Manchester Community College (Connecticut)

In the mid 1970's, after participating in a three-day cultural workshop led by J. Ned Seeyle, a nationally-recognized consultant in cross-cultural communication and sponsored by the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers and ACTFL, I designed a travel program that would meet the needs of the typical community college student -a woman in her late twenties with both a part or full-time job and probably with family responsibilities. To be viable, the program could not last longer than a typical vacation period (i. e., 10 days to two weeks), it had to be inexpensive, it had to offer credits for student participants, it had to provide students with the security of a leader throughout the stay, and it had to be very appealing. However, the most important ingredient, something that had been stressed during Mr. Seelye's workshop, was that the program not be an experience that students could have with their families or friends. It had to be an educational experience that would not just allow students to develop their language and cross-cultural skills -it had to ensure that these skills be developed!

It is hard to imagine that our first trip was a ten-day visit to Puerto Rico during the January break costing students an all-inclusive $99. We stayed in a large guest house at the University of San Germán, had three meals a day and transportation round-trip from our campus parking lot. Since that time, our students have had several immersion experiences in «la isla del encanto», Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Spain with prices up to $1250 for a two-week trip.

To plan a trip that meets our students' needs, we schedule travel during a school break, preferably our March vacation since it does not coincide with the public school calendar nor with that of the other universities. To get a full ten days in the country visited, we allow an additional day for travel, leaving the Wednesday afternoon before our formal vacation begins. Students are usually excused from the one class they will miss in other subjects when they explain they are participating in this program.

There are always two language teachers on the trip and additional faculty members who attend receive a small stipend for helping us carry out planned learning activities. These group leaders make it easy to handle problems as they arise so that students do not feel as though they are «on their own». We work closely with a travel agent to get the least expensive lodging and travel packages. Few meals are included in our programs as our students prefer to select their own menu at prices they can afford. We always select a sunny climate, leaving behind the ice and snow of New England.

The educational objective of the program is the comparison of the similarities and differences of our own cultural tradition with that of the target culture. In addition, we encourage the language students in the travel experience to practice their language skills.

Before the trip, students are provided with many materials which are discussed during pre-trip group meetings held on campus. These materials include: a series of cultural articles dealing with topics such as socialization,   —178→   child rearing, education, and health practices of the target culture; an itinerary and the necessary tourist information regarding travel documents, clothing, and so forth; a small notebook in which to keep a daily journal; and, a special workbook containing 35 interviews about many aspects of daily life in the target culture. The interview questions provided in both Spanish and English are meant to be a starting point for the actual interviews conducted. Students are expected to expand on these questions. In addition to these materials, students are asked to bring along a pocket-size Spanish/English dictionary.

During the trip, students select interview topics that interest them or that fit in well with the planned activities. Working in pairs, interviews are conducted in the target language with a «friendly native» on topics as diverse as food or the postal service, sporting events or the marketplace.

The «friendly native» may be a waiter, a salesperson, a member of the hotel staff, a museum guide, or a taxi driver. He or she may also be a sympathetic type at the next table in the restaurant. Once students get over the hurdle of their first interview, the task becomes an enjoyable one. Students record the interview in the workbook.

The journal contains the names of restaurants or attractions visited as well as impressions of things seen, heard, smelled and tasted. Most of our students do not have enough facility in the target language to use it in their journals.

Each evening the students form groups of 4 or 5, and with a faculty mentor discuss their findings, keeping track of cultural similarities or differences. Based on these discussions, students create a cultural minidrama (using both English and Spanish). These short dramas are presented to the group at large and are easily adaptable for use in language classrooms at the college. Every three days the students switch groups so that they work with every participant and complete four or five minidramas.

In addition, students undergo a pre- and post-trip oral proficiency interview to determine the immersion experience's impact on their ability to speak the foreign language.

During the summer of 1982, we attended a «Dartmouth Intensive Model» workshop headed by John Rassius. We were impressed with the concept and wanted to see it in action in a community college setting.

Obviously, there are many differences between what is possible in a foreign language program at a private four-year institution like Dartmouth and a community college like Manchester. At Dartmouth:

*students meet very selective admissions standards;

*students attend elementary language classes five days a week

*there is an additional hour tutorial five times a week;

*attendance at language lab on their own time is required;

*classes are small (15-18 students);

*tutorials have a maximum of ten students;

*student tutor positions are eagerly sought (tutors receive both compensation and the semester abroad at no expense); and,

*student-learners are motivated since they have to spend a term abroad using the language they are studying.

At Manchester Community College, on the other hand:

*students enter through «open-door» admissions;

*students number as many as 40 per class;

*they meet three times a week and have no tutorial;

*there is no formal language laboratory on campus (although there are language tapes and «talk-back» headphones in the library's learning center);

*most students are part-time, working 20 to 40 hours weekly and many have family responsibilities;

*students do not live on campus and are unavailable except during scheduled class time; and,

*the opportunity to travel abroad to practice language skills is possible for only a small percentage of students.

In spite of these differences, we came away from the summer workshop optimistic about an adaptation of the Dartmouth program that could be successful at Manchester. We asked for and received the following promises from the administration:

*that the first two semesters of language study, each worth 3 credits, be combined into one 6-credit intensive program to be completed in one semester;

*that these classes be scheduled for three meetings per week and that they meet a double period including the ten-minute break;

*that no more than 25 students be allowed to take this intensive program;

*that monies be available to employ special student tutors who would be trained in the Dartmouth method; and,

*that the students and tutors have areas outside the classroom in which to meet.

We began the program in Spanish in the spring semester of 1983. We recruited four tutors (two to be «back-up») from our intermediate-level Spanish classes and our ESL classes. We held a short training session for the tutors and explained they would be told   —179→   what to present to the students as well as how to present it. We decided to break the Monday and Wednesday classes after the first 40 minutes, hold a 25-minute tutorial session, and complete the class with a second 45 minutes of teacher instruction. Thus, instead of the normal break, our students got a change of scenery and teacher, and the opportunity to spend 25 minutes working on pronunciation, simple grammar drills and vocabulary building activities with a special tutor. We sat in on the tutorials every two weeks to make certain that the tutors understood their role and that things were progressing smoothly.

The classroom teacher presented grammatical concepts and provided the learning activities (games, music, listening comprehension techniques, etc.) designed to keep students motivated. The long class period on Fridays allowed us to incorporate off-campus activities and native-speaker guests easily into our schedule.

The results at our community college are impressive! We find that students complete about one third more material in the intensive program than in the traditional two-semester sequence. Students do not withdraw from this program as they tend to do in our traditional classes. Of the 25 who begin, we retain an average of 22. Students, especially part-time students (who are the majority on our campus), simply cannot afford to lose six credit hours. Instead, they make the necessary commitment that a language course requires and they succeed. They enjoy the program and the opportunity to make close friends in our small classes, something that is difficult to do in a «commuter school». Many want to continue their language study in the same format. The second year we added an intensive intermediate program into which these students could flow. Students may also elect a traditional 3-credit, intermediate class at this point. The intensive program at the elementary level has certainly helped us keep higher enrollments in subsequent courses -a result that is very important when the college budget is enrollment driven.

During the second year, we also added intensive language study to our summer program in a course called «Intensive 5 + 5». Students meet four times a week for 3 hours and ten minutes per class period and complete one semester each 5-week period.

We have found our adaptation of the intensive technique developed at Dartmouth to be a very successful model for a two-year institution.

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 71, Number 1, March 1988