Thanks Paul and Therese for your replies. Paul, I appreciate you challenging my thinking on this project. My aims right now for this project are rather modest: just a space for communication; to create a space to facilitate the transformation of English student-teacher relationship. I don't aim to "teach" students English, liquidate illiteracy, or the like. But, you already have me thinking harder about a future project and what a future project might look like.
Might it be possible to consult with you in another format (using sound?-- i.e. phone) at some point to hear more of your thinking? Respectfully, Raffi Raffi Aftandelian wrote 1 мая 2005 г., 22:52:53: > Raffi, > Is this being done without sound? Meaning, is the 'dialogue' > all written only, no sound? It loots on the surface as if that is > the case. Because if one really wants to learn another language, > or the one they have been raised in better, it will be necessary to > hear the sounds and know the meanings. You have to bathe the brain > in meaningful print. > In one of my past work lives, I have been deeply involved in > teaching illiterate adults and children how to read as fluently as > they talk in their native language. There are about 20% of United > States non-immigrant natives who cannot read, or cannot read well > enough, to function in this reading culture. Facts from the US > Dept. of Education and I'm betting it is much higher. Another 20% > are crippled readers who just get by. > There are principles about how the brain learns that have to be > adhered to or the effort will be significantly less than optimal, if > not an outright failure. That is why our highschools are > graduating 20% functionally or totally illiterate students, they are > not understanding what the brain does when it learns anything you > can put the words "How to" in front of. How to read, how to walk, > how to drive and chew gum at the same time, not to mention have a > conversation, etc. (small joke). Using these principles, we are > able to move an illiterate adult one grade level of reading ability > in 10 hours of face-to-face tutor time. In children, it takes > about 12-14 hours. The US Dept. of Edcn's standard for a 'good' > literacy program is one grade level in 100 hours and there is a > 60-70% drop out rate. Clearly, they are spitting into the wind. > Anyway, discussing this is a very long conversation that is too > much to type. I'm saying what I did because I think your idea is > commendable but......without sound and meaning, building from the > ground up, it will be more than very difficult, I'm afraid. > Sincerely, > Paul Everett * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
