Abstract. Reformed Theological Seminary’s VirtualCampus has successfully taught the biblical languagesonline since 1999. This article describes the theoreticalprinciples that underlie the design and asynchronousdelivery of online Greek and Hebrew to part-time adultdistance students. The structure and administration ofthe courses is discussed, as well as how the studentsinteract with their instructor and with the material. Thefields of Adult Education, Learner Autonomy, and Distance Education suggest that online students must learndifferently than traditional in-class students by beingmore responsible for their learning. Research also suggests that online instructors must teach differently,assuming a role more like a learning coach. Finally, theliterature suggests that institutions must interact withdistance students differently than traditional in-classstudents. The article concludes with a definition of“success” in these courses and description of the timecommitment expected of faculty in these courses.
CTS Learning's List: Teaching the Biblical Languages
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Nov 17, 11
Successfully Teaching Biblical Languages Online atthe Seminary Level: Guiding Principles of CourseDesign and DeliveryJoel HarlowReformed Theological Seminary/Virtual Campus
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Nov 17, 11
Orientation toCommunicative Language TeachingforBiblical HebrewThe Cohelet ProjectPaul OverlandJanuary 2008
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Nov 17, 11
Communicative Method for Ancient Language Learning = Misplaced Priority
Karyn Traphagen-
Before discussing what the benefits of CLT are (which, I will agree, there are), we need to prioritize the discussion on content of coursework. I believe pedagogy has two components: content and method. Methodology (like CLT) is a tool that serves the content of the coursework.
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I think there are benefits to be gleaned from the communicative approach (but I also don’t think it is the panacea many claim it is). My effort is to re-prioritize the content of courses by focusing on the end-use of the language by the students so that we give them a a sustainable skill set that matches their needs.
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Nov 17, 11
Response to Daniel Street: Why it is a pipe dream.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
by Suzanne McCarthy -
Nov 17, 11
Speaking of Latin…
13 Comments Posted by Mike Aubrey on May 28, 2009
Here are my thoughts on Second Language Acquisition as it relates to learning "dead" languages. -
Nov 18, 11
Preparing Latin Teachers for Second Language Acquisition
y. I suggest in this response that a revi- sion of the document basing the Standards on Second Language Acquisition research (hereafter, SLA) will clarify for Latin teachers the variety of resources they have at their disposal as well as aid Latin teacher preparation programs in developing their objectives.Standardsdoes, to its credit, urge that new Latin teachers be well versed in SLA research. Taking the added step to ground the language and directions of the document in that research would make it an extremely valuable tool for programs and teachers alike.
Buth response: 'much of what is suggested in this article is equally applicable to the teaching of biblical Hebrew or Koine Greek, and as such needs to be heard by Hebrew Bible and New Testament scholars who teach these languages. 'http://www.biblicallanguagecenter.com/all-learning-styles/ -
Nov 18, 11
An Overview of Second Language Teaching Methods and Approaches. (Eugene McKendry).
Debate and developments around the methods of language teaching and learninghave been ongoing since the time of Comenius in the 17th century, if not before.The complexity of contexts and the greater appreciation of the issues lead us to theconclusion that the panacea of a single, universal optimum method for teaching andlearning modern languages does not exist, but rather the need for teachers to adoptan informed eclectic approach, incorporating elements from the range of methodsavailable. Most language teaching today aims to achieve oral communication,although some CRAMLAP questionnaire respondents place greater emphasis upongrammatical mastery and reading. -
Nov 18, 11
Principles of CommunicativeLanguage Teaching andTask-Based Instruction
Effective teaching is not about a method. It is aboutunderstanding and implementing principles oflearning.
from
Communicative language teaching in action: putting principles to work
http://books.google.com/books?id=SedcAAAACAAJ
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Nov 18, 11
THE CASE FOR
MODERN PRONUNCIATION OF
BIBLICAL LANGUAGES
GARY G. COHEN AND C. NORMAN SELLERS
Grace Theological Journal 5.2 (1984) 197-203.
In the majority of Christian educational institutions today artifi-cial pronunciations for NT Greek and OT Hebrew are used--often
attempts at a recreation of the true ancient sounds. However, Modern
Greek and Modern Hebrew voicings are in reality the most effective
ways to teach these ancient biblical tongues. This is especially so
because within the last forty years (a) audio-visual teaching aids have
become available so that NT Greek can be taught as a living language,
and (b) OT Hebrew is actually living again in Israel and can now be
mastered with a new thoroughness. One difficulty is that the current
generation of teachers was trained in the "older" pronunciations
themselves and are thus hesitant to make such a change.
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Nov 18, 11
Rahel Halabe, " Ancient Languages are Still Around, But Do We Really Know How to Teach Them? ," SBL Forum , n.p. [cited Feb 2008]. Online:http://sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleID=756
In spite of this apparently thin layer of modern technology, the teaching of ancient languages is usually characterized by conservative pedagogical notions and methods in need of reexamination and much change.
Modern foreign languages are usually taught by professional language instructors, who can enjoy the products of much theoretical research, new methodologies, programs, and a great variety of learning aids. Ancient languages, on the other hand, are usually taught by scholars of history or theology who are not trained in foreign-language pedagogy. They tend to be more concerned with research and teaching in their own field of expertise, and in preparing the next generation of scholars, than teaching an ancient language introductory course. The result is unfortunate; in many cases academic courses have an exaggerated emphasis on linguistics,[4] serving well the few students interested in pursuing more advance levels. However, such courses fail the majority of the students, not providing them, through the thick wall of grammar and artificial sentences, with access to meaningful texts and to the richness of content, culture, and spirit they hope to attain.[5] This is unfortunate as learning a language should be considered spiral, not linear. When introducing an ancient language, one should try and present it in broad strokes, providing the minimal most efficient grammatical tools that will allow the earliest access possible to an authentic text, even if only short and simple. Thus, students who take only the introductory course will still have a chance to appreciate some of the flavor and meaning of the original texts, while others who wish to specialize will have a solid enough broad base, allowing them to proceed further on the learning spiral.[6]-
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'Functional grammar as opposed to the traditional linguistic approach, does not deal with forms first and only later with meaning. It regards language as a system of meaning expressed through forms. The grammatical analysis of a text is done, therefore, while relating the text to its context of situation and culture. A text can be highly complex, including actions, ideas, and emotions: "An automatic parser can handle a great deal of grammar; but there are always indeterminacies, alternative interpretations, places where one has to balance one factor against the other."[9] This is certainly an important lesson to remember while teaching the Biblical Hebrew verb system, for example. Rather than a long and confusing list of translation options into English tenses, as usually offered by academic textbooks, one should offer in the introductory course a minimal list of the most common interpretations of any verb form and encourage the students to use context and common sense while reading a straightforward text. In most cases, the lexical meaning and context can place the action depicted by the verb on a graphic timeline. Later on, after being exposed to an adequate amount of relatively easy authentic texts and advancing to more challenging ones, more sophisticated grammatical descriptions may be needed. Opening the students up to a different perception of time evident in the biblical text, more "fluid" and much less defined, is a worthwhile initial task even if not always easy. By avoiding temporarily the need to assign exact English tense to a Hebrew verb (in context) and placing it on a graphic time line, one can envision the situation described in the context and only then express it in English.[10]'
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Nov 18, 11
P. W. Griffin, "Killing a Dead Language: A Case against Emphasizing Vowel Pointing when Teaching Biblical Hebew," The SBL Forum (2007) n.p. Cited May 19, 2007. Online: http://sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=675
The typical Hebrew grammar devotes a great deal of space to the intricacies of Masoretic pointing, and many who teach elementary Hebrew have similar emphases. Students are taught propretonic reduction, the rule of shewa, and countless other rules of vowel patterns, each with many exceptions. "Why does this have a patach instead of a qametz?" They then move to verb paradigms, where they encounter further lists of exceptions, when to include the dagesh, variations for gutturals, and so forth. And they have only encountered the Qal. Our students, who by and large are anything but linguists, encounter statements like, "The verb 'rr differs from sbb in one way. In the second and first position forms, singular and plural, the Geminate consonant rejects the Daghesh Forte and the Pathach under the [aleph] becomes Qamets due to compensatory lengthening."[1] "When there is an unaccented syllable followed by a . . . ," and so forth. Next comes the Piel with its multitude of variations. These students are not merely expected to know that such vowel patterns exist, but they are expected to be able to reproduce them as well. We then wonder why people regard Hebrew as a "hard language" and why attrition rates are so high. -
Nov 18, 11
The way biblical Hebrew and Greek is taught needs radical re-thinking.
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Nov 18, 11
Take it from me. Greek sucks. Hebrew hurts. One semester of Bible Greek is enough to turn any normal human being off “the original” for a lifetime. Didactic methods in our Bible schools and seminaries are bad. So painful. So achingly boring that if you think studying Greek is fun you have to either be steeped in self-deception or a masochistic moron.
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Nov 18, 11
The best time to learn a language, or more than one, is not when you are in your mid-twenties, or mid-thirties, and about to embark on a degree program that will prepare you for ministry. The claims one has on one’s mind and time are by that time overwhelming. Plus, one’s brain is not necessarily very absorbent any more.
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One survives the experience, whereas the goal should to be to cherish the experience, and built on it for the rest of one’s life.
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Nov 21, 11
What do People Say the Bible Says? And You, What do You Say?Kenneth Ngwa
- describes a word separation exercise in introductory Hebrew -
Nov 21, 11
Learning Hebrew by Writing in EnglishRolf A. Jacobson
Teaching Theology & ReligionVolume 14, Issue 2, pages 125-126, April 2011
AbstractThis essay explores a midrange teaching and learning issue regarding the teaching of biblical languages and one strategy for addressing the issue. Seminary students do not yield a great enough return in exchange for the investment they are required to make in learning biblical languages. Students invest great time and money, but they do not learn to use the biblical languages to think critically about the Bible. This essay argues that a fruitful strategy for addressing this midrange issue is to require students to write in English about the Hebrew language. This strategy fosters students' ability to think critically about the biblical text. It also fosters their ability to use their budding knowledge of a biblical language to engage questions of meaning and issues of interpretation. -
Nov 22, 11
HyperRote? The Role of IT in Ancient Language Teachingby Timothy Hill (CATR Project, Faculty of Classics, Cambridge) 6 March 2003
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Nov 22, 11
CoBaLTT provides professional development and online resources that help foreign language and immersion teachers create content-based lessons/units using technology to enhance students' language proficiency and content or cultural knowledge.
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Nov 22, 11
Introduction to "Sacred Language Ordinary People"
Niloofar Haeri
From Sacred Language Ordinary People
© 2003, Niloofar Haeri
Used by Permission of Palgrave Macmillan
This is the introduction to a book dealing with the use of "Classical Arabic" and "Dialectal Arabic" and the registers in between in Egypt. Written by an anthropologist, the book examines the role that language plays in culture, politics, religions and the general organization of Egyptian society. However, it also serves as excellent background for understanding these issues with respect to all Arab societies. The author explores the notion of a sacred language in Islam, both in Arab countries and in the broader Islamic world. She then discusses the relationship between Classical Arabic and Egyptian Arabic and attempts to "modernize" the language, with comparative references to other languages. She then historicizes attitudes toward these issues in Egypt. Finally, the author presents an outline of the rest of the book. Though this last section is intended to present the organization of the book, it is also quite useful in introducing some of the most important issues in Arab cultural and social identity, given the centrality of language to those issues.-
The first philologists and the first linguists were always and everywhere priests. History knows no nation whose sacred writings or oral tradition were not to some degree in a language foreign and incomprehensible to the profane. . . . [O]rientation [toward the alien, foreign word] is the expression of the enormous historical role that the alien word has played in the formation of all the historical cultures. It has played a role with respect to all domains of ideological creativity without exception, from the sociopolitical order to the behavioral code of daily life.
-Voloshinov 1986
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Nov 22, 11
Modernizing Classical Language Education
Communicative Language Teaching & EducationalTechnology Integration in Classical Greek
Apostolos Koutropoulos
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