Thelanguage laboratoryis an audio or audiovisual installation used as an aid inmodern language

teaching.
They can be found, amongst other places, in schools,
universities, and academies.
The first lab was at the University of Grenoble in 1908.
In the 1950s up until the 1990s, they weretapebased systems usingreel to reelor (latterly)cassette.
Current installations are generally multimediaPCs
They allowed a teacher to listen to and manage
student audio via a hard-wired analogue tape deck
based systems with 'sound booths' in fixed locations.

PROBLEMS

Language laboratories in the 1970s and 1980s received a bad

reputation due to breakdowns.

Common problems stem from the limitations and relative

complexity of the reel to reel tape system in use at that time.
Design played a part too; the simplest language laboratories had no
electronic systems in place for the teacher to remotely control the
tape decks, relying on the students to operate the decks correctly.
Many had no way to stop the tape running off the reel in fast rewind
or forward wind, which meant time wasting and greater chances of
failure through misuse.
The tape recorders in use after the early 1970s in the language
laboratory were more complex than those in the home, being
capable of multitracking and electronic remote control.

PRESENT DAY

Today all the major manufacturers say they have a digital or a just software
solution. However in many cases they still rely on proprietary networks or
expensive sound cards to successfully deliver their media. There are very few
truly software only solutions that just rely on installing designated language
lab software onto a network and then directing just the original network to
manage the media between teacher and student, student and student or
student back to teacher
Software only systems can be easily installed onto an existing PC based
network, making them both multi locational in their access and much more
feature rich in how and what media they manage.
The content that is now used in the new language labs is much richer and self
authored or free: now not just audio, but video, flash based games, internet
etc. and the speed and variety of the delivery of media from teacher to
student, student to teacher, is much quicker and therefore much more
engaging for both teacher and student.
Further developments in language labs are now apparent as access moves
from a fixed network and related Microsoft operating syste ms to online and
browsers.

DIGITAL LANGUAGE LABS

The principle of a language lab essentially has not
changed. They are still a teacher-controlled system
connected to a number of student booths, containing a
student's control mechanism and a headset with a
microphone.
Digital language labs have the same principle. A
software-only language lab changes the concept of
where and what a language lab is.
Software can be installed and accessed on any
networked PC anywhere on a school, college, or
university campus.
Software-only systems can be located in one room,
from room-to-room or campus-to-campus

ADVANTAGES

. It provides equal opportunity to all the students to hear the

instructor irrespective of place where they are seated.
There will be less miscommunication because of direct nature
of the sound transmission.
It also provides the privacy that encourages the shy students
to speak without any hesitation.
In addition instructor can speak to individual or group of
students in privacy without interrupting rest of class.
Language labs motivate students to talk freely and lose the
shyness when talking in front of their friends. Attention on
subject is increased resulting in better retention of the
concepts.
It develops the listening and communication skills, since they
hear correct pronunciation through their headphones

DISADVANTAGES
It is very expensive to set up the language lab and country like India
there is no lab syllabus and usually language classes are conducted
as theory.
The lab can engage maximum of 60 students hence space is also
difficult for school.
These days student does not have enough patience to listen to
pronunciation and practice them so the recording of pronunciation is
useless.
As the teacher listens to students randomly the response can be
unorganized and ineffective as there are many students to attend to.
The teacher should be well trained in executing the language lab
effectively.
Given the nature of teaching, a language teacher may need an
assistant in taking care of the technological part while teacher
attends to the instructional components.

REFERENCE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_lab
http://www.sanako.com/resources/what-islanguage-lab/

LINCHU SUSAN CHERIAN

B.ED MATHEMATICS
MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE OF
TEACHER EDUCATION FOR WOMEN