scholarly journals Roles assigned to heritage learners in beginner Spanish mixed classes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuly Asención-Delaney
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Language Model ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Cultural Goals ◽  
Education Statistics ◽  
Mixed Classes

Recent data indicate that there is a large population of Spanish Heritage Learners (HLs) in postsecondary institutions in the U.S. (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2017).  However, only 40% of institutions offer at least one course for this student population (Beaudrie, 2012). This situation forces HLs to take language courses designed for Spanish second language learners (i.e., mixed classes). This article reports a study that was carried out to answer the following research questions: a) what roles do instructors assign to HLs in their beginner classes, and b) how do these observed roles support the HL language instruction goals and meet their needs for cultural connection?  Results indicate that teachers assign a variety of roles to heritage learners in their beginner Spanish classes. These roles include serving as a language model or informant in terms of linguistic, pragmatic or cultural knowledge, translating and tutoring.  The assigned roles could support or inhibit heritage learners’ linguistic and cultural goals depending on their linguistic level. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings as they pertain to the required teacher training to better serve these learners in mixed language classes.

Education as Healing: How Urban Aboriginal Men Described Post-Secondary Schooling as Decolonising

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Restoule
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Secondary Schooling ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Cultural Identity Development

AbstractThis paper relates findings from learning circles held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with urban Aboriginal men. The purpose of the circles was to determine how an Aboriginal cultural identity is formed in urban spaces. Education settings were mentioned by the research participants as a significant contribution to their cultural identity development. Participants described elementary and secondary school experiences as lacking in Aboriginal inclusion at best or as racist. In contrast to these earlier experiences, participants described their post-secondary education as enabling them to work on healing or decolonising themselves. Specific strategies for universities to contribute to individual decolonising journeys are mentioned. A university that contributes to decolonising and healing must provide space for Aboriginal students where they feel culturally safe. The students must have access to cultural knowledge and its keepers, such as elders. Their teachers must offer Indigenous course content and demonstrate respect and love for their students. Courses must be seen to be relevant to Indigenous people in their decolonising process and use teaching styles that include humour and engender a spirit of community in the classroom. In particular, Indigenous language courses are important to Aboriginal students.

scholarly journals Second Language Learners’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Delayed Immediate Corrective Feedback in an Asynchronous Online Setting An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-209
Author(s):  
Laia Canals ◽  
Gisela Granena ◽  
Yucel Yilmaz ◽  
Aleksandra Malicka
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Oral Interaction

Online language courses that rely on asynchronous teacher-learner communication face a practical problem when it comes to the provision of immediate corrective feedback by the teacher in oral interaction tasks. In this learning context, learners can still communicate synchronously and record their interaction without the teacher being present, but feedback by the teacher will be delayed in time. Research indicates that the effectiveness of feedback decreases as the time between the error and the correction increases and that immediate feedback is more effective (Arroyo & Yilmaz, 2018; Shintani & Aubrey, 2016). In this exploratory study conducted at an online university, we implemented a novel type of feedback we referred to as delayed immediate corrective feedback (DICF) and analyzed second language learners’ and teachers’ perceptions regarding its effectiveness and usefulness. Our goal was to assess the feasibility of implementing this type of feedback in our context and, ultimately, in other contexts where communication between teachers and learners takes place asynchronously. DICF was provided by teachers orally via screencast video. Learners and teachers’ perceptions were collected via two separate questionnaires. The results showed that teachers and learners responded positively to DICF and several potential benefits were identified. Les cours de langue en ligne qui s’appuient sur la communication asynchrone enseignant-apprenant rencontrent un problème pratique quand vient le temps de fournir de la rétroaction corrective immédiate par l’enseignant lors des tâches d’interaction orale. Dans ce contexte d’apprentissage, les apprenants peuvent toujours communiquer de manière synchrone et enregistrer leur interaction sans que l’enseignant soit présent, mais la rétroaction de l’enseignant sera décalée dans le temps. La recherche indique que l’efficacité de la rétroaction diminue au fur et à mesure que le temps entre l’erreur et la correction augmente, et que la rétroaction immédiate est plus efficace (Arroyo & Yilmaz, 2018; Shintani & Aubrey, 2016). Dans cette étude exploratoire menée auprès d’une université en ligne, nous avons mis en place une nouvelle forme de rétroaction, que nous avons appelée rétroaction corrective immédiate retardée (RCIR), et nous avons analysé les perceptions des apprenants de langue seconde et des enseignants quant à son utilité et à son efficacité. Notre objectif était d’évaluer la faisabilité de mettre en place ce type de rétroaction dans notre contexte, et par extension, dans d’autres contextes où la communication entre apprenants et enseignants se passe de manière asynchrone. La RCIR a été fournie oralement par des enseignants à l’aide de vidéos d’écrans. Les perceptions des apprenants et des enseignants ont été recueillies dans deux questionnaires distincts. Les résultats ont montré qu’apprenants et enseignants ont réagi à la RCIR de manière positive et plusieurs avantages potentiels ont été identifiés.

Classroom Based Dialect Awareness in Heritage Language Instruction: A Critical Applied Linguistic Approach

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Variation ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
College Level ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
First Year College ◽  
Dialect Awareness ◽  
Linguistic Approach

The present paper argues that while the Spanish for Heritage Learners (SHL) profession has given ample attention to sociolinguistic issues such as linguistic standards and language variation in teacher training, it has not yet given sufficient attention to the promotion of dialect awareness among heritage learners themselves. After discussing the role of dialect in heritage language pedagogy, I review some of the ways in which dialect awareness has been fostered in existing SHL textbooks and ancillary materials. I argue that these approaches can be sharpened by attending to the social functions of language variation. I present a critical applied linguistic approach to dialect awareness that focuses on the indexical aspects of language variation in society. I discuss three strands of this approach to dialect awareness: functions of dialects, distributions of dialects, and evaluation of dialects. Finally, I suggest some activities to present these strands in a first year college level Spanish for heritage learners class.

Developing and Implementing an Online Chinese Program

2013 ◽  
pp. 160-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyu Sun ◽  
Yea-Fen Chen ◽  
Andrew Olson
Keyword(s):  
Online Instruction ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
The Face ◽  
Guidelines And Recommendations

The virtual language classroom is becoming more commonplace, and for many instructors it is even a requirement. This chapter aims to present a virtual language classroom case study and to propose a prototype for instructors to develop and implement fully online entry-level language classes, as well as to provide guidelines and recommendations for their reference as they redesign traditional face-to-face language courses to fit the online modality. As the case study progressed, the authors discovered that this new modality of online language instruction poses many challenges. Their research aims to answer questions, such as: 1) is the online instruction in the case study comparable to the face-to-face class? and 2) how can one best balance synchronous and asynchronous components in an entry-level online language (Chinese in specific) course?

Cultural Problems in Teaching and Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Tunisia

2017 ◽  
pp. 257-274
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Integration Of Technology

Culture now becomes a key element in most educational systems, particularly in Higher education, where cultural Studies are an essential part of most language instruction. The aim of this chapter is to explore the cultural challenges that hinder the process of learning English in Tunisia and to suggest solutions for overcoming these. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection material. It was found that lack of authentic materials, lack of cultural knowledge of the target language, poor textbooks, limited exposure to authentic culture environment and native culture interference are considered to be the main problems. The results also showed that these challenges can be remedied by using more authentic materials, revising the content of textbooks, the integration of technology and cultural awareness.

scholarly journals To What Extent Do Popular ESL Textbooks Incorporate Oral Fluency and Pragmatic Development

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori G. Diepenbroek ◽  
Tracey M. Derwing
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Oral Fluency ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
Esl Programs ◽  
Textbook Series ◽  
Language Courses

We examined several popular integrated skills textbooks used in Language Instruc- tion for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and English as a second language (ESL) programs for pragmatics and oral fluency activities. Although many instructors use other resources to supplement classroom instruction, the textbook is still the backbone of many language courses. We wanted to know to what extent textbooks focus on pragmatics and oral fluency, as well as the range of activities featured in each. In light of the recent federal evaluation of LINC programs in Canada, which indicated extremely limited improvement in speaking and listening skills as a result of language instruction, it is important to know which textbooks offer the best opportunities for pragmatics and fluency development. We determined that very few textbook series are consistent in their inclusion of pragmatic content in terms of scope, quality, and quantity. As might be expected, oral fluency is not a major focus in integrated skills texts; however, those activities that are intended to enhance fluency development could easily be improved by an instructor.

scholarly journals Phoneme acquisition: Infants and second language learners

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
James Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Language Model ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Phoneme Perception ◽  
Infant Language ◽  
Perception Training

This paper argues for explicit phoneme perception training. It discusses infant phoneme acquisition studies and relates these studies to second language learners. The first half of the article is an account of infant language acquisition studies and uses the Native Language Model, as developed by Patricia Kuhl, to conceptualize an infant’s phoneme acquisition process. The second half of this paper deals with what L1 phoneme acquisition means for adult second language learners. Three questions are addressed: First, to what extent can L2 learners’ perceptual patterns be modified after the initial neural commitment? Second, is phonemic training with adult learners worthwhile? And, third, what methodologies are the most effective for modifying an L2 learner’s initial L1 phoneme structure? The techniques discussed are contrastive exposure, making the phoneme salient, and high-variability. 本論は、明示的に行う音素認識トレーニングについて論じる。乳幼児の音素習得研究を論議し、これらの研究を第2言語学習者に関連づける。前半は乳幼児の言語習得研究の説明において、Patricia Kuhlの乳幼児の音素習得プロセスを概念したNative Language Magnet Theoryを用いている。後半では、乳幼児の第１言語音素習得が大人である第2言語学習者にどのような意味を持つのかを述べる。次の3点を検討する。1）第2言語学習者の音素認識パターンは、第1言語でのパターンが確立した後、どの程度修正されることができるのか。2）大人の学習者に対する音素認識トレーニングは価値があるのか。3）第2言語学習者における第１言語の音素構造を修正するには、どのような方法が最も効果的なのか。論議されている手法は、音素を際立たせ、高い変動性をもたらす対照提示である。

scholarly journals Litteraturarbete i ett svenska som andraspråksklassrum

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Catarina Economou
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Second Language Instruction ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Literature Pedagogy

AbstractThis article considers the role of reading fiction in Swedish as a second language instruction. The study examines how a group of advanced second language learners in a Swedish upper secondary school read, interpret and discuss a contemporary Swedish novel, how they interact with the text and with each other in relation to the text. Furthermore, it analyses which forms of reading the students use. It is a qualitative, empirical study based on field studies, transcriptions of tape recorded interaction and of written texts. The results indicate that second language learners in this context have a positive attitude towards reading and discussing what they read using several forms of reading. They often compare the content of the text to their own lives. One conclusion is that literature teaching and literature can be integrated into one Swedish subject in order to create even more meaningful interactions between students from different backgrounds. Another is that literature can be a means of language development as well as personal development.Keywords: Second language learners, literature pedagogy and didactics, forms of reading, democracy. SammandragDenna artikel handlar om skönlitteraturens roll i skolämnet svenska som andraspråk. Studien undersöker hur en grupp avancerade andraspråksinlärare i en svensk gymnasieskola läser, tolkar och diskuterar en modern svensk roman och hur de interagerar med texten och med varandra i relation till texten. Dessutom analyseras vilka läsarter som eleverna använde sig av. Den är en kvalitativ, empirisk studie som baseras på fältstudier, transkriptioner av inspelade boksamtal och elevtexter. Resultaten visar att andraspråkseleverna hade en positiv attityd till boksamtal och de använde sig av flera läsarter. De jämförde ofta texten till sina egna liv och erfarenheter.  En slutsats är att litteraturundervisning och litteraturarbete skulle kunna integreras i ett gemensamt ämne så att ännu mer meningsfulla samtal mellan elever från olika bakgrund. Dessutom kan litteratur bli ett medel för personlighetsutveckling liksom för språkutveckling.Nyckelord: Andraspråkselever, litteraturpedagogik och didaktik, läsarter, demokrati.  

scholarly journals Hybrid Design and Flipping the Classroom in Content-Oriented Foreign Language Courses Developing Intensive Italian for Gamers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Bregni
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Continued Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

In recent years, scholars have increasingly indicated content-based language teaching (CBLT) as a potential successful response to the increasing challenges faced by language departments in higher education. This article is a case study on the advantages of using a hybrid format in a content-based intensive foreign language video game-based (VGBL) course. For decades now, video games have been a pervasive part of our culture. My experiments in introducing video games as a learning device in the F/L2 language classroom have led me to explore the option of teaching a gaming-based language course. I further developed language acquisition strategies using video games and related media. In spring 2017, I used the SLU state-of-the-art learning studio to teach Intensive Italian for Gamers, which combines “traditional” intensive language instruction with gaming-based interaction. Within the pedagogical premise that language acquisition is a process that involves, and benefits from, daily interactions in the language in and outside the classroom, the course targeted the specific segment of the student population that self-identifies as gamers. A specific content-oriented intensive foreign language course of this kind would not have been possible without a hybrid course design format. Flipping the classroom allowed learners to spend more time in contact with the target-language and focus their attention on exploring the spoken language through the digital gaming realia and communicating with one another in the target language on the specific course topic: video games. Flipping the classroom also encouraged students to explore more of the language independently. In an online survey conducted approximately six months after completing the course (response rate was 83.3%), all of the respondents reported that they autonomously continued to play games in the target language in their own spare time, and most of them did so often”. Pilot data show that students attained the desired level, continued learning on their own, and less stress was involved than in a traditional course. My course could serve as a model for a mixed/blended learning format that could be applied to other languages and even other fields. After all, video games lend themselves to some interesting potential multidisciplinary developments in, among other subjects, History, Art and Architecture.

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