APRÈS LE DÉLUGE
Where is video now?
Jane Sherman
IATEFL TECHNOLOGY SIG
Cyprus May 2006
The Simpson
PUBLIC / MEDIA VIDEO
Where is it now?
Technological
Revolution
TV
DVD
FILM
VIDEO
TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENTS






Satellite and cable TV
+ worldwide channels
+ dubbing and subtitling
Streaming for speed
Access on home computers
Interactive multi-media
DVDs + dubbing/subtitling
Synergy with media text, WWW
EFFECTS: NEW LEARNING
LANDSCAPE
HOME ACCESS (outside the classroom)
 HUGE PERSONAL CHOICE
 LOW COST (high availablity)
 LANGUAGE MEDIATION
 GLOBALISED PRODUCTS (mainstream
media diet)
= SL, autonomy, “home work”, choice

THE CASE FOR VIDEO



Media video is neglected / undervalued.
BUT
It has by right a place in the curriculum.
AND
It is indispensable to language learning.
COMPLEMENTARY MEDIA
INTERNET
- talk to the world
- read all about it
MEDIA VIDEO - see and hear the world
at play, home, work, war
NEGLECTED!
SOME REASONS





Overwhelmed by CALL
Seen as soft option (mistaken)
Seen as hard option (mistaken)
Seen as means, not end
Main contributions not curriculum priorities
THE SUGAR ON THE PILL?
VIDEO’S INCIDENTAL STRENGTHS
High quality
 Interest, motivation, conviction
 Generative power
 Access for the less literate
PLUS (new)
 Range and individual choice
 Home access
 Multilingual mediation

VIDEO IN THE CURRICULUM




Main “social literacy”, major element of
community’s discourse
Learners want and expect it and are
already seeking it
Media comprehension is one of main CEF
comprehension targets
SO video objectives must figure alongside
other real-life language objectives
VIDEO’S ADDED VALUE
VIDEO’S FOUR UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS



WIDE AGREEMENT
RESEARCH EVIDENCE (more needed)
ALL NEGLECTED
1. MOVING PICTURE BOOK


PROVIDES ALL VISIBLE SETTINGS,
OBJECTS, ACTIONS, TIMEFRAMES
for every kind of language activity
DEMONSTRABLY IMPROVES VOCABULARY
TAKE-UP through bimodal interaction
Very underexploited
2. LISTENING COMPREHENSION
ENHANCES COMPREHENSIBILITY
+ COMPREHENSION ABILITY
+ ACQUISITION ?
- Visible speakers, paralanguage, mouths
- Full context, T/D advance organiser
- Developing context
- More imitable – looks like acquisition
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
WE NEED TO KNOW:



When does video distract? mislead?
mesmerise?
How does it compare with audio?
What are the linguistic comprehension
effects of L1/L2 subtitles/captions?
3. CULTURAL AWARENESS
DISPLAYS CULTURE
“Bic C” cultural icons / products
 “Small c” everyday life, everyday settings
 Attitudes and reactions (explore!)
 Verbal behaviour to be included
Also distorting – but always culturally!
Research needed, and TALK

4. SPOKEN INTERACTION
THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR MOST?
Main language component of media video
 Basis of pragmatic competence, crosscultural understanding, social survival
 One of eight areas of language
competence in the CEF

WHAT SPOKEN INTERACTION
INVOLVES
All features of spontaneous speech and




interaction, including
conversation management
interaction management
quantities of formulaic language
talk about talk
WHAT STUDENTS NEED



Some productive capacity
Large receptive capacity
Talk about talk (target and instrument)
And hence…

Speed and familiarity
And hence…

Extensive exposure and practice
ARE THEY GETTING IT?
COURSEBOOKS PROVIDE





Little interaction as input
Mostly as (tight) models for production
Hence limited range for comprehension
Teachers say it’s bland
Conversation analysts say it’s inauthentic
USE REAL CONVERSATION?
Authentic but –
 Over-specific
 Difficult to get
 Limited range
 Boring?
Must use, but how?

IS MEDIA VIDEO THE ANSWER?







range
full visible context
vast reservoir of formulaic language
developing situations
high interest
imitability
naturalistic/“authentic”
(= not produced for LL)
BUT HOW “AUTHENTIC” IS
VIDEO DRAMA?
SCRIPTED DRAMA



Fewer dysfluencies
Shaped for dramatic purpose, heightened
By definition out of the ordinary
BUT



Good fake, demonstrable verisimilitude
High linguistic visibility
Appears to enhance production (research)
CASE MADE?




“Handy tool” much enhanced
New role in learning landscape
De iure place in curriculum
Value added to language learning in
- moving pictures
- aural comprehension
- cultural awareness
- spoken interaction
VIDEO ADDS DIMENSIONS….
WISH I
COULD
FLY…..
…… AS QUIDDITCH DOES TO
FOOTBALL
WHAT WE NEED
Research
Experimentation
Advocacy and promotion
Training
Understanding
WHO SHOULD ACT?
Ministries
The media
Teachers’ organizations
Teacher educators
Publishers
Teachers
Researchers
Students
WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?
GET ON YOUR
BROOMSTICKS!
JANE SHERMAN
UNIVERSITÀ ROMA TRE
ROME, ITALY
[email protected]