Book and Software Reviews / Critiques de livres et de logiciels

This comprehensive and informative collection of articles by wellrespected researchers reflects the far-reaching effects of Albert Valdman=s groundbreaking work in the development of the notion of pedagogical norms in second and foreign language learning and teaching. The book is comprised of three main sections: Defining Pedagogical Norms, Applying Pedagogical Norms, and Extending Pedagogical Norms. The first part of the book deals with the history and development of the notion of pedagogical norms. The later articles tackle the issues of what norms to select, where and how to apply them, who might be the targeted learner population and reference norm population and, of course, the allimportant question of why bother upsetting the traditional curricular >apple cart= with the inclusion of pedagogical norms. Section I (Defining Pedagogical Norms) begins with an historical contextualization of Valdman=s still revolutionary notion of >pedagogical norm,= highlighting both its theoretical and pedagogical grounding. This section explores the evolution of the definition of pedagogical norm and the nature of the principles governing its selection. The scope of a pedagogical norm is shown both to be variable in nature and to vary over time, to extend to all language components and uses, and to be relevant to a wide variety of situations where languages are acquired (for example, as a second language in both immersion and non-immersion settings, as a foreign language, as a heritage language, and even as a national language). Various articles explore the fundamental nature of a pedagogical norm, showing it to encompass not only intermediary linguistic and pragmatic goals but also learner processes and strategies. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Le Chandail de hockey -The hockey sweater (THS) is an interactive multimedia application designed to promote language and literacy development among young and adult learners of English or French during classroom or independent learning practices. It was developed in part at the University of Calgary and produced by 3D Courseware. It received the 2007 Best Educational award from the Digital Media Association of Alberta. This review describes the software and highlights how its multimedia nature may foster learning.
THS provides learners with exposure to language and Canadian culture through multimedia tasks conceptualized on two aspects of Canada: its passion for hockey, and its anglophone/francophone duality. The tasks build on the story of the award-winning animated film Le chandail (The sweater) produced by the National Film Board of Canada and based on the classic story 'Le chandail de hockey,' by Roch Carrier. THS is available in English or French and is easy to install on Windows and Macintosh stations with minimal requirements. THS is designed for learners of advanced beginner (peewee), intermediate (junior), and advanced (pro) language levels. Its linguistic richness may overwhelm beginner learners willing to use the software independently. They may therefore benefit more from its use under teacher guidance.
The 2nd period includes the largest number of interactive tasks that exploit the video story. The use of multimedia in these two sections is one of the software's strengths. It may not only motivate learners but also scaffold in-depth processing and retention of linguistic features and information. In the 1st period, for instance, comprehension of verbal input is enhanced with the aid of images. Learners can watch the complete animated video story and listen to an oral narrative by selecting The sweater, or they can watch and listen to the story in segments by choosing Video clips. Comprehension of the story is further supported through two audio-based tasks: Oral questions, in which students answer oral questions by selecting a multiple-choice answer, and Highlights, in which students match oral story segments with pictures.
The 3rd period, zone, and encounters sections expand learners' knowledge of Canadian hockey and the people behind the THS story. In comparison to the 1st and 2nd periods, these three sections present richer written texts and videos. The 3rd period includes impressive amounts of information from over 14 cultural notes with hyperlinks, about 30 biographies of Canadian hockey stars including their pictures and hockey statistics, a hockey song with listening exercises, and a historic Eaton's catalogue with a fillable order form and vocabulary tasks. Despite the authenticity and cultural richness of the texts, the multimedia tasks in these sections may not be sufficient to help learners process all the information and are not as interactive as the 1st and 2nd period tasks. Yet, classroom teachers could exploit the texts effectively.
Two valuable characteristics of THS are its non-linear design and the study support it offers. First, the non-linear design gives learners flexibility to navigate the software based on the information, language skills and activity types of their interest by clicking on a permanent top bar menu. This flexibility is particularly evident in the 2nd period, where learners can select from various multimedia task types organised by proficiency levels. Second, learners can obtain language support from an interactive dictionary available permanently in a bottom bar menu and write down and print their own notes using an interactive notebook.
Both English and French versions are available with a teacher's guide. Following the software organization, an overview chart neatly lists all tasks followed by a summary of their purpose and content. The guide has five parts containing detailed descriptions of the program tasks and their content. Notes provide references to websites and documents to expand learners' knowledge of the software topics; they also include ideas on how to provide learners with further practice using the texts. These notes appear more consistently in the English guide. Due to its potential contribution to learning (and enjoyment!), THS undoubtedly constitutes a valuable multimedia application for language teachers and learners in Canada and abroad.
Le livre de Roy Lyster intitulé Learning and teaching languages through content: A counterbalanced approach s'adresse à un large public du milieu de l'éducation, mais notamment à ceux et celles qui ont un intérêt particulier pour l'apprentissage des langues et la recherche dans le contexte de l'immersion.