scholarly journals The Development of FL Oral Production and Autonomy Through Peer Collaboration and the Use of ICT

2018 ◽  
pp. 371-386
Author(s):  
Terezinha Maria Sprenger ◽  
Rosinda de Castro Guerra Ramos

This paper focuses on the development of learner autonomy and foreign language oral production through peer collaboration in a Brazilian teacher education program. Brazilian students seldom have the opportunity to speak English beyond the classroom. In pre-service English teacher development, few students are proficient in the language, and to become teachers, they all need to make the most of opportunities to improve their competence in the language and to familiarize themselves with all the aspects of teaching and learning. This situation and the fact the university had an underused ICT laboratory for teacher development, led to the organization of a social learning space to stimulate autonomous work and collaboration among students beyond the classroom. A few students participated as volunteer collaborators, and their engagement in the activities was analyzed to find out whether they had opportunities to develop autonomy and oral skills. The aim of the paper is twofold: first, to describe the course of action designed for this context, drawing from literature on learner autonomy (Benson, 2000, 2011; Dam, 2000; Kohonen, 1992; Little, 1996; 1997; Murray, 2014) and social learning spaces (Allhouse, 2015; Heigham, 2011; Murray, 2014); and second, to discuss the development and preliminary results of this process.

2017 ◽  
pp. 183-193
Author(s):  
Garold Murray

Over the past four decades, learner autonomy in language learning has been quietly moving across what might be viewed as three paradigms in applied linguistics. When learner autonomy was introduced in the late 1970s, language classrooms were largely teacher-dominated. At that time, learner autonomy offered a much-needed focus on learners as individuals capable of accepting responsibility for all aspects of their learning. Later, as Vygotsky’s (1978, 1986) neo-constructivist theories became known, learning came to be seen as being socially mediated; and the field of applied linguistics experienced ‘a social turn’. Now it is widely recognized that learner autonomy develops more through interdependence rather than independence. Currently in the field of applied linguistics, ecology and complexity thinking are becoming more widespread. This article explores the impact that this theoretical shift might have on the work being carried out in social learning spaces. By drawing on themes arising from an ethnography, a multiple case study, and a narrative inquiry investigating a social learning space, this article looks at how managers might facilitate the emergence of affordances for learning by fostering conditions for complex emergence. It begins by situating the research within the literature, and providing an overview of pertinent aspects of theories of complex dynamic systems and space and place. Then, illustrating the points with themes and anecdotes from the three studies, suggestions are made as to how learning space managers might support the emergence of affordances for learning through attention to distributed control, neighbour interactions, reciprocity, randomness, and physical design features of the learning space.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-62
Author(s):  
Sevgi Erel ◽  
Hasan Bedir

Abstract Introduction: This study analysed Turkish instructors’ metaphors identifying learners in terms of learner autonomy. Methods: In the present study we proposed a mixed methods approach to the investigation of the images created by the participants. Results: The metaphors produced by the participants showed that instructors see both themselves and learners as active agents in teaching and learning process. Discussion: The variety of metaphors grouped into eight categories reflected the broad range of perception of instructors have for learners. Limitations: 80 non-native English-speaking Turkish instructors were the participants of the study. Their qualifications were varied from graduate degree to doctoral degree on ELL or ELT and their teaching experience varied from recent graduates with one year of experience to considerable veteran instructors with 27 years of experience in teaching English. Conclusion: We observed that instructors perceive learner autonomy in many perspectives while they assign themselves some main roles in teaching and learning process. The findings also revealed a variety of teacher conceptualization of learner metaphors such as sponge, tree, traveller, puppet, cone, and empty canvas most of which are positive. The information may shed light on the attempts to promote learner autonomy, to understand teachers in practice better and to support teacher development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37
Author(s):  
Agus Wahyudi

ICT is a valuable tool to enhance teaching and learning. The online class is Sevima Edlink, an android-based application that is devoted to the world of education which aims to provide a learning space that bridges the teachers and the students in learning activities that can be done anytime and anywhere with more flexible learning time. The features in this application that facilitate interaction between the teacher and the students namely: discussion forums, sharing features, assignments in class, info, events, and surveys. The research method used is qualitative research. The participants were the students of STIK Bina Husada in the academic year 2019/2020, majoring Nursing Science Study Program who were taking English 1 subject. There were19 students and in the 2nd semester. The use of this application was started on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, and ended on April 28th, 2020. This study aims to introduce the students’ Sevima Edlink application and describe their English performance or mid-semester result test as the evaluation. In general, the research on "Sevima Edlink Social Learning Network for Nursing Science Students at STIK Bina Husada Palembang" went as expected. The students were enthusiastic about using the Sevima Edlink application. The writer pointed out several weaknesses of the Sevima Edlink application, one of them is network coverage because not all of the students are in Palembang city. Based on the mid-semester test result, majority of the students were in a good category, or it can be said that Sevima Edlink is one of useful platforms that can be used the teacher or lecturer to do his/her instruction


Metahumaniora ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Dicky Rachmat Pauji

Amâlî (Imla) is a methodology used in studying Arabic language and literature that has a very wide scope. Amâlî (Imla) itself can be translated as: to dictate, to add, to fill in and etc. Amâlî (Imla) may also be interpreted further by the following narration: A teacher (ustadz) comes to a place like a mosque, an Islamic school or any learning space in general. In the process of teaching and learning, all that are spoken by the teacher is written down by the students on pieces of paper they had prepared earlier then be compiled into a book which will be preserved. This paper presents a brief summary of Amâlî (Imla) as a methodology which is discussed in many Amâlî (Imla) related literature works written from the beginning of 7th century until the 14th century. The subject Amâlî (Imla) is written in exceedingly diverse manner, unique to each of numerous known authors. This paper also discusses about various meaning of the word Amâlî (Imla) that has been interpreted differently among authors. In addition, the method of separating chapters and other minor distinct writing style that each of various groups of Amâlî (Imla) authors had developed was presented in this work. And lastly, this paper discusses the fact that Amâlî (Imla) related textbook authors were not only originated from the Middle East, but also from regions such as Iran (Huzistan) and Andalusia


Author(s):  
Hapsari Dwi Kartika

This paper explains why learner autonomy is taken into account in language learning where English is a foreign language for the learners particularly in Indonesia. The definition of learner autonomy and its advantages to language learner in EFL contexts will be described within this paper. Many scholars from psychological education and English teaching and learning had proved that language learning can be improved by certain strategy. They revealed the correlation between the autonomous learning with students’ success in learning with different aspect. The definition of autonomy is similar to many different words such as self-regulated and self-determined. Finally, the writer suggests how teacher can promote the autonomous learning atmosphere in the classroom.Keywords: strategy, promoting autonomy, EFL context, Indonesia


2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-233
Author(s):  
Simone Tiemi Hashiguti

ABSTRACT This essay explores the issue of oral production in English as a foreign language in Brazil. It reports the difficulty some students find to speak the language to matters of authority and legitimacy constituted in a particular history of language policies. Interest in the theme emerged because many Brazilian students who know English state they cannot speak the language and avoid pronouncing it and engaging in conversations. A discursive methodological framework forms the basis for the analysis of postings collected from discussion forums on different websites. First, I can´t speak English works as the reference statement that makes it possible to verify a discursive regularity in operation in Brazil. Second, a postcolonial theoretical framework supports the discussion on the conditions of possibility to speak English as a foreign language in a former Portuguese colony. The author argues that the ghost of the native, idealized speaker prevents students from recognizing the English they know as legitimate, and to speak it, and points out that dignity is a possible discourse to help deconstruct the colonial, silenced positioning that exists regarding the oral production in this foreign language.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Aruna Ankiah-Gangadeen ◽  
Michael Anthony Samuel

Language policies in education in multilingual postcolonial contexts are often driven by ideological considerations more veered towards socio-economic and political viability for the country than towards the practicality at implementation level. Centuries after the advent of colonisation, when culturally and linguistically homogenous countries helped to maintain the dominion of colonisers, the English language still has a stronghold in numerous countries due to the material rewards it offers. How then are the diversity of languages – often with different statuses and functions in society – reconciled in the teaching and learning process? How do teachers deal with the intricacies that are generated within a situation where children are taught in a language that is foreign to them? This paper is based on a study involving pre-primary teachers in Mauritius, a developing multilingual African country. The aim was to understand how their approach to the teaching of English was shaped by their biographical experiences of learning the language. The narrative inquiry methodology offered rich possibilities to foray into these experiences, including the manifestations of negotiating their classroom pedagogy in relation to their own personal historical biographies of language teaching and learning, the policy environment, and the pragmatic classroom specificities of diverse, multilingual learners. These insights become resources for early childhood education and teacher development in multilingual contexts caught within the tensions between language policy and pedagogy.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Meyer ◽  
Lydia Abel

In the area of teacher professional development, South African education administrators face the challenge of reconciling two imperatives that have entirely different implications for programme time frames and budgets. On the one hand, there is an urgent need to improve the pedagogic content knowledge of many teachers to improve the overall standard of teaching and learning in the public school system. Considering the scale and urgency of the matter, centralised course-based in-service training seems to be the only affordable alternative. On the other hand, researchers have long warned that once-off course-based training on its own has limited impact on teachers’ practice, and has to be accompanied by further professional support in the school and classroom, or be abandoned in favour of more enduring professional learning communities. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has grappled with this dilemma in the Department’s various professional development initiatives for teachers, a mainstay of which is the training offered by the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI). This paper presents some of the data and findings from an external evaluation that ORT SA CAPE conducted in 2011–2012 of courses offered by the WCED at the CTLI. The hierarchy of INSET outcomes proposed by Harland and Kinder (1997) was applied to record changes in the practice of 18 teachers at eight schools. The progress of five of the teachers is discussed to illustrate the interplay between school-level factors and the experiences of individual teachers which influenced the impact of CTLI training on their teaching.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Perks ◽  
Doug Orr ◽  
Elham Al-Omari

This case study examines the physical aspects of a particular university classroom, and what affect specific changes to the classroom had on the perceptions of students, instructors and observers regarding the room as an effective learning space. We compare survey and focus group data collected from students taking courses in the classroom prior to changes to the physical environment with comparable data from students taking courses in the same classroom after specific changes had been made. Immediately following changes to the classroom, notable increases were observed in reported perceptions of student satisfaction with the physical environment, including perceptions of the classroom as a more effective and engaging learning space. Similar perceptions of improvement as a teaching-learning space were reported by instructors and observers. However, subsequent follow-up data collection and analyses suggested little if any sustained increase in perceptions of efficacy of the room as a learning space; indeed, most reported variables returned to baseline levels. The implications of these findings and their relevance to classroom design nevertheless may provide insight regarding the manner in which physical space might support or even enhance teaching and learning.


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