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In summary, we are proposing that the early phases of Russian language
programs in American high schools and colleges be organized internally
according to the stages defined below. The orientation of these stages is
intended to facilitate articulation while at the same time providing an optimal
base for continued learning. The stages are defined over three knowledge
domains, which vary according to the type of knowledge (declarative vs.
procedural) they embody.
Three stages: The path to in-country study
Whether in high school or college, the beginners in our programs are
typically relatively young learners. The first stage, therefore, is designed to
more teacher-directed than will be later stages. At this point in their language
learning career, the majority of students are still in need of a great deal of
assistance with the process of language learning in general, with Russian-
specific problems, and in some cases with overall study skills. The design of
the elementary stage is also driven by the need to get as early a start as
possible on the development of procedural knowledge, and in what should be a
non-controversial step, we are urging that the procedural knowledge that we
foster be based in appropriately sequenced functional abilities.
From this beginning point, language programs should strive to develop in
learners an increasing ability to function independently. We take as the target
of this sequence of course work, whether in one program or several, the ability
to participate effectively in an in-country study program, where much of the
learning that needs to take place relies on the student's abilities to manage the
acquisition process largely independently.
The previous section of this chapter explains the assumptions underlying
the RLLF with respect to the issues of instructional orientation, locus of learning
management, and the domains of knowledge of the stages. This section
focuses on the elaboration of the content of these stages. In this document, the
elementary and intermediate stages are fleshed out the most fully as an
example of ways in which the framework might be applied to help the
profession deal with the articulation problem faced by students moving from
high school to college programs. Those details can be found in chapter 4.
In this section, the concern is the generic definition of the stages. When
these generic definitions have been hammered out by the profession, it will then
be appropriate to move on to careful definition of the stages across the various
domains. A preliminary presentation summarizing the content of the stages
within each of the three domains is contained in figure 3.2.
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