Objective: Instructors of Spanish 115 wanted to encourage all students to participate in spontaneous written conversations during the class period. During a traditional class there are always students who are reluctant to participate and they are often overshadowed by the more confident students. The conversations generated during the on-line chat session would be saved and later printed for use in subsequent classes to discuss and correct common errors.
Execution: To foster participation by all students and to simulate the experience of being in a small group we created five separate "chat rooms" on the classes server so that there would never be more than four students in a group. The small groups made the interaction between the students easier, less formal and more spontaneous. To discourage oral communication, students in the same chat group were not seated next to each other. Instructors gave students a list of topics to "chat" about and they could interject comments on-line to get a discussion back on track. Staff from the Instructional Technology group were present at all sessions in the Phelps Computer classroom to assist. Click here to see a segment of a chat in progress.
Preparation: Instructors prepared the students for this activity by explaining what was expected from them prior to class. They did not give out the topics for discussion until the class period, and encouraged students to express themselves spontaneously. It was extremely important to insist that conversations had to stay on the given topics.
Student response: Students were excited about this written interaction even though they were all in the same room. They participated enthusiastically and remained actively engaged throughout the class period. The knowledge that their comments were seen by others and saved for reference in future class meetings kept them focused on the assigned topics.
Follow-up: At the end of the class instructors saved the chat sessions for use in the next class meeting. Instructors compiled material from each of the chat sessions to illustrate the most common errors. Students received printed copies with the errors circled and worked with their group to make the corrections. Click here to see an example of a follow up exercise.
Conclusion: This innovative way of encouraging students to write in a foreign language is one of many possible uses of the classes server.
Click here for thoughts on the pedagogy by Anne Lambright who suggested this exercise.
Instructors interested in using the classes server for their teaching should email classes@yale.edu or call Gloria Hardman at 2-8903.