Center considers new approaches to languages

"The principal mandate of the [Center for Language Studies (CLS)], in the words of [University] President Richard Levin, [GRD '74] is to see to it that language teaching and language teachers are as excellent and as respected as any others on campus," claimed a handout from a recent Yale colloquium on language study. And redefining language education was, in fact, a topic considered by administrators and pedagogues at this gathering, organized by the director of the two-year-old CLS, Nina Garrett.

ANDREW HEID/YH

One of the original goals of the CLS was to increase connections between departments. Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '72, and Garrett also wanted to establish the Center to improve language instruction technology at Yale. "In modern times, there has been a call for more and more languages to be taught at Yale, but the language-teaching operations have typically been isolated from one another," Brodhead said. "We created the Language Center to build a community of interest in language pedagogy at Yale to raise the level of thinking about language instruction, and to ensure that all our programs have access to the best tools and thought in the field."

Only eight such centers—including Yale's—exist across the nation and according to Garrett, no two are alike. "The goals of every program are different," she said. "Some were created explicitly to help language departments deal with small enrollment. Others, like Berkeley's, are largely about technology and the way it impacts foreign languages. There is no rule about the best kind of center."

One result that nobody at Yale wanted, according to Garrett, was a "center for languages nobody wants. I am not the department of small languages, nor do I want to be," she said. Brodhead added, "With the Center's help, we have reviewed and improved the quality of several language programs, and have helped instructors become more deeply engaged in the theory and practice of their subject. The center has been instrumental in helping find high-quality instructors—for instance, in Hindi." But he also said that the Center is "helping us understand how to manage the teaching of languages that have a high need for a small number of students."

With the CLS up and running, Garrett, who has years of experience in foreign language instruction and was a part of the National Foundation for Language Study in Washington, D.C., is now focusing on improving the technological aspect of foreign language education at Yale. She has been pushing for an expanded campus network to support video and audio course work, as well as a renovated language lab. She has collaborated with Information Technology Services to "see language computing done right."

CAYTE PUSHKAREVA/YH Language classes (top) will be changing as the Center for Language Studies, directed by Nina Garrett (right), realizes its goals.

Edward Kamens, professor and chairman of East Asian languages and literature, is pleased with the Center's performance in improving language-teaching technology. "The greatest impact from the Center so far, in my department, has been the benefit of increased, focused, and highly expert technical support for innovative projects applying newer technology in language teaching," he said.

Communication between instructors and departments is another key issue on Garrett's agenda. Traditionally, foreign language study has been confined to the realm of literature. Today's students want to apply their language skills in the professional world, and departments are scrambling to accommodate those interests. The Center, under Garrett's leadership, has hosted several informal workshops with the hope of increasing communication and fostering cooperation between departments.

The relationship between the Center and the faculty is growing. "Of course there were initial anxieties about control," Garrett explained. "No department head wants to be told what to do with their program—that's perfectly natural, and I have no desire to do that. Some are more interested in working with me than others, and that's also to be expected. But as a result of the past two years, I think fears about the Center are allayed."

Language departments have gradually come to accept the Center's role at Yale. "The French department has always been at the forefront of using technology," French Professor Ruth Koizim said. "It's not like we needed someone to jumpstart our program." But she added, "The Center is representing a commitment on the part of [Yale] to improve language teaching. It's great to have yet another clear voice in the language question."

In the near future, Garrett hopes to take the ideas about organization, fields of control, and technological innovation that she has gleaned from the colloquium and from her two years at Yale and expand the CLS. "There is so much interest across Yale in having one central unit to respond to questions," she said. "Now, we're going to focus on improving the technology of language study, but with that are going to come other positive changes that will benefit everyone."

Back to News...