The label that has been applied to this approach is 'modular.'[1] The modular principle may be applied on at least two different scales.
On a large scale, it means that instead of a single volume, with drills, notes, dialogs and what-not all printed and bound in fixed order relative to one another, there are separate fascicles, or 'modules,' which can be used (or discarded!) individually, or in various combinations with one another. Instead of building a bridge, we supply a set of pontoons. Each major component of the course takes the form of one or more modules. One fascicle may consist of phonological drills; another may be a very brief reference grammar that covers only those matters that are of high text frequency; another may consist of dialogs, with cross references to the short grammar in lieu of separate grammatical notes. Some of the less common types of module are described in Appendices G,H,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U.
Within a single 'lesson,' or 'unit,' the modular principle suggests that the several components (dialogs, drills, etc.) be designed so that they may be rearranged to suit the convictions of various kinds of user, and so that the individual components may be replaced with minimum disturbance to the rest of the lesson. For examples, see Chapter 4 and Appendices G,I,J,K.
One advantage of modular construction is that it allows for more user responsibility (Assumption IV): a class that wants to spend the first 15 hours on phonology can do so, but a class that finds that kind of activity unmotivating can wait until what is
- ↑ One of the first to apply this term was William F. Mackey.
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