ALM & TPR discussions

Wes touched on this in his post on ALM, Connor on TPR.

One of the conclusion of the ALM is that "language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture." With that considered, I would think that the best way to learn a target language is in the the culture that has that language.

In the target languages home nation/culture for instance.

1. How novel was it to consider the role of culture in language learning? How are you as trainees going to capture, study, investigate the cultural milieu of your audience? What would be some practical ways?


The second question:

Why is it these were so easy to retain, while others I'm sure I "traced" more intensively than these slipped my grasp? I'd say it was that these expressions were particularly interesting to me. Learning Chinese, I've noticed that if, at the time a certain phrase is introduced to me, I believe I can use it fluently in conversations I'd like to have, I have little trouble retaining that phrase.


2. I have heard that you remember things most effectively when they are associated with 1) mirth, 2) awe or 3) pain. How does trace memory fit into this equation?

Thank you for your patience.

The original posts by Wes and Connor:

wes said...
as there is no prompt for posting, I am going to "wing" my entry for this week. What struck me the most about the material of the third week was the Audio-lingual and army methods of learning a foreign language. What I took from the book and the lecture is that ALM called for intense habitual exposure to and proper use of a target language in a meaningful manner. In WWII, the army took this idea to the extreme; but maybe did the best thing possible considering the global circumstances. One of the conclusion of the ALM is that "language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture." With that considered, I would think that the best way to learn a target language is in the the culture that has that language. Well, since the U.S. was at war with Germany and Japan, it made sense that they do the next best thing, which was to have expert informants aid those students immersed in a second language. No wonder the army method was so successful.
I feel the the ALM/army method are very effective given a certain purpose under the right circumstances, but if those circumstances are absent, then there are better ways at getting one to learn a target language. In the target languages home nation/culture for instance.

July 19, 2008 4:43 PM


conor mckiernan said...
This week, "trace theory" sparked my interest; the idea that, "the more often or the more intensively a memory connection is traced, the stronger the memory association will be and the more likely it will be recalled" (73); this is the theoretical basis for the Total Physical Response Method.

How accurate is this? I don't doubt that if you're exposed to a particular thing a hundred times, you'll probably remember it the next time you encounter it; it's just that looking back on my own experience of learning Chinese I've noticed that since I've returned home I've lost a great deal of the expressions I studied through repetition (drills, flash cards, even chanting to myself) YET, I distinctly remember a number of expressions I'm certain were explained to me just once. Many of these had to deal with women.

Why is it these were so easy to retain, while others I'm sure I "traced" more intensively than these slipped my grasp? I'd say it was that these expressions were particularly interesting to me. Learning Chinese, I've noticed that if, at the time a certain phrase is introduced to me, I believe I can use it fluently in conversations I'd like to have, I have little trouble retaining that phrase. (This extends beyond the conversations I'd like to have with women) ;-)

What am I experiencing here?

I believe in the power of TPR, but I wonder whether the underlying cause for its effectiveness lies somewhere closer to kind of almost immediate internalization I described above rather than rote trace theory; could its physicality work to create the type of interest that drove me to retain those phrases?

The textbook seems to imply that in practice we should admit the power of TPR, even if its theoretical foundation is less than solid; "TPR practices . . . may be effective for reasons other than those proposed by Asher and do not necessarily demand commitment to the learning theories used to justify them" (79) I intend to do just that.



Anonymous Henry the Hun said...

To me, trace theory (and hence TPR) is an extension of Behaviorism; mirth would be a reward for a desirable action whereas pain would be a punishment for an undesirable practice. Awe would fall into either of these categories depending on whether it were a pleasant surprise or an unexpected criticism. Trace memory would be the result of long-term reinforcement of trained behavioristic responses. For instance, if I kept jumping while conjugating the verb "saltar", I will come to associate the term "saltar" with both the physical action and the English word "jump". Of course, the premise that I do this is because I am rewarded to do so by the instructor (e.g. via encouragement or grades).

However, this model considers only the individual's instinctive response, or Id. It ignores the power of the Ego to will a person into making such connections (e.g. I consciously decide to associate jumping with "saltar"). Another explanation of how trace memory and TPR works is that it activate multiple learning processes. The student is not only linking the foreign term with a familiar word and action (kinesthetic), but also repeatedly hearing the word (audio) and observing others participate (visual). Mirth, awe, and pain would play the same role in this scenario because they would just serve as markers in the otherwise even landscape of memory; they would elicit a stored response, but not necessarily always the same type of response.

I apologize in advance for basing my response based on my very limited knowledge of psychology.

July 22, 2008 12:08 PM


Henry, your description of AWE MIRTH and PAIN was interesting. I like how you put AWE as either positive or negative-although unexpected criticism could aid memory. It is then up to the EGO and you put it or the WILL that determines how one should respond. In TPR, the experiences are designed with the intent of everything being positive. The possibility of PAIN or criticism needs to be factored out of the lesson plan. This can be aided with the right music, teacher attitude, students’ attitude and appropriateness of the lesson. We can both agree that this is a potentially powerful teaching method. Roger.


Anonymous New-New Lee said...

I'm not sure if I'm answering the right set of questions; if not, then I'll try again.

I agree with ALM in that “language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture”. The best way to learn a foreign language, or to improve fluency, is going to the country that primarily speaks the target language. While in the country, being surrounded by the culture and language, it is possible to capture the target language and experience the subtle culture differences.
In my case, I was required to learn two languages; one to be use at home, and one used in society. If I fail in one of these languages, then I might not be able to communicate to my parents or I would be considered as incompetent according to societal standards. Learning two languages simultaneously is not an easy task, especially when my high school requires me to learn a “foreign” language. Sadly, my high school only offered French and Spanish. Two languages are already pretty challenging, adding a third language is kind of interesting.
I remembering learning Spanish; I felt happy when I was able to complete my homework assignments, perform well on my quizzes, and understand the new chapter without much frustration. I also remember being surprised when I first learned that there was a masculine and feminine article attached to almost every word; how can you distinguish the “gender” of an inanimate object? Also learning the different verb conjugations and different verb tenses were really difficult for me, sometimes even painful. I do not use Spanish in my daily life, only in classroom settings. Sadly to say, after four years of Spanish, I only retained the numbers and some simple sentences. I is true, language is only retained when it is constantly being used. Learning Spanish was a fun experience, but because I do no use it, I lost it.
The ALM method works, only if it is supported by the surrounding environment. My environment encourages me to learn two languages, but not a third. In the end, the environment plays a great role in whether or not a person learns or retains a language.

July 23, 2008 7:48 AM

Thank you for sharing about your own language learning experience NewNew. You are right that ALM brought the target culture into the classroom. How would you bring English culture into the classroom yourself? You need to start now because finding and collecting stuff about English-speaking cultures ‘living and working outside’ of that target culture is much much harder. I am curious how you learned Spanish. Did the teacher used ALM? What other methods did he/she use? Why do you think it was a success or failure? You see reflection of your own language learning experiences can give you great insight into what you can do in your future classrooms. Roger



Anonymous Danielle St. John said...

The book stresses that a TPR style of learning fosters "trace memory" from associating words with physical responses. But I think that with any stlye of learning, trace memory is at work if the person is fully committed to internalizing the language. It would be easy for a TPR student to "go through the class motions" and get absolutely nothing out of it. I can see TPR working for young children and for very basic simple vocab. However, I believe that adults experience trace memory differently. We will trace things that we believed to be relevant and useful to communicating in a second language. For example, I did not experience TPR in my second language classes. I tried and tried to come up with a time that this was the learning style, and could not. But, I could think of a class that paired non-native speakers with native Spanish speakers. For a whole year we had a conversation buddy/friend/coach that not only helped us with pronunication, but with meaningful and cultural exposure to the language. My fluency in that year grew tremendously, and I can still "trace back" to the numerous rules, words, and confidence that I felt speaking to a student that had real things to say to me.TPR also stresses that listening should be accomplished first, followed by other skills. I do agree that being exposed to the language is very important, but this must be accompanied by visually seeing the language as well. TRP may work well for the kinesthetic learner, but those that are visual will not benefit from hearing a bunch of words they do not know. I think the challenge with any method will be to understand the audience we're teaching, and provide them real life, cultural language and experience, because not mater what you teach, every student will trace things differently than the next.

July 26, 2008 8:59 AM

Danielle, how does one be “…fully committed to internalizing the language.”? Also, I would not fully abandon using TPR for adult classrooms. You being an athlete know how important physical activity and training are. For physical lexical elements of language, TPR can really help. Also, it breaks up the monotony of the lessons. It activates the kinesthetic learners learning as well. You said that adult need a mental channel to parallel the actions-perhaps so. Adults can and will tune out. But as long as they see the utility and meaningfulness of the action/s, they will attempt it/them. You talk about having a ‘conversation buddy’. This is a very powerful learning technique-perhaps one of the best but unfortunately hard to have for each member of class due to availability and cost. You mention seeing or visualizing a language. Seeing people or the teacher doing the physical actions is I think enough for the visual learner. You might want to take another look at it. Roger.


Blogger Wes said...

1. I do not feel really find it novel that someone pointed out the influence of culture on learning a language. Someone that was particularly logical merely made and published the realization culture and language build off and influence one another. Language is used to both apply meaning to things in the world that we see and, at the same time, the things that we see around the world influence us to create new meaning through language. Without language, cultures around the world would be a lot more simple.

To understand the cultural milieu of my audience will be simple; as they will more than likely all be Japanese. I will be sure to keep an open ear as to how and what my students will say to me and learn as much of the culture I an from my coworkers and natives of the country that I can effectively communicate with.

July 26, 2008 2:58 PM

Wes, whether it’s novel or not to the teacher, it is often not addressed in lessons. Think of any of the lesson samples you have either made or seen. How much culture was put into it? And I mean not as decoration, but explicit teaching of cultural knowledge? Further, if you plan on living in Japan, (perhaps you are doing things) what are you doing to gain that cultural knowledge of your students? And what are you doing to collect and organize American cultural knowledge? I would start now if you haven’t already done so. Roger.


Blogger bobi said...

The role of culture on language learning was never really a novelty- if a person just took a step back from analyzing ways to learn or acquire language they would realize the significant impact of a dualistic concept between culture and language. Culture is language, so to speak, and vice versa. Without language culture doesn’t really exist. In the terms of capturing and studying the cultural milieu of our target audience, I would assume the best way is to throw yourself into their culture. It’s said the best way to learn a language is to live in that country for half a year or so and you’ll be fluent in no time. I believe this particular theory can be applied to understanding the backgrounds of our students, going in to explore the culture that we are going to assimilate ourselves in.
Similar to TPR, Trace theory is a type of stimulus-response, mirth, awe or pain are all intense memory connectors that, if strong enough will permanently lodge in our brain, I mean it’s very similar to those moments or flashback that you remember was particularly painful, awe-inspiring or funny. The key point is that, these situations trigger emotional nostalgia I suppose, so when similar things happen, it triggers something in our memory. Although, everyone is different, what might seem relevant or important to me might not to you, so in that sense, Trace theory doesn't work with set standards.

July 26, 2008 11:03 PM

Barbara, you are right about language and culture. However, English teachers are notoriously numb or indifferent to this when they craft their lessons. How have you seen cultural elements addressed in a language learning lesson recently? Were they done well? You also mention living in the country of your target language for fluency. Yes AND more. You are familiar with immigrant English, the many blends of 7-11 English that stretches out across this land? They learned their brand of English on the streets. They can get most of what they need done. They are fine. Not elegant, not correct but for most of their purposes they are fine. For our students, what do we want to give them? I want to give them both: Correctness and Fluency, structured learning and the back and forth of using language on the streets.
Roger

Blogger Amy said...

1. It is not novel to consider the role of culture in language learning. Culture has a definite major impact in language learning. This is why the ESL students who come to America have different areas of strengths and weaknesses. In addition the cultural influence is why students coming from one country, let's say for example, Japan have trouble pronouncing the L's and R's of English as opposed to students who come from France having trouble pronouncing R's and Th's. I agree that language must be learned in the context of the linguistics and culture. This is why many people study abroad. There's no better way to learn a language than in the country that speaks the target language.
As teachers teaching abroad, we have the privilege of getting first hand experience on a certain culture. The people we meet, talk to, or observe, will help us in knowing our target audience. What do they like? What don't they like? Etc. If we have already studied abroad in the country we're going to, then we have an advantage over other teachers in terms of being more familiar with the culture of that country. Otherwise, doing some internet research such as moving abroad or conversing with natives will help.

2. Ask anyone to recite something they remember in their life that was funny, awe inspiring or painful and you will get nonstop talking. The reason why trace memory would fit this equation is because while we are learning (which we are all the time) there are certain things that we associate ourselves with while we are learning. For example, with TPR, actions are bigger than words. The goal of TPR is for the student to associate a certain physical action to a verbal response. When we were learning Chinese, because we did the physical action jump several times, eventually we all knew that the term jump in English is tiao in Chinese. Although some of you may never say tiao again for the rest of your life, however when you hear someone say tiao, your brain would trace back to the time you were out in the fields at UCI jumping.

July 27, 2008 5:02 PM

Amy, you are right about culture. Yes, you will remember how to jump and Take a look at what I wrote for Barbara and others on this topic. Much of your commentary is a rehash of what others posted and so look to my comments that followed their assertions. My question for you and what would be interesting for me to learn from you would be on how you are going to introduce and use American culture in your English lessons? And a similar question, how will you learn about your target students’ culture? ROGER

Blogger KARINA said...

I never really thought about the important role culture plays in language learning. I remember there were “Culture Notes” in my high school Spanish book, which contained tidbits of interesting information about Spanish-speaking countries. However, it is interesting to think about it on a deeper level. We learned in the theory class that learning a second language is like taking on a second identity. I had never thought about it that way, but it makes sense since one language may have a words or expressions that cannot be directly translated in another language. Every culture has their own idioms that are perhaps derived from factors that are unique to that culture. I’m not sure, but maybe, “piece of cake” does not mean “easy” in every language. I don’t know where I’m going with this, but, when I teach English in another country, I am hoping to learn about a new culture. I will give my students chances to share about their culture while I share stories about the United States. I also think that since I will be immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture, it will be a lot easier for me to learn the language. I have taken several years of Spanish in the U.S., but I still do not have the skills to speak fluently.
The moments that I remember well are those that are associated with “mirth, awe, and pain.” It is amazing how you can remember the minor details if they are associated with some of your favorite or worst memories. I guess that this can also be applied to language learning. I remember that “que lastima” means “what a shame” because some kids in my class did this funny skit where they kept on using that phrase. That phrase may not be the most useful, but I won’t forget it. Trace theory has to do with making strong memory associations, but it may not be the case that you can always associate parts of a new language with something good or painful. I think that that has more to do with remembering events.

July 27, 2008 6:22 PM

Karina, your discussion on idioms and other lexical items are not really culture other than they may have a cultural etymological background. What does exist culturally in language teaching and the thinking we need to focus on is how it affects meaning and communication with others. For example, remember the example I used in class about a student inappropriately sending a “My Deepest Sympathy…” card for a graduation? Here the meaning is lost because of the misunderstanding of the use of “My Deepest Sympathy…”. Does this make more sense?
Whether remembering events is more powerful than a good or painful emotion doesn’t matter. They cannot be separated. Something that is good is part of an event and the same with pain and awe. Roger


Anonymous Karen said...

1. Language interacts with the culture. Understanding the culture of the country where the target language is spoken is essential when learning a language. When I learned English at a language institute in Korea, my native speaker teacher used a textbook which had so- called authentic situational dialogues. One of the topics was ordering food by drive through, which I had never heard of before. In spite of his lengthy explanation, I couldn’t just visualize it because there wasn’t that kind of service in Korea.
The important role of culture in language learning has become good marketing tools in Korea. Some people introduced the idea of English Village which they believe it can bring authentic environment for young English learners in a practical way. The English village is a small version of any British or American city. Students who enter the village speak in English to native speaker residents and use village dollars. In spite of its limitation such as not enough numbers of native speakers compared to the number of students who visit the village a day, it is pretty popular in Korea. Parents or English learners who have never been to English spoken countries believe that they will have an idea what living in America is like from the trip to these villages. I wonder if this is good enough though. English teachers need to understand both cultures: target culture and native culture of learners. As I have experienced both cultures, this can be my strength when I go to Korea to teach. Knowing the cultural difference between two cultures will be a good starting point to introduce the target culture to English learners.

2. Memories reside in our subconsciousness and are revived when they are triggered by similar experiences. I think that memories related to emotional events are retained better than those related to non-emotional events. Since emotional events are more vivid than the habitual events, they capture more attention and make strong impression in our consciousness. Likewise, trace memory gets more attention than other language learning methods because language learners can visualize actions.

July 27, 2008 11:24 PM

Karen, I really appreciated the story you gave about when you were a language learner yourself. I can identify with the principle you highlighted. It is so important to incorporate culture into as much as the lesson as possible. I have heard of the ‘English Village’ concept in Korea. Doesn’t it sound like ASTP? Like ALM? It is not a new idea for total immersion though the ones I have looked at in Korea are much less immersive.
Part 2 of your comments summarizes what other classmates have said. My question to you (and to them) is how can the teacher practically infuse ‘emotion’ in a given lesson? Roger

Anonymous H to the Lizzo said...

I just realized I never answered the first question. I am therefore appending to my first post:
I agree with most of the class that it is not novel to consider the role of culture in language learning because a language is meaningless out of its cultural context; language is merely a society's form of communication. Thus, I believe it would be important to determine both the similarities and differences between the live use of the vernacular and that of the target language. The former would be invaluable in utilizing previously established language-learning paradigms towards acquiring the new language, whereas the latter would be useful in bridging the intellectual gaps between the two tongues.

For instance, having students build a vocabulary of common items might be useful in learning every language, but studying the application of various verb tenses would not be very helpful in learning a language like Chinese (which is structurally different from a language like English).

In my classroom, I would explicitly point out aspects of English that translate well into the students' native language, and those that do not. In addition, I would keep track of what areas students generally have problems with, and whether there might be cultural bases for these occurrences. Since I am fluent in Chinese and I plan to teach in China, I could also
scrutinize my lesson plan from both perspectives; I could think about how I would teach an unit in Chinese and compare that to how I would teach the same material in English. I would then see more clearly what information I already expect the students to be familiar with, whether my analogies (literal and figurative) work in both languages, and of course, the key similarities and differences implicated in expressing the same information in two divergent ways.

July 28, 2008 1:42 AM

H: you said:
“For instance, having students build a vocabulary of common items might be useful in learning every language, but studying the application of various verb tenses would not be very helpful in learning a language like Chinese (which is structurally different from a language like English).”
Example/s?

Blogger Aaron said...
1. Considering the role of culture in language learning isn’t really a novel idea. Language is so much more than a means of communicating – it’s an expression of culture. As a TEFL teacher trainee, an effective and exciting way to get involved in the cultural milieu of our target audience is to be completely immersed in it. As Wes mentioned, keeping yourself open to the people around you will help you to learn about their culture gradually. I’m sure there will be plenty of awkward moments when you’re adjusting to the new culture, but sitting back, observing and absorbing it should allow us to adjust pretty quickly. For those of us who haven’t had much direct exposure to the countries we wish to teach in, we have a great opportunity this summer to gain some cultural insight via the students at the UNX ESL classes. As Amy mentioned, we can be proactive and do some research on the Internet but a more old-school way of learning about another culture is picking up a book. Those “First Timer Guide to Country X” books may look cheesy, but I’m sure they have some merits.

2. Trace memory from a neuroscience perspective is tied directly to the amygdalae. The amygdalae are a group of neurons in the brain responsible for “storing” memories associated with strong emotional experiences. For example, most of us can’t remember what we had for lunch last Tuesday but we can remember exactly where we were when we heard the news of 9/11 or when President Bush officially declared war on Iraq. How well something is remembered (or the effectiveness of learning something) is greatly dependent on the intensity of emotions that a person experiences during that event. When I was in Boy Scouts about ten years ago, we studied first aid and one of the lessons was how to create a MacGuyver-esque splint. I never thought I would remember how to do that, but thanks to one of our fellow scouts suffering a nasty fall, I can vividly recall how to use belts and branches to support a sprained ankle. Perhaps the key to successful language learning lies in stimulating the amygdalae with emotions, whether they be mirthful, awe inspiring, or painful. Hopefully as language instructors, we will use methods that are mirthful and awe inspiring for our students. While pain may be an effective method of stimulating the amygdalae, it certainly isn’t the most comfortable.

July 28, 2008 3:03 AM

Aaron, a great read is ‘Kiss, Bow and Shake Hands”. This book covers most of the major countries you would be interested in teaching in. Another book is Roger Axtell’s: Dos and Taboos-I think the title resembles this.
Experiences are great teachers; again my question might be “How can an EFL teacher replicate this in the classroom?” How can we add that extra kick to the lesson? This is what makes an ok lesson, an adequate lesson and transforms it into a memorable-life changing lesson. Roger

Anonymous Anthony T said...

Muscle memory, as athletes know, is something that is developed through rigorous training and exercise. Total Physical Response is very akin to any drill a coach might work with his players with. I'm sure Wes is with down with me on this one, back in military school, if we were sitting down or sleeping, if anyone called attention on deck, we'd have to pop up immediately. It's still an instinctive response do to all the total physical reinforcement I've had (push ups, lots of push ups.)

As far as ALM goes, it does help because there are certain things that are simply taught as a pattern, and it works. Learning Chinese, our teacher would explain what why this sentence structure was the way it was, the grammar behind it, the meaning, and then told us to repeat. Because of all the repeated drills, I've learned to mix and match words and such so I can make other awesome sentences!

July 28, 2008 9:17 PM

I glad to read that you have personal experiences to back up the comments many have stated thus far. Your Chinese class is an interesting blend of ALM and what other method that we have studied?
We have to remember why we are using a certain method. What goals are we trying to achieve? There is a lot of mixing going on without a lot of concern for the possible results. You really didn’t elaborate on the short description of the Chinese class. I am curious, how often did he/she ask you to repeat? What was the homework like? What were the exams like? Roger


Anonymous Donovan said...

1. Culture has a big part in the creation of a language, and therefore should be condiered in the learning/teaching of a language. A more open, friendly culture would likely have a much less formal language than another culture that strongly believes in politeness and respect above all else. When you are absorbed in the culture, you pick up on things such as this, and, in doing so, are able to learn the language as it is, rather than by translating everything from your own language. I believe that in my teaching I should make sure I give a number of cultural lessons in my classes to explain why the language they I learning is the way it is. For example, in Japanese, the term "you" is considered rude, which means that we would have to explain why they will be using it quite often in English.

2. I have heard that we never truly forget anything, but that we merely don't remember where we put it. However, I feel that in the case of strong feelings such as painful or happy memories, they are much easier to locate. I believe this because since you had such extreme feelings at the time it would be cataoged in a different area than the regular mundane memories you have acquired along the way. In any case, when applying this to trace memory, we can see a correlation between the combining something you saw or felt or heard, with a feeling, and then remembering what you learned by looking for both at once. When we learn something via TPR we remember while trying to find the word while doing or remembering the action allocated with it. This narrows the search field in our brains...I think. This is the same thing that happens with our memories. I have on many occasions been reminded of a place or day in extreme detail merely from catching a breeze that was the same speed and temperature as that day. Trace memory is something which utilizes such situations for purposely learning something.

July 28, 2008 9:23 PM

For your response #1, I like that you used an example from Japanese since you have significant experience living in Japan. Have you found for instance, that the opposite can be true in terms of what a Japanese person might do in behaving out of character? For example, I have found that some Japanese behave more friendly when they are speaking in English. They have also told me that they CAN argue in front of others IF they are speaking in English. This is an interesting phenomenon. I wonder if examples of this exist in other languages as well.
Your #2 response is similar to others. Roger

Blogger eric said...

Before the old Ventura Pier was burned down (and consequently rebuilt), my father used to take me there on weekends to go fishing. There was--I don't know if there still is-- a marsh of sort nearby, and if I have to trace back, that was probably the first time since coming over to America that I saw and put into context, the word "dragonfly." To me, that buzzing little demon was always called "chuong-chuong" (Vietnamese), and as a child, I used to chase it around the wet rice fields until I came home; face full of mud. In class here, I learned its English equivalent, but like I said, never saw one except in books. In Japan, where I lived in a rice bowl, my summer skies would be blacken by armadas of these hellspawns, and I learned that in Japanese, they are called "tombou." And yet to this day, I'd like a biologist to go inside my head and analyze why these three words--for the same creature--can "mean" so differently to me. When I say out loud the word "dragonfly," it is just that--what you would find on Wikipedia. If I say "tombou," it is uniquely "tombou" (a dragonfly), attached to a very different feeling. And when I say "chuong-chuong" --don't laugh-- but it's almost as if there is a chemical reaction inside me, where the senses (memory?) come alive. There is a specific smell, a specific sound, a specific "taste" (weird, right?), a specific feeling-- a different understanding. What are those smells, sounds, and tastes? I don't know, I don't know how to explain it, but I do know it feels different... and I should probably stop trying lest you'll think I'm tripping on some psychoactive stimulant. Which is untrue. Language is emotional. And perhaps that's why when we trace back to our first understanding of a word/concept, it is transfered to us with emotional content, whether socially or environmentally. Language is culture... and to know what, for example, a pinata is here in LA, is vastly different from growing up in Mexico city and knowing what a pinata is, there. ‘Must language be learned through the context of its culture?’ I don’t think so, but you will certainly have a different understanding if done so.

July 29, 2008 12:13 AM

Nice dragonflytombouchoung-choung story.
Always emotional language is. Every person in class hence is bringing their own emotional thresholds to the classroom. Some are ready to take more linguistic ridicule and others are more delicate. I have in the past been too soft on some students and more tragically, been too hard on others. Not in a mean sort of way mind you, but rather in ridicule. I really regret those liberties I have taken in the name of being “funny” or “clever”. I don’t know why I am writing like this, but your touching story had something to do with it.
Here’s dragonfly in Chinese. “Qing1Ting2” Roger


Anonymous Geo said...
1. Why would it be novel for one to consider the role of culture in language? Each language is a reflection, no an embodiment of its corresponding culture. Just as music and customs make up the identity of a culture, so does language. As a trainee for teaching abroad, it is important to investigate one`s target culture. By attempting to understand another culture, it allows one to see how its people look at the rest of the world including America and the role of English in the world. One does not have to absorb every piece of knowledge of those cultures however, because then those there will feel imposed upon. Do not make it seem like they are losing their identity to someone from outside. The key is to create a sense of understanding between cultures that allows a comfortable outlet to exchange language. When the people of that culture are willing to share everything,take every advantage. There is no set of practical answers as to how to do this, but by respecting one`s target culture and the students that come from it, those students will attempt the same and be more willing to learn without barriers.

2. Trace memory is useful in introducing many things to a learner of another language. Constant repetition does allow people to memorize many things. I heard once that people actually do not forget anything they learn. Why do people forget? The answer I heard to this was that while people have the memory inside of their brains, they lose the ability to access it. Things that are associated with certain emotions are the most easily accessed. Just as a native English speaker is fluent in his/her language and learns a lot of vocabulary words, this person may not remember words that were taught repeatedly in school because they are not attached to the daily usage of that person which is processed through emotion. That is why when people come across a word they do not seem to know and look it up, they get that feeling of having known it but wondering why they could not remember what it meant.

July 29, 2008 12:40 AM

Who is Geo? George? Is that you?
I think what you are talking about is the easy part. It’s not the target culture that is the challenge for us EFL teachers, it’s OUR own culture.
You are to teach English. You need to educate your students on North American cultural bit that are associated with the English being taught. In my travels, of course I learned about the ‘target’ culture. It was strange and interesting and fascinating and abhorrent (at times) but what I really learned was my own cultural biases and contrasts. These are the bits we need to identify and codify and put in our student’s hands. They need to know about how English shapes our social & emotional interactions.
Usage is key to remembering. How will you incorporate usage in your lessons? Roger

Anonymous Emily said...

1.I don’t think it is novel to associate the role of culture in language learning. It is normal to associate thought with language; that thought affects language and vice versa. Through language, one can adopt a particular way of thinking, according to the society or the culture that they grow up in. Additionally culture can affect language in the use/lack of use of certain words; for example, Eskimos multiple words for “snow”. All these uses of language directly relate to the importance of particular things within their culture. This is an important idea to keep in mind as teacher trainees. It is important to incorporate aspects of the culture in language learning; after all it is the culture in which the language was created and is spoken. It can be captured by bringing in props, real-life situations, and relevant issues of the culture of the particular language into class to be discussed and studied.
2.It is true that is it easiest to remember things that are associated with mirth, awe, or pain. This relates to the trace theory of memory because these emotions were directly tied with particular information acquired, i.e. creating a path from emotion to information, a trace. I found this was often the case when I was abroad. In moments of laughter or happiness over a particular saying or word in Spanish, I find it easier to recall than other various words repeated in class. Because a heightened emotion was associated with this information, it has been easier to recall it… trace it back. The same goes for information associated with awe or pain, positive or negative. And in many cases the more “intense” the emotion or moment of “mirth, awe, or pain” the easier it is to recall the information.

July 29, 2008 8:42 PM

Righto Emily! The second part of what you said:
“This is an important idea to keep in mind as teacher trainees. It is important to incorporate aspects of the culture in language learning; after all it is the culture in which the language was created and is spoken.”
Mix it into your lessons and you add what a dictionary can’t-a living example of a living language. What aspect of North American culture would you include in an English lesson?
This same question goes for your response to #2.Roger

[Photo]
Wes touched on this in his post on ALM, Connor on TPR.

One of the conclusion of the ALM is that "language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture." With that considered, I would think that the best way to learn a target language is in the the culture that has that language.

In the target languages home nation/culture for instance.

1. How novel was it to consider the role of culture in language learning? How are you as trainees going to capture, study, investigate the cultural milieu of your audience? What would be some practical ways?


The second question:

Why is it these were so easy to retain, while others I'm sure I "traced" more intensively than these slipped my grasp? I'd say it was that these expressions were particularly interesting to me. Learning Chinese, I've noticed that if, at the time a certain phrase is introduced to me, I believe I can use it fluently in conversations I'd like to have, I have little trouble retaining that phrase.


2. I have heard that you remember things most effectively when they are associated with 1) mirth, 2) awe or 3) pain. How does trace memory fit into this equation?

Thank you for your patience. This will be due a week from this post.

The original posts by Wes and Connor:

wes said...
as there is no prompt for posting, I am going to "wing" my entry for this week. What struck me the most about the material of the third week was the Audio-lingual and army methods of learning a foreign language. What I took from the book and the lecture is that ALM called for intense habitual exposure to and proper use of a target language in a meaningful manner. In WWII, the army took this idea to the extreme; but maybe did the best thing possible considering the global circumstances. One of the conclusion of the ALM is that "language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture." With that considered, I would think that the best way to learn a target language is in the the culture that has that language. Well, since the U.S. was at war with Germany and Japan, it made sense that they do the next best thing, which was to have expert informants aid those students immersed in a second language. No wonder the army method was so successful.
I feel the the ALM/army method are very effective given a certain purpose under the right circumstances, but if those circumstances are absent, then there are better ways at getting one to learn a target language. In the target languages home nation/culture for instance.

July 19, 2008 4:43 PM


conor mckiernan said...
This week, "trace theory" sparked my interest; the idea that, "the more often or the more intensively a memory connection is traced, the stronger the memory association will be and the more likely it will be recalled" (73); this is the theoretical basis for the Total Physical Response Method.

How accurate is this? I don't doubt that if you're exposed to a particular thing a hundred times, you'll probably remember it the next time you encounter it; it's just that looking back on my own experience of learning Chinese I've noticed that since I've returned home I've lost a great deal of the expressions I studied through repetition (drills, flash cards, even chanting to myself) YET, I distinctly remember a number of expressions I'm certain were explained to me just once. Many of these had to deal with women.

Why is it these were so easy to retain, while others I'm sure I "traced" more intensively than these slipped my grasp? I'd say it was that these expressions were particularly interesting to me. Learning Chinese, I've noticed that if, at the time a certain phrase is introduced to me, I believe I can use it fluently in conversations I'd like to have, I have little trouble retaining that phrase. (This extends beyond the conversations I'd like to have with women) ;-)

What am I experiencing here?

I believe in the power of TPR, but I wonder whether the underlying cause for its effectiveness lies somewhere closer to kind of almost immediate internalization I described above rather than rote trace theory; could its physicality work to create the type of interest that drove me to retain those phrases?

The textbook seems to imply that in practice we should admit the power of TPR, even if its theoretical foundation is less than solid; "TPR practices . . . may be effective for reasons other than those proposed by Asher and do not necessarily demand commitment to the learning theories used to justify them" (79) I intend to do just that.

posted by r.d at 1:02 PM on Jul 21, 2008