After reading this article from the Boston Globe, I was inspired and thought you might find it interesting!
http://proxy.bc.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pdqweb?did=2141194321&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientld=7750&RQT=309&VName=PQD
In Khodi India, for past the past decade, schools have been using Hindi-subtitled Karaoke in classrooms. I.e. Showing music videos with subtitles in the students' native language (Also known as SLS- Same Language Subtitling). According to Riddhi Shah, author of the article, this practice has largely contributed to the rise in functional literacy in the area (up 50% in the past nine years!) The reason... "making reading easy and entertaining." One ninth grade student said: "I was always tired and lazy. Then I began reading better, and everything just became easier" after experiencing SLS.
I attached the article which gives some more background and explains the practice in detail.
So... my question is... Do you think this would work in the American classroom? How about with ESL students in the process of learning the English language? Could we show them American videos with English subtitles? In India, the practice worked largely because students would follow along, write the lyrics down, and go back and study them. How could we bring this into practice in America?
(I found this in the Boston Globe in the BC library site... if you have trouble opening this, maybe try googling "Watch and Learn; How Music Videos are Triggering a Literacy Boom" by Riddhi Shah)
-Katie Flynn
Here is the article on Boston.com, which you can see without having to log onto the BC site:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/09/19/watch_and_learn/?s_campaign=8315
I think this is a great way to learn a language. I have heard of people learning a foreign language just by watching TV in that language but without subtitles. The only issue I see with this is that the language learned is that of a more conversational, everyday type (this is if the student is watching a movie that is purely for entertainment). They may not learn the importance of code-switching and use a more conversational speech at an inappropriate moment.
ReplyDeleteBut I feel that it is a way for an ESL student to become more comfortable with the English language. I just think they would need to learn the importance of code-switching to further succeed with the English language.