Bulletin Special Supplement Jun 1965

A t the time of our visit, it had not yet been possible to evaluate fully the experimental pre-sessional course introduced by New Asi a College. T h is venture is similar to others w i th wh i ch we are familiar, and suggests a promising line of development, though it demands money and manpower. We conside r that further work on these lines wo u ld be well justified and we fully endorse the view of the Committee on Teaching Me t hod s (paragraph 27) that pre-sessional language course of an intensive k i nd coul d be organised in the vacation before the a u t umn term. We consider that, subject to the evaluation of the N ew Asia experiment, the expenses involve d by such courses should be w i l l i ng ly faced. (iii) S u b j e c t - s l a n t e d l a n g u a g e w o r k . I t m i g ht also be for consideration whether it is feasible to b r i ng into the reading material of second and indeed first- year courses passages relating quite directly to topics in the subjects in wh i ch the students hope to major. T h a t such a slanting can stimulate and give a sense of purpose to a student in his language wo rk is beyond dispute, though it must be understood here that it is solely for th e sake of the language wo r k that such passages are brought into the course, and in order to help prepare the student to use the language as a tool of work . I n other words, the "job-specification" criterion is prominent here, as elsewhere in this section. Th e re is no question of language-teaching being used specifically to reinforce or extend the course-work required by the syllabuses of other subjects. We advance this proposal f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n , since it raises technical questions of feasibility; we have heard, f r om those concerned w i th teaching, of the difficulties they have face d in similar experiments. I t would, among other things, be difficult to group students according to their intended majors, since they are already grouped according to their standards: sets of subject-slanted passages cannot therefore easily be used for each subject. But an attempt m i g ht be made to have a proportion of the reading material slanted in alternative directions du r i ng the second year of the course, according to faculty interest, and to similarl y include in the second year language examination a choice o f passages wh i ch students wo u ld select according to their orientation. S e c t i on 4 : L e c t u r es L 4 .1 T h e most c ommon f o rm of instruction in all faculties is the Lecture. A considerable body of opinion exists on the uses , merits, and demerits of this f o rm of teaching and we may at the start briefl y outline certain agreed points under those three headings. L4.2 Uses 1. T o introduce and map out a subject, especially to students quite unfamiliar w i th it. I t is an opportunity for the teacher to give the new student — and this may be almost equally true in some subjects at the beginning of each later year's work — a conspectus of the subject and a statement of the approach that w i l l be used followed by basic outlines, w i t h o ut wh i ch small-group teaching of any k i nd (except the didactic) w i ll be largely ineffectual. Whe re there is some body of knowledge that must be brought before the student at some stage in a course — and this is usually early in the course — the lecture can be used w i t h great advantage. I n addition to the values already mentioned, lectures can give the studen t an initial momentum in a subject that coul d only otherwise be gained by extensive reading; and some initial momentum is essential if the studen t is to be able to take part in and to be in a position to gain substantially f r om small group teaching. 2. T o present material too complex or too scattered for it to be easily gathered by students (especially b ut by no means only in natural sciences), criticising or defending opinions tha t are reviewed. 3. T o remedy the lack of satisfactory printed matter; or overcome the confusion wh i ch can arise in the student's m i nd when there is too much. 4. T o demonstrate techniques of exposition or criticism of the highest quality , free f r om interruption. L4.3 A d v a n t a g e s of the f o r m a l l e c t u r e . (i) T h e inspiring teacher can infect his students w i t h his own enthusiasm or scholarly qualities and more generally his "approach". ( i i) Economy of time and manpower: the larger the audience, the better, ( i i i) A lecture can embody, where appropriate, the most up-to-date views or data, especially at advanced standards. ( i v) A lecture-course can b e more easily altered than any other f o rm of systematic mass-communication. I t can be modified to take account of surrounding circumstances (work in laboratories, the resources of a library or exhibition, other lectures , recent publications or events): it can always be freshly and specifically geared to the occasion on wh i ch it is delivered, sometimes w i t h startling and memorable effect. I t can — and should — be frequently revised. (v) A student can train himself to note in his own words the substance of the lecture. L4.4 D i s a d v a n t a g e s . (i) T h e biggest drawback of lectures, if use d as the sole me d i um of instruction, is that it is not easy t o devise an effective means of k n ow i ng how well students (either as a class or individually) are mastering the arguments, topics, techniques, or information imparted. T h e communication is in one direction — f r om teacher to pupil. But the only way of detecting an unexpected failure of communication is when a student discloses his difficulties. W i t h in the lecture period itself, 29