Interview

Steven J. Molinsky

Co-author of over 100 textbooks, including the highly successful Side by Side (Side By Side Web site), ExpressWays, and Word by Word, Steven J. Molinsky's major field of interest is the development of dynamic and innovative approaches to second language teaching. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia and Latin America conducting teacher-training workshops on language teaching methodology.

Professor Molinsky obtained his MA and PHD at Harvard University. He is currently a Professor of Education at Boston University. He spoke with ELT News editor Mark McBennett in December, 2003.

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ELT: Have you always been a teacher?
SM: Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. That's all I've ever done and all I've ever wanted to do. My teaching career began immediately after completing my graduate degree in Linguistics at Harvard University. For a while, I taught Russian language courses as well as courses in Linguistic Theory at Boston University. (My PhD. is actually in Slavic Linguistics!)

After six years, however, I decided that I preferred to work with prospective teachers in the area of English as a Second and English as a Foreign Language, and so I made the switch to the School of Education. I've been teaching methodology courses and serving as director of the program since that time.

In 1982, you were awarded the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching. Can you tell us about how you earned that?
I was truly honored to receive a Metcalf Award. Every year Boston University gives an award for excellence in teaching to two or three of the more than three thousand faculty members at the university. It is considered the university's highest honor. My students nominated me, and then several previous Metcalf award winners observed my courses. I was told in March that I would be receiving the award at the university graduation ceremonies in May, but I was sworn to secrecy. The only ones I was allowed to tell beforehand were members of my family. Winning a Metcalf Award has been one of the most thrilling and rewarding experiences of my professional life.

How and when did you first get into writing textbooks?
I actually began by working with the author of a rather innovative Russian language textbook as his assistant in the revision of his book. What I thought was going to be a short-term six-month project actually ended up taking five years. Working with him during those five years was the best training I ever could have received. Most of all, it sensitized me to the issues involved in developing a solid curriculum for a foreign language syllabus. I enjoyed the process so much that I decided that textbook writing would become one of my main goals in life. So when I made the switch from Russian to the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages, it was no surprise to me that I immediately began working on an ESL/EFL syllabus, which eventually resulted in the development of the original Side by Side series.

Yes, Side By Side is perhaps the text through which teachers and students in Japan will be most familiar with your work. It's based on the 'guided conversation' methodology. Can you tell us a bit about that?
The "guided conversation" methodology is an attempt to combine the best features of traditional language teaching -- the clear structural focus offered by traditional grammar drills and the contextualization provided by traditional dialogs.

This blending of a strong grammatical focus and contextualization through short dialogs provides learners with the kind of intensive practice with grammatical structures they need, but always in relevant contexts and situations. It's a very student-centered approach. In a "guided conversation" classroom, it's the students who do most of the talking!

Does the guided conversation approach work better in some cultures than others? How about in Japan?
We have had positive feedback from both teachers and students in virtually every country where the books are used. Students like it because they feel success in learning the language. They are actually "speaking" the grammar as they learn it. There are also many opportunities for them to apply what they learn in the books to talk about themselves and the world around them. Teachers like it because all their students, no matter how large the class, have opportunities for oral practice, since the approach is based on students speaking with each other "side by side."

The design of Side By Side relies heavily on drawn illustrations and cartoons (detail below - click for larger image). Do you ever hear of teachers complaining that it isn't "serious" enough for the false-beginner type of students who would be using it in Japan? Or does it work well, given Japan's deep-rooted manga culture?
Our rationale for using this style of artwork is to surround the learner with a lively and motivating environment. We use line drawings rather than photographs because we want students to take on the roles of the different characters in the exercises and stories. Photographs would make identifying with the characters difficult. (I'm supposed to "be" this person in the dialog, but I don't look like him or her!) Line drawings, on the other hand, give the mind more freedom and as a result make it easier for students to assume different roles. And yes, given Japan's deep-rooted manga culture, it's possible that teachers in Japan would be more accepting of the style than teachers in some cultures who in fact do sometimes complain that the art isn't "serious" enough. What IS serious about Side by Side is its carefully crafted syllabus. The light-hearted look of the pages actually masks the serious framework beneath the surface.

How has the series evolved through its fifteen years and three editions?
The original edition, published in 1979, contained just the conversation lessons. The 1989 edition added reading, writing, and listening exercises. The new edition moves well beyond that. In response to teachers' requests, we've added vocabulary previews before each chapter, pronunciation exercises, functional language development exercises, and journal writing activities. In addition, through our Side by Side Gazettes ("magazine-style" pages interspersed throughout the books), we have added additional readings, interesting facts about the world for class discussion, vocabulary enrichment exercises, cross-cultural photo essays, Internet keypal writing activities, authentic real-world listening tasks, and cartoons that lead to open-ended role play activities.

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