An open mind

It is true that improvement in technology provides society with more information and equality, now everyone can have acces to it and it is not restrained in any way. The main problem that comes form free online lectures, e-learning and peer online work is that the formal aspect of learning and its purpose -which is obtaining a degree- may not be acomplished through the internet. Although this tool has many good qualities; such as facilitating learning for university students and allowing people who do not have acces to university to learn at a college level, it certainly might not replace the role of formal education for a simple reason: assessment through the internet could not be entirely effective. Another thing that comes to mind is a question: If people were able to get degrees online, what would prevent them from not putting real effort into their studies and simply cheat on every single test? We can simply not rely on people's honesty -as mean as it may sound- instead, through these useful tools -Opencourseware iniciative, Itunes U, O.E.R., P2PU- people can be encouraged to pursue a degree. The problem of having an educational system that excludes people form disadvantaged backgrounds from decent education does not rely upon Univerities only, but on social and educational policies.   

Grammar translation v/s Behaviorism

I tried to learn a little Russian and Italian using just websites. Although it requires patience, time and dedication I did not find it hard enough to make me quit too easily. Furthermore, one must be really willing to learn if we ought to use this method. But as I compare this experience with the process I, personally, have gone through when learning English, it is much harder to learn on your own.
Grammar translation is important and when it comes to learning a language it is highly helpful, though it is not the only one thing we might need to fully learn and understand a language. This is where behaviorism takes an important part. Communication is the core purpose of any language, therefore, knowing a language implies the ability to communicate succesfully in different environments and situations. When we emphasize the grammatical aspect of learning language or even just focus on it, we are leaving completely aside the fact that in practical use we might not be very thriving students.
When I tried to learn Russian, I had the possibility of listening to the different sounds of the letters in my keyboard as I pressed them. This made me immediately repeat the sound once and again and then go to the next sound. On the contrary, when reading the grammar rules of feminine and masculine nouns in the Italian website I learnt nothing, not even now I remember what were the differences between one and the other.
Behaviorism is the notion that every physical movement or action -such as repeating sounds in this case- has an importance. In the learning process, this is why role play, oral interviews, or simulation of real life situations are so very useful.
It is not the idea to degrade grammar because it is important, I must say that its importance is only as a sort of confirmation of what rules language works with. It is equally important for conveying grammatical rules we may observe in language use, but it is not the main point of language learning. Grammar provides the structure, but actually using language is the best way to learn it.  


 

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