Recommendations

      Same-Language-Subtitled activities can be a very effective learning tool for classroom use. If a teacher is interested in incorporating this approach or if another researcher is interesting in either replicating or expanding upon the research study discussed above, here are a few recommendations:

1)         SLS is a technology intensive approach. This approach requires that the teacher to be  adept with both presentation technology and multi-media programs and resources. Use the best technology available.  A 3000 lumens LCD projector will  be adequate for a lit classroom.    Additional resources can be found at: Same Language Subtitling Home .

2)      Choose dynamic source materials. This study used some popular music; however, the majority of activities were done using Broadway Musicals. Choose music with lyrics at a reading level well above class mean, in this study the students responded particularly well to Les Miserables, which has lyrics ranging from G.E. 6.0 to G.E. 12+.  Further, musicals have  storyline, which helps with day to day continuity, and is structurally comparable to  novels.

            While music seems to work best, the students also responded well to famous speeches; try Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”. Do not worry about materials being out student’s comfort zone; prior to this project the participating students had rarely been exposed to the musical genre and were unfamiliar with Les Miserables.

3)     Keep the students actively engaged in SLS activity. Always use a response worksheet. This can range from filling in simple phonics-level cloze worksheets, to rewriting or translating musical scenes into contemporary stage dialogue, to karaoke renditions, to performing multi-character scenes.

>      Do not use video in classroom as a passive-receptive activity. At the very least use the basic close-captioning and a response worksheet. Lyrics and transcripts are available for most music and videos.  Devise worksheets and activities that force students to repeatedly track captioning text while listening to audio model. The key element is active and repetitive.

4)      Use the students, they will quickly master  presentation technology and they can help prepare SLS media.