Foreign Language Students Catch Fire with Project FLAME

The University of Michigan's Project for Research and Development has 
developed a research project for the creation of multimedia instructional 
materials to be integrated into foreign language curricula.  The project, 
FLAME (Foreign Language Applications in the Multimedia Environment), is 
funded by an IBM innovations grant.  

A team from the University of Michigan is developing materials in Spanish, 
French, Chinese, Japanese, and Hebrew which are directed at improving 
student performance in foreign language study.  Often, foreign language 
students have little opportunity to communicate in the language outside of 
the classroom.   FLAME activities allow students to become immersed in the 
language through the use of videos which include interviews and 
descriptive narratives of adolescents and adults in their native cultural 
context.  The viewer has the option of playing the video with supporting 
text.  If the text option is selected, relevant vocabulary and language 
structures are highlighted as "hot" text from which additional information 
can automatically be made available.  The  "hot" text window contains 
full-motion video, graphics, or text to illustrate and expand upon key 
concepts.  

Instructional units, containing materials which are visually and topically 
related yet discrete and independent lessons, have been designed to enrich 
the teaching environment through inclusion of native speakers.  These 
units have two components, the Teacher's Partner and the Learner's 
Partner.  The Teacher's Partner allows the teacher to access different 
video selections to enhance instruction.  The Learner's Partner contains 
self-directed modules designed to help students develop subject matter and 
language structures more fully.   Modules which target small group 
instruction are also being developed.  These modules provide students with 
tasks from real situations which encourage group interaction.  These tasks 
include problem solving and decision making.  Additionally, the Creative 
Mode component allows students to assemble materials (pictures and audio 
cassettes) to be used in papers and presentations.  The Creative Mode 
component is designed to increase both the level and depth of student 
production in the target language.
 
For more information about Project FLAME, contact:
Project FLAME
2018 Modern Language Building
812 E. Washington Avenue
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1275
Phone (313)764-8103  FAX (313)764-3521
.