Second Language Strategic Interactions Using Emerging Technologies and Experiential Learning

The affordances provided by technology for increasing efficacy of foreign language education have been a major research area within applied linguistics over the past thirty years or so (see Levy & Stockwell, 2006, for an overview). In a Japanese context, there are culturally-based issues with foreign language education at the tertiary level, such as large class sizes and low student motivation, that present educators with specific challenges where technology may provide effective mediational means to improve practice and learner outcomes. In this chapter, the authors describe an eight-week teaching intervention that was designed, through digital and web technologies readily available to teachers, to improve the communication skills of Japanese university students of English. The strategic interaction framework, developed by Di Pietro (1987), was enhanced by use of digital video and a freely available wiki site. Performances were digitally video recorded and uploaded to a private wiki and participants used this to evaluate, transcribe, and self-correct their performances. The instructor then used the video and text to focus post-performance group debriefing sessions. The results suggest that a wiki, digital video, and strategic interaction-based experiential learning cycles can be effectively integrated to mediate Japanese university EFL students’ oral communication development. Technical and pedagogical recommendations are offered.

Interactive Learning of Recursion

One concept that has proved to be especially difficult to comprehend in computer science education is recursion. This chapter provides an overview of past efforts on the teaching of recursion. The authors first introduce concepts and models about the teaching and learning of recursion. In particular, they identify models used by teachers to explain recursion (i.e. conceptual models) and models used by students in their learning process (i.e. mental models). Afterwards, they review the teaching methods used in the past. Finally, the authors survey visualization and animation systems for recursion, explaining how they support conceptual models and how they try to remove wrong mental models. They also include a comprehensive technical comparison of the systems and review the evaluations these systems have been subject to.

Sustained Learning in 4th and 5th Graders but not 7th Graders

In this chapter, agent movement and temporal speech cueing were designated for empirical study. In Experiment 1 an agent presented students in grades 4 and 5 (n = 133) with instruction, practice, and feedback on the proper usage of the apostrophe to show singular and plural ownership. Analyses of the data in Experiment 1 showed that modality effects favoured speech cueing over text cueing but agent animation had no effect. In Experiment 2, a different agent presented students in grade 7 (n = 91) with examples and practice questions on multiplying and dividing fractions. Experiment 2 data showed no effects for modality or agent animation. The data reflects previous findings of inconsistent effects in modality research.

Pedagogical Agents and the Efficiency of Instructional Conditions in Educational Applications

This chapter discusses how the use of pedagogical agents in educational applications may influence the relative efficiency of instructional conditions, a concept proposed by Paas & Merriënboer (1993), which combines the measures of mental effort and task performance to determine, for example, how efficient certain settings are regarding their potential to promote learning. The authors describe an experiment carried out with 179 students who were enrolled in a distance learning course about educational software. The results of the study demonstrated that the conversational agent contributed to the improvement of the efficiency of instructional conditions. Such results make a relevant contribution to interactive learning research as they demonstrate that the use of pedagogical agents may improve the efficiency of learning material. Furthermore, by simulating social interaction, these agents may expand the boundaries of educational applications, which have been often designed mainly for individualized learning.

Supporting Learners' Interaction by Means of Narrative Activities

It is widely recognized that learners are empowered by interacting with peers on relevant, content-related matters, and are encouraged to feel involved in their own educational process. In order to really support learning, however, interactions need to be structured and organized by means of some suitable pedagogical approach. In this chapter, the author argues that narratives (in the form of both fictional stories and narrations of experiences related to the object of study) can provide a pedagogical framework suitable to exploit the educational potential of interactions. The narrative is an expressive form which is natural and familiar to both children and adults and validly supports meaning-making as well as personal engagement. Moreover, it is an inherently social activity, which makes it particularly suitable to support collaborative activities. This chapter analyzes several examples of narrative activities carried out in different collaborative contexts in order to exemplify how they can be organized to efficaciously support learner interaction.

Web-Based Interactive Learning and the Effects of Learner Beliefs, Environmental Preferences, and Cognitive Loads

The objective of this chapter is to present learner characteristics that mediate web-based learning. These characteristics include personal epistemological beliefs, beliefs about web-based learning, social-cultural beliefs, and preferences toward web-based learning environments. In addition to the effects of these affective factors, another factor that is also addressed in the chapter is the cognitive load induced by different web-based curriculum elements. Based on a literature review and the findings of some recent empirical studies, a web-based learning model is proposed to manifest the contributions of learner characteristics on learning in web-based contexts. Educational implications are then drawn corresponding to the web-based learning model.

Developing a Pedagogy for Interactive Learning

Recent developments in higher education have seen the demise of much didactic, teacher-directed instruction, which was aimed mainly towards lower-level educational objectives. This traditional educational approach has been largely replaced by methods that feature the teacher as an originator or facilitator of interactive and learner-centred learning—with higher-level aims in mind. The origins of, and need for, these changes are outlined, leading into an account of the emerging pedagogical approach to interactive learning, featuring facilitation, and reflection. Some of the main challenges yet to be confronted effectively in consolidating a sound and comprehensive pedagogical approach to interactive development of higher level educational aims are outlined.

Interactive Learning in Workplace Training

This chapter investigates the major challenges encountered in workplace training and proposes an interactive learning environment model to overcome them. Due to the rapid nature of information change, companies need employees who remain open to new developments and continually refresh their job skills to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The adoption of new knowledge and skills is both a key requirement and a challenge for companies. In addition to difficulties arising from learning and using new knowledge/skills, loss of organizational memory is a problem commonly faced by most organizations. Unless organizations capture the existing knowledge of their employees, they will repeat mistakes and waste time resolving previously solved problems. Providing relevant and accurate information to employees based on their current goals, knowledge, and experience in real time is also seen as an important challenge. This chapter examines these challenges and proposes an interactive learning environment model to address them.

Importance of Interface Design in e-Learning Tools

This chapter discusses a number of issues pertaining to interface design in e-Learning Tools (ELTs)—where ELTs refer to computer-based software that mediates and supports learners’ engagement with educational information. The design of the interfaces of ELTs involves two main components: representation and interaction. This chapter discusses eight issues that need to be considered when designing and evaluating ELTs: 4 regarding representation design and 4 regarding learner-information interaction design. The issues of representation design are: (1) selecting, (2) coupling, (3) encoding, and (4) scaffolding. The issues of interaction design are: (1) focus, (2) flow, (3) multiplicity, and (4) compositeness and externalization. Each of these is discussed and one study involving a tool is presented for each issue to highlight the importance of paying attention to that issue when designing and evaluating the interface of ELTs.

3D Virtual Classroom Simulations for Supporting School Teachers' Continuing Professional Development

3D Virtual Worlds provide realistic three-dimensional environments accessible through the web that can offer engaging, interactive, and immersive experiences. This can create new opportunities for teaching and learning. Yet, the possible use of 3D Virtual Worlds in formal education is a major challenge for school teachers, even for those who are experienced and keen on using digital technologies. In this chapter, the authors present a 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation appropriately designed and implemented using SLOODLE for supporting a module for teachers’ continuing professional development based on the Synectics “making the strange familiar” instructional strategy, aiming towards acquiring appropriate competences for teaching within 3D Virtual Worlds and for developing innovative educational practices.