WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1955
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PAGE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21,1955 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE
Laboratory Contains
Language Recordings
Center Serves
To Improve
Students' Reading Abilities
By RUTH WEISS
Buenas dias, Guten tag, Good.
day, Bon jour!
Walk into the language labora-
tory in Mason Hall, pick out a rec-
ord, play it on the recorder, put
on the earphones and the student
is likely to be greeted in any one
of 18 different languages: German,
Latin, Polish, Korean, Thai, Turk-
ish, Persian, Portuguese, Swedish,
Spanish, French, Chinese, Japan-
ese, Greek, English, Russian, Ar-
abic or Italian.
About six and a half years ago
Prof. Lawrence Kiddle, Prof.
Charles Staubach and Prof. Ernst
Pulgram, of the Romance - lan-
guage Department, planned the
laboratory project and obtained
permission to start it.
Six to 100
They began with six pieces of
Plan Offered
For Bettering
Study Habits
Chief of the Reading Improve-
ment Service, Donald E. Smith,
has a plan for studying efficiently
and a method for writing essay
exams.
Smith explained that the plan
set-up has proven effective in in-
creasing exam scores by about 50
percent.
One should begin with a survey
of the material to be studied. This
includes thinking what the title
means, reading the introduction,
summary and main heads or first
sentences in each paragraph to
decide what you are attempting to
find out.
Make-Up Questions
From this, Smith suggests,
make-up questions to be answered
as you study.
Upon completion of the read-
ing, recite by answering the ques-
tion and making very brief notes,
consisting of key words and list-
ings only. Long notes, Smith
stated, create a fear of having too
much to learn.
Students can increase retention
and cut last minute studying by
90 per cent by using an immediate
review plan.
Inefficient Reading
Smith explained that repeated
reading is inefficient, since tests
have proved that 70 percent of
what 18 first read is retained and
only an additional one-half per-
cent is gained on re-reading.
In taking an essay type exam,
a time schedule should be set up
whereby the student allows about
fifteen minutes at the end for
completing answers and correcting.
Read the questions through
thoroughly, jotting down key
words to the answers to reduce
"clutching." "Put the question in
your own'words," said Smith, "and
compare your version with the
test to be sure you are answering
the right question."
machinery. Today this number has
increased to 100 pieces which are
used for recording and listening to
records.
The laboratory is supervised by
Thomas Bradley, whose primary
interest is the electrical equip-
ment. He is assisted by Dennis
Greene, graduate student in the
foreign language department and
William Baird, graduate student
in linguistics.
The University was one of the
first to use this method of study
for foreign languages now adopted
by many other colleges.
Serves All Departments
This inter-departmental labora-
tory serves all the language de-
partments as well as the English
Language Institute.
It is administered by an inter-
departmental committee w i t h
Prof. Otto Graf, of the German
Department, serving as chair-
man.
Students studying a foreign lan-
guage learn the language by hear-
ing it on records and repeating
and memorizing it. Recordings are
made of material supplementing
classroom work.
70 Booths
The 70 listening booths are used
approximately 3,500 times a week
including repeat sessions. Teach-
ers often use it to review vocabu-
lary.
Students planning trips to for-
eign countries use it to acquaint
themselves with the language. A
section of the laboratory is re-
served from 9-11 p.m. every morn-
ing for.foreign students studying
English.
BON JOUR-The language laboratory in Mason Hall contains
70 listening booths, where students may play recordingls in 18
different languages. The records serve to enable students to hear
foreign words and to repeat and memorize them, supplementing
regular class work.
'Big Sister' Program
Ai s Freshmen Coeds
By PEG DAVIS
Deep among the shadows in the
basement of the University Ele-
mentary School lies the Reading
Improvement Center.
This service started in 1954, is
one of four branches of the Bureau
of Psychological Service sponsored
by the Institute for Human Ad-
justment. It is supported in part
by the University and in part by
philanthropic funds.
Several attempts had been made
before 1952 to start such a serv-
ice, but enrollment was more than
could be handled so the project
was dropped.
Service Established
Finally representatives from the
School of Education and College
of Literature, Science and the Arts
met with E. Lowell Kelly, direc-
tor of the Bureau, and the read-
ing service was established.
The courses at the Center are
non-credit and require no tui-
tion. A desire to become a better
reader is the only necessary quali-
f ication.
Led by Donald E. P. Smith, chief
of the Reading Improvement Serv-
ice and his graduate student as-
sistants, the Center instructs more
than 800 students a year. How to
read faster with better comprehen-
sion, study methods, preparations
for exams and the development of
a better vocabulary are stressed
during the course.
Four Classes A Year
There is a series of four classes
a year, two a semester, lasting
seven weeks each. Meeting twice a
week for an hour, the students also
practice one hour in-between
classes.
"Reading speed is increased with
the help of a machine in which
the book is placed," a student com-
mented. "A timer is set and a
shade comes down over the page
at a set speed.
To obtain the information we
must keep ahead of the shade,"
she continued. "A test is taken af-
ter the reading has been completed
so that we can test our compre-
hension."
Smith declared that after exten-
sive tests ne has found that stu-
dents who have taken the course
usually have a better over-all
grade average than those who have
not been exposed to the reading
technique.
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5 locations
for Your conyvenience:
MAIN OFFICE
CORNER OF MAIN & HURON STREETS
BRANCHES
330 SOUTH STATE STREET
1108 SOUTH UNIVERSITY
PACKARD AT BROCKMAN
(With drive-in and Parking Facilities)'
9571 N. Main Street
Whitmore Lake, Mich.
ANN ARBOR BANK
First on Campus!
JUMBO HAMBURGER
-30c -
LUMBARD'S UNIVERSITY DRUG
1225 South University
By ELAINE EDMONDS
"I don't know what I would have
done without her!"
These words are often repeated
by freshmen and transfer women
as they describe their "big sis-
ters."
CALORIE CONSCIOUS?
Dr. Margaret Bell Gives
* Advise on Balanced Dieting
By BARB HECHT
Counting calories is a favorite
pastime for students, whether
they are underweight, overweight
or average weight.
In considering the problem of
losing, gaining, or maintaining the
same weight, one should always
remember that a well balanced di-
et is extremely important.
This advice comes from Dr. Mar-
garet Bell, chairman of the Wo-
men's Physical Education Program
and Health Service physician.
Balanced Meals
The well balanced dinner should
contain as many proteins as pos-
sible, a low amount of carbohy-
drates and as little fats as possible.
Dr. Bell also stressed the idea
that metabolic rates of an indi-
vidual must be kept in mind when
considering a diet.
"Individuals vary in the amount
of food they burn or utilize for
their daily energy. Variation also
occurs in the rate at which the
food is burned up for energy," she
said.
A balanced diet is one of the
first prerequisites to vigorous
health. Foods including proteins,
carbohydrates, fats, minerals, wa-
ter, and vitamins are utilized by
our bodies for growth, energy,
regulation of body functions and
building and replacing worn-out
tissues.
If the causes of being under-
weight are found to be dietary,
two general principles should be
followed. The underweight per-
son should eat more food, particu-
larly those of high calorie value,
including fats and carbohydrates.
In addition, the person should
rest more in order to use up less
energy.
Dietary control of food intake
is the most effective method of
controlling obesity. The main prin-
ciple involves keeping the energy.
intake below the energy expendi-
ture, of the body. The difference
is made up by the utilization of
body fats, since your extra tissue
is burned for energy.
The "big sister" program spon-
sored by Assembly Association is
a sy'stem whereby each new stu-
dent living in a dormitory has an
upperclass "big sisiter."
Writes Letters
The "big sister's" duties start
about a month before school opens
in the fall. At this time she intro-
duces herself by writing letters to
her "little sisters."
The "big sister" gives hints on a
coed's University life and attempts
to answer any questions which the
new student may ask. On the whole
her duty is to smooth the bumps
out of a freshman or transfer stu-
dent's first few months on cam-
pus.
The League Big Sister Commit-
tee, headed by Judy Leib, is com-
posed of 17 representatives, one
from each dormitory.
Orients Freshmen
The main function of the,-com-
mittee is to orient freshmen and
transfers to dormitory and Uni-
versity life. The committee at-
tempts to remove some of the im-
personal atmosphere from dormi-
tory life.
k t present because of the in-
creased enrollmenteach "big sis-
ter" has up to four "little sisters"
while in former years each "big
sister" had only two "little sis-
ters."
One of the principle duties of
the Big Sister Committee is the
planning of the picnic suppers
which are given for all freshmen
and transfer women on the first
Sunday of orientation week.
Invitations to the spring picnic
were sent by the committee to all
the new students before they ar-
rived at the University.
League Coffee Hour
There will be a coffee hour
for freshmen and transfer stu-
dents on Thursday, Sept. 22, to
acquaint them with the mem-
bers of the various League com-
mittees.
They will have an opportunity
at this time to ask questions
about the many League activi-
ties and learn of its relationship
to other campus organizations.
Member Federal
Deposit Insurance Corp.
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