learning of a language is motivation. Humanbeings learn rapidly and effectively if they have a reason for doing so,but they learn even more if the learning experience is enjoyable.

Generally, it is the students who consistently earn good grades andscore high on achievement and mental ability tests who are easilyidentified as the academically gifted. However, many gifted youth donot exhibit their talents overtly. This is true of gifted children of

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minority and disadvantaged backgrounds who do not earn high scoreson the conventional tests, and it is also true of the gifted whosestrengths may not be verbal ones. Until the deficiencies in identify-ing the gifted are corrected by the construction of more appropriatemeasures of potential, teachers should be alert to manifestations ofgiftedness and Motivation other than those of scholastic success andverbal strengths.

The legal definition of the mentally gifted minor sets the cut-offpoint at 130 IQ as the lower boundary of the top 2 percent of allstudents. Nevertheless, this definition should certainly not be theonly criterion for identifying linguistically gifted students. At most itshould be thought of as a "molar" score. It must also be rememberedthat many factors determine the effectiveness of the gifted studentsuch factors as his motivation, emotional adjustment, and self-concept.

Some teachers may not possess the key to unlock the gifted child'sstore of creative language talents. Nor can it be assumed that astudent's high IQ is an index of his desire or ability to succeed in aspecial program. And many instances have been recorded in whichteachers, in their enthusiasm for working with the gifted, have loadedthe students so heavily with extra assignments (to. enrich theirexperiences) that the students rebel, thus negating entirely the valueof the program for them.

It is also possible that some gifted students may not possess thenecessary abilities to master foreign languages. In many respects, theability to learn (or express oneself fluently in) a foreign language is agift that may be compared to the ability to design, to excel inmathematics, or to excel in one of the performing arts. Thus,students who show great talent in mathematics, science, or creativewriting may not do at all well in mastering a foreign language.Conversely, many students who perform in the average range onmental ability tests may possess linguistic talent, and, although theymay not fit the legal definition of "gifted child" or fulfill othercriteria of giftedness, for practical purposes they should be instructedin foreign language just as the gifted are. Those students who havebeen identified as gifted and who are also talented in languages willneed additional experiences beyond simple vocabulary proficiency.Therefore, the purpose of this publication is to show languageteachers how programs can be individualized to enhance giftedness intae higher cognitive skills.

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Chapter 2

Foreign Language Instructionfor Gifted Students

The method of teaching a foreign language to a gifted high schoolstudent will be determined by the student's language background. Ifhe has learned another language at home, or if he has had previoustraining in the elementary grades or in junior high school, he is readyfor advanced study. Bilingual minority students who show signi of__giftedness, even though they do not qualify as gifted on the basis oflegal tests, should be encouraged to study foreign languagesintensively.

The gifted student who begins foreign language study at the highschool level encounters great difficulties. In English, social studies,mathematics, and science, he has followed a normal sequence inlearning. Mentally, physiologically, socially, and psychologically, hehas outgrown the habit of imitative and repetitive learning thatcharacterized his initial mastery of basic language and, as he hasmatured,, he has moved on to more abstract and more analyticaltypes of learning. His linguistic patterns have been formed, and thesounds of his native language have crystallized in his mind. Suddenlyhe must superimpose an entirely new set of linguistic structures andmodes of expression upon his native language habits and is expected,in 50 minutes or less per day, to develop great proficiency andfluency in an unfamiliar mode of expression. It is amazing, underthese conditions, that the ordinary student achieves any success withforeign languages.

The linguistically gifted child is quick to distinguish among thesounds and sound patterns of a new 'language. He is able to perceiveand to classify similarities and differences between the foreignlanguage and his own tongue. He quickly grasps simple idiomaticpatterns like Comment allez-vous? or 1Corno se llama Usted? andthrough drill his pronunciation becomes almost automatic. Manychildren who are linguistically gifted feel a need for grammaticalanalysis in addition to rote learning because they are not satisfiedwith the mere imitative repetition of conventional phrases. Theywant to go beyond the rote drills to create new patterns of expression

5

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that fit their communication needs. With encouragement, they willwork at their own paces in their own fields of interest.

There have been two distinct influences on the application oflinguistics and psychology to language teaching. The first was anincrease in awareness of the importance of practical language abilityas a goal of teaching; the second was the development of linguis-tically oriented teaching techniques.

The process of teaching any elements of a foreign language ingrades ten through twelve can be divided, as in the other grades, intofive stages: recognition, imitation, repetition, variation, and selec-tion. There are two important aspects of the introduction of newmaterials and techniques in the teaching of the gifted. One isstaging dividing the course into time segments. The other issequencing determining the order in which the elements of thecourse should be taught.

The terms "presentation" and "methodology" mean basically thesame thing, but "presentation" is more inclusive. Presentation is thekernel of the language-teaching process, the confrontation of thegifted student with the items of the language being taught.

Certain specific criticisms can be made of conventional instruc-tional patterns in grades ten through twelve. At this point in learning,knowledge (based on memorization) and comprehension should nolonger be primary goals. Once some facility in language as acommunicative art is achieved, a sequential development of higherintellectual achievements can be attempted. The dial nature of thelearning and teaching process is nowhere more obvious than inforeign language teaching.

Teaching a language to gifted students at the senior high schoollevel involves combining essential elements of language study. First,the student must experience the language beyond ordinary memori-zation, identification, and classification and see in it a potential fo-.higher cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills in both its spokt.nand written forms. Second, the student must have the opportunity totry out his own skills in making creative use of the language. Theseare the essential features of language learning, and language teachersmust recognize that the conventional teaching. methods do notcontribute directly to these goals.

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Chapter 3

Language and LanguageTeaching

This chapter will be concerned with some general principles oflanguage learning; with the basic facts, skills, and concepts requiredin any study of foreign language; and with fundamental general-izations and understandings derived from the fields of linguistics,psychology, psycholinguistics, and language pedagogy. These itemswill be incorporated in guidelines to be followed in teaching languageto the gifted in grades ten through twelve. The materials includedamong the facts and the concepts, as drawn from the fields ofFrench, German, Russian, Spanish, and English, are complementary.

Methodology

Foreign languages are learned and taught in a wide variety of ways,but within the total range of methodological principles, two aspectsof the foreign language teaching process must be singled out:presentation and conditioning. The tasks and aims of foreignlanguage instruction include teaching the student the four basiclanguage skills: understanding, speaking, reading, and writing. Oneway of acquiring these skills is by experiencing them by encounter-ing them in use in real life situations and thereby coming toassociate certain facts, persons, activities, and concepts with theforeign language being studied. This is what happens when onetravels in the land where the language is spoken or when one livesamong people who, speak it fluently. Learning a foreign language byjourneying in a country where it is spoken is, of course, the best wayto widen one's horizons and to gain better perspective on the manyfacets of a culture. However, despite the fact that travel isundoubtedly effective in language learning, experience has shownthat it is perfectly possible to acquire an adequate knowledge of aforeign language without this advantage.

Even in his own country, a student can master a foreign languageand develop understanding of the people whose language he islearning. He can become familiar with the country, the way of life

7

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there, and. with the country's culture and civilization. The giftedstudent should therefore be given the opportunity for enrichmentexperiences in language through material that will help him think andact like a Frenchman, a German, a Spaniard, or a Russian in themanner of an actor who temporarily becomes the character heportrays.

At first the student will have to imitate the teacher in order toconnect in his mind the new verbal expressions he is learning withthe corresponding concepts. The language teacher of the giftedshould be concerned with imparting the language productively. Heshould teach the students those habits of understanding speech,speaking, reading, and writing in such a way that they will acquirethe skills in the quickest and easiest way. The ,teacher should makecertain that the students are given opportunities to use these skillsacademically and then creatively.

To counterbalance rote training, which develops skills of listening,speaking, reading, and writing, are opportunities for students to uselanguage creatively. Interrelated with the development of such higherintellectual skills are the concepts that students can learn from thescientific, technical, or literary content of selected source materials.

The audiolingual approach in foreign language methodologyconsists primarily of spoken language techniques and practices ingeneral. It includes precise techniques and procedures that can beused with gifted students in grades ten through twelve who learn bestby auditory inputs; i.e., who are primarily auditory learners. Thetechniques used with these children should be based on psycholin-guistic principles that take language learning beyond the patterneddrill. The teacher will be able to detect the primarily auditory learnerby his excellent mimicry, possibly combined with poor spelling orwritten form. Another help in discovering auditory learners is aknowledge of student& outside interests; for example, auditorylearners are frequently musically gifted. The ideal student, of course,is equally skilled at auditory and visual learning, but this type ofstudent is rare. Therefore, better understanding of individual kinds ofintellectual skills leads to better programming in language study.

Principles for achieving mastery of auditory and visual skills in anyforeign language are embodied in 'the general facts of language ascommunication and in certain pedagogical concepts in linguistics andlanguage. These facts and concepts will now be briefly described.

Facts and Concepts

It is useful to start with a definition of language. One definitionstates that language is "a purely human and noninstinctive method of

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communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system ofvoluntarily produced symbols."'

Facts

The facts of language are all about us. We do not need to travelabroad nor back in time to discover the facts of language. They areabout us in the tablets of our handwriting and the patterns of ourspeech. The linguist is interested in everything that goes on about us,because everything we experience enters into our communication.Thus, the language teacher participates with his students in aconstant process of discovery.

Language has three main levels: sounds, words, and syntax. Inturn, each level is manifested in three ways. The first is simplythrough the sound units, elements, or "particles" that constitute thelanguage. The second way consists in the affinities that particlesshow when speakers combine them how they arrange themselves in"strings" on which only certain ones are used with certainothers with limitations on how many can go together or on whichones precede and which ones follow. The third is through the "field".relationship among the particles the way each fits into thegrammatical system of particles at its own level. The levels oflanguage are generally categorized in structural linguistics as pho-nology, morphology, and syntax. A full understanding of thelanguage must include two other categories of facts: vocabLiary andculture items.

Concepts

The mastery of the four skills of listen.ng, speaking, reading, andwriting should be accompanied by the learning of certain basicconcepts. The Wisconsin State Curriculum Guides formulate these asskills and concepts under the following headings asjeneral guidesfor learning any foreign language:

1. Phonology the ability to understand the relationship betweensound symbols (phonemes) and written symbols (graphemes)

2. Morphology the ability to r nderstand how the foreign lan-guage uses such devices as gender, number, case, agreement,verb endings, and other modifications or oral and written formsto express meaning

3. Syntax the ability to understand how the foreign languageuses variations in word order to express meaning

'Edward Sapir, Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. New York:Harcourt, Brace, and Little Inc., 1949, p. 8.

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4. Vocabulary the ability to understand that the semantic rangeof foreign verbs usually differs from that covered by the nearestEnglish equivalents

5. Culture the ability to evaluate the foreign culture objectivelyand on its own merits rather than from the standpoint ofAnglo-American culture

6. Ultimate goals the ability to apply spontaneously everythingone has learned to new situations'

Chart 1 shows how these concepts are applied in learning variouslanguages during the second year of a four-year sequence in highschool.

Teaching the practical use of a foreign language is a task that isquite different from that of teaching the facts and concepts oflanguage or of teaching the understanding and appreciation of theliterature and cultural patterns of a language. Nevertheless, knowl-edge about the facts and concepts of a language can be extremelyvaluable to gifted adolescents who already have a basic command ofthe language concerned and wish to attain higher skills.

There are some facts about language that only linguistically giftedstudents can be expected to interpret for generalizing in new learningsituations. Some examples of such facts are (1) that German hasthree genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter; (2) that in Frenchthe pronoun as complement occurs in the verbal group preceding theverb; (3) that the Russian verb has two aspects; and (4) that Spanishhas two verbs for "to be" (ser and estar),

John B. Carroll singles out two methods of language teaching theaudiolingual and the cognitive.' In both of these approaches, the.foreign language teacher should be concerned with the imparting ofskills and essential facts as well as with the idiosyncratic; morpho-logical, and syntactic concepts of the languages concerned. Conceptsand facts of language are only partially effective means of impartinglanguage skills to most students. On the other hand, gifted studentswill usually make good use of observations and reading aboutlanguage facts and concepts. Gifted students can be expected to learnto interpret statements about a foreign language and to control theirperformance in the target language accordingly. Gifted studentsshould be guided towards greater sophistication and understanding

2 Adapted from material in the Wisconsin State Curriculum Guides, available in flier formfrom the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction, 126 Langdon St., Madison, Wis.53702.

3John B. Carroll, "The Contributions of Psychological Theory and Educational Researchto the Teaching of Foreign Languages," in Trends in Language Teaching. Edited by AlbertValdman. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966, p. 101.

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Chart 1Application of Concepts at Level Two (Grade Ten)

of a Four-Year Language Sequence

Phonology

French Spanish German Russian

French pronunciation requires Syllabication differs from German spelling is more oho- Russian spelling Is much moreclear enunciation and articula- writing (los.a.lum-nos) to netic than English. German regular than English. Russiantion and tension sustained speaking (lo-sa-lum-nos). The assimilates words from other assimilates words from otherwith lips rather than with relationship between spelling languages (student, demo- languages.

breath, which has less force. and sounds is important. k retie) and also uses foreignwords in their native pronunci-ation (parfum, ballon, teen-ager, boss).

Morphology

Tense functions often differ inFrench and English. There aremany more verb endings in

People speaking Spanish ex-press ideas with differentgrammatical structures (par

Nouns and pronouns agreewith verbs in past, prese-Aperfect, and future tenses.

Verbs agree with the nomina-tive case of pronouns in past,present, and future, except the

French than in English, and and pare), indicative and sub- Tense functions often differ genitive of absence.there are more irregular verbs. junctive, imperfect and preter- from German to English. InThe range of meaning of prep- ite. The subjunctive is com German the past tense is corn-ositions differs from French to manly used in Spanish and is manly used for narrative, theEnglish. necessary if one wants to

speak the language idiomati-cally.

present perfect for dialogue.Verbs follow two main pat-terns (strong and weak) withsome exceptions. Prepositionsrequire different cases.

Syntax

Direct and indirect objects The word order of English is Direct and indirect objects Prepositions require differenttake different positions as fundamentally the same as take different positions as cases. Nouns and pronouns innouns and as pronouns. There that of Spanish with a few nouns and as pronouns. Adver- different cases have differentis a complex and rigid word exceptions: position of object bial and prepositional phrases uses in a sentence. Specialorder in negative patterns with pronouns and reflexive pro- in Initial position affect word attention should be paid tovarious particles. nouns; idiomatic expressions

(guster, faitar) ;hacer with ex-order. Word order differs ac-cording to tense. The position

verbs of learning, studying,and teaching and to the cases

pressions of time. of separable prefixes of verbsneeds special attention.

governed by them.

Vocabulary

Words and expressions in Words and expressions in Words and expressions in Ger- Words and expressions in Rus-French are sometimes closely Spanish are sometimes closely man are sometimes closely re- sian may or may not be re-related to English but almost related to English but more lated to English but more lated to English. Vocabulary isalways differ in range of mean- often differ in range of mean- often differ in range of mean- influenced by historical back-ing. Vocabulary is influenced ing. Vocabulary is influenced ing. Vocabulary is influenced ground, social customs, andby historical background, so- by historical background, so- by historical background, so- other factors.cial customs, and other fac-tors. Particular attentionshould be paid to cognates

(false and true).

cial customs, and other factors. dal customs, and other factors.

Culture

In listening, speaking, reading,and writing, cultural patternsare obvious and must be ob-served by both native and non-native speakers of the language.

In listening, speaking, reading,and writing, cultural patternsare obvious and must be ob-served by both native and non-native speakersof the language.

In listening, speaking, reading,and writing, cultural patternsare obvious and must be ob-served by both native and non-native speakers of the language.

In listening, speaking, and

writing, cultural patterns arenot obvious and must bepointed out.

4 Adapted from material in the Wisconsin State Curriculum Guides, available in flier form from theWisconsin State Department of Public Instruction, 126 Langdon St., Madison, Wis. 53702.

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12

through instruction in the grammatical and phonological elements ofthe system of language they are learning. New understanding isbound to come from experiences with the patterns inherent in theforeign language being studied.

Psycholinguistic Principles

The following psycholinguistic principles relate to verbal learningand to the acquisition of language skills. Using .these principles, ateacher might well design and evaluate his foreign language programwith so, of his own gifted students in mind.

I. Principles related to the language learnerA. School should be a pleasant experience.

1. The natural environment and physical surroundingsare important.

2. Rapport between students and teacher is essential.B. The teacher should develop an understanding of the

personality and problems of the learner.1. Students are individuals.

a. Student's physical constitution, heredity, socio-economic environment, linguistic expressions oflife

b. Student's mental and emotional lifec. Student's reactions to school disciplined. Student's attitudes, desires, and values

2. The teacher's actions must be appropriate to thespontaneous desires, aspirations, and ideals of thelearner.

C. School experiences should be integrated with outsideinfluences (e.g., family and friends).

II. Principles related to language as a subject of studyA. Successful language learning requires the following:

1. Verbal knowledge2. Abstract reasoning abilities3. Ideational fluency4. Word fluency5. Expressional fluency6. Grammatical sensitivity7. Naming facility8. Oral speech ability9. Articulation ability

10. rprachgefal (a feeling for language)B. Language, is both a skill and a content subject.

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13

C. Language teaching must appeal simultaneously to allpossible channels of intelligence.

D. Language learning involves conscious memory activity(acoustic, motor, and visual).

III. Principles related to the language teacherA. The teacher's own psychological and linguistic.problems

must be analyzed.1. General intelligence2. Verbal intelligence (ability to manipulate and apply

verbal concepts in the language taught and developacceptable verbal competence in the student)

3. Interest in language learning, language analysis, andlanguage teaching methodology

4. A general understanding of the role of educationalpsychology and linguistics in language teaching

5. Personal balance and ability to communicateB. Individual differences among teachers must be recognized.

1. The language teacher compared to teachers of othersubjects

2. Types of language teacher suitable for varous agelevels

3. Degree of professional competence in the theory andpractice of language and language learning

C. Standardized rating principles must be used in observinglanguage classroom activities.

The seven psycholinguistic principles of language teaching may besummed up as follows:

1. Teach the contemporary living language.2. Present a coherently linguistic unit first and the separate elements of the

language last; i.e., present the sentence first, then the word, and finally thesound.

3. Learn the easy first and proceed to the more difficult; i.e., proceed fromthe known to the unknown.

4. Master all language material actively by various specific techniques.5. Review frequently.6. Organize material rationally.7. Work out the sum of specific techniques which bring to the student habits

of speech and comprehension in the quickest and easiest way.5

s Berthold C. Friedl, "Introductory Russian Its Tasks and Variants." Bulletin of theAmerican Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, VII (March,1950), 60-61.

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Translation

An important aspect of language learning is translation. There areseveral reasons why translation, at least during the last three years inhigh school, could be made especially valuable for the gifted.Objective evidence on this subject is difficult to come by, but expertsagree that translators are sophisticated linguists generally. They haveto be.

A translation from one language to another does not consist of asimple verbal transposition. Translation must be based on anunderstanding of the different ways of seeing and of feeling that areexpressed in a foreign language in idiomatic expressions that thelanguage student has to learn. For instance, while in English we "takea walk," in French one says faire .(make) une promenade; in Spanish,dar (give) un paseo; in German, spazieren gehen (go); and in Russian,proguliatsia (to take oneself for a walk). So that a literal translationof, say, faire une promenade as "to make a walk" in English, haterun paseo in Spanish, or spazieren machen in German would not bevalid at all. Greetings provide other examples. In English we say"How are you? " but the French say Comment allez-vous? (flow doyou go? ); the Spanish say Como estd Listed? (How are you? ); theGermans say Wie geht es Ihnen? (How does it go for you? ); and theRussians say Kak vy pazhivayete? (How are you getting along? ).

The meanings of individual words are the percepts that lead to theformation of concepts. The same word in different languages maynot always mean the same thing. For example, such simple words as"house" and "school" evoke for an Englishman an English house orschool, and, for a Frenchman, a French house or school. The sameimages, sensations, odors, and emotions may not mean exactly thesame thing to Frenchmen, Germans, Russians, Spaniards, andAmericans.

Translation is an extremely complicated and difficult task; In itsadvanced form it is comparable to study for a special degree in whichnuances of literary and historical styles are comprehended. Thetraining of the gifted student in the last three years of -high schoolshould include increasingly difficult translation exercises,

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Chapter 4

Development of Proficiencyin a Foreign Language

There are several areas in which a student must develop skill if heis to become proficient in a foreign language. The Se are (1) soundsand vocabulary; (2) grammar; -(3) speaking; (4) reading; and (5)writing.

Sounds and Vocabulary

Since each language has its own sound system of characteristicintonation patterns, rhythms, stresses, and individual sounds, thecentral problem in learning a second language is the tendency of thelearner to carry over the sound patterns of his own speech to the newlanguage. This tendency makes it difficult for him to understandanything that is said or written in the new language. The teaching ofthe important sound features of a second language helps the studentto recognize intonational patterns, rhythms, and stresses and to learnthe proper pronunciation of the individual sounds, which areall-important in auditory understanding of speech. The studentshould also be taught that sound differences that are meaningful inone language are not necessarily meaningful in another. Linguistsrefer to meaningful contrasts as "phonemic" differences. Sounddifferences that are merely phonetic in one language may bephonemic in another and vice-versa.

A primary task of foreign language teaching is to take into accountphonemic and phonetic differences in the language background ofthe learner as well as in the language to be learned. In this way, somepatterns of melody, stress, rhythm, and sound contrast can beanticipated as being of particular difficulty to the student. Theteacher should also be aware of specific trouble spots in pronuncia-tion and know the remedial exercises or devices that are appropriatefor specific problems. Thus, the teacher must provide an accurateoral model of the expressions to be practiced and insist on anaccurate imitation by the students. To ensure participation and toavoid self-consciousness on the part of some students, extensive

15

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16

choral work is recommended in this area of language learning.Whenever possible, practice in pronunciation and imitation shouldconsist in the repetition of structure models and in dialogues inwhich the rhythms and speed of actual speech are maintained.Pronunciation can be taught along with the other language skills,since the sound system, grammar, and vocabulary do not exist asseparate entities.

The following are a few examples of expression and usage that canbe used for concurrent teaching of pronunciation, grammar, andvocabulary. See also the sentence models on pages 21 through 23.

FRENCH

Aujourd'hui mon pereDemain je vais avec mon fi'eresGERMAN

Der Knabe geht in die KlasseDas Madchen lauft in die SchuleDas Kind geht nach HanseRUSSIAN

tto eto? 'eto , )1a6to v §kole? klascto v Klase? v lelase stul, stol, dagka6to 'delaet aitel? stdit i gavdrit6to Eleiajut aerAci i uCenitsy UCeniki Citajut Ppishut

SPANISH

Ud. sabe lo que Ud. ha visto, lo que Ud. ha dicho.Ud. sabe mi nombre; Loom° lo sabe Ud.? Yo se to he dicho.LSabe Ud. quiedesta en el otro cuarto?1,Sabe Ud. lo que yo hago? ,Como lo sabe Ud.?LMe puede decir cuanto dinero tengo? Ud. no me to puede decir.1Porque no me lo puede decir? Porque Ud. no lo sabe, Ud. no 16

ha visto.

Principles of Presentation

In the preceding section the point was made that the componentsof language sounds, grammar, and vocabulary need to be includedin an initial presentation in language teaching. Examples fromFrench, Spanish, German, and Russian demonstrate that the itemsfalling within these three categories should be presented as thelanguage is used in a real situation. Presentation, then, is the firststep the nucleus of the language teaching process; that is, the phasein which the subject in all its aspects is presented to the students.

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This section is concerned with the principles underlying thepresentation of foreign language vocabulary and related subjectmatter.

Vocabulary is best presented by direct association patterns todevelop the interest of the gifted student in the foreign language.Besides direct association there are other creative means of helpingstudents grasp the meanings of new vocabulary words. They are (1)teaching words in context; (2) teaching synonyms and antonyms ofvocabulary words; (3) describing and defining words in the foreignlanguage; and (4) instructing the students in word building. Infor-mation on the history of the Romance languages or of Indo-European languages such as German and Russian, will stimulatethe students' interest. Examples of questions that help develop thehigher cognitive skills are: "How did the language develop?" "Whatare the similarities and differences between words and expr essions indifferent language families?" "What are the relationships betweenSpanish and French and between these and the other Romancelanguages?"

A comparison of similar, well-known words from differentlanguages of the same origin is also helpful to the student. Thefollowing list of French and Russian words is an example of such acomparison. The Russian words are taken from French but arediffeient in pronunciation.

French Russian

costume costiumexamen examenfrancais frant suskigymnastique gymnastikahistoire istorialampe Tamparevolution revoliazia

In addition to direct association patterns, there are internalassociations of new words in an old context. For example, themeaning of chornage (unemployment) in the sentence, Ici ii n'y a pasde chennage, depends on the meaning of the sentence for itsplacement. It is advisable to present a new word in a series of phrasesthat are familiar to the student; for example, Pendant le chomage lesusines et les fabriques ne travaillent pas.

The presentation of words with identical suffixes is a helpfulassociation technique. A word group of this type is the following:

le redacteur le vendeur1' instructeur le travailleur

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Synonym study offers a simple and effective way of teachingvocabulary when differences in the nuances of one and the same,concept are indicated; for example, Nous avons eu un grand succes(un immense succes, un enorme succes, un succes colossal).

Studying antonyms helps the student understand vocabularythrough contrast:

Notre classe est petite. Notre classe est grande.Pierre est gros. Pierre est maigre.En ete, it fait chaud. En hiver, it fait froid.Defining words by using them in a context that makes their

meaning clear is another good way to introduce the students to newvocabulary words. Here is an example of this technique:

Un train, c'est une suite de wagons trainee par une locomotive. Untrain a des wagons de premiere et de deuxieme classe, un fourgonbagages, un wagon-poste, des wagons-lits, et un wagon-restaurant.Il y a des trains expres ou directs et des trains omnibus. Un traintransporte des voyageurs et des marchandises.

A similar method is to give actual definitions of new vocabularywords in the language that is being studied:

Un mecanicien, c'est un homme qui conduit une machine ou unelocomotive. Une faucheuse, c'est une machine avec laquelle onfauche l'herbe.

Another effective word-association device is the word-buildingprocess. This technique involves explanation of the meaning of wordson the basis of similar formal patterns of derivation when the basicorigin and meaning of the formal endings are known; e.g., rnalheureux(unfortunate) from malheur and the suffix -eux, which indicates"having the characteristic of or "belonging to." Another example ischauffeur from chauff(er) "to warm" and the suffix -eur, whichindicates the agent.

The enumeration of these ways to develop associations amongwords provides a general orientation to presentation techniques inconventional processes for teaching languages. However, new andexciting ways of carrying out the task are continually beingdeveloped to expand presentation;, for example, there are teachingmachines programmed for teaching languages, television as a vehiclefor language instruction on a large scale, audio courses in languagelaboratories, and videotape and activity teaching. In all thesemethods the presentation phase enables teachers to improve theirtechniques for enrichment, thus reinforcing and expanding the skillsof linguistically gifted students.

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The techniques governing presentation of content in foreignlanguages must be based on consideration of the following generalprinciples:

1. It is extremely important for the student to concentrate onexpressing himself in the foreign language.

2. Students begin to think and react like native speakers of aforeign language essentially through constantly listening to,imitating, and speaking the foreign language and throughmaking close approximations to the modes of expressions andspeech patterns used by native speakers. These skills are furtherenhanced through participation in plays, songs, dances, andgames of the country whose language is being studied.

3. Vocabulary in a foreign language consists not only of words butof words in patterns as well.

4. Grammar is not an end in itself. Rather, it is an attempt to setup convenient classifications for words and groups of words inaccordance with the ways in which they express ideas.

5. Literature has meaning not only for the civilization and era thatproduced it but for men in all other civilizations and times aswell. The written word has a kind of immortality. Every culturehas its store of writings that range from simple to complexartistic expression. For instance, every French municipality hasits city hall on which is engraved the motto, Liberte, Egalite,Fraternite. Descartes' famous statement, Je pense, donc je suis,is as much a part of French heritage as are the tragedies ofCorneille and Racine. In Spain, Don Quixote and Sancho Panzaare prototypes for generation after generation of Spaniards. Thefirst line of Die Lorelei strikes a common sentimental chord inthe hearts of all Germans. The values that characterize a peopleendure in their literature, and students of the language come toaccept them as part of a cultural heritage.

Principles of Conditioning

Conditioning involves the repeated presentation of an item. It is aprocess that reinforces pattern drills and exercises to enable studentsto experience foreign languages in new contexts and combinations.At the same time, it is a step in the process of "fixing" the materiallearned so that the skills being acquired may be properly exercised.Remedial teaching is based on repeated presentation of items thathave been forgotten or improperly learned.

The transfer of new words from a passive to an active stage isaccomplished by conditioning exercises, but the foreign languageteacher must be able to determine individual rates of learning

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through conditioning. Some gifted children need to repeat anexeicise ten times before they learn its content; other children mayneed more or less time, depending on the ease with which they canstore words in their memories.

Characteristics of memory not only change with age but also varyaccording to individuals. Too, there are different types of memory.Short-term memory ability is different from long-term storageability. Visual learners store items better when they are presentedvisually, whereas auditory learners store more efficiently when thepresentation of information is auditory.

Logical memory is also important in the language learning process.Teachers can further the development of logical memory byconditioning a vocabulary item either as soon as possible after itsinitial presentation (contiguity) or later in the course throughassociative techniques. New vocabulary cannot be divorced frompreviously learned vocabulary. New words can be grouped with thosepreviously learned on the basis of similarities, differences, or similarorigins or grammatical structures. However, the teacher who uses thisapproach must be alert to the probability that (1) retroactiveinhibition can occur and interfere with the learning of new words; or(2) proactive inhibition will fix the words learned earlier at theexpense of new vocabulary.

Rationally constructed systems of exercises should be designed tohave the student use new words in different combinations, in bothspoken and written form, as often as possible after initial presenta-tion. A basic requirement in these exercises is the strict observance ofthe principle of proceeding from the known to the unknown, fromthe simple to the complex. Conditioning and "fixing" of foreignlanguage vocabulary learning is best accomplished when children arefree from pressure.

Reinforcement of conditioned vocabulary is closely interwovenwith pattern drills in spoken and written language, pronunciation,reading, and grammar exercises. Purely lexical exercises can also beused, as they represent a part of the total process of languagelearning.

In grades ten through twelve, vocabulary exercises can beintegrated with substitution tables in which familiar words arereplaced by others in certain syntactic structures. See the examplesin French, German, Russian, and Spanish on pages 21 through 23.The examples selected are typical of basic syntactic structures anddemonstrate how various nouns can be used interchangeably in suchstructures.

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One of the important conditioning techniques in foreign languagelearning depends on the availability of structure models that can bereproduced easily and used as a basis for constructing analogoussentences. A typical language model is a sentence in which .a .grammatical structure is the permanent component, and the rest ofthe vocabulary is flexible. For a class of gifted students in the tenth,eleventh, or twelfth grade, it is suggested that one student be askedto repeat the model sentence with the others repeating it after him inunison. This method gives every student in the class the opportunityto speak and hear the sentence.

The following substitution models are based on the recent work ofEuropean and American linguistic methodologists:

FRENCH

Aujourd'hui je vaisDemain j'irai avec

mon parema meremon frercma socurmon amimon carnaradc

au cinema.au theatre.au musee.au pare.

A quelle heure

tf.; ]eves -tuto laves-tu le ma tin?t'habilles-tu le soir?to couches-tu

JeInc ]eve A dix heures.me lave a hui t hcurcs.m'habille a neufme couche

Ilya

un cahierun livreun encrierune servietteune regleune plume

sur la table.

Quand as-tu

rencontre ce garcon?&mite cat artiste?dessine ce vers?fait cc calcul?lu cc tableau?

ce livre?

Qui est

assis?debout?prat:content?malade?absent?present?de service?

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22

FRENCH (Continued)

assis.debout.prat.

Je suis content.II est maladc.

absentpresent.de service.

Y a-t-il

Lin livreLin ca 1..run encrierune servietteLine regledes crayonsdes plumes

sur la table?

GERMAN

1stdie Kartedas Heft Grog?das Plakat gut?der Tisch klein?

die KarteJa das Heft ist nichtNein das Plakat

der Tisch

grog.gut.klein.

WessenBuchZeitungModellBrief

ist this?

Pas ist

das Buchdie Zeitungdas Modellder Brief

des Vaters.der Mutter.des Bruders.der Schwester.

RUSSIAN

studentstudentkaona'na

Citayet

Kniguzhurnalromangdzetu

student 'delayet?studentka On Citayet

gto on A'na gavarita'na

studentstudentka cital Kniguon citaiaana

studentstudentka id'yot da'mojona'na

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23

SPANISH

recogid ovistoabierto

Yo la he peladocontadosecedecomido

LDOnde esta mi madre?i,DOnde esta mi libro?i,DOnde estan los muchachos?LDOnde estan las muchachas?LDonde esta la tiza?LIIMnde esta el lapiz?4Donde esta mi hermano?

No

laloloslaslatole (1o)

he visto.

LEsta mi

librolapizpapelcuadernopluma

frente a mi?

Grammar

What is the place and role of grammar in the teaching of foreignlanguages to the gifted? It is not the purpose of this section to supplya series of neat answers, since there is neither agreement amongteachers concerning the question nor any substantial body ofresearch to support or deprecate the use of grammatical analysis inthe learning process. Instead, general principles will be presented sothat teachers can decide for themselves which grammar resourceshave special relevance to their situation.

Grammar was previously referred to as an attempt to set upconvenient classifications for words and word groups as theyfunction to express ideas. Grammar is defined linguistically as thestudy of the structure of a language. Both concepts have implicationsfor language teaching.

The grammatical concepts and skills of the language being studiedmust be presented meaningfully. This means that phonology,morphology, and syntax (see Chart 2) must be included in thecourse. There is no clear distinction between grammar and vocabu-lary. Language teaching, however, must define them separatelybecause the learning of foreign language vocabulary, although itproceeds parallel with the study of the new grammatical fcrms, doesnot replace it. The various aspects of language phone ogy, mor-phology, and syntax (with the latter in the leading role). must bestudied in their interrelationships. This necessity has been recognizedsince the development of language teaching methodology.

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Beginning with the tenth grade, a historical explanation should begiven of grammatical phenomena as exceptions to the rules ofgrammar. Such knowledge, if properly presented, facilitates learning.Some general principles to be followed in the teaching of grammarare as follows:

1. The teacher should always proceed from an oral presentation ofeach grammati' al phenomenon essential for communication tothe written exercise that is necessary to reinforce the concept.

2. All language phenomena should be presented in context andshould proceed from that context.

3. The study of grammar should always proceed from the simpleto the complex, from the easy to the difficult.

4. New grammatical material should never be presented in con-.nection with too many new words and idioms (see Chart 3).

Chart 3Suggested Orientation Exercisesin Grammatical Generalizations

Semimechanicalexercises

Conscious grammaticalexercises

Exercises connected witha text

Substitution tablesAnswers to questionsCopying of text and under-lining of grammaticalforms

Paradigms

Periphrases

Change of person, number,tense

DictationText analysis

Questions based on textMaking up of sentences

using grammaticalforms

Drill on specific syntac-tic forms

Translation from Englishinto the foreign lang-uage and from the foreignlanguage into English

Retelling of storiesExposition of text inwriting

ImitationQuestions and answers

Questions of the "general"New contexts

The pursuance of practical objectives and, the imparting of theability to communicate in the language are fundamental to thesuccessful teaching of a language. It is also important that childrenlearn grammatical- principles and concepts, as this knowledgeprovides a foundation for the comprehension of literary texts andthe mastery of spoken language skills.

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Two characteristic approaches to presenting grammatical prin-ciples are (1) through the application of memorized rules; and (2)through learning by induction and analogy. It has been generallyassumed that students find the second approach clearer andintellectually more stimulating than the first. In practice, theseapproaches seem to work equally well; that is, when it is just amatter of applying grammar rules for the purpose of developingskills. There is, however, one factor that has to be considered inteaching languages to the gifted student. This factor is the creativecomponent or the psychological impact that the student's learning ofgrammatical generalizations has upon his attempts to use the foreignlanguage creatively, either orally or in writing. The creative compo-nents will be discussed in the section on applying linguistic andpsychological principles to procedures related to the development ofskills in the use of spoken and written language.

Teachers who pursue creative spoken language objectives shouldaim at providing for their students a maximum amount of practice iumanipulating the grammatical generalizations of the foreign language.At the same time they must be aware that techniques that are riotappropriate for pupils in the early grades are important for teachinggifted students in the advanced grades. If some grammatical analysismakes gifted students sensitive to nuances in words, style, andsounds (in poetry), then techniques related to grammatical analysismust be explored. One of these is the French explication de texte inwhich the teacher takes a literary passage in the language beinglearned and leads his students through an analysis of it as he makescomments and discusses the grammatical phenomena in the text.

Spe: ring

The creative component of foreign language study may be the keyto developing spoken language ability in students in the advancedgrades. The creative component in foreign language study at thisstage is designed to end drilling patterns in which the gifted studentshould already have made considerable progress. Suggestions aremade here for dialogue techniques that will add to the giftedstudent's resources and that will do so in such a way that he will havefull command of the creative potential of his new language.

All dialogue techniques depend to an extent on sequencing fortheir effectiveness, and they should, therefore, emphasize theacquisition of habits in a creative use of language. Dialoguetechniques must follow carefully structured materials that present agradual increase in the development of practical abilities in linguistic,literary, and cultural contexts or in scientific and technical contexts.

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Basic dialogu follows elementary question-and-response choralwork. A series of questions and answers between the teacher and astudent or between two students is a natural form of conversationbetween two people, and all its parts are logically interrelated. Insuch a dialogue in the elementary grades, there is a certainconnection with questions on the material that the class has beenstudying. But in the more advanced grades (ten through twelve), thedialogue can be carried on in the form of an unprepared conversationas well as in the form of a prepared conversation. The unpreparedshort dialogue can be on such themes as the class life and the homelife of the students, the preparation of lessons, the preparation ofprograms, and the content of movies, theater plays, and sportsevents. The alternation of questions and answers goes on at a normalpace because the students have acquired a working vocabulary and agood knowledge of basic grammatical forms. As the students becomemore advanced, they can prepare dialogues on such subjects as theweather, travel, and a visit to the movies. These prepared dialoguesshould include units and syntactic structures that the students havelearned in their language study units and structures such as thefollowing:

Il fait beau temps.II fait froid.Comment ca va?Ca va bien (tout doucement).Combien de temps avez-vous mis a preparer votre lecon?Cela vous plait-il?

Subjects for dialogues can be selected according to the individualneeds of the students. For instance, those who prepare the publicityfor a school program will converse on one type of subject, whilethose who write articles for the school newspaper and those who areto participate in a skit or recite porns and sing will be concernedwith other types of subjects.

The distinction between prepal d and unprepared dialogues,familiar as it is, must be taken into account if the development of theability to speak the language is to be related to the creativecomponent in the framework of language skills.

Spontaneous, unprepared dialogues can be brought about by animprovised story told by the teacher about some event that has justhappened to him. In this case, students' questions should not dealwith the content of the story but rather with .the experience of theteacher himself, as in the following example:

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Teacher: Mes amis, ecoutez ce qui m'arrive a l'inctant. Ce matin,je sors de chez moi comme toujours a huit heures. Jeprends l'autobus numero 9. Je trouve une place libreque je veux occuper. Soudain .

Students: Qu'avez-vo us vu?Qui avez-vous vu?Qu'avez-vo us fait?Avez-vous °coupe cette place?

Students may ask any question, but it is expected that they wouldask their questions in the past tense, as in the example cited.

Concurrent with learning how to carry on spontaneous dialogue,students can prepare dialogues in class and at home. A prepareddialogue may be explanatory in form. This type of dialogue mightprecede the introduction of assigned reading material by the teacher.The teacher could then introduce the students to the general contentof the book or other reading material by means of a series ofquestions. Or, the prepared dialogue may folldw reading as a form ofexercise that leads to comprehension or to learning lexical andgrammatical materials. i his type of dialogue can also be moreintricate or more determinant and is referred to as a "seeded"dialogue.

Preparation for a seeded dialogue is carried out in the followingmanner. The teacher demonstrates how to conduct a dialogue, givingspecial attention to meaningful context, naturalness of tone, andways to express joy, surprise, indignation, or grief. He then selectsexamples of grammatical structures that the students have alreadylearned and either selects a theme himself or suggests that thestudents choose one. The general plan of the dialogue is thendeveloped a plan that includes all the words, idioms, and gram-rnatical structures that have been learned previously and that are ofdirect relevance to the question or topic to be discussed. Some of thestudents may then carry on a dialogue according to the plan withthe introduction of certain structures, words, and phrases. If a modeldialogue has been presented by the teacher, students may speak onthe theme that has been introduced. The dialogue must containeveryday expressions that might be used, for instance, in telephoneconversations, while buying a ticket in the theater or at the busstation, and in other, similar situations.

In a discussion held after the students' dialogues have beenpresented, the performances are analyzed and criticized. Can thestudents talk in short sentences? Was the dialogue conducted in anatural conversational tone? Were there acceptable abbreviations?

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Was the dialogue interesting? Was; it comprehensible? Was thedialogue well prepared? Were errors made in pronunciation, idiom-atic expressions, or grammar? Would it have been possible to carryon this dialogue in a different tone or with other expressions? Itmust be stated realistically that although the dialogue is labeled as a"creative" endeavor, it does not allow for creativity as generallydefined. Foreign languages and dialogues are precise and structuredand are creative only with respect to choice of subject and purpose.

Reading

A major task in teaching foreign languages to gifted high schoolstudents is planning and selecting appropriate reading materials andteaching according to techniques that are designed to improvestudents' reading abilities. This is achieved first by distributing aselection of reading materials of the appropriate level; second, byimparting an understanding of the forms of intensive and extensivereading and by working out methods of reading outside and inside ofclass; and third, by choosing material that students will want to read.

It is necessary that language teachers be acquainted with theliterature of the country concerned. It is also necessary that theteacher be versed in the mechanics of reading and know thetraditional criteria for skillful reading (recognition of letters, associ-ation of letters with sounds, and correct phrasing). But he shouldalso know that rates of reading speed and comprehension of meaningdiffer for different materials. The reading of factual material requiresmore time than recreational reading, which is usually more enjoy-able, whether in the foreign language or the vernacular.

To improve the reading habits of gifted students of a foreignlanguage, the following techniques are suggested:

1. The use of exercises designed to promote the ability to practiceimplications skills when all words of the sentence are knownexcept one or two

2. A program of vocabulary building involving the systematicstudy of cognates and word formation

3. The use of variants in reading (oral, analytical, cursory, andsilent, extensive and intensive)

Extensive reading of literature is especially important for thestudent who is planning to major in foreign languages in college. Thestudent who is taking a foreign language merely to meet collegeentrance requirements needs a different program. A varied list ofreading materials in literature will be found in the selected referencesunder "Selected Literary Texts."

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Writing

Gifted students who complete the recommended sequence ofstudy in a foreign language in grades ten through twelve should havemade some progress in developing skill in the use of the writtenlanguage. Work that is designed to develop such skill will result ingreater efficiency as the student improves his overall use of theforeign language and will enhance his creativity in styles of writtenwork, use of format, translation, and expressional fluency.

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Chapter 5

Foreign Language Studyand Creativity

A creative imagination is probably the most typicai :sharacteristicof the creatively gifted student. In order for creativity in thelinguistically immature person to be of lasting value, however, itmust be channeled into forms of expression that are consistent withthe patterns of a given language and culture. Creative writing inwhich a dictionary is used with little regard for or knowledge of thesyntax of the language will result in gibberish; guidance is thereforeextremely important.

It might be helpful to supply the students with a creative model.For example, a paragraph from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables inwhich he describes the Revolution of 1830 might serve analogouslyas a means of understanding contemporary student unrest. A poemlike "Die Lorelei" might provide inspiration for the expression ofpersonal feelings. An advertisement for a Spanish product mightserve as the basis for an advertisement for an American product to besold to Spanish-speaking people.

Creativity can also be developed in areas that are more or lessdirectly related to the language in question. For instance, the studentmight direct a short play written and performed by his classmates.He might also lead in singing and direct dances. These releases fromintensive study help maintain student interest and increase motiva-tion.

The teacher of the gifted will further creative thinking by assigningwritten questions to which there may be no one correct answer. Thefollowing are examples of such questions:

GENERAL1. Where did language originate?2. How did language develop?3. What are the similarities and differences between words and

expressions in various Indo-European languages?

ROMANCE LANGUAGES1. What are the relationships between Spanish and French and the

other Romance languages?

31

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2. What is the relationship of the Romance languages to Latin?3. What are the similarities and differences between Esperanto and

other languages?4. How do case forms express grammatical relationships?5. How are verbs changed to express tense, mood, and voice?

Creative experiences within any language are based on expressionalfluency, ideational fluency, spontaneous semantic flexibility, associ-ational fluency, originality, and semantic elaboration. The followingare sample exercises in some of these areas:

WORD FLUENCY

Write or recite words that end with a specified suffix; write wordsthat begin and end with a specified letter.

EXPRESSIONAL FLUENCY

Write or recite four-word sentences for which the first letter ofeach word has been specified; write pairs of sentences that stateanalogous ideas; write sentences containing four specified words.

ASSOCIATIONAL FLUENCY

Write or discuss as many synonyms as possible for each wordspecified in the exercise; give the ,orresponding adjectives for thesynonyms.

ORIGINALITY

Write or recite clever short story plots; translate Americancartoons into the language being studied.

CONSEQUENCES

List or discuss the remote consequences of certain changes in thehistory of the country whose language is being studied.

Now can creativity be developed? The following approaches offera foundation for planning:

I. Provide general conditions that are conducive to creativity.Among conditions conducive to creative efforts are environ-mental factors that (a) permit freedom of thought and action,within reasonable limits; (b) encourage individuality and wel-come new ideas and self-direction; (c) require ingenuity andprovide opportunities to observe, explore, and participate; (d)provide recognition and approval of creative efforts; and (e)provide order and discipline, background knowledge and skill,and specific stimuli to creativity. All these are vital componentsof an environment that is hospitable to creative efforts. A final

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important component is that of timing: When interest is high,exploit the situation.

2. Offer a variety of opportunities and materials for exploration.Invite older students to write and illustrate fairy tales foryounger children. The students can then read the stories to thechildren, using various stimuli to suggest ideas and appropriatewords. For example, after playing the "Poet and PeasantOverture," the students in charge can suggest words and ideasinspired by the music and ask questions, such as, "What is theslowest thing?" or "What is the most beautiful thing?"

Emphasize content rather than mechanics to stimulateappreciation. The student should be asked to write his auto-biography, to participate in a panel discussion of teenage prob-lems, or to react constructively to a current controversy in thelangtiage being studied.

3. Build a background of knowledge and skill. The teacher shouldmaintain an attitude of learning with the students, thusguarding against an authoritarian attitude toward knowledge.

4. Devise examinations that call for creativity. For example, askthe students to explain the difference between two versions of apoem; decide whether the differences from one version to theother represent improvements or deteriorations in poetic andromantic expression; write a line of verse to replace a missingline in a given poem and justify its insertion; or analyze twopoems and give their reasons for preferring the one over theother.

The teacher should provide encouragement and reinforcement. Anencouraging smile is more effective than a critical comment or rigidstandards. Of primary importance are the personality of the teacher,the genuineness of his interest, and his skill in helping children selectimproved means of expression without decreasing their spontaneity.

Gifted students, themselves will develop original and creativeactivities that will give them satisfaction. Some will be interested indeveloping language units in interrelated subjects, such as learningand teaching mathematics, social studies, science, and physicaleducation in the foreign language. Those with special talents in artand music may study these features of the culture concerned andpresent them to the class.

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Conclusion to Teaching GiftedStudents Foreign Language,Grades Ten Through Twelve

Language study contributes to the full development of eachstudent's potential. By studying the language of another people, thestudent learns to, think in that language and thereby extends thedimensions of his own personality. By understanding the customsand culture cf the country whose language he is studying, hesubconsciously develops a sympathy and empathy for the people ofthat country. He learns to love its art and music. The studentdevelops a "world view" that enables him to place himself inperspectives of time and space as an active member of the humanrace. Thus, he attains his full stature as a person, and he becomesaware of his own cultural heritage, his personal worth, and thedignity of his fellow human beings.

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SelActed References

Bloom !cid, Leonard. Language. New York: Henry Holt and Co.,1933.

Bolinger, Dwight. Aspects of Language. New York: Harcourt BraceJovanovich, Inc., 1968.

Brooks, Nelson H. Language and Language Learning: Theory andPractice (Second edition). New York: Harcourt, Brace & World,Inc., 1964.

Bruner, Jerome Seymour. Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cam-bridge, Mass. Harvard University Press, 1966.

Carroll, John B. Language and Thought. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.

"The Contributions of Psychological Theory and Edu-cational Research to the Teaching of Foreign Languages," inTrends in Language Teaching. Edited by Albert Valdman. NewYork: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966.

The Study of Language. Cambridge, Mass.: HarvardUniversity Press, 1953.

Chomsky, Noam. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge,Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1965.

Cartesian Linguistics. New York: Harper & Row Pub-lishers, Inc., 1966.

Chinese: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing. Prepared under thedirection of Everett V. O'Rourke by Kai Yu Hsu and Others.Sacramento: California State Department of Education, 1967.

Cornfield, Ruth R. Foreign Language Instruction. New York:Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1966.

Creativity of Gifted and Talented Children. Prepared by AmericanAssociation of School Administrators. New York: TeachersCollege Press, 1959.

Educating the Gifted, a Book .of Readings. Edited by Joseph L.French. New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1964.

Friedl, I3erthold. "Introductory Russian Its Tasks and Variants,"Bulletin of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic andEast European Languages, VII (March, 1950), 60-61.

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Genser, Moshe, and Samuel Grand. Teacher's Guide. New York: KtavPublishing House, Inc., 1963.

German: Guide for the Teaching of German in California. Preparedby John P. Dusel and Others. Sacramento: California StateDepartment of Education, 1967.

Grittner, Frank M. Teaching Foreign Languages. New York: Harper& Row Publishers, Inc., 1969.

Hall, Edward T. Silent Language. New York: Doubleday & Com-pany, Inc., 1959.

Hall, Robert A., Jr. New Ways to Learn a Foreign Language. NewYork: Bantam Books, Inc., 1966.

Huebener, Theodore. flow to Teach Foreign Languages Effectively(Revised edition). New York: New York University Press, 1965.

Lado, Robert. Language Teaching: A Scientific Approach. NewYork: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964.

Linguistics Across Cultures. Ann Arbor: University ofMichigan Press, 1957.

Landar, Herbert J. Language and Culture. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1966.

Language Instruction: Perspective and Prospectus. Prepared byNelson Brooks and Others. Sacramento: California State Depart-ment of Education, 1963.

Mackey, William Francis. Language-Teaching Analysis. Bloomington,Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1965.

Oliva, Peter F. The Teaching of Foreign Languages. EnglewoodCliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

Rivers, Wilga M. The Psychologist and the Foreign-Language Teacher.Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964.

Sapir, Edward. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech.New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1949.

Stack, Edward M. The Language Laboratory and Modern LanguageTeaching (Revised edition). New York: Oxford University Press,Inc., 1966.

Sumption, Merle R., and Evelyn M. Luecking. Education of theGifted. Nei,v York:- The Ronald Press Company, 1960.

Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of' Edu-cational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. Edited byBenjamin S. Bloom and Others. New York: David McKayCompany, Inc, 1956.

Torrance, Ellis P. Guiding Creative Talent. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.

Trends in Language Teaching. Edited by Albert Valdman. New York:McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966.

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Trow, William Clark. Teacher and Technology; New Designs forLearning. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1963.

Valette, Rebecca. Modern Language Testing: A Handbook. NewYork: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1967.

Source Materials

MLZ Selective List of Materials for Use by Teachers of MFLs inElementary and Secondary Schools. Edited by Mary J. 011mann,New York: Modern Language Assn. of America, 1962.

Ekmetjian, James. Pattern Drills in Language Teaching. New York:New York University Press, 1966.

Politizer, Robert L. Teaching French An Introduction to AppliedLinguistics (Second edition). Waltham, Mass.: Blaisdell PublishingCompany, Inc., 1965.

Teaching MethodsFrench

Thoraval, Jean, and Others. Les ;- vandes epoques de la civilisationfrancaise. Paris: Bordas, 1967.

Valdman, Albert. Applied Linguistics: French. Boston: D.C. Heath &Co., 1961.

German

Kufner, Herbert L. The Grammatical Structures of English andGerman. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Marchand, James W. Applied Linguistics: German, a Guide forTeachers. Boston: D.C. Heath & Company, 1961.

Moulton, William G. The Sounds of English and German. Chicago:The University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Politzer, Robert. Teaching German: A Linguistic Orientation. Wal-tham, Mass.: Blaisdell Publishing Company, 1968.

Russian

Magner, Thomas. Applied Linguistics Russian. Boston: D.C. Heath& Company, 1961.

Spanish

Cardenas, Daniel N. Applied Linguistics: Spanish, a Guide forTeachers. Boston: D.C. Heath & Company, 1961.

Bowen, J. Doland, and Robert P. Stockwell. Patterns of SpanishPronunciation: A Drillbook. Chicago: The University of ChicagoPress, 1960.

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Politzer, Robert, and Charles N. Staubach. Teaching Spanish:A Linguistics Orientation (Revised edition). Waltham, Mass.:Blaisdell Publishing Company, 1965.

Stockwell, Robert P., and J. Donald Bowen. The Sounds of Englishand Spanish. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1965.

Stockwell, Robert P., J. Donald Bowen, and John W. Martin. TheGrammatical Structures of English and Spanish. Chicago: TheUniversity of Chicago Press, 1965.

Selected Literary Texts

French

Brodin, Pierre, and Frederic Ernst. La France et les Francais. NewYork: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc., 1961.

Castex, Pierre Georges, and Paul Surer. Manuel des etudes litterairesfrancaises XIXe siècle. Paris: Librairie Hachette, 1966.

Denoeu, Francois. L'heritage fra- :cais. (Second edition). New York:Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc., 1966.

Lagarfl-, Andre, and Laurent Michard. Moyen Age: les grands auteursfrai,kais du programme. New York: French & European Publi-cations, Inc., 1963.

XVle siecle: les grands auteurs francais du programme.Paris: Bordas, 1965.

siecle: les grands auteurs francais du programme.Paris: Bordas, 1962.

XVIII' siecle: les grands auteurs francais du programme.Paris: Bordas, 1962.

Maurois, Andre: Histoire de la France. Paris: Librairie Hachette,1957.

German

Gossman, Wilhelm. Deutsche Kulturgeschichte im Grundriss. Munich:Max Hueber Verlag, 1966.

Spanish

AlarcOn, Pedro Antonio. El Sombrero de tres picos. Boston: Ginn &Company, 1952.

Baroja y Nessi, Pio. Zalacai'n el aventurero. Lexington, Mass.: D.C.Heath & Company, 1926..

Becquer, Gustavo Adolfo. Short Stories and Poems of Becquer. NewYork: The MacMillan Company, 1936.

Blasco Ibariez, Vicente. La barraca. New York: The Macmillan.Company, 1933.