Visual Transparencies for the Overhead Projector

Abstract

A desire for this type of illustration grew out of my feeling of frustration in the classroom when I realized that, in first-year and even second-year classes, my pupils and I were not really speaking the foreign language because there seemed to be nothing to speak about; or if there was, the pupils didn't have the vocabulary to express their ideas. Moreover, when I talked, much of what I said was not understood by many pupils. The result was a waste of time and a lack of enthusiasm. Conversations, discussions, dialogues, etc., in short, all supposedly spontaneous speech in elementary classes, has, perforce, an artificiality about it which is difficult to overcome. Most present-day text books profess an oral approach, and to implement this approach, they present the reading material in the form of a dialogue. The pupil is supposed to memorize this dialogue so that he can use it in class. I have found that my students, especially the better ones, are reluctant, and almost embarrassed, to reeat these dialogues. Other pupils hate to e called on because they are afraid that they will forget the lines. Some pupils are so aware of the artificiality that they are reluctant to communicate in class even though there is a great deal that they could say. Thev would actually like to talk, but they feel that their remarks would be trivial or even ridiculous. When an interesting or amusing picture is placed before them, however, it seems to break the ice; the feeling of artificiality is removed, and the pupils are soon volunteering to speak. To be of the greatest value when used in a regular high school or college elementary course, the transparencies, or projectuals, must illustrate the most common concepts in language-the sort of ideas which are presented in all elementary texts, i.e. food, clothing, occupations, school, weather, shopping, etc. About fifty different projectuals are available, and many of these show at least four different ac-