scholarly journals Setting Up a Language Learning Environment in Microsoft Teams

2020 ◽  
pp. 263-270
Author(s):  
Carolin Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Short Notice ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
The University ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Staff Skills ◽  
Do So

The Language Zone at the University of Leeds, UK, is well established as a hub for language learners across the campus, both those on language courses and those studying languages independently for a variety of reasons. It has been operating entirely online since March 2020 and will do so until the campus fully re-opens. This written account gives a brief overview of the changes made to the Language Zone’s services and provision of learning materials in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including how the team members’ roles were adapted to ensure staff skills were taken into account. In addition to showing how services were maintained when the campus was closed at short notice and teaching was moved online until further notice, the study outlines how the Language Zone developed a platform to support the 2020 summer pre-sessional programmes to be delivered completely online. Finally, reflecting on the recent achievements and considering how to support students in the future, it aims to inspire other self-access centres to think about what they can do to develop their services in response to the crisis and beyond.

The contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to language learning environments or the mystery of the secret agent

ReCALL ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDITH ESCH ◽  
CHRISTOPH ZÄHNER
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
University Of Cambridge ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The University ◽  
Secret Agent

In this paper, E. Esch and C. Zähner argue that the learners themselves are the key agents in the construction of new language learning environments. Learners differ in their ability to import new elements – such as ICTs – into their model of what constitutes an appropriate language learning environment. It is argued that accessibility, autonomy, ‘reflectivity’ and interactivity are conditions which must be met if ICTs are to become truly relevant to language learners. The way these principles have been guiding the development of the network-based language learning environment installed by the Language Centre of the University of Cambridge is described.

scholarly journals Promoting Independent Language Learning Cross-Campus at the University of Leeds through a Self-Access Area

2013 ◽  
pp. 367-371
Author(s):  
Carolin Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Full Range ◽  
The Self ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Library Catalogue ◽  
Online Library ◽  
The University

The Language Centre at the University of Leeds concentrates on the full range of language training and preparation courses, both for pre-sessional and for current university students. These courses relate both to the learning of English and of foreign languages. The Self-Access Area constitutes the Language Centre’s resource library for language learning materials and supports learners on Language Centre and other modern language courses, as well as independent language learners from across the university. Catering for approximately 11,000 users, the Self-Access Area opens, on average, for 46 hours per week, with evening and Saturday opening times during term time and exam weeks. Among the services that the Self-Access Area provides are a wide range of language learning resources in print and various audiovisual formats, induction tours, an up-to-date online library catalogue and a social media presence. As part of the Language Centre, the Self-Access Area team is connected with staff and students across the university. The service also offers a range of opportunities which encourage human interaction both amongst language learners and between learners and specialists. It also acts as a flexible social and study space.

Open Up the Classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 22-46
Author(s):  
Hélène M. Andrawiss-Dlamini ◽  
Donata Puntil
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Language Instructors

Language instructors strive to provide students with a language learning environment that is authentic and contextualised. This chapter encourages teachers to step out of the textbook and integrate audio visual media in language courses. It highlights the pedagogical benefits of these resources and addresses the possible challenges language instructors may face. Bringing examples from two languages (French and Italian), the chapter aims at providing guidance to all language teachers in using film excerpts and video clips in their teaching. With a focus on lower levels (A.2 to B1), it showcases how these tools can be implemented, detailing the criteria to take into consideration in planning the lessons. Three detailed examples are provided with the objective of enabling effective learning. The last section of the chapter reflects on the use of audio visual media in language teaching and offers insights from the learners as well as the teachers' experiences.

Asynchronous Online Foreign Language Courses

2011 ◽  
pp. 928-935
Author(s):  
Leticia L. McGrath ◽  
Mark Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Team Members ◽  
University System Of Georgia ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses ◽  
The University

In 1999, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG), in collaboration with a number of its member institutions, began developing a fully online set of courses that allows a student to complete a core curriculum that is transferable across the USG. The result of this effort is the USG’s eCore® Program, developed by the Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT) unit of the USG. The eCore® Courses were created using a collaborative course development process that engaged teams of USG faculty, technical support and an instructional designer from ALT. The collaborative course development process was utilized in order to take full advantage of the expertise of the team members and to incorporate multiple perspectives of the content into the courses. In addition, a set of guidelines for the development of eCore® courses was established to ensure the courses were of the highest quality possible. The eCore® course array was developed over a period of seven years. While many of the courses were well suited to the asynchronous online approach, there were content areas that were more controversial, such as physics, chemistry and foreign languages, due to the highly specific requirements in each of these disciplines.

My Personal Mobile Language Learning Environment

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A. Perifanou
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Personal Approach ◽  
Learning Scenarios ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Support Students

Mobile devices can motivate learners through moving language learning from predominantly classroom–based contexts into contexts that are free from time and space. The increasing development of new applications can offer valuable support to the language learning process and can provide a basis for a new self regulated and personal approach to learning. A key challenge for language teachers is to actively explore the potential of mobile technologies in their own learning so that they can support students in using them. The aim of this paper is first to describe the basic theoretical framework of Mobile Learning and Personal Learning Environments. Secondly, it intends to assist language teachers and learners in building their own Mobile Personal Learning Environment providing a useful classification of iPhone applications with a description and examples. The paper concludes with the proposal of ideas for practical, personal language learning scenarios, piloted in an Italian language learning context.

scholarly journals Relationship of School Environment and English Language Learning at Government Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arfan Lodhi ◽  
Abdul Hye Sahar ◽  
Numra Qayyum ◽  
Samreen Iqbal ◽  
Huma Shareef
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
School Environment ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Population Parameter ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Esl Learners

Academic success of language learners is not only determined by their level of intelligence but it is also associated with the learning environment provided to them. The current study is an attempt to investigate the factors which affect learning environment of English language learners at government schools. In this context a survey based research design was selected by following quantitative methodology. Sample was drawn from the population parameter of government schools. The students were selected randomly whereas teachers and head teachers were selected by using convenient sampling technique. A questionnaire was developed, validated and administered to know the perspectives of the selected respondents. Findings of the study revealed that suitable school environment provides significant contributions to ESL learners’ performance and accomplishment. The study also found that student-teacher and teacher-parent relationship promote and strengthen language learning capacity of ESL learners. It is highly recommended to develop such school environment which is conducive to English language learning; as environmental factors at school are as important as pedagogical interventions of ESL teachers.

scholarly journals The Struggling English Language Learners: Case Studies of English Language Learning Difficulties in EFL Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Sultan H. Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Language Courses

The term ‘struggling language learner’ is one that is usually ascribed to students who are trying, without much success to master the English language in an academic setting. As a case study, this study was carried out to gain insights into the ‘struggles’ of the struggling English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Ten students were selected from those with the 20th least percentile in their English language courses. Observation of and discussion with these categories of learners revealed that many language learners had a point at which they began to take learning English language more seriously. In such positive or negative situations, their language learning journey improved therefrom. The findings showed that 80% of the participants believed that their English language proficiency was ‘very good’, while 20% of these participants believed that their English language proficiency was ‘average’. Also, the findings indicated that there was a statistically significant association (i.e., p < .05) between English language proficiency of the learners and the following observable attributes: willingness to learn for educational purposes; willingness to learn for career development; and students’ continuation without losing focus. The study proposes a fresh evaluation of the problems faced by EFL struggling learners by bringing to light a multifaceted, meaningful consideration of their learning attitudes from socio-psychological point of view, offering a comprehensive account of these learners and their learning difficulties as well as their attitudes and outlook while taking lessons as freshmen at the university.  

scholarly journals An Empirical Study to Determine Whether ADHD Disorder Affects the Process of Language Learning

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adult Language Learners ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

In previous studies, it seems that the classification of ADHD did not appear to interfere with learners’ performance in foreign language courses. In this empirical investigation, a group of 43 adult language learners diagnosed with ADHD were asked questions relating to their language learning process, in particular to the difficulties encountered when partaking language courses, as well as subjective opinions as to progress and success relating to the language learning and also what the participants felt could have assisted the learning to make it more effective, efficient and successful. A control group of 43 adult language learners who had not been diagnosed with ADHD were asked the same questions. The findings indicated some significant negativity from the ADHD group with regards to their progress and success with the language learning, as well as an extremely significant statistical difference between the ADHD group and the control group in relation to the difficulty concerning attention while learning. This finding concludes that in fact, language learners diagnosed with ADHD report their difficulty with attention and this would corroborate the attention deficit symptom inherent to this neurobehavioral disorder.

scholarly journals The Use of WhatsApp in Collaborative Learning to Improve the Reading Skill Among University Students: A Case Study of Saudi Students of English at the University of Jeddah

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Nasser Alasmari
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Instructional Format ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Effective Media ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Researchers have advocated collaborative learning and largely reported its evidenced advantages in learning a language. They have emphasized that students working collaboratively tend to learn language better and retain knowledge longer than when learning through any other instructional format (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1993). In addition, these researchers questioned which tool is most effective in the successful implementation of this kind of learning. In this respect, technology has been recommended as an effective tool that leads to higher language achievements (Almekhalfi & Almeqdadi, 2010). In more particular terms and given its popularity, the WhatsApp messenger application has been strongly advocated and highlighted as one of the most effective media for instruction that significantly contributes to the success of language learners (Cakir, 2015, as cited in Ta’amneh, 2017).Aiming to add to the growing literature about the integration of WhatsApp in education, this paper measures the impact of this application’s use for improving the reading skill of 30 Saudi male learners of English as a foreign language, as well as identifying their perceptions towards the English languagelearning experience after implementing WhatsApp in their learning. Data were gathered via pre- and post-tests as well as through a focused group interview. The findings proved the significant association between the use of WhatsApp and the improvement of the reading skills of the participants, who articulated a favourable attitude towards the use of WhatsApp as a tool for language learning.

Overview of the Significance of Different Learner Characteristics in Computer-Based Language Learning Environment

2019 ◽  
pp. 168-193
Author(s):  
Somayeh Foroozesh-nia
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Extensive Review ◽  
Learner Characteristics ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Computer Based

In this chapter the importance of different types of individual differences in various computer-based language learning situations was investigated and the findings of some research on language learners' characteristics in the context of technology-based learning were outlined. Through extensive review of research studies and articles, it attempted to determine different learner characteristics existing in learning foreign/second languages with technology. It also discovered the most effective individual differences among language learners of computer-based environments to be used by EFL teachers and materials developers to help learners' progress in language education.

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