Formal Introductions in the Foreign Language Class

David Garrison Wright State University

ABSTRACT While some courses may be taught by lecture, a foreign language class requires con- stant dialogue. To promote this dialogue, teacher and students need to get acquainted early in the course. One way to do this is by having the students introduce one another formally to the class in a brief speech. This approach involves four steps: I ) The teacher presents the vocabulary. 2) Students conduct interviews to obtain the necessary infor- mation. 3) The introductory speeches are delivered, and the teacher evaluates them. 4) The material is reinforced as the speeches are written out for a grade. This lesson offers a practical vocabulary and immediately challenges people to use the target language. It causes the students some anxiety, but ultimately helps them feel at ease and at home in the class.

In a foreign language class it is not just impor- tant, it is essential for teacher and students to get to know and feel comfortable with each other. Perhaps some other subjects can be taught entire- ly by lecture, and the teacher may never even know the names of many students, but in a foreign language class there should be constant dialogue. The teacher needs to get acquainted with students and help them get acquainted with one another ear- ly in the course. It is important to establish a relax- ed atmosphere in which people feel free to try speaking their language.

David Gorrison (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University) is Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Wright State Universi- ty; Dayton. OH.

One way to do this is by teaching students to in- troduce one another formally to the class in a brief speech. This approach, which will be outlined here in a series of steps, is a stimulating and construc- tive way to start the course at any level beyond the first semester. Although it produces some anxiety in the students, this “icebreaker” exercise ultimate- ly promotes the kind of relaxed congeniality which fosters language learning. It also gives students a practical vocabulary and immediately challenges them to use the foreign language. Moreover, since every new term or semester provides new students to be introduced, the exercise can be repeated again and again.

Step 1: Introducing the Vocabulary The lesson begins with a brief presentation of in-

terview questions in the target language. These questions, furnished to the students on duplicated sheets, should be designed to elicit the information necessary to introduce someone in the class. Sim- ple questions that the students might normally ask one another in their own language are best:

What is your name? Where do you live? Do you have brothers and sisters? How long have you been at this school? What other classes are you taking? What do you like to do in your free time?

In addition to the interview questions, it is a good idea to provide a brief example of the kind of in- troduction the students will be asked to prepare. This example will contain various expressions and sentence patterns the students probably will not

134 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS

know and certainly will need in making a formal presentation:

Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to pre- sent Miss Jane Smith. Miss Smith was born in Washington, DC, but has lived in Dayton for the last ten years. She is in her second year a t Wright State, where she is studying English, Spanish, chemistry, and social work. In her free time, she likes to play ten- nis, swim, and listen t o all kinds of music. She lives on Main Street with her parents, a brother, two sisters, and a cat. I met her in Spanish class last semester. She plans to major in chemistry at Wright State and then go to medical school. Besides being an ex- cellent student, she is a very nice person. Without further ado, I present to you my good friend, Miss Jane Smith.

The questions are introduced and repeated chorally, then directed singly to students until everyone understands each question and how to res- pond to it. When this is done, the teacher can read the sample introduction aloud and explain the new vocabulary.

Step 2: Conducting the Interviews Now students pair up with someone of their

choosing and interview one another. They may use any or all of the questions already provided, and they are free to ask other questions that might oc- cur to them. All the information they give need not be absolutely true. Students will often make up humorous things about themselves or one another that help relieve the tension of speaking in front of a group. While they are conducting the inter- views, the teacher can circulate to help with whatever additional vocabulary is needed. If there is an odd number of students, one group of three may be formed, or the teacher may wish to get in- volved directly by interviewing someone and/or by being interviewed. The whole process will take at least 15 minutes and perhaps a half-hour. Before class is over, the teacher can reinforce the model presentation by choosing one student and presen- ting him or her to the class. It is important to try to make even the mundane facts of the person’s life sound as wonderful and interesting as possi- ble. As teachers we are also actors t o some degree, and at this moment a bit of drama and flourish can be very effective.

Step 3: Giving the Introductions At the next class meeting, a student may

volunteer to make the first introduction, or the

teacher may wish to choose someone. In evaluating this first speech it is best not to correct every error or dwell on any particular error. One does not want to intimidate the other students who are waiting to give their speeches, and there will be plenty of opportunity to suggest corrections as other speeches are given. One should, at this point, be especially liberal with praise.

The teacher may wish to have the students deliver their introductions while standing in front of the class. This gets the adrenalin flowing in the speaker and helps to insure the attention of the listeners. It also makes it easier for everyone to see and hear. Or, the students can form a semicircle and remain seated as they give their presentations; this is not so frightening. The teacher should be on the lookout for shy students and encourage them in any way possible.

Step 4: Reinforcing the Material As people learn from one another, there will be

fewer and fewer errors. The presentations are con- tinued until everyone has introduced someone and been introduced. Finally, students write out their introductions for a grade.

Grading the written introductions is relatively easy because the vocabulary and grammatical pat- terns are t o a certain extent controlled by the for- mulaic nature of such a speech and because the material has already been reinforced in class. The students will not make so many mistakes as they d o on free compositions. The mistakes they d o make are usually so similar that the teacher can easily make up a ditto sheet of sentences showing exactly how to say the things they attempted un- successfully. It is most productive to hand out this ditto and review it before handing back the grad- ed written introductions. If the papers are handed back first, the students will look at them while the teacher tries to go over the ditto.

A final way to reinforce the material is to include some of it on the next test.

This lesson gives the students a vocabulary with which they can talk about themselves and their classmates. It calls upon them to use this vocabulary in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It creates a healthy tension as students try to communicate in a foreign language with a group of people, many of whom they d o not know. Since that is exactly the kind of thing we all have to d o when we travel to a foreign country or meet foreigners, this lesson is a highly practical preparation.

APRIL 1985 135

Introducing someone in this way is a frighten- ing experience for many students; they will not feel relaxed until they have finished their speech. Never- theless, the pride and sense of accomplishment they obtain from the experience gives them confidence and encourages them in their efforts to speak the language. One can feel the vibrations of each speaker’s nervous energy and the sympathetic at- tention of listeners who know it may be their turn next. This kind of tension, as well as the informal, relaxed atmosphere which is a by-product of it, are equally beneficial. 1

NOTE ‘The idea for this article occurred to me when, in search

of a practical vocabulary lesson to supplement the text- book, 1 recalled the natural vocabulary lessons I learned when studying abroad. Among the first of those lessons were the formal introductions that 1 heard every time 1 went to a cultural event, such as a lecture or poetry reading. To my knowledge the use of formal introduc- tions as a teaching technique in the foreign language class has never before been suggested.

Interview techniques similar to the one described in Step 2 have been discussed in: Mary-Ann Reiss, “Helping the Unsuccessful Language Learner,” The Modern Language Journal,65 (1981), 121-28 (especially pp. 123-24); Helen H. Frink, “Oral Testing for the First-Year Language Classes,” Foreign Language Annals, 14 (1982), 281-87 (especially p. 283); and Elizabeth Garner Joiner, “The Self-Directed Dialogue: A Technique for Conversational Practice,” in Developing Communications Skills: General Considerations and Specific Techniques, ed. Elizabeth Joiner and Patricia Barney Westphal (Rowley, MA: Newbury House, 1969), pp. 156-60. The Joiner and Westphal book, incidentally, has many other excellent ar- ticles which suggest practical ways to stimulate conver- sation in the target language.

In this article I have advocated a specific example of the “contextual approach,” that is, the development of a context or experimental environment that makes language learning meaningful. This approach is well ex- plained and supported by James D. Quisenberry in his article, “Some Characteristics of Effective Practice in Se- cond Language Acquisition,” Foreign Language Annals, 15 (1982), 47-51.

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