Page:Adapting and Writing Language Lessons.pdf/383

CHAPTER 7 discussed with language teachers in Micronesia, Korea, western Europe and Chile, as well as the United States.

'Microtexts' are actually a family of devices, all of which begin by presenting to the student a very small amount of monolog material on a subject in which he is already interested; they then go on to guide him in immediate use of the material in a series of different ways, progressing from tighter to looser control by the teacher and leading to genuinely communicative use of the language, all within an hour or less. The most important points of this chapter, however, lie outside of the listing of procedures. They are: (1) that microtexts may be developed on very short notice, even by a teacher with only modest qualifications in the language, and (2) that microtexts are therefore valuable in making a language course more responsive to the needs and interests of each class (Chapter 2, Assumption 3), and in thus sharing with the students much more initiative and responsibility than teachers can usually manage to delegate (Assumption 4). They are also highly useful to the individual student who is learning a foreign language from a non-professional teacher.

JUDGING INDIVIDUAL MICROTEXTS

The teacher may either select texts from the work of other people, or he may originate his own. In either case, he should keep in mind four criteria, some of which are easier to apply than others. The first and second criteria have to do with 'lightness' (Chapter 3, p. 47):

1. Is the text of suitable length? Students should be able to comprehend it, and practice it according to whatever format is being used, within 15-45 minutes.