scholarly journals Autonomy, Technology, and Language-Learning in a Sheltered ESL Immersion Program

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garold L. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Language Needs

This article reports on a classroom-based research project exploring the learning experiences of 30 Japanese English-as-a-second-language (ESL) exchange students in an environment highlighting learner autonomy and the use of technology. It first addresses a growing concern among practitioners, that is, how to create a learning environment that facilitates learner autonomy. One possible answer is a learning structure that first requires students to reflect on their second-language needs and interests. They then set their learning goals, devise projects to help meet these goals, and self-assess their learning. This model was implemented in three multimedia lab classes of two content-based language courses of a sheltered immersion program. The students' learning experiences are examined in a multiple case study relying on data collected through questionnaires and interviews, as well as participants' learning logs, teacher observation, and measures of academic achievement. The data suggest that promoting learner autonomy through experiential learning enhances motivation, metacognitive knowledge, and personal growth. The article concludes by exploring possibilities for the application of this model in regular ESL classrooms.

scholarly journals INSTAGLISH: WHEN INSTAGRAM IS BEYOND ONLINE PHOTO-SHARING PLATFORM TO INDUCE YOUR ENGLISH

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Pusfika Rayuningtya ◽  
Ika Fitriani
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Photo Sharing ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Story Sharing ◽  
Writing Scores

Motivated by the growth of social media throughout the globe, including in Indonesia, educational practitioners need to be creative and make use of this opportunity to boost up the learning goals, for example making use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Line, and many others (social media) in educational settings. Among those social media, Instagram has increased its popularity, particularly in Indonesia, with its 22 million users. It is an online platform in which users can share their stories via uploaded photos. Recently, it is not merely used as photo story sharing but also online shopping, news updating, and video conferencing. As Instagram offers promising features, this study explored how this platform was applied to improve the students English written competence, focusing on reading and writing. This study is action research that investigates the use of Instagram as a social-and-educational medium that offers beyond new language learning experiences in the project called InstaGlish, Instagram English. The data were collected from the classroom observation during the project, students' Instagram photo posts, captions and comments, and students' reading and writing scores after project implementation.  A questionnaire and direct interview to the students were also carried out to give a more thorough and deeper understanding of the students' responses toward how effective InstaGlish helps them learn and induce their English. In addition, the findings of this current study were expected to give fruitful insight on how to use social media not merely as the fun-without-meaning activity yet fun-and-meaningful new learning experiences.

scholarly journals Toward Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Teaching in the French as a Second Language Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike Wernicke
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Critical Language Awareness ◽  
Langue Seconde

In English-majority contexts such as British Columbia, French second language (FSL) teachers are increasingly encountering students who are also learning French in addition to English and their home languages. Research findings show that dual language learners are successfully supported through multilingual pedagogies that acknowledge and explicitly value students’ prior learning experiences and multilingual knowledge as an integral resource in their language learning. This poses a particular challenge for FSL teacher candidates whose own language learning experiences have been shaped by institutional bilingualism and monoglossic approaches in bilingual education contexts. This article sets out the implications of this challenge and then describes a teacher education course that specifically addresses the Teaching of English as an additional language (TEAL) with teacher candidates in an elementary French specialist cohort program at a university in British Columbia. The discussion provides an overview of the course and then describes some of the ways in which critical language awareness can be fostered among FSL teacher candidates’ strategies to encourage a linguistically and culturally responsive approach to FSL teaching. Dans un contexte majoritairement anglophone comme celui de la Colombie-Britannique, les enseignantes et enseignants de français langue seconde (FLS) se trouvent de plus en plus souvent face à des élèves qui apprennent le français en plus de l’anglais et de la langue qu’ils ou elles parlent à la maison. Les recherches démontrent que les élèves qui apprennent deux langues bénéficient de pédagogies multilingues efficaces qui reconnaissent et mettent explicitement en valeur leurs expériences d’apprentissage antérieures et leurs connaissances multilingues, et ce, en en faisant une partie intégrante des ressources dans lesquelles ils peuvent puiser au cours de leur apprentissage linguistique. Cela pose un défi particulier pour les enseignantes et enseignants de FLS en formation dont les expériences d’apprentissage linguistique ont été façonnées par le bilinguisme institutionnel et une conception monoglossique des contextes éducatifs bilingues. Le présent article expose les implications de ce défi et décrit ensuite un cours de formation d’enseignantes et d’enseignants qui porte spécifiquement sur l’enseignement de l’anglais comme langue complémentaire (TEAL) dans le cadre d’un programme offert par une université britannico-colombienne à une cohorte de spécialistes de la langue française au niveau élémentaire. La discussion présente un aperçu du cours et décrit ensuite certaines façons de favoriser le développement d’une conscience linguistique critique dans le cadre des stratégies des enseignantes et enseignants de FLS en formation afin de promouvoir le développement d’une conception de l’enseignement qui prenne en compte les réalités linguistiques et culturelles.

The Role of Mobile Technologies in Impacting Learner Autonomy in an EFL Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-73
Author(s):  
Ali Abbas Falah Alzubi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Use Of Technology

This article reviews previous research conducted on the role of mobile devices that support learner autonomy (LA) in English is a foreign/second language (EFL) context from 2010 to 2021 based on a number of criteria that included research design, publication type, period, field of study, and use of technology. Mainly, the review examined design features of the empirical studies on mobile technologies and learner autonomy (LA) in EFL contexts and the ways mobile technologies impact LA. A coding sheet was used to analyze the papers (N = 23) having met the selection criteria in terms of education form and level, instrumentation, location, context, gender, use of technology, English as a foreign/second language (EFL) skills, and learning impact. It was revealed that all of the examined studies were conducted in Asia and Europe. Also, most of the studies had male and female participants. In addition, most studies on utilizing mobile devices to impact LA were investigated in higher education informally. Moreover, literature has paid more attention to reading and writing skills, vocabulary/grammar skills, and EFL in general. Finally, the analysis showed that mobile devices played a vital role in impacting LA in EFL contexts in a positive sense. Future research gaps and recommendations are suggested based on the findings of this review.

scholarly journals Brain white matter structure and COMT gene are linked to second-language learning in adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (26) ◽  
pp. 7249-7254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping C. Mamiya ◽  
Todd L. Richards ◽  
Bradley P. Coe ◽  
Evan E. Eichler ◽  
Patricia K. Kuhl
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Radial Diffusivity ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
The Relationship

Adult human brains retain the capacity to undergo tissue reorganization during second-language learning. Brain-imaging studies show a relationship between neuroanatomical properties and learning for adults exposed to a second language. However, the role of genetic factors in this relationship has not been investigated. The goal of the current study was twofold: (i) to characterize the relationship between brain white matter fiber-tract properties and second-language immersion using diffusion tensor imaging, and (ii) to determine whether polymorphisms in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene affect the relationship. We recruited incoming Chinese students enrolled in the University of Washington and scanned their brains one time. We measured the diffusion properties of the white matter fiber tracts and correlated them with the number of days each student had been in the immersion program at the time of the brain scan. We found that higher numbers of days in the English immersion program correlated with higher fractional anisotropy and lower radial diffusivity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. We show that fractional anisotropy declined once the subjects finished the immersion program. The relationship between brain white matter fiber-tract properties and immersion varied in subjects with different COMT genotypes. Subjects with the Methionine (Met)/Valine (Val) and Val/Val genotypes showed higher fractional anisotropy and lower radial diffusivity during immersion, which reversed immediately after immersion ended, whereas those with the Met/Met genotype did not show these relationships. Statistical modeling revealed that subjects’ grades in the language immersion program were best predicted by fractional anisotropy and COMT genotype.

scholarly journals A systematic review of CALL in English as a second language: Focus on primary and secondary education

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Macaro ◽  
Zöe Handley ◽  
Catherine Walter
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
Technological Developments

After explaining why consideration of the use of technology in second language (L2) teaching in the primary and secondary sectors is necessary, this systematic review presents a keyword map of 117 studies of technology in L2 learning since 1990. It reveals that research effort in these educational sectors has increased in line with technological developments and there have been important differences between the primary and secondary sectors in the adoption of applications. There then follows an in-depth review of 47 post-2000 studies investigating the efficacy of technology in the teaching of L2 English. It asks what technology has been used and why, what evidence there is that technology facilitates language learning, and what other insights can be drawn from the research in this field. The evidence that technology has a direct beneficial impact on linguistic outcomes is slight and inconclusive, but it may impact indirectly and positively on learner attitudes and behaviours and may promote collaboration. On the whole, the research reviewed lacked the quality that would reassure practitioners and policy-makers that technological investment is warranted. We argue that future research needs to provide a tighter link between technological applications, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory, and learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-236
Author(s):  
Robb Mark McCollum ◽  
Elena Tornar Reed
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Learner Motivation ◽  
Language Classes

Teaching multilingual, multilevel language classes presents many challenges including helping students learn level-appropriate language. This learner-centred approach is complicated in a multilevel classroom where the teacher cannot always focus on each student’s needs. As a result, learner motivation and attendance are frequent problems. This article details the adaptation of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) into a badge system to help learners in a community English as a Second Language (ESL) program set and track personalized language learning goals. The authors explain the purposes of badges, including motivation and assessment, and describe how to create a CLB-based badge system for curriculum and assessment purposes. The authors also share feedback from students and instructors in the community ESL program about the badge-based curriculum.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Learner Autonomy and Autonomous Learning Practices in Massive Open Online Language Courses

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Hülya Mısır ◽  
Didem Koban Koç ◽  
Serdar Engin Koç
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
Open Discussion

The study investigates the perception of learner autonomy with Massive Open Online Language Course (MOOLC) participants, more specifically; (i) to what extent EFL learners in an English MOOLC are autonomous, (ii) the perception of learners’ and teachers’ roles in learner autonomy, and (iii) the autonomous learning practices the learners are involved in by participating in the MOOLCs. It contributes to the understanding of online learner as an agent in highly heterogeneous language learning contexts and the link between online learning and learner autonomy. The mixed-method design is employed to present data from a Learner Autonomy Questionnaire by Joshi (2011) conducted with 57 participants from three English MOOLCs with a variety of focus as well as a content analysis method was used on the interaction data in the form of open discussion forum posts, which were added by the participants, to create a frame of autonomous learning activities in these MOOLCs and learners’ attitudes towards them. The findings show that the English MOOLC participants are highly autonomous and willing to be more responsible for their own learning. Similarly, the learners’ perception of their own roles indicates a positive inclination towards autonomy. Furthermore, the participants favor the MOOLCs that encourage learner-centered and autonomous language learning practices. Due to the interactive, communicative, and collaborative nature of MOOLCs, learners are advised to develop globalized autonomous skills to participate effectively in such multicultural learning platforms because learner autonomy goes beyond traditional classrooms.

scholarly journals The Need for Establishing an English Self-Access Center at Osaka University: Practical Suggestions and Overall Guidelines

2017 ◽  
pp. 365-378
Author(s):  
Parisa Mehran ◽  
Mehrasa Alizadeh ◽  
Ichiro Koguchi ◽  
Haruo Takemura
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Guided Learning ◽  
The Status ◽  
Language Needs

As part of a PhD project, an in-depth needs analysis was carried out to assess the English language needs and difficulties of undergraduate Japanese EFL learners at Osaka University. The results were primarily intended to guide the design and development of an online English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) course. The findings further revealed a pressing need for launching and maintaining self-access language learning facilities which could provide learners with independent and semi-guided learning opportunities addressing their needs and interests. In this paper, the importance of establishing a self-access language learning center at Osaka University will be proposed with the goal of fostering learner autonomy. In fulfilling this objective, practical suggestions and overall guidelines will be outlined based on a number of language learning center observations in Japan. It is hoped that this writing will serve as a stimulus to strengthen the status of English language teaching at Osaka University.

scholarly journals The Role of Digital Technology in English Language Teaching in Azerbaijan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milana Abbasova ◽  
Narmin Mammadova
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Use Of Technology

The current study uses qualitative methodology to explore the role that digital technology plays in both second language acquisition and teaching. In-depth interviews were conducted with 6 teachers aged between 23 and 55 who are currently employed by Khazar University, Azerbaijan. Teachers indicate that the use of technology has an important impact on student’s second language learning. Although some of the teachers displayed negative effects of modern technologies on getting students’ attention, positive feedback is more available. Teachers demonstrated how the use of technology in teaching and learning supports students’ engagement in education. Overall, this study provides a reader with a general understanding of both students and teachers’ involvement in digital media as well as the effectiveness of second language teaching with technologies at higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan. Future research in the same area of study is needed to compare both teachers’ and students’ perceptions separately in broader sample and identify the key factors that affect teacher’s decision to choose rather traditional methods.

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