TSLL 2008

  Bridging the “lang-lit split”: Teaching textual analysis with input and output activities and an input-to-output approach

Stacey Weber-Fève
Iowa State University

The Modern Language Association report from Summer 2007 is highly indicative of the increasingly-debated controversies surrounding (a) the traditional division of foreign language curriculum between “language” and “literature” and (b) the instruction of textual analysis (or practice of close reading) in the communicative second-language classroom.  As I will postulate in this paper, in most instances in my view, both sides of the debates may effectively coalesce through the process of designing and publishing second language materials that draw upon (a working) knowledge in applied linguistics.  In this paper, I will provide a short history of the controversy surrounding the “pointless distinction between language instruction and content instruction” (Byrnes, 2007)—also known as the “lang-lit split” (Scott & Tucker, 2002).  I will move on to provide a brief overview of some of the prominent scholarship advocating an integration of language and literature and a rational for close reading practices in foreign language curriculum, as informed by several key research findings (Bernhardt, 2002; Kord, 2002; Fecteau, 1999; Frantzen, 2002; Iyer, 2007; Kramsch & Kramsch, 2000; Schultz, 2002).  Then, I will respond to the questions of “why” and “how” to teach students textual analysis meaningfully and communicatively and finally will propose and demonstrate the use of input and output activities and an input-to-output approach (Lee & Van Patten, 1996; Katz, 2002; Wong, 2004) as a pedagogical strategy that may “bridge” this so-called “lang-lit split.”  I will also lightly touch on possible manners in which some of these activities may be adapted to classroom technology options (e.g., with the use of “clickers”) or may be used for evaluative purposes (e.g., reading comprehension).

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Using design-based research to guide the development and evaluation of instructional materials for hybrid Spanish courses

 Julio C Rodriguez & Cristina Pardo-Ballester
Iowa State University

The application of design-based research guidelines to the design and development of materials for language learning affords excellent opportunities to implement a principled approach to produce materials that integrate relevant SLA findings. Because of the iterative and participatory nature of design-based research, materials designed from this perspective are likely to result in products which 1) are sensitive to the mode, context and content of language instruction; 2) are appropriate for learners with different learning styles (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.); 3) address learners' interest in particular discourse domains (e.g., business, engineering, etc.); 4) are linguistically and socioculturally varied; and 5) are presented in interfaces that are optimal for language learning. In this presentation, we will describe a design-based research project that involves the development of materials for hybrid elementary and intermediate Spanish courses. Relevant SLA hypotheses (i.e., salient input, elaborated input, noticing) as well as principles of blended learning will be addressed in relation to their impact on the design of the materials and the learning experiences envisioned by the designers. We will report preliminary data from a pilot which will include learners' perceptions of and interaction with the materials as well as results from a usability test.

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Group blogging as a learning material in an ESL course: Learners’ perception and its efficacy

Kimi Nakatsukasa
Michigan State University

Blogs became popular because of their simple editing and interactive features. Educators started using blogs as a part of teaching materials. Particularly, language teachers are using blogs as learners’ portfolio and diary (Goldwin-Jones, 2003). Previous studies show that blogging promoted writing fluency in a second language (L2) and that learners perceived blogging positively (Apple, 2006; Pinkman, 2005). In addition, interaction with the audience may promote L2 learning (Gass and Mackey, 2006). Yet, studies so far have only analyzed individual learners’ blogs, and not the role of group blogs as a learning material.

The present study analyzes the ESL learners’ perception of group blogs as a language learning material, and their subsequent linguistic development. Four groups with four learners in each kept a group blog throughout a semester as a part of their electronic portfolio in a low-intermediate ESL content course at a university in the U.S. In order to understand learners’ perception of group blogging, the researcher collected learners’ written reflections of group blog on the next day they wrote blogs, and conducted the exit questionnaire about their preference of group blogging. Their linguistic development was measured in relation to the development of writing fluency (e.g., the number of words per each posting) and of the variety of vocabulary.

Preliminary analysis shows that overall learners had positive perception of group blogging as a learning material, and their writing fluency developed throughout the semester. This study argues for the necessity of further investigating the efficacy of group blog on L2 learning.

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Prospects for developing L2 students' effective use of vocabulary learning strategies via web-based multimedia training

Jim Ranalli

Iowa State University

A large body of research supports the efficacy of learning strategies employed in the acquisition of second-language vocabulary. However, research also indicates that many such strategies are under-used or misused by learners, and further that any effort to integrate learner training in the use of such strategies into classroom instruction faces a number of challenges, among them a shortage of appropriate training materials, a lack of expertise on the part of the teacher, and ingrained habits or even resistance on the part of the learner. This paper describes a classroom-based investigation into the utility of a prototype web-based learner-training resource called The VVT Site ("Virtual Vocabulary Trainer"), which combines multimedia tutorials, practice exercises and awareness-raising tasks. Participants' use of the site and their opinions about the training they received were investigated by way of a survey, interviews, observations and screen-capture data. The results provide insights into the benefits that might be gained from an online multimedia approach to learner training, as well as useful design and content considerations for future enhancements to the site.

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MyCase: Simulating workplace practices online to teach writing

David Russell
Iowa State University

Internet-based courses are generally repositories of traditional classroom materials, in which course/content management systems (CMSs) reproduce actions undertaken in face-to-face classrooms (readings, assignments, discussions, etc.).  However, research has consistently shown that internet-based courses show "no significant difference" in learning (Clark 2002).  To address the problem, we used a synthesis of Vygotskian activity theory and New Rhetorical genre theory to create an alternative CMS called MyCase that simulates workplace practices to represent discourse-demanding tasks within a discipline, using video, audio, and professional texts and data. The CMS is configured and deployed to provide students with the sense that they are immersed in a social activity other than taking a university course.

The paper presents qualitative studies conducted in a management course and an engineering course that used multi-media simulations built with MyCase.  Results indicate that students 1) attribute greater significance for their future professional work to the activities in which they engage within the simulation than they do to other classroom activities 2) engage in activities that more closely match established definitions of active learning than other classroom activities, and 3) produced texts for the simulation that incorporated more strategies of professional writing than texts written for other assignments.  Implications for genre theory  and for the design of CMSs for professional education are discussed.

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A case study in incorporating authentic materials in language learning tools

Mike Conner
Grinnell College

The growing popularity of websites such as Flickr and YouTube, and the availability of podcasts have greatly increased the opportunities that language learners have to consume materials produced by native speakers of a target language.  However, the input can be overwhelming, and without training it can be difficult for students to make good use of the materials for language learning purposes.  This paper reports on the development of a web-based learning tool that seeks to connect students directly to authentic materials while at the same time helping them to effectively use the materials as language learning resources.  The tool aims to combine more traditional tools for vocabulary learning (dictionary and glosses) with dynamic authentic materials (images, videos, and audio files produced by native speakers) to produce an effective and engaging tool for learning vocabulary.  It provides many types of input (aural, visual, key-word-in-context, definition, L1 gloss, L2 gloss), which learners can select, to create a learning experience tailored to each student.  Authentic materials are incorporated through the use of Application Programming Interfaces to various web- services and through the use of a small corpus of transcribed podcasts coupled with a concordancer to produce a key-word-in-context format which also allows learners to play the specific part of the audio file where the search term occurs.  This paper discusses considerations that are directing the development of this tool such as selection of materials, effective presentation of materials, and technical aspects of gathering materials from a variety of sources to produce a cohesive, useful resource.

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Interactivity and authentic media in CALL

Sue Otto & James Pusack
University of Iowa

What do we mean by "interactivity"? What kinds of interactivity can we expect with 21st-century CALL technology?  What tools do we need to successfully exploit authentic media for language learning and teaching at all levels? The presenters will attempt to answer these questions as they explore to concept of interactivity, discuss the current state of technologies for CALL, and present recently developed Flash-based tools for creating CALL lessons with authentic streaming video and websites. Examples of student CALL development projects will be given.

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Context visuals in L2 listening tests: The effectiveness of photographs and video vs. audio-only format

Ruslan Suvorov
Iowa State University

Although visual support in the form of pictures and video has been widely used in language teaching, there appears to be a dearth of research on the role of visual aids in L2 listening tests (Buck, 2000; Ockey, 2007) and the absence of sound theoretical perspectives on this issue (Ginther, 2001; Gruba, 1999). The existing studies of the role of visual support in L2 listening tests yielded inconclusive results. While some studies showed that visuals can improve test-takers’ performance on L2 listening tests (e.g., Ginther, 2002), others revealed no facilitative effect of visuals on listening comprehension of test-takers (e.g., Coniam, 2001; Gruba, 1993; Ockey, 2007).

The given study, conducted at Iowa State University in Spring 2008, investigated the influence of context visuals, namely a single photograph and video, on test-takers’ performance on a computer-based Listening Test developed specifically for this study. The Listening Test, consisting of six listening passages and 30 multiple-choice questions, was administered to 34 international students from three English listening classes. In particular, the study examined whether test-takers perform differently on three types of listening passages: passages with a single photograph, video-mediated listening passages, and audio-only listening passages. In addition, participants’ responses on the Post-Test Questionnaire were analyzed to determine whether their preferences of visual stimuli in listening tests corresponded with their actual performance on different types of visuals. The results indicated that while no difference was found between the scores for photo-mediated and audio-only listening passages, participants’ performance on video-mediated listening passages was significantly lower.

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Integrating authentic videos into both pronunciation training and language and culture learning

Dorothy Chun
University of California at Santa Barbara

In this paper I present two different projects, both of which use authentic videos –as well as other technologies– to aid in the development of L2 linguistic and cultural proficiency.  In the first project, I employed a speech recognition program Tell Me More and YouTube videos to teach German phonetics.  Students used Tell Me More to see visualizations of their intonational patterns and practice their pronunciation.  They chose YouTube videos of authentic German speakers, transcribed the spoken language, and performed their own renditions of these videos.  The second project, a multimedia program called Virtual Study Abroad, is being developed by Dr. Lisa Parkes at UCLA and will allow students to travel virtually to Germany and participate in the kinds of interactions they might encounter if they were actually studying abroad.  By using Google Maps and videos featuring native speakers in typical situations, students are exposed to authentic cultural contexts and are asked to perform interactive tasks that are designed to improve their linguistic proficiency and cultural awareness.

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Designing an intelligent discourse evaluation tool: Theoretical, empirical, and technological considerations

Elena Cotos, Nick Pendar, Andrew Vernon
Iowa State University

Iowa State UniversityPractitioners have long been struggling to find effective ways of helping non-native speakers develop academic writing skills. Various pedagogical approaches have been attempted to achieve this goal (Cargill et al., 2001; Levis & Muller-Levis, 2003). The challenge is that the writing instruction should combine language and discourse with the skill of writing within professional norms (Kushner, 1997). Issues of disciplinarity have largely been addressed by corpus implementations (Cortes, 2006; Flowerdew, 2005; Lee & Swales, 2006). However, any pedagogical effort is incomplete if it fails to provide students with sufficient practice and remediational guidance through formative feedback during the writing process. An academic discourse evaluation application could account for this drawback.Since a program with such capabilities has not yet been developed, we set out to design a web-based ICALL application, named  IADE (Intelligent Academic Discourse Evaluator), that evaluates international graduate students’ research article introductions based on a model adapted from Swales (1990, 2004). It achieves this by conducting a sentence-level classification of the input text for rhetorical shifts. This paper describes the natural language processing approach to developing the program, including the feature selection method and the supervised learning model employed. We also discuss theoretical and empirical aspects considered in the design of IADE. Our program draws from Second Language Acquisition models such as Interactionist views and Systemic Functional Linguistics as well as from the Skill Acquisition Theory of learning. It is also informed by research on the provision of feedback and by Evidence Centered Design principles (Mislevy et al., 2006).

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Developing intercultural communicative competence: A web-based approach to the teaching of the speech act of requests

Adolfo A. Carrillo Cabello
Iowa State University

This project seeks to investigate the utility of an online teaching unit in the development of intercultural competence as evidenced by the ability to identify the elements of the speech act of requests and to relate this knowledge to the native culture. From the study, it can be observed that materials that address contents specific to those in which International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) will encounter are of particular benefit.  An average score of 89% in an online quiz illustrates the ability of ITAs who participated in the study to successfully identify the elements of requests.   Furthermore, the integration of multimodal input (text, video, imagery) in an online environment allowed for effective individualized interaction with the materials, which translated in an opportunity for learners to come to an understanding and interpretation of requests from the point of view of their native cultures.  Although there were some limitations (sampling and time constraints), overall the unit was found to be a valuable tool to provide further insights into the complex concept of intercultural communicative competence.

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Developing French materials with Quebecois cultural context

Carol Chapelle & Ghinwa Alameen
Iowa State University

Teaching culture is one of five major goals targeted by foreign language education in the United States according to the ACTFL Standards.  Technology increases dramatically the options for teaching culture through vivid depictions of cultural events in multimedia, direct links to cultural artifacts on the Web, and cross-cultural communication exchanges through the Internet.  These increased opportunities for inclusion of cultural content come with questions about whose culture should be taught in beginning-level language courses.  Current perspectives in applied linguistics question the nation-culture links that tie French to France, Spanish to Spain, and English to the UK or the US, for example.  However, textbooks and other published materials do not necessarily keep pace.   For example, a recent study found only a small amount of Canadian content appearing in beginning French textbooks and their accompanying workbooks and electronic materials for university students in the United States.  This paper will summarize these findings and the argument suggesting the need for additional Canadian content in beginning-level learning materials.  It will show how the Web is being used to develop online materials to teach French in a Canadian Quebecois context. The website is centered on the socio-cultural and linguistic experience of an American exchange student at the University of Laval, Quebec, where all dialogues, structures, and communication skills are situated. A section of the website is dedicated to the unique language status and policies in Quebec. The Website will also function as a link for communication exchanges between Iowa State students and Laval students.  

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Where the language worlds meet: Combining real life and Second Life in classroom materials design

Karina Silva & Jacob Larsen
Iowa State University

The use of virtual worlds for the teaching and learning of languages has recently been the focus of much consideration and exploration. Virtual worlds such as Second Life provide opportunities for experiential learning, collaboration, social construction of knowledge and role playing (Antonacci & Modaress, 2005; Bixler, 2007; Boettcher, 2006; Dickey, 2005; Stevens, 2006). They have been used in- and outside the classroom to enrich the learning process, allowing for active participation and taking learners' educational experiences beyond the physical limitations of the classroom. Nonetheless, since Second Life was not designed specifically for educational purposes, there are some limitations that should be accounted for before its implementation in the language classroom. Among these, the design of materials to be used in-world and in the classroom should be carefully considered. Whereas activities in-world should focus on experimenting, collaborating and interacting with others, and exploring the environment, classroom practice should ensure that learning is transferred to the real life by complementing the experience in Second Life. Because learners' experiences differ both in- and outside the virtual world, taking the most advantage of what each has to offer carries great potential for providing teachers with a rich selection of materials and activities aimed at fostering language learning. Thus, this presentation will discuss ways to best blend Second Life materials with classroom activities. We will focus on the development of materials that utilize the strengths of Second Life and address how these may complement classroom practice of the four skills.

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From a publisher's perspective...

Sherry Preiss
Pearson Education

Publishers attempt to foresee the needs of educators and students in view of the quickly changing world.  In ELT publishing in particular technology plays an important role in such forecasts as students need to be technologically competent language users.  In this paper, I will highlight some of the trends that publishers are watching pertaining to language teaching as they develop new designs for materials.  I will describe some of the important features of computer-based materials that we are developing, and show examples from several language learning products.