Professor Knee does offer some caveats about appropriate films for language instruction. While it is relatively easy to persuade students to watch popular films, he notes, getting them to remain interested through the duration of a foreign film can prove challenging. Improving student motivation and the classroom environment is only half the battle when it comes to enhancing language instruction in the United States. Better relations between students and teachers, not to mention between colleges and high schools, are also crucial. He envisions such a learning center as a meeting place where teachers and students at the high-school and college levels can build ties.
College students majoring in foreign languages can tutor high-school students.
Teachers on both levels can pool their expertise. Motivation to learn a foreign language ought to originate before college, Mr. Brauer points out. We will post selected comments.