Week Three Blog: Language Labs


This article is about teaching English to students in Fiji, since English is seen as a “supreme mode of language”. Without communication people cannot function in school or the workplace, which is what the article is focused around.  The article also mentions the four-macro skills of English language that must mastered to achieve competence. To deploy these skills, Fiji education is implementing language labs. In these labs, students will utilize products such as: wireless headsets, microphones, and multimedia to help students learn English. These labs will be “…useful to assess students' speech. It provides students with the technical tools to get the best samples of enunciation the language. The electronic devices used in the laboratory will stimulate the ears and eyes of the learner to acquire language easily and quickly. The collection of ICT tools in the laboratory is designed to assist learners acquire and maintain aural comprehension, oral competency, written proficiency and cultural awareness.”
There are different types of labs for learning English:
a.     conventional lab: tape recorders to learn pronunciation
b.     lingua phone: students are given headphones to listen to audio and block out external distractions
c.      computer-assisted language lab: use of computers to teach the language
d.     multimedia high-tech labs: language learning software

I think having language labs is a great idea to assist students in learning how to communication effectively in English. Incorporating technology into the learning process of language has proved to be very efficient and effective. When I read the title of language labs, it made me think about science labs, which are used all the time in science classes and are effective. Also, have the four macro types of lab can provide students will incentive to work their way up through the levels to show improvement.


http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=403847

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