Using Electronic Resources for Improved Learning and Practice: In-class vs Out-of-class Activities

Deborah P. Ross (University of Michigan)

Assimilating the basic facts of the Latin language (morphology, vocabulary, rules of syntax) and learning to read it requires a great deal of practice. We have found that our students are not only largely unaccustomed to the amount of memorization necessary for successful language learning, but they are generally unaware of what it means to practice applying knowledge to the reading of texts in order to improve their performance. They expect that most of their learning will happen in the classroom and will be instructor-directed. They anticipate (and often experience) that new information will be introduced, old information will be reviewed, homework will be gone over, questions will be asked and answered, and tests and quizzes will be given - all within the scheduled class sessions. They are frequently very passive learners, waiting to be told what they need to know, rather than being actively engaged in the learning process and taking ownership of their growing knowledge and skills. At the same time, these same students are very much at home in the technological world and often can be encouraged to become more active learners through the use of electronic instructional resources. This paper discusses how, through the use of PowerPoint, various online resources, email and CTools, we have been able to communicate more often and more informatively with our students both inside and outside of class, and have been able to use our classroom time more effectively.

One of our pedagogical goals in our collegiate-level elementary Latin sequence has been to shift the emphasis from teaching to learning, and to encourage our students to become more active and reflective learners. This focus on student learning has entailed a change in the way students are generally acquainted with new concepts and information.

Students in our courses are asked to acquire basic information outside of class, and class time is devoted to responding to addressing student questions and difficulties, and to practice in recognition and application.

A preview of a new concept or structure is done in-class in a brief presentation supported by a handout, clear and well-organized board work, or a PowerPoint presentation. Students acquire the formal presentation outside of class by reviewing the preview material, reading the target lesson, and completing assigned tasks and checking answer keys which are available on-line. The final piece of this out-of-class work is for students to summarize their understanding of, and questions about, the new material and send it via email or an electronic drop-box to the instructor prior to class. This then allows the instructor to get a good idea of the areas where students are having difficulty and to plan class time appropriately. The use of electronic resources allows and encourages our students to prepare formally for class and to seek clarification – from the instructor, our virtual Latin Study Center, website resources or their peers – before coming to class for a session devoted to practice, modeling, and problem-solving, rather than the dissemination of information which is available elsewhere.