In the March 1991 issue of Hispania, we included a review of Travessia, an outstanding video-based instructional package for Portuguese. As a follow-up, we present an article by Ricardo Paiva, who, along with Jon Tolman, co-directed the Travessia Project. In his article, Paiva discusses the rationale behind the video, describes its format, and explains how it can be used to improve classroom instruction in Portuguese.

You will find that the article brings together in a persuasive way a number of seemingly divergent insights which have sparked much interest in pedagogical circles during recent years. It also brings out the key role that the teacher must continue to play and emphasizes the importance of student-teacher interaction. Paiva even includes comments about testing, stresses the need for teaching cultural similarities as well as differences between cultures, and provides helpful ideas that foster the constant conversational use of Portuguese.

The product of years of collaboration by dedicated teachers of Portuguese from several universities, Travessia resulted from the combined efforts of John Tolman, Ricardo Paiva, John Jensen, and Nívea Parsons. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Roberto Marinho Foundation, this valuable set   —794→   of resource materials features authentic film footage. Numerous viewers have commented on the exceptionally authentic and professional quality of the video, which was made possible by the technical assistance provided by TV Globo.

Accompanied by a textbook, workbook, and -recently added-audio tapes, Travessia forms a complete multimedia package. Most teachers are not yet trained in the use of high-tech, computer-controlled video, and many schools cannot yet afford it. On the other hand, this program -which centers on videotapes supported by print and audio ancillaries- is reasonably priced; thus, practically any teacher who has access to a VCR and to audiocassette players can begin using it immediately. If you are interested in detailed information about the components of this instructional program and how to obtain it, please see the review in the March 1991 issue.

It is important to realize that, due to the nature of the materials in the Travessia package, teachers can easily use it to support classroom instruction. Not only can teachers exploit the wealth of authentic images and sounds included in the program to teach culture more effectively; they can also, of course, decide to omit certain segments of it and emphasize others. By having such a large amount of already-prepared, culturally-correct material at their fingertips, teachers can spend time -which would otherwise have been used in attempting to assemble audiovisual items- in being creative and in writing lessons that will reach students better. Because Travessia includes an already-assembled set of eminently useful materials, teachers who have access to it can build on this common body of multimedia resources and share with one another the refinements they make, the additional exercises they prepare, and innovative teaching strategies that they find especially helpful with particular parts of the package.

We are pleased to present this article written in Portuguese, and we encourage you to send us submissions (whether they be articles, news, or reviews) in Portuguese and in Spanish. At present, we are especially interested in receiving reports about how teachers are using new techniques involving the various media, good sources that they have found for instructional materials, and news of collaborative projects, which -like the very commendable efforts devoted to Travessia- can be of real value in enhancing language learning. Our «Reports and Notes» column, as well as the «Reviews of Films, Software, and Videos» part of the TALL journal section, will resume in the next issue (December 1991).

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 74, Number 3, September 1991