Evening star., 1944-12-09
Letters to The Star
Comments On Army Technique
OF Language Teaching
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
The very able article entitled Army
Method Of Teaching Speeds Language
Mastery" by Clarke Sladc, which ap-
peared in The Sunday Star for Novem-
Der 10, was read with great interest,
especially since had had the pleasure
OF talking with Mr.. Slade about the
experiment carried on in French and
German classes at the woodrow Wilson
High School last year.
But In connection with the paragraph
next to the last in this article, I should
like to suggest somewhat different con-
clusion for secondary schools, at least,
than that contained In the statements
that Cd the grammar classes practically
have no limit in size; 90 at present the
drillmaster is indispensable to the new
method and 90 the moment grammar
and conversation are combined in one
person grammar wins out
would like to emphasize what those
responsible for the Army program say,
i.e., that the Army method is not new
one but represents shift in emphasis,
and that through this shift in emphasis
greater numbers of students are gaining
the aural-oral facility which always has
been the product of superior teaching
at the secondary school level. With such
teachers there is no real need for the
drillmaster, for the teachers them
selves are fully capable of giving that
which the drillmaster contributes in the
Army setup. The grammar in such
cases Is not given in lecture course to
large groups, but is developed natu-
rally and functionally in the regular
class periods from the reading material
dealing with real life situations upon
which the conversation work Is based.
Although the two types of language ac-
tlvlty are here united In one person,
1t most certainly cannot be claimed
that grammar wins out, for grammar is
made the handmade of the spoken and
written language and the emphasis in
teaching Is upon the Use OF language
itself as a means of communicating
ideas.
Also. I feel sure that the suggestion
that possibly language teaching should
be delayed until the senior year. would
be acceptable neither to the schools
themselves nor to the public which they
serve. 1t neither would be feasible nor
desirable that a student devote his
entire time In any one year to study
restricted to any one subject matter
field, and 1t would be contrary to the
philosophy of education which envisions
well-rounded course of study for all
students. It Is the consensus among
those who have conducted the Armys
language program that the first implica-
ton Of this program for the schools is
that foreign language study should be
begun earlier-in the seventh grade or
sooner, that 1t should begin with the
strictly aural-oral approach, and that it
should be continued for a much longer
time than the commonly accepted two
years. six years being considered an
acceptable average. Granted these con-
ditions, which would allow actual con-
tact time measured in hours approxi-
mating the time spent in the Armys
intensive program, the public need have
no fear that the schools would not de-
velop In students the desired language
competency. for they have already
proved that they can do so.
EMILE MARGARET WHITE.
Head of Department Divisions 1-s.
Public Schools OF the District of
Columbia.