Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1972)
New language course Guten Tag: credit due to structure The following is the debut of a weekly column dealing with new and different courses at the University. The column, written by Alan Maltun, will appear every Friday and will discuss various examples of curricular innovation on campus. By ALAN MALTUN Of the Emerald At 11:20 in the morning the room is vibrant with the buzz of conversation. French vocalist fall quarter class is now taking reading and grammar classes. The way in which the class is run directly reflects the purpose mentioned by Stehr. A sheet with the English vocabulary of a German film to be shown is given out to the student. He is supposed to study a 25 to 30 word list in preparation for each film showing. The film is shown 3 times, with the class breaking up into small discussion groups after each showing. More than 20 TA‘s handle these discussions, which says Stehr. He attributed the initiation of the entire program to student requests for better courses in conversational Ger man. A recent Guten Tag course evaluation by students pointed out the fact that persons taking the class because they are planning a trip to Germany make up the largest single block of those students who responded when asked what their purpose in studying German was. "This kind of response from students prompted us to look for some Guten Tag teacher, Christian Stehr, talks to a small discussion group in Thursday morning class meeting. Guten Tag is the first course to be previewed in what will be a weekly column on in novative education every Friday in the Emerald. Photo by Nick Lacy Daniel Gerard’s latest hit “Butterfly” can be heard in the background. No, it’s not the fish bowl. It’s Guten Tag, a new and innovative German conversation class. Guten Tag means good day in German, and a lot more to more than two hundred students enrolled in the course. The not so few of you who may be reading this article whilst the victim of a boring lecture might be par ticularly interested in Guten Tag. The class utilitzes films, slides and other audio-visual aids ex tensively. According to teaching fellow Christian Stehr, “The idea is to develop the listening and speaking skills.” Stehr says that students are mainly interested in learning conversation first, although about 70 per cent of the are conducted in German and are based on the film plot. The lab provides class mem bers with one of the most recent breakthroughs in the field of audio aids. The sound track of the films are recorded on tape with space in between the phrases. This technique was developed by University associate professor Dr. Helmut Plant, who is currently the resident director of the Oregon Study Center in Stuttgart, Germany. Last week the language lab on the third floor of the library, was visited more than 500 times by members of the Guten Tag class. This indicates the popularity and the ef fectiveness of this segment of the program among students. One of the top priorities is student input into the program better ways of teaching con versational German.” Stehr says. He went on to speculate that this technique could be used rather easily in other language departments. While much of the credit for the success of the program has been given to its structure, many words of praise by students were directed at Stehr himself. Characteristic of their com ments about the 29 year old visiting instructor were, ‘fan tastic,” “He really knows his stuff,” and “generates in us the desire to learn, and to do.” There is no doubt that he is very energetic about what he is doing. Students are welcome whenever they knock on his door, which sometimes keeps Stehr at his office until 10 in the evening. He Weekend preview ‘Straw Dogs’ opens downtown By MARTY WESTERMAN Of the Emerald How are your New Year’s resolutions holding out? Or are you smart enough not to have made any this year? I once heard a fellow make some resolutions that were impossible not to keep—like refusing to play backgammon during a solar eclipse with an octopus on speed. You can borrow that one if you want, but it would be more fun to think up your own. now that you know the formula. Write them down, so at the end of the year you can haul out the list and proudly announce there were resolutions you actually kept Which brings me to what's happening this weekend The Mose Allison Trio will be joined by the Kenny Burrell Trio tonight in tlie EMI Ballroom for two performances of really fine ja« At 7 ami H to p m Ticket prices are quite a hit. hut the music should tie worth the money B« tore or alter you see Mose and Kenny you can attend a free public concert by the dance department in 353 Gerlinger. Ballet, modem, and jazz are featured for the evening And in the Gerlinger gym there will, as usual, be folk-dancing. Both happen at 8. Sunday night, also at 8, there is folk dancing in Gerlinger gym The art museum has a magnificent exhibit on now called "Woman." which is a panorama in photographs of the life of women in today's world. Museum hours are noon to 5 p m every day this weekend. The Berkeley Singers are appearing tonight at the School of Music Recital Hall, $150 ad mission. at 8. Down at the Odyssey Coffeehouse there's live entertainment tonight and tomorrow night Further out. at 301 Lincoln where the Grower's Market is. the Mackenzie River Boys and the John Booth Band will provide music for the "Time to Organize" dance at 8 Admission is $1 for this fete honouring the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World. Films take a back seat to live entertainment this weekend, but they are hanging in there anyway. This afternoon and evening at 4:30, 7, and 9:15 P.S. Films presents Barbara Hershey in “The Baby Maker” for $1 admission. Samuel Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs,” with Dustin Hoffman, opens downtown at the McDonald this evening. It's an adventure story about an in tellectual mathematician who is forced to become an animal in order to survive and protect his home and family, and you won’t be able to unwind for a half hour after watching it. Sunday night the EMU Ballroom movie, shown at 2 and 7 p m will be “Joe," the forerunner of Archie Bunker and the stereotype for all the hardhat characters who have appeared of late Admission price is $1. Now you are left to your own devices Use this information for good, and not for evil And resolve to have a good weekend literally bounces down the steps to his class meetings in 177 Lawrence. And on the morning when this reporter was present, he accompanied the entire class of 200 in singing a German folksong with his guitar. Stehr does not see his main importance to the Guten Tag program in the traditional teacher’s role. He believes, rather, that his role as an organizer and motivational catalyst are more vital to the success of the program. He added that hundreds of volunteer hours put in by Don Hunter. AV department head and Carlyle Ross, Assistant AV head, contributed immensely to the program. The Guten Tag program has been so effective that many other institutions have expressed great interest in it. Currently, the program is being offered at L.C.C. under Stehr’s instruction and at Willamette High School where his wife Gisela is directing the program The program is so popular at Willamette High, that a full 10 per cent of the student body is enrolled in it. Both North and South Eugene High School have pilot Guten Tag programs underway. Among the other institutions interested in Guten Tag are OSU, Lewis and Clark College, Reed College, Pacific Lutheran College, and the Goethe Institute which has foreign language programs in 66 coun tries. The Guten Tag program at the University was developed as part of the Oregon Educational Coordinating Council’s In structional Innovation program. It received an initiating grant of $4344 from the ECC. Guten Tag will be continued next year Stehr stated. An 11 week version will be offered summer quarter. It is hoped that a second year audio-visual program in German will be funded for the Fall, 1972 quarter, Stehr added. Anyone interested in Guten Tag should contact Christian Stehr in 208 Friendly Hall. His telephone number is 686-4054. Great variety of classics, jazz, and folk in addition to one of the finest pop selections in the Northwest Chrystalshlp 837 Willamette 342-6932 Open daily until 10 p.m. including Sundays BUYING A DIAMOND CAN BE EASY Diamonds are expensive. No doubt about that. But, if you're interested in quality you expect to pay a bit more for a fine diamond ring. When you're a student, you live on a pretty tight budget and large investments are sometimes difficult. The people at Carl Greve Jewelers realize this. So, to make it easier on you and your pocketbook, Carl Greve Jewelers offers you a Special Monthly Payment Plan. Stop in and talk to one of the diamond experts at Carl Greve Jewelers. They'll tell you how easy it can be to buy a diamond ring. Cue««» SI W Irt^wy Ml u*t m S «. Mormon TO /111
