ASSUMPTION IV ('RESPONSIBILITY')
…the students [of history] read what they pleased and compared their results. As pedagogy, nothing could have been more triumphant… No difficulty stopped them; unknown languages yielded before their attack, and customary law became as familiar as the police court.
We assume that, other things being equal, the program will be more effective if the students and instructors feel that they have some control over both content and method. Materials ought therefore to provide for transferring to the users as much responsibility as they are prepared to handle. There are undoubtedly certain functions which will remain with the teacher and supervisor throughout the training period, but in general, growth in the skills and attitudes of increasing self-sufficiency in language study are an important part of the aims of any well-run language program[1]
Note that this assumption is inconsistent with exclusive or nearly exclusive reliance on programmed self-instruction or other highly authoritarian systems of teaching.
- ↑ Thus Ruopp (1969, p. 6) 'Techniques, [for any kind of training] should involve the trainee in the learning process as actively as possible, and the process should itself equip him for adapting and improving his field performance. That is, the activities he engages in during training should be consistent with the problem-solving behavior expected of him [on the job].'
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