Abstract
This paper traces the evolution of language laboratories from their origins in the United States during the post-World War II era to the modern computer-aided teaching environments. It examines the background, requisites, criticisms, and potentialities of computer-aided teaching in language education, arguing that technology, when properly maintained and supported, offers significant benefits for both teachers and students in language learning.
Keywords: language laboratory, computer-aided teaching, CALL, language teaching, multimedia, educational technology
Origins of the Language Laboratory
The language laboratory had its origin in the United States during post World War II. In the 1950s tape recorders were the only medium that provided a scope for recording in the language classroom. A solution for the problems caused by early disadvantages was the setting up of the laboratory with a machine provided to each student that was connected up to a teacher’s control console. In Britain, the language laboratories were first set in the early 1960s. The broadening outlook in devising new ways of language teaching around 1965 popularized the use of language laboratory in schools and colleges.
The Background for Using Computer Aided Teaching
The language teacher’s interest to learn how to use new tools motivates him to incorporate computer technology in language teaching. The language teacher’s feeling of staleness or boredom in the traditional talk-chalk method necessitates an attempt to re-awaken the interest in teaching. Student’s interest in using technology as a means to enhance their learning might have motivated the teacher to incorporate computer in the teaching.
Criticism on the Use of Computer Aided Teaching
Strevens hints that the heavy dependence of the language laboratory on adequate maintenance and servicing arrangements, teachers’ awareness of the equipment’s methodological advantages and limitations, and suitable recorded materials are the principal reasons for the polarity of experience with the language laboratory. The skeptics and technophobes vigorously point out that the users of computer aided teaching approach should be technical wizards. Paul Chin stresses that this kind of a ‘Luddite’ attitude should not be entertained as a valid reason for ignoring the potential benefits that C&IT has to offer.
Potentialities of Computer Aided Teaching
Series of recent experiments and research in the field of Educational Technology show how Information Technology can enhance the quality of language teaching. Paul Chin highlights: “C&IT (Computer and Information Technology) has a lot to offer teaching and learning, and the benefits for both teachers and students are clear.” Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe points out that through the use of the Internet, word processors, multimedia, hypermedia and drill and practice programs, students can engage in individualized instruction designed to meet their specific needs.
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