inter-Active in Teaching - Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu

Transcription

Małgorzata Bieszczanin
Anna Zasłona
(Editors)
Active in Languages – inter-Active
in Teaching
Proceedings of the Conference held in Wrocław,
October 24–25, 2015, organized by
the Philological School of Higher Education
Projekt finansowany ze środków funduszy norweskich
i funduszy EOG, pochodzących z lslandii, Liechtensteinu
i Norwegii oraz środków krajowych
Project supported by a grant from Norway through
the Norway and EEA Grants and co-financed
by the Polish funds
WYDAWNICTWO
WYŻSZEJ SZKOŁY FILOLOGICZNEJ
WE WROCŁAWIU
© Copyright by Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu, Wrocław 2015
Editors / Redaktorzy tomu: Małgorzata Bieszczanin, Anna Zasłona
Proofreading / Korekta językowa: Korekto.pl
Cover design / Projekt okładki: Konstancja Czarny
Editorial reading / Korekta wydawnicza: Barbara Woldan
DTP: Dorota Bazan
ISBN 978-83-60097-55-7 (PB)
ISBN 978-83-60097-56-4 (PDF)
Publication financed within the project
Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching. Modern tools and methods in foreign
language teaching with ICT applications, supported by a grant from Norway through
the Norway and EEA Grants and co-financed by the Polish funds.
Publikacja powstała w ramach projektu
Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu. Nowoczesne narzędzia i metody nauczania języków obcych w oparciu o ICT, finansowanego ze środków funduszy norweskich
i funduszy EOG, pochodzących z Islandii, Liechtensteinu i Norwegii, oraz ze środków
krajowych.
WYDAWNICTWO WYŻSZEJ SZKOŁY FILOLOGICZNEJ WE WROCŁAWIU
50-335 Wrocław, ul. Sienkiewicza 32, tel. (+48 71) 328 14 14
fax (+48 71) 322 10 06, http://www.wsf.edu.pl, e-mail: [email protected]
Table of contents / Spis treści
Introduction.................................................................................................................... 7
Wstęp............................................................................................................................. 11
Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław –
conference organizer................................................................................................. 15
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu – organizator konferencji........... 19
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HISF), Sogndal, Norway........................ 23
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HISF), Sogndal, Norwegia.................... 25
Interaction in action I –
Teacher training for Polish students in Norway................................................... 27
Christina Løkslett
Interaction in action II –
Teacher training for Norwegian students in Poland........................................... 39
Izabela Batyra
Activating higher primary learners through introducing systematic
autonomous behaviour in and beyond the EFL classroom............................... 49
Anna Cisło
Modern learning:
The prospect of McDonaldization........................................................................... 61
Robert Gadowski
Online teaching materials for ESL Integrated Skills module............................ 73
Dorota Juźwin
Interactive online materials for English language teaching
PNJA Practical Grammar B1–B2 e-course ............................................................. 81
Małgorzata Kaspryszyn, Anna Pol
Praktyczna nauka języka niemieckiego w środowisku e-learningowym
jako forma kształcenia akademickiego w świetle najnowszych koncepcji
dydaktycznych............................................................................................................. 91
Krzysztof Kotuła
Teachers and learners in a virtual classroom: New perspectives,
new challenges......................................................................................................... 107
Małgorzata Łuszcz, Beata Bury
Digital technology as a supportive tool in the English classrooms.............. 117
Joanna Miłosz-Bartczak, John Speller
Using Moodle to teach Academic English as a second language
for engineers.............................................................................................................. 131
Paweł Nowak
Wykorzystanie Dolnośląskiej Platformy Edukacyjnej
i Elektronicznego Systemu Obsługi Konkursów
w realizacji dolnośląskich konkursów................................................................. 145
Luis Ochoa Siguencia, Damian Herman, Gilberto Marzano
Creating effective online collaborative learning groups at higher
education institutions............................................................................................. 149
Izabela Olszak
Exploring factors that influence reading comprehension strategies
among EFL students................................................................................................. 163
David Parmentier
A survey of e-learning technologies in Norwegian higher education
(from the perspective of the Sogn og Fjordane University College)........... 177
Bente Sollid, Hege Gjerde Sviggum
How do teachers in Teacher Education perceive their own e-moderator
training?...................................................................................................................... 187
Monika Tarantowicz-Gasiewicz
The application of the Internet-enhanced flipped classroom model to MA
seminars at the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław......... 199
Bogumił Ucherek
Applications and interactive online resources
of the WSF Moodle platform.................................................................................. 211
Mirosław Wiącek
Interactive online materials for teaching practical language skills
developed by lecturers of Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław as viewed by Norwegian practitioners.......................................... 223
Syed Adnan Zafar
From the perspective of ESP educators: Legal and ethical issues
in the use of mobile-based Facebook learning ................................................ 239
Introduction
This publication is a record of papers presented at the conference Active
in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching organized by the Philological
School of Higher Education in Wrocław (WSF) between October 24 and
October 25, 2015. The conference itself was the final element of the project entitled Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching. Modern tools
and methods in foreign language teaching with ICT applications realized
by the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław in cooperation with the Norwegian partner – Sogn og Fjordane University College
(HiSF) in Sogndal under the Scholarship and Training Fund.
The main goal of the project, carried out from February 1, 2014 till
January 31, 2016, was strengthening and widening inter-institutional
cooperation between the two educational institutions through the exchange of experience and good practices in teaching foreign languages
with a particular stress on the use of tools and functions of information
and communication technology (ICT) in creating modern interactive
tools for language education. The project was coordinated by John Seriot
and Mirosław Wiącek (HiSF, Norway) and Anna Zasłona and Małgorzata Bieszczanin (WSF, Poland).
The major goals achieved in the project comprise:
• developing interactive online materials for teaching practical language skills;
• teacher training for WSF students in Norway;
• teacher training for HiSF students in Poland;
• conference Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching;
• the post-conference publication (a collection of conference papers and reports referring to the main stages of the project and
its outcomes).
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Introduction
Interactive online materials for teaching practical language skills were
developed for four languages: English, German, Spanish and Italian at
six levels of proficiency – from A1 to C2 (CEFR) for five language skills:
speaking, reading, writing, listening and practical grammar. A hundred
and twenty e-learning courses were created by WSF lecturers and placed
on the institution-owned e-learning Moodle platform. The students were
able to use the new interactive materials in the academic year 2014/15.
All e-courses were consulted and evaluated by HiSF practitioners and
experts, whose opinions were included in the final evaluation report.
The new online courses created in the project support and compliment
traditional face-to-face classes of practical language teaching in the Philological School of Higher Education.
Teacher training for WSF students in Norway took place from October 23 to October 28, 2014. Twenty WSF students accompanied by
the Polish coordinator dr Małgorzata Bieszczanin visited the Sogn og
Fjordane University College in Sogndal. The training included visiting
three Norwegian educational institutions: Trudvang Barneskule, Sogndal Videregåeande Skule, and Sogn og Fjordane University College and
two science and culture institutions: De Heibergske Samlinger – Sogn
Folkemuseum and the Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Climate Centre. During these visits Polish students participated in lectures,
classes and workshops organized by the Norwegian partner. They also
took part in sightseeing tours to Bergen and Oslo.
Teacher training for HiSF students in Poland took place from May 4 to
May 10, 2015. Ten HiSF students accompanied by the lecturer Christina
Løkslett visited the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław.
Their training programme covered mainly lectures, classes and workshops
at WSF. The Norwegian students took great interest in the classes of
specialist oral translation involving a presentation and use of a unique hitech cabin system for training professional conference interpreters. They
were also offered a chance to meet Polish secondary school students and
participate in classes conducted in one of the best Polish schools – Zespół
Szkół nr 14 in Wrocław. Meetings with Polish students and lecturers in
WSF as well as sightseeing tours in Wrocław and Lower Silesia were an opportunity for integration of Polish and Norwegian academic circles.
The main goal of the conference Active in Languages – inter-Active in
Teaching was presenting the outcomes of the project. The organizers also
Introduction
9
wanted to put the idea of e-education in a wider European perspective
by creating a unique international forum for the exchange of knowledge
and experience in the field.
During the conference WSF lecturers presented interactive online
materials for practical teaching of English, German, Spanish and Italian
created within the project and Polish and Norwegian didactics specialists
summed up the teaching internships organized for students in both partner institutions. E-learning specialists from WSF, HiSF and other European universities presented innovative educational facilities and aids with
a special focus on various methods of online teaching in their countries
on different levels of education: from kindergarten to university.
The participation of guests from Norway, Sweden, Austria, Spain and
Great Britain as well as Polish didactics specialists made it possible to
exchange practices and valuable experience connected with e-education.
The actual topics discussed included Norwegian and Swedish examples
of synchronous online teaching, the use of podcasts in teacher education in Great Britain, implementing e-portfolios in Austrian schools,
blended learning techniques and the content and functions of e-learning
platforms. The concept of online foreign language competitions for
lower secondary school students called zDolny Ślązak Gimnazjalista
organized by WSF was presented as a model of good practices popular
in Lower Silesia. Moreover, the idea of a history e-book in-making
created by the Polish Ministry of Education was discussed. Some of
the presentations concerned scientific research while other ones offered
practical solutions for teachers. Both e-enthusiasts and e-sceptics expressed their views.
The Honorary Patronage of the conference was taken by the Minister
of National Education, Dolnośląski Kurator Oświaty, the Foundation
for the Development of the Education System, the Rector of the Sogn
og Fjordane University College and the Rector of the Philological School
of Higher Education in Wrocław.
The participation in the project had benefits both for the Polish and
the Norwegian project partners. It resulted in raising academic standards
of both educational institutions by sharing expertise and good practices
in modern technology-supported education. The partners’ engagement
in the project enhanced the quality of teaching also by familiarizing both
students and staff members with the systems of education and school
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Introduction
environments in Norway and Poland, which certainly enriched their
teaching and learning perspectives. During visits in WSF and HiSF new
interesting ideas arose and new friendships were developed. The two
partner institutions plan to further extend the scope of cooperation,
for example by organizing international conferences, joint publications,
guest lectures and reinforcing student and staff mobility. The promotion
of both countries and partner institutions in Poland and Norway is another undeniable advantage of the completed project.
Wstęp
Niniejsza publikacja jest zapisem prezentacji przedstawionych na konferencji Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu zorganizowanej przez Wyższą Szkołę Filologiczną we Wrocławiu (WSF) w dniach
24–25 października 2015 r. To wydarzenie stanowiło zwieńczenie projektu zatytułowanego Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu.
Nowoczesne narzędzia i metody nauczania języków obcych w oparciu
o ICT, realizowanego przez Wyższą Szkołę Filologiczną we współpracy
z norweskim partnerem – Sogn og Fjordane University College (HiSF)
w Sogndal w ramach Funduszu Stypendialnego i Szkoleniowego.
Głównym celem projektu trwającego od 1 lutego 2014 r. do 31 stycznia
2016 r. było wzmocnienie i rozszerzenie współpracy między uczelniami
w Polsce i Norwegii poprzez wymianę doświadczeń i dobrych praktyk
w zakresie dydaktyki języków obcych, a w szczególności zastosowania narzędzi i funkcji technologii informacyjno-komunikacyjnych w konstrukcji nowoczesnych interaktywnych materiałów do kształcenia językowego.
Koordynatorami projektu byli: John Seriot i Mirosław Wiącek (HiSF,
Norwegia) oraz Anna Zasłona i Małgorzata Bieszczanin (WSF, Polska).
Najważniejsze cele osiągnięte w projekcie:
• opracowanie interaktywnych materiałów online do nauczania
praktycznych umiejętności językowych;
• praktyki pedagogiczne w Norwegii dla studentów WSF;
• praktyki pedagogiczne w Polsce dla studentów HiSF;
• konferencja Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu;
• publikacja pokonferencyjna (zbiór artykułów konferencyjnych
oraz raportów omawiających główne etapy i rezultaty projektu).
Interaktywne materiały online do nauczania praktycznych umiejętności językowych zostały wykonane dla czterech języków: angielskiego,
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Wstęp
niemieckiego, hiszpańskiego i włoskiego, pięciu umiejętności językowych: mówienie, czytanie, pisanie, słuchanie oraz gramatyka praktyczna,
w odniesieniu do sześciu poziomów zaawansowania – od A1 do C2
(CEFR). Wykładowcy WSF skonstruowali łącznie sto dwadzieścia kursów
językowych, które zostały umieszczone na platformie Moodle należącej
do WSF. W roku akademickim 2014/2015 studenci po raz pierwszy mogli korzystać z tych nowych interaktywnych materiałów. Autorzy opracowywali je, bazując na wiedzy i cennych doświadczeniach norweskich
praktyków i ekspertów z HiSF, których opinie znalazły odzwierciedlenie
w raporcie ewaluacyjnym. Zrealizowane w ramach projektu kursy online
stanowią wzbogacenie oferty zajęć w dziedzinie praktycznej nauki języków w Wyższej Szkole Filologicznej.
Praktyki pedagogiczne w Norwegii dla studentów WSF odbyły się
w okresie 23–28 października 2014 r. Dwadzieścioro studentów WSF
pod opieką koordynatora praktyk – dr Małgorzaty Bieszczanin – odwiedziło Sogn og Fjordane University College w Sogndal. Szkolenie obejmowało zajęcia i wizyty w trzech norweskich instytucjach oświatowych:
Trudvang Barneskule – szkole podstawowej, Sogndal Videregåeande
Skule – szkole średniej, Sogn og Fjordane University College – uczelni
partnerskiej oraz w dwóch instytucjach naukowych i kulturalnych:
De Heibergske Samlinger – Sogn Folkemuseum – muzeum etnograficznym i The Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Climate Centre
– interaktywnym muzeum nauki. W programie praktyk studenckich
znalazły się wykłady, ćwiczenia i warsztaty zorganizowane przez norweskiego partnera. Polscy studenci wzięli również udział w wycieczkach
krajoznawczych do Bergen i Oslo.
Praktyki pedagogiczne w Polsce dla studentów HiSF zostały zrealizowane w terminie 4–10 maja 2015 r. Dziesięcioro studentów HiSF
pod opieką norweskiego wykładowcy – Christiny Løkslett – odwiedziło
Wyższą Szkołę Filologiczną we Wrocławiu. Program szkolenia wypełniły głównie wykłady, ćwiczenia i warsztaty zorganizowane przez WSF.
Z wielkim zainteresowaniem praktykanci uczestniczyli w zajęciach
w ramach kursu Specjalistyczne tłumaczenia ustne, na których zaprezentowano wykorzystanie nowoczesnych kabin do szkolenia profesjonalnych tłumaczy konferencyjnych. Norwescy goście mogli także z bliska
przyjrzeć się polskiej szkole i nawiązać kontakt z gimnazjalistami,
uczestnicząc w lekcjach języka angielskiego w jednej z najlepszych szkół
Wstęp
13
w Polsce – Zespole Szkół nr 14 we Wrocławiu. Integracji obu środowisk
akademickich i nawiązywaniu bliższych przyjacielskich relacji służyły
polsko-norweskie spotkania młodzieży i wykładowców oraz wycieczki
po Wrocławiu i Dolnym Śląsku.
Zamysłem organizatorów konferencji Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu było przede wszystkim zaprezentowanie wyników
projektu, ale również spojrzenie na ideę e-edukacji w szerszej europejskiej perspektywie poprzez stworzenie unikalnego międzynarodowego
forum wymiany wiedzy i doświadczeń w tej dziedzinie.
Podczas konferencji wykładowcy WSF przedstawili stworzone w ramach projektu FSS interaktywne materiały online do praktycznej nauki języków: angielskiego, niemieckiego, hiszpańskiego oraz włoskiego, a polscy
i norwescy dydaktycy podsumowali praktyki pedagogiczne organizowane
dla studentów w obu uczelniach partnerskich. Specjaliści ds. e-learningu
z WSF, HiSF oraz innych uczelni europejskich zaprezentowali innowacyjne narzędzia i zasoby edukacyjne ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem
metod wykorzystania różnych form edukacji online w swoich krajach
na różnych etapach kształcenia – od nauczania wczesnoszkolnego do
uniwersyteckiego.
Uczestnictwo gości z Norwegii, Szwecji, Austrii, Hiszpanii i Wielkiej
Brytanii, jak również polskich dydaktyków, umożliwiło wymianę praktyk i cennych doświadczeń związanych z e-edukacją. Na konferencji
zaprezentowane zostały m.in.: norweskie i szwedzkie przykłady nauczania synchronicznego online, wykorzystanie podcastów w kształceniu
nauczycieli w Wielkiej Brytanii, doświadczenia z e-portfolio w szkołach
w Austrii, techniki blended learning oraz zasoby i funkcje platform
e-learningowych. Jako jedna z najlepszych dolnośląskich praktyk
przedstawiona została koncepcja online popularnych w regionie realizowanych przez WSF konkursów języków obcych zDolny Ślązak Gimnazjalista, a także idea e-podręcznika do historii powstającego w ramach
projektu Ministerstwa Edukacji Narodowej. Niektóre rozważania miały
charakter naukowo-badawczy, a inne podsuwały dydaktykom praktyczne rozwiązania. Oprócz entuzjastów e-edukacji, swoje opinie wyrazili
także jej krytycy.
Konferencja Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu została
objęta honorowym patronatem Ministra Edukacji Narodowej, Dolnośląskiego Kuratora Oświaty, Fundacji Rozwoju Systemu Edukacji oraz
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Wstęp
Rektorów Sogn og Fjordane University College i Wyższej Szkoły Filologicznej we Wrocławiu.
Uczestnictwo w projekcie przyniosło korzyści zarówno polskiemu,
jak i norweskiemu partnerowi. Najważniejszym efektem jest podniesienie standardów akademickich obu uczelni poprzez wzajemne dzielenie
się specjalistyczną wiedzą i dobrymi praktykami w dydaktyce wspieranej
nowoczesną technologią. Zaangażowanie w działania projektowe wpłynęło na podniesienie jakości kształcenia również dlatego, że zarówno
wykładowcy, jak i studenci mieli szansę zapoznać się z systemami edukacji i środowiskiem akademickim i szkolnym w Norwegii i Polsce. Dzięki
tym doświadczeniom mogą oni czerpać z odmiennych cennych wzorców
naukowych i kulturowych. W trakcie spotkań w WSF i HiSF pojawiły się
nowe ciekawe pomysły współpracy i zawiązały się przyjaźnie. Planowane
jest dalsze rozszerzanie współpracy między obu partnerami: organizacja
międzynarodowych konferencji, wspólne publikacje, wykłady gościnne
oraz kolejne wyjazdy kadry i studentów. Niewątpliwym dodatkowym
atutem zrealizowanego projektu jest promocja obu krajów i uczelni
partnerskich w Polsce i Norwegii.
Anna Zasłona
Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław – conference organizer
The Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław (WSF) is a nonpublic university which provides a thorough education, at both BA and
MA levels, in Modern Languages, Culture and Literature within the English, German, Spanish and Italian programmes as well as American
studies. WSF is licenced to award the doctorate in linguistics.
In 2011, the State Accreditation Committee acknowledged the high
standards of academic education at WSF by awarding it the top grade
of ‘outstanding.’ In the following years, WSF gained international recognition confirmed by the European Commission accreditation. In 2012,
having been awarded the ECTS Label – an international certificate
of quality in higher education – WSF joined the prestigious circle of 40
European ECTS Label holders, who distinguish themselves as leaders in
internationalisation, application of the transfer of credits system, transparency of study programmes and student-oriented approach. Other
significant international distinctions WSF is a holder of are the DS Label
(2013) and the European Language Label (2014) awarded for innovation
in foreign language teaching.
From its very beginnings, WSF has consistently been meeting its
objectives by following the motto Verba docent, exempla trahunt! (Words
instruct, illustrations lead!), facilitating continuous development, pursuing the highest standards of academic education and cherishing the idea
that research and education are invaluable assets of a modern society.
The dynamic development of the university does not only mean a wide
range of new study programmes, specialisations and professional training courses to enhance the students’ career prospects but also research
and popularisation of science. The WSF academic staff who conduct
research in the fields of theoretical, descriptive and applied linguistics,
16
Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław…
literary and culture studies direct their focus towards the theoretical and
methodological aspects such as discourse, cultural identity and cultural
heritage determinants.
WSF’s Faculty of Modern Languages and Literature carries out research within six departments:
• Department of Linguistic Semiotics and Communicology headed by Professor Zdzisław Wąsik;
• Department of Lexicography and Translation Studies headed by
Professor Tadeusz Piotrowski;
• Department of Axiological Linguistics headed by Professor Michał Post;
• Department of German Literary Studies headed by Professor
Anna Stroka;
• Department of Ibero-Romanic Cultures and Literatures headed
by Professor Piotr Sawicki;
• Department of Contact Linguistics and Discourse Anthropology
headed by Professor Piotr P. Chruszczewski.
Extensive academic research carried out by faculty members, renowned both locally and internationally, is of great value to the WSF
students and a source of inspiration and motivation to the young academic staff members. The outcomes of the research projects and academic achievements are presented at symposia and conferences, both in
the country and abroad.
The expansion of the WSF Publishing House is noteworthy, too.
The leading series, entitled Philologica Wratislaviensia, includes various
sub-series: nationwide – Acta et Studia and Series Didactica, and international – From Grammar to Discourse, Studia Iberica et Latinoamericana, Studia Teutonica, Studia Italica et Mediterranea. Another series
– Dissertationes Philologicae Wratislavienses – presents the students’
seminar works. The next one, Languages in Contact, edited by Professor
Piotr P. Chruszczewski, is – among other things – a collection of conference articles. Recently WSF has launched a new series, Biblioteka
Iberoromańska. Publications such as anthologies, books of abstracts,
selected conference and post-conference materials are often published
outside the main series.
The university’s location in the heart of Wrocław is its real asset –
the capital of Lower Silesia is a unique place with a rich and fascinating
Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław…
17
history, unforgettable atmosphere and multicultural character that facilitate international relations as well as encouraging language and intercultural education and development.
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu –
organizator konferencji
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu (WSF) jest akademicką uczelnią niepubliczną, specjalizującą się w kształceniu studentów w zakresie
obcych języków, kultur i literatur – filologii angielskiej, germańskiej,
hiszpańskiej, włoskiej oraz amerykanistyki, na poziomie studiów pierwszego stopnia (licencjackich) oraz drugiego stopnia (magisterskich),
posiadającą uprawnienia do nadawania stopnia naukowego doktora
nauk humanistycznych w dyscyplinie językoznawstwo.
Uczelnia została bardzo wysoko oceniona przez Polską Komisję
Akredytacyjną w roku 2011, uzyskując w zakresie jakości kształcenia na
kierunku filologia najwyższą notę – ocenę wyróżniającą. W kolejnych
latach została doceniona na arenie międzynarodowej. W 2012 roku WSF
otrzymała akredytację Komisji Europejskiej – ECTS Label – międzynarodowy certyfikat jakości kształcenia, dołączając do elitarnego grona
40 europejskich uczelni wyróżnionych za dbałość o międzynarodowy
poziom kształcenia, elastyczne zasady zaliczania zajęć, jak również
o ukierunkowanie procesu dydaktycznego na studenta. Kolejne europejskie nagrody to DS Label (2013) oraz European Language Label (2014)
– przyznawana za innowacyjność w dziedzinie edukacji językowej.
Od początku istnienia WSF konsekwentnie realizuje swoją misję, postępując zgodnie z zasadą zapisaną na sztandarze: Verba docent, exempla
trahunt! (Słowa uczą, przykłady pociągają!) – dąży do stałego rozwoju
i najwyższego poziomu kształcenia akademickiego w myśl zasady, że
nauka jest wspólnym dobrem służącym społeczeństwu.
Dynamiczny rozwój uczelni to nie tylko ciągłe uatrakcyjnianie
programów studiów, nowe specjalności i specjalizacje zawodowe, tworzone z myślą o zapewnieniu absolwentom jak najlepszego wejścia na
rynek pracy. To również prowadzona w uczelni działalność naukowa
20
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu…
i popularyzująca naukę. Kadra naukowo-dydaktyczna WSF prowadzi
własne badania w dziedzinach językoznawstwa ogólnego, szczegółowego
i porównawczego, językoznawstwa stosowanego, literaturo- i kulturoznawstwa, skupiając się na teoretycznych i metodologicznych aspektach,
ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem dyskursu oraz wyznaczników tożsamości i dziedzictwa kulturowego. Prace badawcze Wydziału Neofilologii
WSF prowadzone są w obrębie katedr:
• Semiotyki Lingwistycznej i Komunikologii (kierownik – prof. zw.
dr hab. Zdzisław Wąsik);
• Leksykografii i Translatologii (kierownik – prof. zw. dr hab. Tadeusz Piotrowski);
• Lingwistyki Aksjologicznej (kierownik – prof. zw. dr hab. Michał
Post);
• Literaturoznawstwa Germańskiego (kierownik – prof. zw. dr hab.
Anna Stroka);
• Kultur i Literatur Iberoromańskich (kierownik – prof. zw. dr hab.
Piotr Sawicki);
• Lingwistyki Kontaktu i Antropologii Dyskursu (kierownik – prof.
zw. dr hab. Piotr P. Chruszczewski).
Szeroka działalność naukowo-badawcza uczelni, realizowana przez
kadrę o uznanym w środowisku krajowym i międzynarodowym dorobku, jest szczególnie cenna dla kształconych w uczelni filologów, a dla
młodej kadry naukowej stanowi motywację i znaczące wsparcie konsekwentnego rozwoju. Wyniki realizowanych prac i projektów badawczych
prezentowane są m.in. podczas sympozjów i konferencji ogólnopolskich
oraz międzynarodowych, w tym organizowanych przez WSF.
Uczelnia dynamicznie rozwija również własną działalność wydawniczą. Prowadzi serię Philologica Wratislaviensia, w tym – podserie krajowe Acta et Studia i Series Didactica oraz zagraniczne: From Grammar to
Discourse, Studia Iberica et Latinoamericana, Studia Teutonica, Studia
Italica et Mediterranea, a także Dissertationes Philologicae Wratislavienses, w której publikowane są prace seminaryjne studentów poszczególnych filologii. W ramach oddzielnej serii Languages in Contact pod
redakcją prof. zw. dr. hab. Piotra P. Chruszczewskiego publikowane są
m.in. artykuły konferencyjne. Niedawno uruchomiono też nową serię –
Bibliotekę Iberoromańską. Część pozycji publikowanych przez Wydawnictwo WSF ukazuje się poza opisanymi wyżej seriami – należą do nich
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu…
21
m.in. antologie prac naukowych, księgi okolicznościowe, konferencyjne,
księgi abstraktów oraz wybrane materiały pokonferencyjne.
Lokalizacja uczelni we Wrocławiu stanowi jej dodatkowy atut – stolica Dolnego Śląska jest miastem pięknym, o bogatej historii i niepowtarzalnej urodzie, a jej wielokulturowość w sposób wyjątkowy sprzyja
rozwijaniu kompetencji i kontaktów w dziedzinie interkulturowości
i kształcenia języków obcych.
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HISF),
Sogndal, Norway
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HiSF) is a medium sized modern
institution of higher education in Norway, with approximately 3800
students and 330 staff members. It offers students a wide variety of
educational programmes at the Bachelor level and Master programmes
in the area of health studies (nursing), social sciences, history, business,
tourism, languages, engineering, sciences, landscape planning, renewable energy, law, teacher education and sports. Its English Department
boasts of the use of latest ICT developments and innovative solutions
in teacher training. The University College also offers several vocational
Bachelor programmes and works closely with the regional industries,
hospitals, education providers, public organisations and enterprises. It
has won favor among international students for its small, intimate locations, high academic standards, close relations between students and
staff and vibrant student life. The university is involved in a few international projects under the Nordplus and Erasmus+ programmes and it
has many partners all over the world. Bilateral agreements cover study
organization, common research, staff and students mobility schemes.
The local communities in Sogndal and Førde are large enough for cultural activities to flourish with a surprisingly varied selection of sport
events, concerts, films and theatrical productions, yet small enough to
maintain an intimate feel. It is located between mountains, fjords and
waterfalls in Sogn og Fjordane County by the Sognefjord, with campuses
in Sogndal and Førde. The surrounding areas span over a variety of environments ranging from marine to high alpine, with glaciers and several
nature parks on the World Heritage list.
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HISF),
Sogndal, Norwegia
Sogn og Fjordane University College (HiSF) jest średniej wielkości norweską uczelnią liczącą ok. 3800 studentów i 330 pracowników. Instytucja
posiada nowoczesną bazę dydaktyczną oraz bogatą ofertę edukacyjną na
poziomie studiów licencjackich i magisterskich w następujących dziedzinach: ochrona zdrowia, nauki społeczne, historia, biznes, turystyka,
języki obce, inżynieria, architektura krajobrazu, energia odnawialna,
prawo, kształcenie nauczycieli oraz kultura fizyczna. Instytut anglistyki
HiSF, główna jednostka współpracująca z WSF w projekcie FSS pn.
Aktywni językowo – interAktywni w nauczaniu, posiada duże doświadczenie w wykorzystaniu w pracy dydaktycznej i naukowej najnowszych
e-narzędzi i e-rozwiązań, którym chętnie dzieli się z polskim partnerem.
HiSF ściśle współpracuje z lokalnym otoczeniem gospodarczym: przedstawicielami biznesu, szpitalami, instytucjami edukacyjnymi, organizacjami publicznymi i przedsiębiorstwami. Uczelnia zdobyła popularność
wśród studentów zagranicznych nie tylko z powodu wysokich standardów
akademickich, ale bliskiej relacji między studentami i pracownikami oraz
niezwykle urokliwego usytuowania kampusów HiSF przy najdłuższym
i najgłębszym norweskim fiordzie Sognefjord. Instytucja jest zaangażowana w kilka międzynarodowych projektów, tj. Nordplus, Erasmus+ czy
Study Abroad. Umowy międzyuczelniane dotyczą mobilności studentów
i kadry oraz wspólnych przedsięwzięć naukowych. Należące do HiSF
kampusy w Sogndal i Førde, mimo że są niewielkie, tętnią życiem studenckim, oferując liczne imprezy oraz inicjatywy kulturalne i sportowe.
Malownicze położenie Sogndal wśród gór, fiordów i wodospadów nieopodal lodowca sprawia, że jest to także idealne miejsce dla miłośników
przyrody i ciszy, a także górskich wycieczek i sportów.
Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław
Interaction in action I –
Teacher training for Polish students in Norway
Abstract. The goal of this article is to discuss the results of two-way apprenticeship carried out under the Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching project.
The first part will concern the visit of Polish students in Norway and it will be described by the Polish coordinator Małgorzata Bieszczanin. The second part will
concern the visit of Norwegian students in Poland and this one will be presented
by the Norwegian coordinator Christina Løkslett.
The apprenticeship of Polish students in Norway took place between 23rd–
28th of October 2014. Our students had a chance to visit four Norwegian educational and cultural institutions in Sogndal: Sogndal Videregåeande Skule (an upper secondary school), Trudvang Barneskule (a primary school: grades 1–5), Sogn
og Fjordane University College, and De Heibergske Samlinger – Sogn Folkemuseum (an ethnographic museum).
The article will cover several aspects of the visits in these institutions: what
were the subjects of the lessons/lectures, in what capacity our students participated in them, what teaching methods, techniques, materials and technology
the Polish participants observed and used and how these differ from the teaching methods, techniques, materials and technology used in Polish educational
institutions. Moreover, the reflections of the Polish students on the experience
of the apprenticeship in Norway will be quoted, including the cultural dimension
of the stay (the visits to Bergen and Oslo). Finally, the benefits of the apprenticeship for our students will be discussed.
28
1.The scope of the apprenticeship
The apprenticeship of Polish students in Norway took part from 23rd
to 28th of October, 2014. Its aim was to get acquainted with Norwegian
educational institutions and their ways of teaching English as a foreign
language. Twenty Polish students studying for a teacher’s qualifications
took part in that internship. There were both, BA and MA, students
among them. Upon arrival, the students were accommodated in the cabins of the Kjørnes Camping picturesquely situated at the Sognefjord and
on the next day they began their educational adventure. They were to
see four Norwegian educational and cultural institutions in the area
of Sogndal:
• Trudvang Barneskule (a primary school);
• Sogndal Videregåeande Skule (an upper secondary school);
• Sogn og Fjordane University College (higher education; our partner institution);
• De Heibergske Samlinger – Sogn Folkemuseum (an ethnographic museum).
The visits to these institutions will be discussed one by one.
2.Trudvang Barneskule
Trudvang Barneskule is a primary school for grades 1–5. Our students
attended a lesson of English for 8-year-old children carried out by an experienced teacher Jorunn Stedje. This particular lesson was built around
a story of an unlikely friendship of a polar bear and a dog. At the beginning, the teacher revised the material from the previous class – the song:
The Animals Went in Two by Two played as a video with the children
singing along. Then she presented a short video about the story of the dog
and the bear from YouTube. The next step was working with a text from
the course book concerning the same story. Jorunn read the story and
the students listened to it, following it in their books. After that, she
presented a mini shadow theatre with just two characters: the dog and
the bear who engaged in a dialogue. Finally, the children were to create
similar dialogues themselves. During the lesson, the visiting students not
only led their observations but also helped the teacher by going from
pupil to pupil and assisting them with creating the dialogues. They had
Interaction in action I – Teacher training for Polish students in Norway
29
a great chance to observe the Norwegian system of working with young
learners in which there are two teachers: the main teacher (the English
teacher) and teaching assistant. As we do not have such a system in
Poland, the students had not seen it before. They found it very effective.
After the class, the Polish students had a conversation with Jorunn
Stedje about the Norwegian education system, especially Norwegian
primary schools, followed by her presentation of teaching aids created by
teachers: flash cards, game packs, etc. The most interesting materials for
our students were colour-coded weekly lesson plans for all the groups of
young pupils. The Polish students commented on how useful they were
and how they wished to see them in our schools.
3.Sogndal Videregåeande Skule
Sogndal Videregåeande Skule is a higher secondary school where
the participants of the apprenticeship visited several English lessons led
by different teachers: Marit-Merethe Bollingberg RØneid, Anna Majewski, and Heidi Fondenes. During that visit our students observed various
teaching methods and the use of technology:
• projects concerning English-speaking countries;
• multi-media presentations and discussions;
• interpretation of English literature;
• writing short stories;
• language focus – structure-based exercises.
One of the classes lead by Anna Majewski was a double lesson devoted
to summing up the project concerning English-speaking countries other
than UK, USA, Australia or New Zealand. During the lesson students
carried out their own multi-media presentations, discussed health and
social issues in African English-speaking countries and worked on interpretation of the literature from those countries. At the end of the class,
they learned how to write a report. The apprentices observed the lessons
and assisted the learners during group tasks. When asked what was
the most striking feature of the lessons, they pointed out the use of modern technology – there were laptops on every desk for the students to use
during the lessons. Moreover, like in the primary school, they regarded
detailed weekly English lesson plans for students an excellent idea worth
promoting in Polish schools.
30
4.Sogn og Fjordane University College
Sogn og Fjordane University College is an institution of higher education
and our partner in the project. In the College, the internship was carried
out through the following lectures:
• Getting started or everything you should know about the Sogn og
Fjordane University College by John Seriot and Sigurd Daniel
Nerhus;
• a class in practical English by Christina Løkslett;
• a cognitive psychology lecture by dr Göran Söderlund;
• the Polish coordinator’s (Małgorzata Bieszczanin’s) class of SLT
methodology for Norwegian students.
The four lectures will be discussed below.
During their lecture John Seriot and Sigurd Daniel Nerhus described
the Norwegian system of educating teachers, as well as teaching methods
and the information system in the Sogn og Fjordane University College.
Then our students were taken on a library tour, where a librarian presented all the possibilities the library offers to students of the University
College, including computer-assisted learning and well-equipped private
study rooms accessible seven days a week at all times. The Polish students
wished they had such study rooms in our institution.
In her lesson of practical English, Christina Løkslett explored
creative swearing and other offensive language. She gave examples
from Shakespeare, Monty Python and European history (The Reply of
the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire).
Afterwards, Polish and Norwegian students cooperated in mixed groups
on creative swearing.
Dr Göran Söderlund devoted his cognitive psychology lecture to
the use of white noise in ADHD treatment. He began his talk with describing the symptoms of ADHD. Then he proceeded with discussing the neurobiological aspects of ADHD, ways of treating the syndrome, as well as
the use of sounds and music in ADHD treatment, with a special stress on
the therapeutic effect of the use of white noise, which is the lecturer’s field
of expertise. Finally, he gave practical advice to apprentice teachers, who
are bound to face ADHD students in their future teaching careers.
The Polish coordinator’s class of SLT methodology for Norwegian
students was devoted to the use of animation films in language teaching.
31
The class was filled with practical exercises showing students how to use
film scenes to practice comprehension, to introduce a vocabulary field,
to teach pronunciation (especially rhythm and intonation), to talk about
the film itself (e.g., the plot, the characters, the music) and to introduce
native speakers’ culture. Some tasks concentrated on film fragments
as input for creative writing and as a reward or relaxation. Norwegian
students responded very well to the workshop. They were active and
engaged in the tasks enthusiastically.
5.De Heibergske Samlinger-Sogn Folkemuseum
In De Heibergske Samlinger-Sogn Folkemuseum the Polish apprentice
teachers had a special workshop on the history and culture of the region
conducted by Lars Asle Vold. First he showed us around the museum,
containing artefacts from the area of Sogndal from many historical periods and then – around the open air museum consisting of houses from
different periods of Norwegian history – from the Middle Ages until
the modern times. Our students got an opportunity to learn how Norwegians of different periods lived, how they built houses and dressed, how
they produced goods of everyday use and celebrated important family
and community events. All this ethnographic and cultural information
was given in English, which made the whole event an excellent example
of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) – a useful modern
language teaching method. This fact was pointed out to the students by
the Polish coordinator who used this opportunity to revise an aspect of
English teaching methodology.
6.Visiting other places in Norway
Part of the experience of the internship was travelling around Sogndal
(especially to The Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Climate
Centre), a ferry trip to Bergen and half a day in Oslo (on the way back
to Poland). In the Glacier Museum, the students had a chance to obtain
information about Norwegian glaciers and climate research in Norway
through interactive activities offered by the museum. They also got acquainted with elements of anthropology and natural history. The trip to
Bergen, on the other hand, was an opportunity to admire breathtaking
32
Norwegian landscapes and to visit the famous Norwegian town of Bergen with its unique 300-year-old Hanseatic district of Bryggen listed on
the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites. The students found visiting
all these places both, illuminating and highly entertaining. Walking
the streets and parks of Oslo was the last part of the Norwegian experience. The participants enjoyed visiting the Vigeland Park of sculptures
and the “museum peninsula” of Bygdøy.
7.Benefits of the apprenticeship
To sum up, the apprenticeship may be said to have achieved the following results:
• widening the knowledge about the history and culture of Norway
and about the country’s natural resources;
• getting to know the Norwegian system of education, including
teacher education;
• obtaining information about the methods and techniques of
teaching English in Norway on different levels of education;
• getting specialist knowledge in cognitive psychology in the educational aspect;
• learning practical skills in the realm of foreign language teaching;
• learning practical skills in the field of information technology
and using teaching aids in the foreign language classroom;
• learning practical skills in the field of finding information in
a modern library system.
8.Feedback from the participants
As part of the project evaluation, apprentice teachers were asked to write
reports on their educational experience in Norway. Their comments
were highly positive, underlying the educational and personal benefits
for the students, as well as the atmosphere of friendship and international cooperation. Below there are selected fragments of the students’
reports concerning mainly the classes they attended.
A comment by Aleksandra
It seems to me that attending a Norwegian school may be fantastic.
Students are not afraid of being given bad grades. They are invited to
33
participate in discussions. They are also allowed to express their opinion.
I think that they are more critical when it comes to critical thinking abilities whereas most Polish students do not have any views. Their students
are also healthier because they are encouraged to practice sports whereas
our students are not so active.
A comment by Diana, Olga and Wiktoria
The classroom was well-equipped. It was interesting for us that all of
the students had computers on which they could work during the lesson and do a lot of online exercises. (…) They cooperated while doing
the tasks. Moreover, they were eager to participate in classes. We could
observe the lesson as a coherent and relevant part of the syllabus.
A comment by Iwona
The atmosphere was laid back. The students could eat and drink in class,
and they sat in relaxed poses. A lot of them had laptops on their desks,
which they used during the lessons. They did not browse the Internet but
worked on their assignments, having opened documents with the syllabus for the week.
A comment by Marika
Because using English is so natural for the Norwegians, it is not taught
as a foreign language. Therefore, lessons are similar to our lessons of
the Polish language. For the whole semester, the students get to know
elements of history and culture of less known English-speaking countries
by reading and watching films. By the end of the semester they present
a group project about a chosen country. Such a syllabus is interesting, illuminating and very valuable. It is only possible because of the high level
of the English language of the students. For them grammar is not a problem. They use the language fluently and their vocabulary is advanced.
If given a chance, all the students would go to Norway again, especially that during the stay of Norwegian students in Wrocław students
from both groups became closer friends.
34
Hill walking near Sogndal
In Anna Majewski’s Class
In the Sogn og Fjordane University College library
On the ferry to Bergen
35
36
The Kjørnes Camping
Visiting the Vigeland Park in Oslo
Waiting outside a lecture theatre
Walking along the Sognefjord
37
Christina Løkslett
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Norway
Interaction in action II –
Teacher training for Norwegian students in Poland
Abstract. During the period of 4th to 10th of May 2015, ten Norwegian students
visited Wrocław, to participate in a one-week teacher training programme.
During this week, the students took part in several lectures at the Philological
School of Higher Education, including lectures by the Polish coordinator Małgorzata Bieszczanin and Norwegian coordinator Christina Løkslett. The students
also visited a local secondary school for a combination of observation teacher
practice and actual teacher practice, as well as a cultural visit to the neighbouring town of Świdnica and the castle Książ. Most of the Norwegian students going
were teacher students in their second year of study. The article will look into
the programme arranged for the students, both from an academic and a cultural
point of view, with a special focus on the students’ own reflections on the stay
and their personal and academic gain from participating.
1.Background
This article was written following a week-long teacher training programme in Wrocław, Poland for English (teacher) students from Sogn
og Fjordane University College, Norway. The visit was funded and
organised through an EEA and Norway Grants project, No FSS/2013/
IIC/W/0033/U/0019: Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching.
Modern tools and methods in foreign language teaching with ICT applications. This article was presented at the concluding project conference in
Wrocław in October 2015. The week-long teacher training programme
40
Christina Løkslett
offered to the Norwegian students was organized by the Philological
School of Higher Education in Wrocław (WSF) and lasted from the 4th
until the 10th of May 2015. Ten English students from Norway participated in the trip; eight of them were either teacher students or studying
didactics. They were accompanied by the author of this article, who is
employed as a PhD candidate in the English department at Sogn og Fjordane University College.
2.Teacher training
The students participated in five lectures and workshops in total, in addition to observational teacher practice at a local secondary school. One
of the workshops was held by the lecturer from the Sogn og Fjordane
University College while the rest were held by staff and students at WSF.
All lectures involved both, Norwegian and Polish students, and were
part of the regular lecture plan for the Polish students. The observational
teacher practice took place at a local secondary school, and involved
the Norwegian students only. In addition, the social and cultural programme was extensive and varied throughout the week, both for students and lecturers. It offered experiences of many of the activities and
sights Wrocław can provide, and it gave an opportunity to see the city. In
addition, we went on a one-day trip to nearby Książ Castle and the town
of Świdnica, which was very much appreciated. All planned activities
were obligatory for the Norwegian students, according to the normal
arrangement at their home institution, including activities which cost
money (seeing as they had received pocket money from the project).
The lectures and workshops offered to the students were useful and
valuable to their further studies and to their future teacher practice. It
was beneficial that the programme offered lectures and workshops in
the varied field of topics, both didactics and others, like tourism and
translation. The students at the Sogn og Fjordane University College are
not usually exposed to topics in specialised translation or tourism studies, so this was a nice opportunity for them. The lecture in translation
also offered an insight into the use of a language laboratory, which is
not available to them at their home institution. Overall, the academic
programme was interesting and with enough variety as to maintain
the students eagerness to participate.
Interaction in action II – Teacher training for Norwegian students in Poland
41
The students very much looked forward to the observational practice
scheduled for Friday, seeing as eight out of ten students were teacher students or attending English didactics classes. The visit to a local secondary
school offered the students an opportunity to observe a lesson in English
for a group of 14 year-old students, followed by the Norwegian students
giving a presentation of Norway and their home institution to the Polish
school children, with a subsequent conversation one-on-one between
the Norwegian students and the Polish school children. The English lesson was followed by a guided tour around the school facilities, given by
two second-year upper secondary school students attending the school.
The school in question was described as being Poland’s second best and
Wrocław’s best school, and it thus offered the Norwegian students a look
into a top school in the area, and it gave them rich opportunity to compare what they saw to Norwegian school traditions, with which they are
very familiar.
3.Student evaluations – evaluation meeting
On the 19th of May, the teacher students who went to Poland held a presentation to their classmates (i.e., those teacher students who do not have
English as one of their subjects), regarding their experiences during their
stay in Wrocław. This meeting lasted one hour. The students were free to
decide form and content themselves, but were asked to focus on the way
in which their trip to Poland had influenced them as future teachers, as
well as their views and experiences of the academic programme during
their stay. The author of this article, as well as staff from the international
department – i.e., those who travelled with the students to Poland – was
present during the presentation. The lecturer took notes and used those
to gather feedback from the students, for the purpose of this article.
The students also filled in a questionnaire regarding their stay, following their presentation. Those students who were not present during
the presentation got the questionnaire via e-mail. Their answers were
gathered and summarised. The feedback given during the presentation
will be discussed first, and then the article will go on to the results from
the questionnaire.
The presentation began with the lecturer giving the students a brief
overview of the city of Wrocław, WSF and what happened during
42
Christina Løkslett
the stay. Afterwards, six of the students who went to Poland talked about
the trip and their experiences. Four of the students who participated in
the trip were not able to attend the presentation. Underneath you will
find a summary of what was said during the presentation (transcribed
and translated into English by author):
Regarding the academic programme, the students said that the lectures
and workshops were very interesting. They explained how it showed
them a more fun way to teach English. It was described as a neat way of
combining reading, listening and cooperation. They saw these as nice
methods to use in lower secondary school. The students were also particularly satisfied with the observational teacher practice. They reported
that it was very exciting, and that they were impressed by the level of
English used by the Polish pupils they met. They described how Polish
pupils were very good in English, although perhaps not as good as
Norwegian pupils when it comes to accent, but equally as good when
it comes to vocabulary and grammar. They thought this was because
the teacher spoke English in class, whilst in Norway much of English
teaching takes place in Norwegian.
They further went on to discuss the social programme. They reported an appreciation for being able to go on quite a few guided tours of
the city. The trip to Świdnica was especially mentioned as something
very intriguing, memorable and something quite special. They also
pointed out how the Polish students were key in the success of the programme. The Polish students were characterised as being very nice and
accommodating.
4.Student evaluations – questionnaire
The following is a summary of student evaluations, based on the questionnaire filled in by the students. The answers were given in Norwegian.
The following summary has been translated into English by the author.
The answers are grouped according to the questions asked in the questionnaire (in Italics):
Regarding the flow of information:
Most students responded that they found the amount of information
to be adequate. One student said that everything was organised as to
43
provide as predictable a trip as possible. However, one student pointed out that some of the evening activities were not mentioned before
the trip, and that he/she would have wanted some more detailed information about that. Most students responded that they found the amount
of information given during the trip to be adequate as well. They say that
they appreciated being continuously informed during the stay, although
it was sometimes a bit unclear, due to changes in the programme.
Regarding the academic programme:
In general, the students liked the academic programme very well. It was
described as very relevant for them as teacher students and providing
knowledge which they could use in their teacher practise and future
careers. One student said that he/she liked how the workshops were set
up in such a way that the Polish and Norwegian students were forced
to work together right away, and “there was no time to be shy.” Another
student pointed to this as well, saying that being able to communicate
with the Polish students was the most important aspect of the trip for
him/her. Another student said he/she thought that the workshops were
very fun. Another respondent said the academic programme was interesting and inspiring. One respondent said he/she found the translation
lecture especially intriguing. All respondents were very happy with
the observational teacher practice. They say it was very fun and interesting. One student said he/she thought it was incredibly interesting to get
observational teacher training and he/she appreciated the opportunity
to see how English was being taught in Poland, compared to back home.
Yet another student said it was very interesting to get to talk to the Polish
school children. The students also express appreciation for the guided
tour of the school afterwards, especially the opportunity to try playing
pool and going rollerblading. In general, most of the students said that
there was not anything they preferred differently as regards the academic
programme. However, one student asked for a more academic focus,
rather than “answering questions about Disney films.”
Regarding the social/cultural programme:
One student simply said that everything was good, “no complaints!”
One student wrote that all the planned activities and evening fun was
44
Christina Løkslett
extremely interesting, and that it was helpful in getting to know the Polish students, as well as Polish culture. Another student said there was
nothing that could have been done better, as everything was perfect. He/
she points out how the week was very hectic, but the fact that they got to
learn so much and experience a lot made up for that. Yet another student
points out how the guided tours worked very well. The guides were very
knowledgeable and he/she says they learned a lot about the city and
Poland during these trips. This student also liked the evening activities,
and says that the Polish students were very friendly and helpful in showing them around. One student especially mentioned the guided tour on
Wednesday as successful, as the guide Magda “knew a lot and was easy to
talk to.” He/she also liked that there was a time in the programme to do
their own things, for instance going out for dinner as a group. However,
a couple of students said they would have wanted more time during
the visit to the castle, in order to be able to explore on their own.
Regarding academic gain:
One student highlights the workshops and the trip to the school as
the activities he/she learned the most from. Another student said he/
she thought the workshop in the language lab was very fun, and that this
is something he/she would like to do more of in the future. Yet another
student points out how she learned a lot about Polish school system
during the observational teacher practice. A third student wrote how
the lectures and workshops had given him/her lots of new ideas as far
as teaching English goes. This view is shared by several of the students.
All respondents except for one said they would go back to Wrocław. One
said he/she would like to go back to study for one or two terms. Another
said that the Polish students were so friendly and open, and the teachers
were great, so she could very well consider going back. A third student
said how he/she had liked the city a lot; there were lots of great people.
Another of the respondents said she would definitely return for a holiday,
and considered going back to study. He/she said that he/she had been
very pleasantly surprised by Poland. The same student says that it was
sometimes difficult communicating, as many people were not as good in
English, but other than that, the trip had been wonderful.
45
Conclusion: academic, cultural and social gain
This article has discussed and evaluated the teacher training programme
offered to Norwegian-English teacher students in Wrocław in May
2015. The students’ evaluations show how the trip was a great success:
academically, culturally and socially. The students who participated have
gained knowledge and experience which will benefit them in their future
careers as teachers, as well as in their own personal development. In addition, the trip helped develop further the relationship between the two
institutions involved in the project, as well as the staff, which could form
the basis for later cooperation.
46
Christina Løkslett
Christina Løkslett’s detective story lesson for Polish and Norwegian students
Exploring a song sung in many languages
Shadow theatre – a workshop by Polish students for Norwegian students
Shadow theatre techniques for Norwegian students
47
Izabela Batyra
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
Activating higher primary learners through
introducing systematic autonomous behaviour
in and beyond the EFL classroom
Abstract. This paper aims at demonstrating a few ideas on how higher primary
foreign language learners can be more actively involved in the learning process
through introducing systematic autonomous behaviour into the English classroom, both in the teaching and learning process. How often do we hear from
English teachers they have fallen into an everyday school routine regarding their
past dream of becoming an English teacher as a must and from English learners
that their English classes are repetitive, monotonous, primarily course bookbased, predictable or that they do not like English, for whatever reason.
The thesis is supported by the study, whose aim was to examine the level of
autonomy and isolate any forms of autonomous actions in six higher primary foreign language classrooms, in two random state schools in rural areas of Poland.
Since September 2013, 115 language learners at the age of 11, 12 and 13 and
four English teachers with varied experience in foreign language teaching were
observed during English lessons. The lessons were audio recorded and thoroughly described in the form of observation notes. After nine months of intensive
observation, the respondents took part in a series of interviews on the basis of
the interview questions and a questionnaire.
The outcomes of the study prove that both, the learners and the teachers,
introduce sporadically autonomous forms of teaching and learning despite
the teachers’ positive attitude towards autonomous learning in and off the classroom context and their satisfying knowledge about learner autonomy. Intensive
observations of English lessons reveal a traditional and monotonous character
of the lessons. The interviews with the learners prove that more autonomy is
generated outside the EFL classroom and some learners are in fact autonomous
who have been developing the capacity to take control over their own learning
(Benson 2001: 2).
50
Izabela Batyra
Introduction
In the face of recent ministerial requirements in the core curriculum of
general education, teachers, and particularly language teachers, should
feel obliged to create such an environment in the classroom and beyond
it in which learners have a systematic opportunity to gain the ability
to plan, organise, evaluate, as well as take responsibility for their own
learning process. This phenomenon, known as learner autonomy, is one
of the successful ways of activating learners so that they wish to study
English with more dedication, curiosity and enthusiasm both, in and
beyond, the EFL classroom.
Following this introduction, the paper is divided into three sections.
Section one outlines a brief historical account of learner autonomy, as well
as a few evolving definitions of this phenomenon. Section two presents
the outcomes of the study devoted to learner autonomy of 115 primary
language learners and their four female teachers from two school backgrounds, who were intensively observed during English lessons for a period of nine months and interviewed on the basis of the questionnaires.
Finally, part three presents the characteristics of autonomous learners,
the teachers and the learners’ roles in an autonomous classroom, as well
as the stages of implementing autonomous behaviours in and off the EFL
classroom setting.
1.The definitions of learner autonomy
According to Benson (2006, 2011), the first formal traces of autonomy
are associated with the Council of Europe’s Modern Languages Project,
which led to the publication of Holec’s seminal report in which autonomy is defined as
the ability to take charge of one’s own learning… to have, and to hold
the responsibility for all the decisions concerning all aspects of this
learning and the specific decisions, such as: determining the objectives,
defining the contents and progressions, selecting methods and techniques
to be used, monitoring the procedure of acquisition and evaluating what
has been acquired. (Holec 1981: 3)
Dickinson (1987: 11), on the other hand, defines autonomy as
“the situation in which the learner is totally responsible for all of
Activating higher primary learners…
51
the decisions concerned with his learning and the implementation of
those decisions.”
For Allwright (1988: 35), learner autonomy involves “the rejection
of the traditional classroom and the introduction of wholly new ways of
working.” Benson (2006: 22) claims that “this definition is the result of
the first experiments on learner autonomy, which primarily aimed at
adults who did not have enough time, inclination and opportunity to
attend classroom-based courses.” Benson (2006) further strengthens his
claim that Allwright’s definition of learner autonomy had to be restructured if it was to be applied in the classroom setting.
The 1990s bring in a noticeable interest in learner autonomy in
the classroom context, before the 1990s, language educators and autonomy practitioners viewed autonomous learning as independent learning
and any intervention on the part of the teacher was considered as redundant and in some way blocking the development of autonomy.
The interest in autonomous learning in the context of the EFL and
ESL classroom comes with Little (1991, 1995: 211) who argues that
collaboration is essential to the development of autonomy as a psychological capacity, stating that the development of a capacity for reflection and
analysis is central to the development of learner autonomy and depends
on the development and internalization of capacity to participate fully
and critically in social interactions.
A number of researchers, in the United Kingdom and Australia, preferred
the term independence to autonomy, creating two terms for the same
concept. When independence is synonymous to autonomy, it is opposite to dependence, which implies excessive reliance on the direction of
teachers or teaching materials. The problem is that this term might be
understood as the opposite to interdependence, which implies working
together with the teachers and other learners towards a shared goal.
Many researchers would argue that autonomy does imply interdependence and develops through negotiations of curriculum and language
tasks. (Benson 2011: 15)
Benson (2011) indicates that the idea of interdependence in
the classroom led to the development of work on teacher autonomy –
interdependence between learners and teachers, which suggests that
the development of learner autonomy depends on teacher autonomy.
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Izabela Batyra
Kohonen (1992: 19) implies that “autonomy is interdependence. Thus,
being responsible for one’s own conduct in the social context, being able
to cooperate with others and solve conflicts in constructive ways.”
Little (1995: 175) asserts that “the decisive factor in fostering
the growth of learner autonomy will always be the nature of the pedagogical dialogue. The dialogue is important as human nature is innately
dialogic and first language acquisition and all learning depends on social
interaction,” which was presented in scaffolding (Bruner 1978) and ZPD
(Vygotsky 1978, 1986).
Little (1991, 1995) claims that autonomy is not autism: it is not a situation in which learners are to work on their own, autonomy develops in
interaction with others. Little (1995) indicates that the growth of learner
autonomy is impossible if teachers do not themselves realize what it
means to be an autonomous learner. Komorowska (2001) strengthens
Little’s view indicating that the development of learner autonomy depends, to a considerable degree, on teachers’ autonomy.
Esch (1996: 37) defines what learner autonomy is not:
It is not self-instruction/learning without a teacher, it does not mean
that intervention or initiative on the part of a teacher is banned, it is
not something teachers do to learners, i.e., a new methodology, it is not
a single easily identifiable behaviour, it is not a steady state achieved by
learners once and for all.
Taking into consideration all of the definitions of learner autonomy,
which have been presented, it seems that it is a complex process. It involves the learners’ readiness, ability and willingness to plan, evaluate,
negotiate and make decisions about their learning process; it takes place
in and beyond the EFL classroom; it is a form of collaborative work between teachers and learners; it is a systematic and constantly developing
process, which may develop consciously or unconsciously.
2.The study of autonomous learning environment
in higher primary foreign language classroom
and beyond the classroom setting
In mid-September 2013, the study of autonomous learning was launched
to examine the level of autonomy in and off the classroom setting and
isolate any forms of autonomous actions and behaviours in six higher
53
primary foreign language classes, in two random state schools in rural
areas of Poland. The study was carried out until mid-August and encompassed a single school year.
The respondents who took part in the study were 115 male and
female English learners at the age of 11 and 12 from three fifth and
three sixth grades studying English in two school backgrounds, as well
as their four female English teachers with varied teaching experience,
whose work with English learners was intensively observed for a period
of nine months and who were asked to fill in an extensive, three-part
questionnaire and take part in the interviews.
The study of autonomous learning environment was divided into
two phases. Phase I encompassed a long-term classroom observation.
Since mid-September 2013 until the end of May 2014, the work of 115
language learners and four English teachers was intensively observed,
audio recorded and thoroughly described in the form of observation
notes during English lessons. The aim of the observations was to isolate
any forms of autonomous behaviours generated by the teachers and
the learners in the classroom setting, as well as to verify the teachers’ and
the learners’ answers in the interviews.
Phase II of the study covered the interviews with over a hundred
language learners and four English teachers, who were also asked to
fill in an extensive, three-part questionnaire. There were 21 interview
questions for the learners. They concerned learner strategic competence, organizational skills, motivation, attitude towards language and
autonomous learning, their interests, language awareness, strengths
and weaknesses, preferences, modes, course books, etc. The questionnaire prepared for the teachers consisted of three parts. Each measured
the teachers’ knowledge and experience of autonomous learning. Table 1
presents the number of the learners and the teachers, who took part in
the first and second phase of the study.
The outcome of the study proves that there is no autonomy in
the classroom context. Sporadic forms of autonomous learning do not
confirm its presence in the classroom context. English lessons are traditional, repetitive and more teacher-oriented, no room for negotiations or
decision making. The teachers, as well as the learners, do not approach
any systematic forms of autonomous behaviour in the classroom.
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Izabela Batyra
Table 1. The number of the respondents who took part in the first and second
phase of the study
School I
School II
Teachers
TB
TA
TA
TA
Teachers
TC
TD
Grades
VA
VB
VIA
VIB
Grades
V
VI
No. of learners in
the group
17Lrs 18Lrs 22Lrs 21Lrs
No. of learners who
were observed during
English lessons
No. of learners who
17Lrs 18Lrs 22Lrs 21Lrs were observed during 19Lrs 18Lrs
English lessons
The overall number of
the observed learners
78Lrs
the observed learners
(School I and II)
No. of learners in
the group
The overall number
of the observed
learners
19Lrs 18Lrs
37Lrs
115Lrs
No. of learners who
were interviewed
10Lrs 17Lrs 21Lrs 20Lrs
No. of learners who
were interviewed
15Lrs 18Lrs
The overall number
of the interviewed
learners
68Lrs
The overall number
of the interviewed
learners
33Lrs
The overall number
of the interviewed
learners (School I
and II)
No. of learners
who filled in
the questionnaire
learners who filled in
the questionnaire
The overall number
of learners who filled
in the questionnaire
(School I and II)
101Lrs
No. of learners
17Lrs 17Lrs 22Lrs 20Lrs who filled in
the questionnaire
76Lrs
The overall number
of learners who filled
in the questionnaire
16Lrs 18Lrs
34Lrs
110Lrs
More autonomy is visible outside the classroom context, each learner
with a different degree of autonomous learning. The learners seem to act
unconsciously as autonomous learners off the classroom setting. They
act strategically, are motivated, know their learning preferences, needs,
strengths and weaknesses, are ready to take more responsibility and would
like to take an active part (be decision makers) in their learning process.
55
3.Facilitating autonomous learning
in and beyond the classroom
Benson (2001: 2) claims that
autonomy is available to all, although it is displayed in different ways and
to different degrees in accordance with the unique characteristics of each
learner and each learning situation. Learners who lack autonomy are
capable of developing it, given appropriate conditions and preparation.
Komorowska (2001) asserts that introducing learners, at the age of 11
and 12, to autonomous learning is highly important as autonomy brings
in a motivating factor into learning process. This can be done through
teaching learners how to be assertive, critical, negotiate, be a good listener, explain their choices and preferences and analyse their solutions.
3.1. The characteristics of an autonomous language learner
Omaggio (1978: 2–3) enumerates seven characteristics of an autonomous learner in the context of educational setting which are presented
below.
1. Autonomous learners have insight into their learning styles and
strategies.
2. Autonomous learners take an active approach to the learning task
at hand.
3. Autonomous learners are willing to take the risk, i.e., to communicate in the target language at all costs.
4. Autonomous learners are good guessers.
5. Autonomous learners attend to form, as well as to content (pay
attention to language fluency, as well as accuracy).
6. Autonomous learners develop the target language into a separate
reference system and are willing to revise and reject hypothesis
and rules that do not apply.
7. Autonomous learners have a tolerant and outgoing approach to
the target language.
3.2. The role of teachers and learners in an autonomous classroom
Komorowska (1978, 2001) claims that autonomous language learners
should decide about the choice of tasks and activities they wish to do in
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Izabela Batyra
the classroom. Classroom activities which involve learners in cooperative learning, e.g., pair work, group work, projects, in particular, enhance
the development of learner autonomy. Autonomous learners should also
decide about the skills they want to practice, time devoted to covering
a single linguistic issue, whom they wish to work with when involved in
cooperative tasks, the assessment forms, if or how their linguistic gaps are
evaluated, assessed or corrected, the choice of homework (the choice between three or four tasks), the choice of English course books, the choice
of other tools, applications, extra learning aid they wish to implement
in their learning process, the assessment of the teacher’s performance,
whether learners felt they achieved their learning goals within each
lesson, whether they liked the lesson, i.e., the teacher’s innovative ideas.
Komorowska (1978, 2001) argues that a language teacher should
restructure traditional teaching methods in an autonomous classroom,
their role as an expert, leader and administrator and the learners’ role
as passive recipients are remodeled – the teacher acts as a facilitator of
the learning process, the learners are decision makers and negotiators.
The teacher should also make an attempt to raise their learners’ awareness of their needs, learning preferences, strengths and weaknesses so
that their learners can find extra resources, best ways of memorizing
grammar or vocabulary on their own. Effective autonomous learning
takes place when the teacher enhances their learners’ enthusiasm and
will to study English for the whole school year.
3.3. Stages in the development of learner autonomy
Little do learners know about their language needs. Reinders (2010)
claims that learners may realize that they are poor writers or speakers,
but do not know anything about their abilities to learn with or from other colleagues, which may affect their writing or speaking skills. A great
solution is to involve each individual in an intensive needs analysis in
the classroom where they can share their finding with others. Classroom
activities should be connected with learners’ needs and learners should
be encouraged to give feedback on their success and performance of
the class activities, which aim at identifying their needs.
Reinders (2010) indicates that learners should see an English course
as a whole and look for as many practice opportunities as possible to set
their goals. If learners have defined goals, they know which elements of
57
the lessons are most important for them. In a longer perspective, teachers
are encouraged to introduce a more learner-centered approach and allow
their learners to decide about at least a few aspects of the lessons. If learners
gradually make decisions about planning their learning, e.g., homework
assignments, texts they wish to read, questions they want to answer, etc.,
they feel that they are more actively involved in their learning process
and take more responsibilities. The same procedure applies in the case of
involving learners in selection and preparation of learning resources.
Since autonomous learners are strategic learners, the ones who can
plan, organise and manage the learning process, the next step towards
implementing autonomous learning in and beyond the EFL classroom
is assessing the learners strategic competence. Strategy Inventory for
Language Learning invented by Rebecca Oxford (1990) is an extensive
questionnaire, which measures the strategic use of each individual. Reinders (2010) claims that it is important to ask learners to fill in the questionnaire at the beginning, throughout and at the end of the course to
check their progress in strategy use.
Successful autonomous learning takes place if learners take a risk in
experimenting with the language and find many practice opportunities.
Reinders (2010) stresses the importance of classroom activities and
materials, which should serve a springboard to encouraging learners to
move beyond the classroom setting.
It is of vital importance for the learner to monitor their progress systematically. Reinders (2010) suggests that this can be achieved through
encouraging learners to write learning diaries, e.g., a learning blog,
where they can write about their strengths and weaknesses and share
their failure and success in studying a foreign language with their colleagues or peers.
Finally, teachers should also instill in learners the need to assess their
achievements, as well as recycle their knowledge. Reinders (2010) argues
that regular traditional assessment forms, such as tests or quizzes, give
learners a feeling of progress and a sense of achievement. Still, online tools
such as Ning, Eduscapes, online web classes or traditional self-assessment
worksheets prepared by the teacher, give learners the opportunity to revise and assess their progress in an alternative way so that they feel more
confident as language users. Reinders (2010) stresses that the alternative
forms of assessment need to be connected to the learners’ previous work.
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Izabela Batyra
Table 2 illustrates the stages in the development of learner autonomy,
where the dotted line between the two extremes leaves room for autonomous learning.
Table 2. Stages in the development of learner autonomy (Reinders 2010: 46)
Learning stages
Teacher-directed
Learner-directed
Identifying needs
placement tests, teacher feedback learner experiences difficulties
in using the language
Setting goals
determined by the course,
relatively fixed
contextually determined,
relatively flexible
Planning learning
determined by the teacher,
somewhat flexible
contextually determined, very
flexible
Selecting resources
provided by teacher
self-selection by learners
Selecting learning
stages
teacher models and instructions
self-selection by learners
Practice
exercises and activities provided
by teacher
implementation (language use)
and experimentation
Monitoring progress
regular classroom feedback and
comments on assignments and
tasks
self-monitoring, peer feedback
Assessment and
revision
tests, curriculum changes
self-assessment, reflection
Conclusion
In this paper, an attempt has been made to look at a few ideas on how to
activate higher primary learners through introducing systematic autonomous behaviours in and beyond the EFL classroom.
The paper presents a few definitions of learner autonomy, which is
a highly complex phenomenon since it has been defined as the ability,
the capacity, the situation, the rejection of a traditional classroom, collaboration, pedagogical dialogue, interdependence, interaction, etc., by
different scholars, language educators and autonomy practitioners in
the course of over 40 years.
The paper is supported by the outcomes of the study devoted to
the autonomous environment, which proves that there is no autonomy
in the higher primary classroom context. English lessons are traditional,
repetitive and teacher-oriented. However, more autonomy is visible
beyond the classroom setting. Each of 115 learners exhibits different
59
degrees of autonomous learning, as well as learning preferences, needs,
strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, the paper outlines a few ways of facilitating autonomous
learning in and beyond the classroom, i.e., the roles adopted by teachers
and learners and in particular, the stages of implementing autonomy in
and beyond the classroom setting.
References
Allwright, Richard (1988) “Autonomy and individualization in whole-class
instruction.” [In:] A. Brookes, P. Grundy (eds.) Individualization and Autonomy in Language Learning. London: Modern English Publications and
the British Council, 35–44.
Benson, Phil (2001) Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning.
Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Benson, Phil (2006) “Autonomy in language teaching and learning.” [In:] Language Teaching 40, 21–40.
Benson, Phil (2011) Teaching and Researching Autonomy. 2nd ed. New York:
Routledge.
Bruner, Jerome (1978) “The role of dialogue in language acquisition.” [In:]
A. Sinclair, R. J. Jarvella, W. J. M. Levelt (eds.) The Child’s Concept of Language. New York: Springer-Verlag, 241–256.
Dickinson, Leslie (1987) Self-Instruction in Language Learning. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Esch, Edith (1996) “Promoting learner autonomy: Criteria for the selection of
appropriate methods.” [In:] R. Pemberton (ed.) Taking Control: Autonomy
in Language Learning. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 35–48.
Holec, Henri (1981) Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning. Oxford: Pergamon.
Kohonen, Viljo (1992) “Experiential language learning: Second language learning as cooperative learner education.” [In:] D. Nunan (ed.) Collaborative
Language Learning and Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
14–39.
Komorowska, Hanna (1978) Sukces i niepowodzenie w nauce języka obcego.
Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne.
Komorowska, Hanna (2001) Metodyka nauczania języków obcych. Warszawa:
Fraszka Edukacyjna.
Little, David (1991) Learner Autonomy 1: Definitions, Issues and Problems.
Dublin: Authentik.
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Little, David (1995) “Learning as dialogue: The dependence of learner autonomy on teacher autonomy.” [In:] System 23 (2), 175–181.
Omaggio, Alice (1978) “Successful language learners: What do we know about
them?” [In:] ERIC/CLL News Bulletin, May, 2–3.
Oxford, Rebecca (1990) Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher
Should Know. New York: Newbury House.
Reinders, Hayo (2010) “Towards a classroom pedagogy for learner autonomy:
A framework of independent language learning skills.” [In:] Australian
Journal of Teacher Education 35 (5), 40–55.
Vygotsky, Lev (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological
Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, Lev (1986) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Anna Cisło
University of Wrocław
Modern learning:
The prospect of McDonaldization
Abstract. The term “McDonaldization” was coined by the sociologist George Ritzer
in his book The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the Changing
Character of Contemporary Social Life, in which he defines it as “the process by
which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more
and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world” (1993: 1).
Criticizing what he observes, Ritzer describes the McDonaldized society as a system of “iron cages,” in which all institutions come to be governed by the same
principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. The applicability
of the concept of McDonaldization to characterize modern institutions of higher education has already been discussed and found both supporters and opponents. The former focus particularly on the change from traditional forms of education to the ones that emerged with developments in modern technologies and
identify some detrimental effects of what they see as manifestations of McDonaldization. Taking into consideration both the advantages and disadvantages of
the use of modern technologies and the developing an online educational system, and drawing on her personal experience of academic teaching, the author
considers manifestations of McDonaldization in higher education but also hopes
to stimulate a discussion on the possible ways of avoiding it.
Let us start by considering three scenarios.
One: Two kids are playing in the schoolyard. They are catching ladybirds and counting their spots. They observe a ladybird with seven spots
62
Anna Cisło
and one with ten spots and, wondering whether they are of the same
species, go and ask their teacher.
Two: A girl is playing in the garden. She observes ladybirds, counts
their spots and, wondering whether insects with a different number
of spots are of the same species, uses her tablet to find out more about
ladybirds online.
Three: A boy is sitting alone at a computer, doing his homework
in arithmetic. Ladybirds with different numbers of spots appear on
the screen. He must count their spots and click on one of the possible
answers a), b) and c). The question as to whether the number of spots in
a real life ladybird can vary does not arise. The homework is completed
once he has answered correctly 5 out of 10 questions. A score is generated
electronically, so the child knows immediately how he has performed.
Now, the question is: In which of the three situations does a child
benefit the most as far as learning is concerned? Please circle the correct
answer:
a) Scenario one because the children not only apply their ability to
count to a real life situation but also reflect critically at their discovery
and communicate it to their teacher, who will likely provide them with
information on ladybirds. What is more, the children learn to communicate their knowledge deficit to another person. Their experience, as
well as the answer to their question is unlikely to be forgotten and may
be reflected upon sentimentally, years later when the two involved meet
for a cup of tea;
b) Scenario two because the girl not only applies her ability to count
but also her skills in using a tablet and finding information unaided. She
is more likely to get the right answer to her question from the Internet
than from her teacher who may not be at hand or knowledgeable enough
to answer the girl’s question in detail. The girl is likely to remember
what she has learnt as she has put considerable effort into finding out
an answer;
c) Scenario three because the boy concentrates solely on counting,
i.e., a single task, this ability being a very important part of an adult’s daily routine in the workplace. The sooner he learns to follow instructions
without question the better. The boy is not only assessed on his ability
to count correctly but is also trained to act efficiently. He might have
subconsciously acquired the information that, in real life, ladybirds may
Modern learning: The prospect of McDonaldization
63
have a different number of spots although this knowledge may turn out
to be totally irrelevant to what he will do for the rest of his life;
d) If you find none of the above answers satisfying, please feel free to
give your own opinion but do not expect any score for it: …
If we considered the three scenarios described in more detail, we would
notice that in two of them technological equipment has been involved
and only in one of them there is more than one person. There is probably no right answer to the question as to which experience would teach
a child the most. People are different and every person needs a different
approach. Some look at the world in a holistic way; some prefer to get
involved in single actions. Some like being instructed by another human
being and being listened to; some prefer to use a computer to search for
information, or to be assessed in a particular skill. As long as there is
more than one way in which we are trained and examined, everyone is
likely to be satisfied in their learning. Once we are deprived of this choice
only some of us will benefit. Feeding everyone with the same food and,
in the same way, is not healthy. Teaching everyone the same material, in
the same way, with little or no regard for student interest or background
and afterwards expecting the same skills to be attained cannot be good either and is most likely to lead us towards what is called McDonaldization
of education, which is considered here at its tertiary level.
The term “McDonaldization” was coined by the sociologist George
Ritzer in his book The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into
the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life, which first appeared
in 1993. Ritzer (1993: 1) defines McDonaldization as “the process by
which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of
the world.” Criticizing what he observes, he then describes the McDonaldized society as a system of “iron cages,” in which all institutions come
to be governed by the same principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. The applicability of the concept of McDonaldization
to characterize modern institutions of higher education has already
been discussed and found both supporters and opponents. To the latter
belong, for instance, Andrew Nadolny and Suzanne Ryan (2015), who in
their article concentrate on the comparison between McDonald’s casual
employees and casual academic employees in Australia. They conclude
that, apart from their employment status, the two groups have nothing
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in common and question the accuracy of applying the McDonaldization
thesis to higher education. Some of the supporters’ views find expression
in The McDonaldization of Higher Education, the book edited by Daniel
Hayes and Robert Wynyard in 2002, and although not all of the contributors are pessimistic about higher education they often agree with
at least some of Ritzer’s arguments. Four years before the latter book
appeared, Ritzer (1998: 161) himself had concluded:
I should make it clear that I do not expect tomorrow’s university to look
exactly like a shopping mall or a chain of fast food restaurants. However, I do expect it to integrate applicable elements of these and other
new means of consumption (and tourism) into the existing structure
of the university. I also expect the university to borrow liberally from
many other sectors of society as well as to retain many of its traditional
components.
Supporters of the applicability of Ritzer’s concept to higher education
focus particularly on the change from traditional forms of education to
the ones that emerged with developments in modern technologies and
identify some detrimental effects of what they see as manifestations of
McDonaldization, using the following arguments: 1) The employment
of multiple-choice tests, often scored electronically, affords time efficiency for teachers in assessing their students but promotes rote learning
rather than active and creative engagement; 2) Grading exams solely on
the basis of the percentage of correct answers increases calculability and
diminishes the ability of the teacher to assess the progress each individual student makes in their course of study; 3) Detailed syllabi for each
class and video-recorded online courses, which do not change from year
to year, increase predictability for students and remove an element of
the unexpected as well as the opportunity for mutual engagement between teacher and student, making the process of education less interesting; 4) The role of the teacher is greatly diminished as it is often replaced
with non-human instruction, which puts the process of education under
external control. Similar opinions can be found in many articles and essays but also on
various blogs. For example, already in 1999, Robert Slater had demonstrated the negative side effects of the discussed process in his article
“The McDonaldization of education.” In his opinion schools will become
less effective at educating children as they will fail to develop creative
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thinkers which results from the fact that inquiry or creativity are no
longer promoted.1 More recently, on the Cross-Cultural Rhetoric Blog
for students and teachers, Diane Wong (2010) expressed the opinion
that McDonaldization had fundamentally changed the higher education
system. She notes that examinations (often oral, previously), which were
once marked individually by lecturers, are now mostly written tests,
largely marked by computer, increasing the efficiency for lecturers but at
the same time drifting towards dehumanization. Also, Ritzer (2013), in
his more recent writings, argues that McDonaldization has already had
a profound effect on education, and especially on the development of
MOOCs (massive online open courses). These became possible with developments in modern technologies, which have accelerated the process
of McDonaldization as witnessed in education.2
Taking into consideration both, the advantages and disadvantages,
of the use of modern technologies, especially with relation to developing
an online educational system, I would like to consider some manifestations of McDonaldization in higher education but also hope to stimulate
discussions on possible ways of avoiding the McDonaldization scenario.
Like most lecturers, over ten years ago, I delivered only traditional lecture
courses at both the University of Wrocław and the Philological School of
Higher Education in Wrocław. The courses concluded with students’ sitting a written examination with both open and multiple choice questions.
If students failed their exam, they had at least two opportunities to repeat
it, sometimes orally. As far as additional class materials and equipment
were concerned, they were simple in nature: transparencies and overhead
projectors, printed handouts and reading material to be left for students
in library paper files. Later Microsoft PowerPoint became popular and
most schools soon became equipped with computers and data projectors.
This allowed for more varied presentations – enriched with videos and
regularly updated photographs – that could be used to illustrate spoken
1 Recently, developing creativity has been promoted by, among others, the Slow Education movement, whose supporters believe there is a strong need “to reclaim
the importance of quality, creative teaching which enables students to think independently and cope with the challenges of life today” (quoted from “Slow Education is sweeping through schools in England”).
2 Already in 1998 Ritzer (1998: 159) wrote about universities existing entirely in cyberspace.
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lectures. Modern technology also helped to create materials for students
in electronic formats: scanned reading material, summaries of lectures
that could be easily and thus regularly updated, etc. These could be later
made available to students online, in the case of the Philological School
of Higher Education – included into so-called Materiały do zajęć [class
materials] file, accessible from the school homepage through e-dziekanat.
All of this was a change for the better. The advent of PowerPoint allowed
us to express to a greater extent our individuality and play with ideas:
we could introduce and constantly update visual materials used during
the lectures; in addition, easily accessible new technologies allowed us to
save time while updating materials – both materials used during the lectures and those included in electronic files, and thus made us more
efficient in a positive sense. We had regular contact with students who
attended lectures, asked questions, stimulated us in our research as well
as in our search for more information related to our lectures’ content.
The same new technologies can be used to provide students with
recordings of our lectures in electronic form – e-learning lecture courses,
which for at least the last five years have been a growing part of the educational programme of the Philological School of Higher Education (though
not, as yet, the University of Wrocław). To prepare them, the schools’
lecturers are given the uniform PowerPoint presentation template, which
is to be used, as well as the set of instructions, concerning the number of
slides, which is to be limited to approximately 25, and the time of the recorded material, which is to be limited to less than an hour. This means
that recorded lectures, as well as visual presentations, are in most cases
shorter than traditional ones. This is understandable as there is no time
reserved for students-teacher interaction or repetitions: students cannot
ask questions and teachers tend not to repeat themselves, i.e., the most
important information is not emphasized by being repeated, which is typical of traditional lectures. The end-product is thus more a form of video
presentations rather than lectures as traditional lectures are not recorded
when they are being delivered to students. Instead, teachers prepare slides
with accompanying spoken comments, which get video recorded.
As such video presentations were, and to some still are, a novelty,
everybody applies their own style in preparing them and the end products inevitably vary, though the lecturers use the same template, obey
the same rules regarding both the time and the slide count limits, and are
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assisted by the same qualified school staff responsible for the recording
and the compilation of material. Because, in the Philological School
of Higher Education I lecture on British and Irish culture, life and institutions, I have tended to include in my visual presentations a lot of
photographs and little text information, which instead is spoken by me.
At the same time, to make it easier for students to acquire knowledge,
I have additionally included summaries of the most important content
in written form in the aforementioned Materiały do zajęć. To vary
the presentations even more, I have added to them fragments of films,
film compilations of photographs which illustrated a discussed topic, or
even interviews with guests knowledgeable of a given topic, which were
either included as part of lectures or attached to them in appendices. To
make the latter accessible to traditional lecture course students, I have
included the interviews into Materiały do zajęć.
This system, I believe, works well. Those students who decide to follow
an e-learning course are also given a chance to participate in traditional
lectures, which some have done. In the case of some courses in the Philological School of Higher Education, traditional lectures have clashed
with some of the students’ tutorials or optional classes, giving students
little choice. To a certain extent, students enrolling in a traditional lecture
course have always been disadvantaged as they have been given no access
to recorded presentations and thus could not make up for a missed traditional lecture. Such a solution is a little bit unfortunate, as in my opinion,
the greatest advantage of having lectures recorded is that they may fulfill
a supportive function. As far as students’ interest in e-learning lecture
courses is concerned, it varies and, although I have not compiled any
statistical data, for example, there was one group of students in the academic year 2014/2015 out of which no student decided to enroll in my
e-learning lecture course. If they needed to make up for a missed lecture,
they could avail of my Materiały do zajęć reading materials. This leads me
to believe that there are still students who are likely to choose traditional
forms of learning, students choosing e-learning being, at least in some
cases, the ones who have class-clashes or who do not want to participate
in traditional lectures for other reasons – for example traditional lectures
are too early or too late for them in their day schedules.
All points so far apply to situations in which students have more or less
limited choice in the form of learning and in which we, lecturers, teach
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both in real life and in virtual space. However, we may wonder how this
differs from the situation in which students have no choice as the whole
course is delivered in an e-teaching/e-learning form. The danger is that
such an e-teaching/e-learning system may – though not necessarily, of
course – more easily come to manifest itself in the dimensions described
by Ritzer: aforementioned efficiency, calculability, predictability and
control. For example, in a McDonaldized society described by Ritzer efficiency is imposed upon people, so instead of choosing their own methods
of efficiency, they are forced to accept the efficiency of the surroundings
in which they function. The most commonly mentioned example is
this of salad bars: in essence, with a salad bar, consumers buy an empty
plate, go to the bar and create the salad themselves. This is very efficient
for the restaurant, but makes more work for the consumer. With video
presentations being the only available option, students have to enroll in
the course, procure a computer, log in, motivate themselves to watch
video presentations, locate additional materials, and take electronic tests,
which evidences their e-participation. The level of human interaction is
reduced: while being trained to become graduates, students are forced
to deal with computers and not people; students have no opportunity
to influence the course, which is already prepared; the course is no
longer a process but an invariant end-product, which also means that
the lecturer is no longer creative or given stimuli for further research.
The second aspect of McDonaldization is calculability. This is an emphasis on the quantitative aspects of products sold and service offered,
i.e., the portion size and the time it takes to get the product valued at
an established cost. With video presentations, the size – number of slides
and the time they take – is established for lecture courses and should not
vary from one course to another. The third aspect of McDonaldization is
predictability. This emphasizes such things as discipline, order, systemization, formalization, routine, consistency, and methodical operation.
In a McDonaldized society, people prefer to know what to expect in most
settings and at most times. This has a two-fold effect. It makes the experience of the consumer the same at every location of a McDonaldized
company and the work routine for the employees of that company. Some
people appreciate predictability and are happy that they do not have to
worry about getting something below a certain standard for which they
have paid. This expected predictability, however, means that lecturers do
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not have to think about how they might vary their lectures any more.
Once recorded, they become “frozen” and are no longer performances
– which for me, every lecture should be – as it is not possible to create
and record a new course every year. The latter makes lectures even more
predictable, especially for those students who repeat a year. The role of
the teacher is replaced with a non-human instruction which prevents
the opportunity for mutual engagement between a lecturer and students.
The students’ participation and knowledge of the lectures’ content is
tested electronically on the basis of multiple choice tests and the rules of
assessing their performance are decided before the course has begun. We
do not fail a student even when we see that they have answered correctly
all ten questions in 40 seconds, as this would break the rules. Finally,
there is control. In the McDonaldized society, control is imposed over
both employees and customers and because people are the great source
of unpredictability, non-human technology substitutes human one. Due
to the repetitiveness of the end product, lecturers do not have to think
about their lectures any more. We are in less control and computers are
in more control over the product, i.e., video presentations. In Ritzer’s
words, we become more dependent on the very things that McDonaldization creates.
The question that arises is: are we already there, i.e., have we become
McDonaldized? I would say, we have not, as we can still be critical of what
the outcomes of the McDonaldization process as described by Ritzer are.
Concluding his pessimistic vision of future universities Ritzer himself
(1998: 161) stated that his aim was “to provoke a dialogue about how far
we wish to move in that direction, and even whether that is really the direction in which we wish to move.” If not, is there anything we can do as
individuals to interfere with this process? Ritzer’s suggestion for educators and for those being educated is a very straightforward and simple
one: lead efforts to keep McDonaldization out of the school system. There
are surely still steps we – teachers, lecturers, students and managers of
educational institutions – can take to deviate from McDonaldization.
E-lecturers may, for example, choose to make a final test in a form of
written examination with open questions only, preferably the ones that
would require students to think and give their opinions or to organize
an oral end-of-the-course examination. Students may demand some
interaction with their teachers, other than via e-mail, that would make
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it possible for them to pass their comments on individual presentations
and ask questions via skype or skype-like systems once face-to-face
meetings are not possible due to physical distances or other physical
constraints. E-lecturers with the support of their employing institutions,
should allow for frequent updates of their lectures and greatly vary tests
on the basis of which they check students’ participation, which would
make students reflect more while performing their task. Institutions of
higher education should avoid online courses provided to huge groups:
the more specialized courses are and the more limited their distribution,
the better they are. They must avoid purchasing courses from an outside
vendor, which we have not experienced, but which is already practiced in
the US,3 especially in financially stressed private and public universities
in which students have to watch videotaped lectures produced by people
not even employed by their schools. Human instruction and teaching
should not be fully replaced by an electronic form: considering the three
scenarios used as the starting point of this paper, we have surely assumed
that at the beginning there must have been some teacher instructing all
of the kids on how to count. I have presented some points to ponder;
the question as to how to avoid becoming McDonaldized is open for
further consideration.
References
Hayes, Dennis, Robin Wynyard (eds.) (2002) The McDonaldization of Higher
Education. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.
Nadolny, Andrew, Suzanne Ryan (2015) “McUniversities revisited: A comparison of university and McDonald’s casual employee experiences in Australia.” [In:] Studies in Higher Education 40 (1), 142–157. Available at: http://
dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.818642 [retrieved: 7.09.2015].
“Open Letter to Professor Michael Sandel from the Philosophy Department at
Sant Jose State U.” Available at: http://genius.com/San-jose-state-departmentof-philosophy-open-letter-to-professor-michael-sandel-from-the-philosophy-department-at-san-jose-state-u-annotated [retrieved: 15.11.2015].
Ritzer, George (1993) The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into
the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life. Thousand Oaks: Pine
Forge Press.
3 See “Open Letter to Professor Michael Sandel from the Philosophy Department at
Sant Jose State U.”
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Ritzer, George (1998) The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Ritzer, George (2013) “MOOCs and the McDonaldization of education.” Available
at: https://georgeritzer.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/moocs-and-the-mcdonaldization-of-education/ [retrieved: 7.09.2015].
Slater, Robert (1999) “The McDonaldization of education”, translated from
R. O. Slater, “La MacDonalization de la educacion”. [In:] Education 8 (15),
21–37. Available at: http://firgoa.usc.es/drupal/node/5029 [retrieved:
14.11.2015].
“Slow Education is sweeping through schools in England” (2015) Sunday
Times, 15.03. Available at: http://sloweducation.co.uk/2015/05/16/sloweducation-is-sweeping-through-schools-in-england-sunday-times-march15th-2015/ [retrieved: 14.11.2015].
Wong, Diane (2010) “McDonaldization and higher education.” Available at:
http://web.stanford.edu/group/ccr/ccrblog/2010/02/mcdonaldization_
and_higher_edu.html [retrieved: 14.11.2015].
Robert Gadowski
Online teaching materials
for ESL Integrated Skills module
Abstract. Teaching an ESL online course demands from the teacher an incorporation of methods and resources that will harmonize with didactic goals of
the course, engage learners and enrich their language competency. In this brief
article I present an overview of advantages and disadvantages of selected strategies that supplement Integrated Skills module in an ESL online course.
Introduction
Integrated Skills course aims to develop basic ESL skills such as reading,
listening, writing and speaking. The goal of the course is to facilitate student’s language proficiency through activities that develop a particular
set of skills. Moreover, students gain knowledge on socio-cultural aspects
of language, learn how to work independently or in a group, and study
how to incorporate various skills in developing their ESL competency.
Thus, it is crucial for teachers of Integrated Skills course in an online
environment to incorporate various activities and methods rather that
render the learning process, both demanding and interesting.
1.Audio-visual aids in online teaching
The key to an efficient and effective integrated skills online course is
the use of audio visual materials such as movies, short movie clips and
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Robert Gadowski
documentaries, podcasts, TV and radio programs, graphs and maps, etc.
Audio-visual materials provide substantial advantages for ESL students.
1. Such materials are motivating. The goal of the student is to understand the material. Hence, the more thought-provoking material is chosen, the more student’s interest spikes and the more
student is motivated to get to know the meaning of the material.
2. Audio-visual resources offer a great combination of verbal and
non-verbal information that will enrich both, students’ language
and cultural knowledge.
3. Moreover, the non-verbal communication improves students’
awareness in this area, helps them to meet the demands of spoken
English in real life situations.
4. Audio-visual materials are a great gateway activity for students to
get a first-hand experiences on how language is used in specific
social situations.
5. Online resources, when combined with audio-visual materials,
offer an enormous range of choices for teachers, effectively helping them to form an interesting and informative course.
On the other hand, using audio-visual materials in an online environment presents some disadvantages too.
1. It is hard to find and incorporate audio-visual materials that will
fit the linguistic requirements (proper ESL level) and command
the attention from online learners (proper level of interest).
2. As online learning offers more freedom than in the traditional
class, therefore the materials chosen need to capture students’
attention and make them constantly engaged. This is extremely
hard to achieve.
3. For teachers, finding and maintaining appropriate online resources for audio-visual aids will consume a lot of time. Consequently,
good pre-planning of the course is essential.
4. Some audio-visual resources are not available for an extended
period of time (for example, video clips on YouTube). Teachers
must be mindful of these time constraints and either download
or change their resources frequently.
5. Some technical problems may arise as some browsers are illequipped to handle various formats. This issue, of course, is also
true for a traditional class, however in an online course it is essential that all audio-visual materials will run smoothly.
Online teaching materials for ESL Integrated Skills module
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6. Audio-visual aids should not dominate the online course. A lot of
students employ learning strategies that are not necessarily best
suited for audio-visual learning only.
Here you can see the use of an audio-visual aid in the form of a video
clip from the popular American sitcom Friends. The scene serves as a listening comprehension exercise for students. The visual aspect of the clip
and the clear image help students to develop attentiveness to detail and
contextual meaning in a real life situation.
Figure 1. A fragment of TV show Friends found on YouTube. This part of the show
deals specifically with a scenario that can be transcribed for an ESL lesson
The follow-up exercise involves students’ answers in a written form
that they can submit online.
Figure 2. An example of questions that supplement listening comprehension
activity
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Robert Gadowski
2.Discussion forum
Another tool that can greatly expedite online ESL course is a discussion
forum. A platform for students to share their opinions, present arguments, defend their views and reach consensus, engages a multitude
of language skills. Forum activities can range from a light-hearted
play with the language to a place where critical socio-cultural issues of
the English-speaking world are discussed. In my view, discussion forum
promotes interaction that is vital for developing cohesive ESL skills.
Typical features of an online forum for an online ESL course must
include:
• specific questions that focus students’ interaction;
• set of rules for smooth cooperation and participation in the discussion (for example, a requirement concerning the number of
posts that a student needs to write);
• guided student interaction (teacher starts the forum discussion
and monitors the interaction);
• feedback from the teacher (may be submitted at the end, or
during the discussion);
• depending on the form, discussion forum can also involve oral presentation instead of posts (for instance VoiceThread tool for ESL).
Nevertheless, participation in an online forum can be demanding
for many students. In order to ease out the students’ apprehension,
the teacher needs to consider the following issues:
• choosing a topic that is best suited for a lengthy discussion on
the board;
• presenting open-ended and thoughtful questions that stimulate
the discussion;
• encouraging participation from students who are either shy or
seem overwhelmed by the required participation. This may be
the hardest issue as it will greatly involve analysis of the personality of particular students;
• when discussion meets a dead end, it is the role of the teacher to
either efficiently conclude the discussion or to make a transition
to other aspects of the issue so that the forum is kept “alive.”
An example of a successful forum exercise is the incorporation of
an authentic material, for example, a brief conference on a highly intriguing or inspiring topic as shown below.
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Figure 3. Online lecture on the prospects of artificial leather. If needed, students
can be presented only with parts of longer videos
This topic most probably will generate a great discussion as it should
polarize the students. The teacher needs to set clear rules to convey
the discussion.
Figure 4. An example of questions that will help to spur the discussion on a forum
3.Hot Potatoes – software for ESL online course
For an online course like Integrated Skills many units are content-based
lessons that involve primary materials like text or podcasts as a base for
further exercises. Hot Potatoes program allows teachers to create activities perfect for vocabulary practice. Hot Potatoes exercises can be introduced either as a pre-lesson activities that trigger students’ engagement
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with the topic or as an exercise that helps them revise and review what
they have learned at the end of the lesson.
Here are the advantages of Hot Potatoes software:
1. The program is most useful for vocabulary extension purposes
that makes use of basic activities like multiple-choice, matching
and gap-fill exercises.
2. The program is easy to navigate and use, even for inexperienced
online students and teachers.
3. It helps to promote online learning as a relaxed, manageable way
of acquiring language competency.
A possible disadvantage of this software is usually linked to the issue
of repetitive exercises, as Hot Potatoes offers a limited number of choices
for the teacher.
The scan of the text is used as a source for the following exercises.
Figure 5. An example of a text scan nested in the Moodle platform
Figure 6. An example of Hot Potatoes multiple-choice quiz nested in the Moodle
platform
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The exercise that follows checks student’s understanding of the text –
both general comprehension and vocabulary knowledge.
Another type of Hot Potatoes exercise is a gap-fill exercise that is
used to accompany listening comprehension activity. Students listen and
fill in the gaps.
Figure 7. An example of Hot Potatoes gap filling exercise nested in the Moodle
platform
Yet another type of an exercise is used as a revision of vocabulary and
phrases from previous reading comprehension activity.
Figure 8. An example of Hot Potatoes matching exercise nested in the Moodle
platform
In conclusion, Hot Potatoes software offers an easy way for teachers
to create a variety of exercises that will supplement the course.
Dorota Juźwin
Interactive online materials for English language
teaching PNJA Practical Grammar B1–B2 e-course
Abstract. Blended, or hybrid learning has recently become an integral part of many
courses taught at all stages of education. Typically, at undergraduate and graduate
level, students have the possibility of watching previously recorded lectures instead of attending them, which has increased access to tertiary schools. Although
these recordings make asynchronous learning possible and are often praised for
their convenience, students listening to them remain uninvolved for long periods.
With Practical English Language (PNJA) courses, the Philological School of Higher
Education has taken a step further in making English instruction available and attractive to learners. It is widely understood that language acquisition is an active
and intensive process, therefore English majors participating in practical courses
must combine traditional, in-class instruction (30 hours per semester for daytime
students) with an electronic course on the Moodle platform (15 units per semester), which is a constitutive part of the whole module. Unlike lectures, which do
not usually demand student involvement, most tasks in the e-course require that
the students be active. The article provides examples of various exercises, created
by the instructor, which facilitate language learning and encourage participation.
In order to understand the way the PNJA Practical Grammar B1–B2
e-course is used by students to enhance their learning experience, and
the instructor to personalize teaching, it is essential that the course be
put into perspective, i.e., presented against the background of a broader
idea of blended (or “hybrid”) learning as well as part of the PNJA module
of courses. The latter will be described first.
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Dorota Juźwin
PNJA, which stands for Practical English Language Instruction,
is a module of core English as a Foreign Language courses, taught at
WSF (Philological School of Higher Education) to English Philology
majors over the period of three years (six semesters). All of the courses
in the group are mandatory and have to be taken in a certain sequence.
The set consists of: PNJA Conversation (taught for six semesters); PNJA
Phonetics (two semesters), PNJA Work with Audiovisual Materials (two
semesters) PNJA Practical Grammar (four semesters), PNJA Integrated
Skills (six semesters), PNJA Work with Authentic Text (two semesters),
PNJA Writing (two semesters), PNJA Academic Writing (two semesters). The students who enroll in the English Philology major have two
options, depending on their proficiency level. Those with a working
command of the language (B1) enroll at a higher level, where learning
English as a Foreign Language is generally based on traditional, face-toface instruction. By contrast, those who do not speak English, namely
beginners or, sporadically, false beginnners, start with the basics, knowing that their in-class learning experience, due to limited time, must be
combined with online instruction in order to achieve fluency (C1 level)
at the end of the sixth semester.
The PNJA Practical Grammar courses taught to the first group (more
advanced) students contain the so-called e-Grammar Component, which
consists of grammar exercises closely coordinated with the course syllabus. They provide students, whose online learning experience is otherwise
quite limited, with additional practice and immediate feedback; right and
wrong answers are clearly marked. The instructor teaching the traditional
course may occasionally have to explain certain points of grammar practiced in the e-Grammar Component, e.g., why certain answers are marked
wrong; in general, however, having no possibility of editing the e-course’s
content, s/he does not monitor the students’ work on the e-learning platform very closely. The e-Grammar Component constitutes only 10% of
the student’s grade, so at the end of the semester the instructor checks
the students’ results, automatically generated by the Moodle platform.
By contrast, the students who enroll in the English Philology major at the beginner level, are informed beforehand that e-learning will
be an integral part of their instruction, since they must reach the C1
(advanced) level at the end of the sixth semester. Therefore, in two of
the courses: PNJA Integrated Skills and PNJA Practical Grammar, they
Interactive online materials for English language teaching…
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are expected to spend at least as much time learning online as they do in
traditional face-to-face instruction.
At this point, it is important to explain the conception of hybrid, or
blended learning. The most common definitions of this type of instruction include the idea of replacing of 25% to 50% of class time with online
instruction (e-learning). The learning process can be synchronous (if
the teacher and students meet in an online environment at the same
time), which in some cases solves the problem of distance – the student
does not have to travel to school; or asynchronous, in which students
learn at the time and place convenient for them. The latter is often
based on the assumption that contemporary learners, who often have
additional duties, such as work, family obligations, etc. prefer to adjust
studying to their busy schedules; if given opportunity and access to educational resources, they will acquire knowledge by managing their time
effectively. Moreover, there is a difference between hybrid courses, which
generally give up some time devoted to traditional teaching in favor of
virtual instruction, and the so-called Web-enhanced learning, where
face-to-face time is supplemented with online content. WSF’s practical
English (PNJA) courses fall into the second category. Thus, the students
who enroll in the English Philology major at the beginner level have
the same number of face-to-face meetings as the students who start at
the B1 level; but in addition to attending regular classes, they have to
take part in instructor-created e-learning courses. There is one frame
syllabus encompassing the traditional and online PNJA Integrated Skills
course, and one frame syllabus for the traditional and online PNJA Practical Grammar course, which means that instructors preparing an online
course and teaching one face-to-face are obliged to focus on the same
content. Moreover, both courses are part of the PNJA module.
In general, each PNJA Integrated Skills and PNJA Practical Grammar
course consists of 15 weekly meetings in a semester (for day students),
90 minutes each. Additionally, each course is composed of 15 units on
the e-learning Moodle platform, which allows the instructor to post
a number of different files and create a variety of exercises. Typically,
the topic of each class is exactly the same as the topic of the e-learning
unit, though there are no strict requirements regarding that. While
observing their students in class, instructors are usually able to predict
which topics will be most difficult and devote more time and space
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to them in an online environment. Unlike traditional classes, where
face-to-face teacher-student interaction is essential but limited due
to the number of students and time constraints, e-learning units offer
the learners the possibility of working at their own speed (which might be
very different from the class average), co-operating with other students
(if, for example, their assignment is to record a dialog and upload it onto
the e-learning Moodle platform), getting feedback from other students
(on a forum) and from the instructor, whose job is to correct homework,
which frequently contains open-ended questions. In addition, students
are presented with a variety of materials which complement their faceto-face in-class instruction.
The PNJA Practical Grammar course to be presented below is divided into two semesters, or two separate courses: B1 and B2, for third and
fourth semester respectively. Before Unit 1, students can get acquainted
with their semester syllabus (one for day and one for weekend students),
which clearly shows grading distribution (below). They are informed
that e-learning is an essential part of the course, constituting 40% of
the final grade. Since 61% is the minimum passing grade, participants of
the course know that they must engage in online instruction if they want
to receive credit for the course.
Figure 1. The PNJA Practical Grammar third semester syllabus with grade
distribution
In addition, the introductory unit includes VoiceThread instructions
for students (the VoiceThread module is used later) to help them avoid
common mistakes while using this online tool.
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Sample content and exercises
The B1 PNJA Practical Grammar course provides students with a variety
of asynchronous learning experiences, which means that students can
study at any convenient time as long as they do not miss the deadline.
In order to maintain discipline and encourage systematic learning, units
are open for a limited period of time, and students may not be able to
access them after the deadline.
The materials in the course can be roughly divided into three types:
1) “expository,” which means that they do not involve students directly;
participants learn in a “passive” way by listening to a teacher’s explanation, watching a video, or reading relevant material online; 2) “active,”
which means that students have to create some content by themselves,
for example do a grammar exercise or an assignment, and 3) “interactive,” which means that by creating content, students also interact with
the instructor and/or other learners.
Examples of all types of tasks are presented below.
“Expository” materials
Unit 2 – English tenses (1)
Figure 2. A brief presentation of English tenses
This unit provides students with plenty of opportunities to practice all
English tenses, but it is assumed that as English Philology majors, first
they have to learn how to form and name them. Since most course participants are at the B1 level, they generally revise what they have already
learned, but at the same time acquire grammar terminology which some
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of them may have never used before. During traditional classes, students
are often asked to label tenses correctly; to complement this type of
instruction, they are also given access to a brief and clear presentation of
English tenses in a table (Figure 2).
Unit 5 – Modal verbs (1)
Recording: Asking permission.
Students are asked to listen to a BBC recording which clearly explains
how to ask permission in English. Again, learners are not supposed to do
any task, just listen, many times, if needed. There is, however, a possibility of checking whether or not students listened to the recording.
Figure 3. Asking permission: a listening exercise
“Active” tasks
Unit 1 – Irregular verbs
This is a task which provides both activating and expository materials for
all students. Unit 1 is devoted to English irregular verbs. Although they
are notoriously difficult to learn, and often considered a “boring” topic,
people use them, in fact, quite frequently, so they have to be memorized.
To facilitate learning, students are asked to create their own dictionary
of irregular verbs, which should contain three forms, a translation of
the verb into Polish and a sample sentence. Students willing to make
their dictionary entry more memorable and attractive can add an image,
and often have fun looking for suitable pictures online. The dictionary
can later be copied or moved to another unit to be used by all students
having access to the course. This way students actively learn from each
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other, although a certain amount of supervision is necessary to eliminate
common mistakes.
Figure 4. A sample entry in the dictionary of irregular verbs
Irregular verbs are later learned and reviewed in a variety of exercises.
One of them is a gap-filling exercise in which a popular song is played. It
is important for the instructor to find a suitable song, with clear, correct
pronunciation and a number of irregular verbs. The student’s job is to
complete the missing verbs. When they finish doing it, the exercise is
automatically graded by the e-learning platform.
Figure 5. A gap-filling exercise
Unit 2 – English tenses (1)
In another task, students use the names of the English tenses in a “Snakes
and ladders” game (below). In order to create it, the instructor must write
a certain number of questions with clear, short answers and allow for some
variation in the answers (for example a tense can be called past simple or
Simple Past). The game should be created in such a way that students
providing correct, but non-standard answers do not get discouraged by
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having their response rejected or marked wrong since the game is automatically graded by the Moodle platform. Having created it, the teacher
does not have to be involved in grading.
Figure 6. “Snakes and ladders” game
“Interactive” experiences
Unit 1 – Irregular verbs
This is a homework assignment in which students are asked to use past
simple to tell the story of Garfield. It is a task for individual students
in which they record their answers using the Moodle platform; the instructor has to grade this homework individually, which gives him/her
the opportunity to assess the student’s familiarity with irregular verbs,
his/her pronunciation (including voiced and voiceless sounds in past
simple) and creativity. The student, in turn can receive a short comment
from the teacher in addition to the numerical grade.
Figure 7. A homework assignment: “Tell the story of Garfield”
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Unit 7 – Modal verbs (3)
Posting comments on a forum and responding to them is another activity that has to be graded individually. Here there is another advantage of
a student interacting with others and responding to a situation presented in the picture and/or briefly described by the instructor. Although
forums give students a lot of freedom when it comes to both content
and structure, they have to be monitored closely by the instructor teaching grammar – in most cases, the purpose of posting any material on
the forum is getting students to use a certain grammatical structure (in
the case below, modals in the past). By providing an appropriate context, the forum teaches them how and when certain structures should
be used; by making him/her aware of the fact that his/her post can be
read by others, it encourages him/her to monitor his/her grammar more
closely and be aware of potential pitfalls.
Figure 8. A post on a forum
Unit 25 – (B2) Conditionals expansion
Wish it had never been invented
In this task, the VoiceThread Module is used; this is the so-called
“threaded” discussion, in which students respond to the instructor’s
post and they can also respond to one another. Students are asked to
say what they wish had never been invented. The discussion is started
with the picture of an internal combustion engine. If it had not been
invented, we would travel more slowly, but we would have avoided many
environmental problems. In this unit, students are encouraged to use
unreal tenses with wish, would rather, and conditional sentences, but
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they have a lot of freedom – which allows them to be creative and use
any vocabulary they want.
Figure 9. A VoiceThread discussion: “Wish it had never been invented”
As the examples above show, the online environment presents
the instructor with new possibilities as well as challenges. It is still too
early to assess whether particular content is best taught online or faceto-face. The most important advantages of online learning appear to be:
its asynchronicity, which means convenient, continuous access to online
materials; immediate feedback, learner’s control of the process, and,
paradoxically, a greater frequency of interaction with other students.
References
Means, Barbara, Yukie Toyama, Robert Murphy, Marianne Bakia, Karla Jones
(2010) Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning. A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Education. Center for Technology in Learning.
Małgorzata Kaspryszyn
Anna Pol
Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu
Praktyczna nauka języka niemieckiego
w środowisku e-learningowym
jako forma kształcenia akademickiego
w świetle najnowszych koncepcji dydaktycznych
Abstract. The change in the educational paradigm, as well as placing the learn-
er in the centre of the educational situation, and the growing popularity of
constructivism as a reference point in the planning of the teaching process
have significantly raised interest in the application of modern informational
technologies in academic teaching. Simultaneously, this resulted in the extension of the educational offer by supporting or supplementing the traditional teaching approach with the tools of the e-learning environment. This
publication focuses on the development and implementation of innovative
teaching materials and e-learning courses in contemporary academic language teaching. The materials and courses mentioned constitute deliverables of the project Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching. The modern
tools and methods of foreign language teaching based on ICT were developed
jointly in collaboration between the Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław, Poland, and the Sogn og Fjordane University College (HiSF) in
Sogndal, Norway.
Niniejsza publikacja poświęcona jest problematyce tworzenia i zastosowania w neofilologicznym kształceniu akademickim innowacyjnych
interaktywnych materiałów dydaktycznych oraz kursów e-learningowych powstałych w ramach projektu Aktywni językowo – interAktywni
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w nauczaniu. Nowoczesne narzędzia i metody nauczania języków obcych
w oparciu o ICT, realizowanego we współpracy instytucjonalnej między
Wyższą Szkołą Filologiczną we Wrocławiu i Sogn og Fjordane University
College (HiSF) w Sogndal w Norwegii.
1.Podstawy teoretyczne zastosowania
nowych technologii w dydaktyce
Jednym z najważniejszych wyróżników współczesnej, zorientowanej na
ucznia dydaktyki języków obcych jest odwrócenie tradycyjnej relacji
pomiędzy nauczaniem a uczeniem się języka. Jeśli w ujęciu tradycyjnym
nauczanie występowało jako główna siła sprawcza, a uczenie się jako
jego konsekwencja, to w ujęciu współczesnym nauczanie jest traktowane
jako pochodna uczenia się (Szałek 2004: 74).
U podłoża owej zmiany leży przekonanie, że języka nie można nauczyć,
że każdy musi nauczyć się go sam (Woźniakowski 1982: 79), a nauczyciel
może jedynie pobudzić i zorganizować wysiłek ucznia w kierunku jego
przyswojenia poprzez stworzenie jak najlepszych warunków.
Teoretycznego uzasadnienia powyższego stanowiska dostarcza psychologia humanistyczna. Podstawą szeroko rozumianego humanizmu
jest idea podmiotowości, której zasadnicze korelaty to, zdaniem Stech
(1999: 186) i Czerepaniak-Walczak (1999: 58), poczucie własnej odrębności, samoświadomość i samokontrola, odpowiedzialność oraz odwaga
w ponoszeniu konsekwencji wyborów.
W myśl powyższego, w opinii Łobockiego, podmiotowe traktowanie
uczących się polega przede wszystkim na postrzeganiu każdego z nich
„jako jednostki autonomicznej, która bez względu na wpływy i uwarunkowania zewnętrzne ma prawo do (…) wewnętrznej niezależności
i odpowiedzialności za własne postępowanie” (1992: 77). Zakłada to
konieczność liczenia się z godnością ucznia, uwzględniania jego potrzeb
i udzielania pomocy w procesie glottodydaktycznym. Źródłem podmiotowości ucznia jest zatem, co mocno akcentuje Denek (1994: 196), dobrze
zorganizowany proces edukacyjny o zróżnicowanych zadaniach, aktywizujących, otwartych formach nauczania i uczenia się, uwzględniający
różnorodność zainteresowań, potrzeb i możliwości uczniów. Podmiotowość ucznia wiąże się z możliwością podejmowania przez niego działań
zgodnie z zainteresowaniami, potrzebami i poszukiwania optymalnych
Praktyczna nauka języka niemieckiego w środowisku e-learningowym…
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rozwiązań, a także dokonywania wyboru w zakresie sposobu, środków
oraz tempa uczenia się języka. Tak rozumiana podmiotowość przejawia
się także w wyrażaniu przez ucznia własnych opinii, stawianiu pytań,
formułowaniu wniosków oraz przejmowaniu inicjatywy (Stech 1999,
Gurycka 1999) w procesie glottodydaktycznym.
Oprócz wpływu pedagogiki humanistycznej, podkreślającej podmiotowość ucznia i indywidualny charakter procesu uczenia się, konieczność
„ukierunkowania działań dydaktycznych na osobę ucznia, a nie na osobę
nauczyciela” (Komorowska 2000: 5) spowodowała także konstruktywistyczna koncepcja uczenia się. Choć faktem bezspornym jest, iż konstruktywizm jako teoria wiedzy i poznania jest pojęciem niezwykle szerokim
i że – jak wiemy – istnieje wiele odłamów teorii konstruktywistycznej
(kognitywny, radykalny, społeczny i in.), mają one jednak wiele cech
wspólnych. Wszystkie teorie konstruktywistyczne podkreślają bowiem
w swych założeniach, że uczenie się jest „ciągłym procesem konstruowania,
interpretowania i modyfikowania osobistych reprezentacji rzeczywistości
bazujących na indywidualnych doświadczeniach uzyskiwanych w toku
działania w tej rzeczywistości” (Jonassen w: Michalak 2004: 13), natomiast
wiedza jest indywidualnie konstruowana w społecznym kontekście i to
człowiek nadaje jej znaczenie i strukturę. Wiedza nie istnieje niezależnie
od podmiotu. Człowiek aktywnie buduje swoją wiedzę, a nie przyswaja ją
jako gotowy produkt przekazany przez innych ludzi (Lunenberg w: Dylak
1995). Wiedza nie jest zatem produktem, który można pomnażać, ale powstaje w „dynamicznym procesie nadawania osobistego sensu i rozumienia ciągle zmieniającej się rzeczywistości” (Gurney w: Michalak 2004: 14).
To, że przyswajanie nowych informacji jest procesem dynamicznym,
szczególnie podkreślają w swych pracach Piaget i Bruner. Autorzy ci opisują proces dochodzenia do wiedzy, mocno akcentując własną aktywność
jednostki w jej zdobywaniu. W myśl powyższego wiedza nie może być
w prosty sposób transmitowana od nauczyciela do ucznia. Uczniowie muszą budować swoje rozumienie świata poprzez modyfikowanie uprzednich
pomysłów w wyniku własnych działań, co podkreśla także Wadsworth,
pisząc: „wiedza społeczna, tak jak inne jej rodzaje, nie może być bezpośrednio przekazywana tylko za pomocą słów lub innych symboli; musi być
konstruowana na bazie aktywnej eksploracji” (1998: 173).
Konstruktywiści przypisują także szczególnie ważną rolę czynnikom społecznym w stymulowaniu rozwoju człowieka (Bruner 1974,
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Schaffer 1998, Wygotski 1971). Uważają, że wszelkie zmiany zachodzące
u człowieka następują w społecznym kontekście. Ogromny udział w tym
procesie zmian mają zatem także nauczyciele, którzy powinni zachęcać
ucznia do podejmowania działań wykraczających poza aktualne jego
możliwości i „udzielają mu wsparcia w momentach, gdy jest on gotowy
do pokonywania przyswojonych i dobrze już opanowanych schematów
funkcjonowania” (Michalak 2004: 27). To założenie konstruktywistycznej teorii uczenia się jest także obecne w postulatach edukacji językowej
określających jakość relacji ucznia i nauczyciela. Nauczyciel nie zajmuje
już centralnej pozycji w procesie glottodydaktycznym. W założonym
modelu edukacji językowej zrywa się bowiem z pojmowaniem nauczyciela jako jedynego źródła wiedzy, który w jak najlepszy sposób przekazuje gotowe, „ustrukturowane reprezentacje i dba o to, by uczeń jak
najszybciej je przyswoił i zapamiętał, a następnie odtworzył, gdy tego
wymaga sytuacja” (Michalak 2004: 27).
Jak zatem widać konstruktywistyczny sposób nauczania całkowicie
zmienia wzajemne relacje ucznia i nauczyciela, a zatem także studenta
i wykładowcy. W centrum procesu znajduje się student, który aktywnie
tworzy własną wiedzę. Wykładowca zaś przede wszystkim planuje i organizuje środowisko uczenia się, proponując studentom różnorodne zadania,
które sprzyjają ujawnianiu i wykorzystywaniu przez nich własnej wiedzy
w różnych fazach procesu nauczania i „stymulują jej restrukturyzację
w kierunku zaplanowanym i zgodnym z celami zajęć” (Michalak 2004: 26).
2.Wspomaganie procesu dydaktycznego narzędziami
opartymi na technologiach informatycznych
w neofilologicznym kształceniu akademickim
– studium przypadku
Zaakcentowana powyżej zmiana paradygmatu w edukacji, stawianie
osoby uczącej się w centrum sytuacji dydaktycznej oraz coraz większa
popularność konstruktywizmu jako punktu odniesienia przy planowaniu procesu dydaktycznego spowodowały wzrost zainteresowania zastosowaniem nowoczesnych technologii informatycznych w kształceniu
akademickim, a tym samym wzbogacanie oferty dydaktycznej poprzez
stwarzanie możliwości wspierania czy uzupełniania nauczania tradycyjnego narzędziami środowiska e-learningowego.
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Zbudowanie stymulującego, przyjaznego studentom konstruktywistycznego środowiska e-learningowego, zwiększenie efektywności nauczania języków obcych poprzez wykorzystanie bogactwa form i metod
realizacji procesu dydaktycznego w oparciu o nowoczesne technologie,
a przede wszystkim umożliwienie studentom konstruowania wiedzy
w środowisku wirtualnym było głównym celem projektu będącego tematem niniejszej publikacji.
Materiał językowy przygotowany w ramach realizowanego projektu
przeznaczony do rozwijania receptywnego i produktywnego zakresu
sprawnościowego na poziomach zaawansowania A1–C2 według ESOKJ
opracowany został zgodnie ze współczesną koncepcją kształcenia opartą
na konstruktywistycznych sposobach nauczania oraz współczesnymi
koncepcjami glottodydaktycznymi promującymi nauczanie komunikacyjne, procesualne, całościowe, otwarte, problemowe i interkulturowe.
Głównym założeniem opracowanych interaktywnych materiałów dydaktycznych było ich efektywne zintegrowanie z wypracowanymi przez
wiele lat wzorcami neofilologicznego kształcenia akademickiego opartego na wykładach, ćwiczeniach, konwersatoriach poprzez wykorzystanie
potencjału, jaki stanowi nowoczesna technologia przy jednoczesnym
zachowaniu zalet tradycyjnego kontaktu student–wykładowca.
Zgodnie z przyjętą koncepcją opracowano dla poszczególnych poziomów zaawansowania (A1–C2 według ESOKJ) 15 jednostek dydaktycznych rozwijających wybrane aspekty kompetencji komunikacyjnej (czytanie ze zrozumieniem, słuchanie ze zrozumieniem, pisanie, mówienie).
Zakres poszczególnych jednostek dydaktycznych odpowiada kategoriom
tematycznym ESOKJ (Council of Europe 2003: 57) oraz podręcznikom
kursowym dla poszczególnych poziomów biegłości językowej i umożliwia rozwijanie umiejętności porozumiewania się w zakresie wybranej
sprawności komunikacyjnej we wszystkich istotnych sytuacjach sfery
prywatnej i publicznej stosownie do potrzeb komunikacyjnych studentów kierunków neofilologicznych.
Materiał zawarty w każdej z 15 jednostek (Rycina 1) stanowi odrębny moduł przewidziany do realizacji w czasie dwóch godzin lekcyjnych (90 minut). Bogactwo i różnorodność zadań umieszczonych
na platformie, jednorodny schemat budowy jednostek dydaktycznych
(nagłówek określający tematykę zestawu zadań, cele kształcenia) umożliwiają wykorzystanie poszczególnych modułów zarówno jako materiału
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wspierającego tradycyjny proces kształcenia kompetencji komunikacyjnej w ramach zajęć z praktycznej nauki języka niemieckiego na studiach
neofilologicznych (blended learning), jak i samodzielnego kursu języka
niemieckiego prowadzonego metodą online.
Rycina 1. Przykład dwóch kolejnych jednostek z kursu rozwijającego sprawność mówienia (Konwersacje C2)
Rycina 2. Jednostka z kursu rozwijającego sprawność czytania ze zrozumieniem (Czytanie ze zrozumieniem B1)
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Zaproponowany materiał dydaktyczny wykładowca w wariancie
nauczania metodą blended learning lub student w wariancie kursu
samodzielnego może dobierać i realizować według własnego uznania.
Może on kolejno na każdych zajęciach rozwijać tylko jedną sprawność
językową w ramach podanego zakresu tematów (Rycina 2) lub też, realizując zasadę indywidualizacji nauczania, dobierać materiał cząstkowo
i stosownie do możliwości, celów i warunków nauczania integrować
wszystkie sprawności językowe w ramach danej tematyki (Rycina 3).
Rycina 3. Fragment jednostki z kursu PNJN Sprawności zintegrowane prowadzonego metodą blended learning
3.Koncepcja materiału dydaktycznego
Koncepcja interaktywnych materiałów dydaktycznych zawartych w poszczególnych jednostkach umożliwia autentyczne i funkcjonalne użycie
języka oraz przygotowanie uczących się do działań komunikacyjnych
w sferze prywatnej, publicznej, zawodowej i edukacyjnej. Zgodnie z przyjętą koncepcją priorytetem podczas tworzenia interaktywnych materiałów dydaktycznych stała się autentyczność i aktualność materiałów
będących podstawą dla opracowania konkretnych zadań poszczególnych
jednostek dydaktycznych. Autentyczność, zapewnienie aktywnego kontaktu z językiem w nauczaniu języka obcego od wielu lat jest jednym
z podstawowych postulatów glottodydaktyki. Nie mniej istotne wydają
się względy praktyczne. Studenci mają do czynienia z prawdziwym
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językiem, różnorodnymi rodzajami tekstów mówionych i pisanych, stylami mówienia i pisania, przede wszystkim jednak praca z materiałami
autentycznymi umożliwia efektywne motywowanie studentów. Silna motywacja wewnętrzna do realizacji zadania ze względu na zainteresowanie
nim wspomaga zaangażowanie uczących się. Materiały takie jak bieżące
artykuły prasowe, filmy, audycje radiowe czy telewizyjne cieszą się dużą
popularnością wśród studentów, ponieważ łączą aktywne działanie językowe z informacjami pozajęzykowymi. Studenci czerpią z nich wiedzę
o świecie, odnajdują odpowiedzi na nurtujące ich pytania, podczas gdy
teksty powszechnie dostępnych podręczników kursowych wydają się
często tylko środkiem dla przedstawienia struktur językowych i szybko
tracą swą aktualność i ważność.
Podstawą opracowanych interaktywnych materiałów były zatem teksty oryginalne bądź autentyczne, zgodnie z powszechnie przyjętą definicją tekstu oryginalnego jako każdego tekstu zawartego w oryginalnych
źródłach obcojęzycznych i tekstu autentycznego jako tekstu wprawdzie
preparowanego przez autorów materiałów dydaktycznych dla potrzeb
kursu, jednak spełniającego wymóg naturalności i nienaruszającego
formalnych i uzualnych norm języka (Pfeiffer 2001: 167).
Kolejnym kryterium doboru była funkcja pragmatyczna poszczególnych rodzajów tekstów, a także odpowiedniość tematyczna. Przyjęto,
że wybrane materiały, teksty oryginalne i autentyczne powinny przede
wszystkim mieścić się w kręgu zainteresowań studentów kierunków
filologicznych, odnosić się do ich osobistego doświadczenia, umożliwiać skuteczne porozumiewanie się w typowych sytuacjach sfery
prywatnej, publicznej, zawodowej i edukacyjnej, w których studenci/
absolwenci kierunków filologicznych podejmują komunikacyjne działania językowe.
Wybrane materiały stały się zatem podstawą opracowania zestawu
interaktywnych zadań rozwijających cztery podstawowe sprawności
językowe. Integralną częścią zaproponowanych zadań jest komunikacja,
a więc nastawione na cel i motyw działanie intencjonalne prowadzące do
powstania interakcji, produkcji, odbioru, mediacji. Jako że zamieszczone
na platformie zadania podobnie jak autentyczna komunikacja wymagają
od uczących się łączenia i wykorzystania odpowiednich posiadanych kompetencji i umiejętności ogólnych związanych z indywidualnymi cechami
poznawczymi, emocjonalnymi i lingwistycznymi (wiedza o świecie,
99
osobiste doświadczenia, wiedza socjokulturowa, strategie uczenia się,
językowa kompetencja komunikacyjna), starano się zapewnić różny
stopień trudności zadań poprzez zastosowanie zarówno silniej strukturyzowanych receptywnych i reproduktywnych zadań przedkomunikacyjnych, mających na celu opanowanie elementów języka, jak i reproduktywno-produktywnych i produktywnych polifunkcjonalnych zadań
interakcyjnych przygotowujących do uczestniczenia w rzeczywistym
procesie komunikacji.
4.Zadania rozwijające sprawności receptywne
(rozumienie ze słuchu, czytanie ze zrozumieniem)
Podstawą rozwijania sprawności receptywnych w ramach zaproponowanych interaktywnych materiałów dydaktycznych są – jak wspomniano
powyżej – aktualne teksty oryginalne i autentyczne podejmujące interesujące studentów kierunków filologicznych tematy, prowokujące do
refleksji dotyczącej nowych informacji, zadawania pytań, stawiania i weryfikowania hipotez, inspirujące twórczą aktywność umysłową uczących
się itp. Aktywności umysłowej sprzyja również sposób formułowania
i odbioru poleceń w konkretnych zadaniach. Polecenia formułowane są
w formie grzecznościowej trybu rozkazującego, poprzez co osoba ucząca
się jest mobilizowania do aktywności, odbiera polecenia w sposób osobisty i jest przekonana, że adresowane są one właśnie do niej, a nie do
bliżej nieokreślonej zbiorowości.
Wśród zaproponowanych w każdej z jednostek dydaktycznych form
pracy rozwijających receptywne sprawności językowe wyróżnić można
trzy typy/grupy zadań:
1. Przedkomunikacyjne zadania wprowadzające, poprzedzające czytanie bądź słuchanie tekstu, np. praca z asocjogramem – zapisywanie/zbieranie wyrazów należących do tematu, grupowanie wyrazów zgodnie z kontekstem/znaczeniem, kojarzenie, dobieranie
wyrazów do przedstawionych materiałów ikonograficznych, formułowanie hipotez do tytułu tekstu (Rycina 4), muzyki, odgłosów.
Celem zadań poprzedzających słuchanie/czytanie tekstu jest rozwijanie konkretnych indywidualnych strategii przygotowujących do
autonomicznego opanowywania języka (antycypowanie, inferowanie)
oraz sensybilizacja,
100 Małgorzata Kaspryszyn, Anna Pol
polegająca na ogólnym wprowadzeniu uczących się w planowany kontekst działania i jednoczesne przygotowanie bazy do prawidłowej semantyzacji. Przez odpowiednie działania językowe i pozajęzykowe następuje
aktywizacja dotychczasowej wiedzy, doświadczeń i umiejętności. Przez
łączenie datum z novum uczący się przygotowani są na przyjęcie nowych
treści, ich interpretację (Lewicka 2007: 116).
Rycina 4. Zadanie poprzedzające czytanie tekstu: Formułowanie hipotez do tytułu tekstu
Rycina 5. Zadanie wykonywane podczas czytania tekstu: Uzupełnianie tekstu
zgodnie z kontekstem
Praktyczna nauka języka niemieckiego w środowisku e-learningowym… 101
2. Zadania wykonywane podczas słuchania/czytania tekstu, np. nanoszenie danych na plan, mapkę, obraz na podstawie usłyszanych/
przeczytanych informacji; podkreślanie słów/informacji kluczowych, porządkowanie tekstów, uzupełnianie tekstu zgodnie z kontekstem (Rycina 5), rysowanie obiektu na podstawie usłyszanych
informacji, zaznaczanie prawidłowej odpowiedzi w zadaniach
wielokrotnego wyboru, lub w zadaniach typu prawda/fałsz.
3. Zadania wykonywane po wysłuchaniu/przeczytaniu tekstu, np.
dobieranie wypowiedzi, obrazków na podstawie usłyszanego/
przeczytanego tekstu; odnajdowanie określonych faktów, informacji w tekście (Rycina 6); uzupełnianie informacjami z tekstu
tabelek, wykresów, schematów, diagramów; uzupełnianie elementów tekstu; czytanie tekstu ze słownikiem, tłumaczenia ustne, pisemne; przekazywanie treści usłyszanych/przeczytanych
informacji; wyrażanie własnych opinii na temat usłyszanego,
przeczytanego tekstu.
Rycina 6. Zadania wykonywane po przeczytaniu tekstu: Odnajdowanie określonych faktów, informacji w tekście (odpowiedź na pytanie kto, gdzie, kiedy,
jak, dlaczego?)
Celem zadań wykonywanych podczas i po wysłuchaniu czy przeczytaniu tekstu jest rozwijanie preferowanych w ramach danej jednostki dydaktycznej stylów słuchania i czytania (rozumienie globalne
koncentrujące się na podstawowych informacjach, rozumienie selektywne koncentrujące się na określonych informacjach i rozumienie intensywne koncentrujące się na dokładnym rozumieniu tekstu).
5.Zadania rozwijające sprawności
produktywne (mówienie, pisanie)
Podstawą konstruowania w kursach e-learningowych zadań rozwijających sprawności produktywne była świadomość faktu, że – jak podkreśla
Lewicki – przy produkcji tekstów mówionych i pisanych znaczącą rolę
odgrywać powinny trzy zależne od siebie składniki: 1) zamiar (określenie celu, temat, ocena adresata), 2) wiedza (wiedza ogólna i językowa,
rozumienie kontekstu sytuacyjnego), 3) kod (planowanie, formułowanie
wypowiedzi) (2002: 29).
Wykonując zamieszczone w e-kursach zadania, studenci powinni być
w stanie samodzielnie radzić sobie z realizowaniem określonych intencji
komunikacyjnych przy użyciu ograniczonych środków językowych.
Ważne jest także uświadamianie i egzekwowanie od nich charakterystycznych cech języka pisanego i mówionego, zarówno w wypowiedziach
dialogowych, jak i monologowych. W świetle powyższego, w e-kursach
opracowanych w ramach prezentowanego w niniejszej publikacji projektu stworzono wiele sytuacji, w których studenci muszą relacjonować
i komentować przeczytane bądź usłyszane informacje, czy też, adekwatnie do sytuacji, wypowiadać własne zdanie, przedstawiać problemy,
dokonywać porównań i ocen, zgłaszać uwagi, uzasadniać i wyciągać
wnioski. Taka forma działania językowego okazała się możliwa dzięki
wykorzystaniu w e-kursach przede wszystkim zadań o charakterze polifunkcjonalnym. Niekwestionowanym atutem tych zadań jest fakt, iż dają
one studentom okazję do kreatywnego działania i osiągnięcia znacznej
autonomii w uczeniu się. Jak podkreśla Lewicki (2002), uczenie się
języka nie może ograniczać się bowiem do czytania tekstów i pozornej
produkcji polegającej na rozwiązywaniu ćwiczeń, lecz o wiele bardziej
istotne jest rozwijanie szeroko rozumianej kompetencji komunikacyjnej,
a tym samym przygotowanie do uczestnictwa w rzeczywistym, pozauczelnianym procesie komunikacji.
Rycina 7. Przykład zadania o charakterze polifunkcjonalnym
Ujmując rzecz szczegółowo, można powiedzieć, że w omawianych
e-kursach wykorzystano następujące typy zadań polifunkcjonalnych:
argumentowanie za/przeciw, dyskutowanie na różne tematy, formułowanie tekstu do danych przedstawionych w tabeli, interpretowanie
wydarzenia przedstawionego na obrazku, ocenianie postaw/czynów
przedstawionych na obrazku, pisanie listów, przekształcanie tekstów,
tworzenie dłuższych wypowiedzi na podstawie podanych słów kluczowych, werbalizowanie treści obrazka, wymyślanie historii do słów
kluczowych. Poniżej zobrazowano niektóre z nich.
Rycina 8. Przykład zadania rozwijającego sprawność mówienia
Rycina 9. Przykład zadania rozwijającego sprawność pisania
Podsumowanie
Dedykowane studentom filologii germańskiej kursy e-learningowe zbudowane w ramach projektu pozwoliły ich twórcom na realizację autorskich programów nauczania opartych na ideach konstruktywistycznych,
w myśl których priorytetem w nauczaniu nie jest „programowanie”
uczących się poprzez podawanie im gotowej wiedzy, gotowych rozwiązań
czy odpowiedzi, lecz praktyczne działania ukierunkowane na realizację
określonych celów, aktywne konstruowanie wiedzy przy wykorzystaniu
wiedzy i umiejętności już posiadanych, postrzeganie rzeczywistości
z różnych perspektyw, umiejętność refleksji nad własnym działaniem
i jego skutkami. Umiejętne, kreatywne wykorzystanie przez nauczyciela możliwości, jakie otwierają nowoczesne technologie w zakresie
prezentacji materiału dydaktycznego, projektowania form pracy, aktywności, interakcji studentów poprzez różnorodne narzędzia środowiska
e-learningowego czy też możliwość współtworzenia, kreowania sytuacji
dydaktycznej przez uczących się, sprzyja niewątpliwie kształtowaniu
pożądanych we współczesnym świecie postaw i zdolności młodych ludzi
takich jak samodzielność, autonomiczność, umiejętność wykorzystania
zdobytej wiedzy w praktyce, a wykładowcy pozwala pełnić rolę koordynatora, doradcy czy organizatora środowiska/procesu uczenia się.
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Krzysztof Kotuła
Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin
Teachers and learners in a virtual classroom:
New perspectives, new challenges
Abstract. This paper is focused on the problem of the implementation of virtual
reality in the language classroom. In the first part, the author aims to familiarise
readers with the phenomenon of video games and Second Life-like virtual worlds.
The resemblance they bear to one another, as well as separating differences making the status of the user in both cases unlike are analysed. In the second part are
presented the transcriptions of English and French lessons exemplifying the use
of Second Life and ludic strategies in the language learning context. The author
concentrates on the problem of classroom discourse and aims to assess if and to
what extent the use of new technologies can initiate a deep transformation of
teachers’ and students’ role in the didactic process.
1.Computer games and Second Life-like virtual worlds
The implementation of virtual reality in foreign language instruction
constitutes the main aspect developed in this paper. Particular attention
is drawn to the influence that the use of Second Life-like virtual worlds
and video games has on the development of speaking skills. The paper
consists of two parts. In the first one, the author tries to define intrinsic
characteristics of virtual worlds and video games, i.e., features they have
in common, as well as the way they are dissimilar to one another. In
the second part of the paper, on the basis of the transcription of lessons
conducted with the use of computer-generated reality, the author aims
108 Krzysztof Kotuła
to find out if and to what extent the implementation of such techniques
enables to transform the methods of foreign language instruction.
The discussion is going to be initiated by a brief introduction making
differences and similarities between virtual worlds and computer games
much more noticeable. This aspect is crucial to global comprehension
of the phenomena related to oral interaction in the language classroom
discussed in the second section of the paper, as it is directly related to
the status and the role of the user in artificially created digital space.
Undeniably, computer games and virtual worlds have one fundamental feature in common. They are based on computer-generated interactive
visual environment the user follows by means of a particular displaying
tool and whose selected components he can manipulate by means of
peripherals, conforming to algorithms created by programmers. Virtual
worlds and games constitute autonomous reality where specific rules
need to be followed. The above-mentioned reality can, but it does not
necessarily have to be an exact replica of “real” world. However, even if it
is not, its structure is created on the basis of fundamental rules governing
human perception and cognition. Consequently, both in a virtual world,
as well as in a digital game, particular actions taken by the user trigger
possible to predict reactions and the way objects function is influenced
by fundamental rules, such as the law of action-reaction. This finding
concludes the discussion on this aspect, as a deep analysis of the ontological status of virtual reality does not come within the scope of this
paper (for an exhaustive discussion of the problem see Brey 2014).
In virtual worlds, avatar constitutes a visible manifestation of the user.
This figure, even if able to take any graphical form, always represents
a human being. The frequently occurring deep feeling of immersion is
a direct consequence of this fact. This type of phenomenon may also
occur in games but does not necessarily have to. It stems from the fact
that numerous entertainment-oriented pieces of software do not imitate
any naturalistic environment and they do not include any protagonist
(for instance, in the case of logic games such as Tetris).
The most important underlying principle of games is the assumption
that the user must attain precise goals obeying strictly defined rules and
breaking through the obstacles (Siek-Piskozub 2001: 20–35). Moreover,
providing the user with pleasure is one of the primary goals game producers have. However, virtual worlds do not have this type of distinctive
Teachers and learners in a virtual classroom: New perspectives, new challenges 109
features. Indeed, they constitute environment devoid of any imposed
action taking model where users, themselves, determine to a great extent which type of actions, if any, they are willing to take in a particular
environment (a more detailed argument against virtual worlds being
considered a game can be found in Topol 2013: 104–107).
This situation is accurately explained by Sidey Myoo, who describes
one of his experiences in the following way
I recall one evening (…) I landed on shapeless soil resembling stubble.
(…) The bonfire was burning and nothing else was happening. We were
sitting in silence. Then, I realised that (…) I was there without any particular reason and in general, one does not have to know the reason for
staying in a digital world (…) (2013: 193, translation – K. K.).
Apparently, existence in virtual worlds can frequently turn out to be
a form of specific meditation when the user, by means of their avatar,
explores the surroundings and admires it in a purely aesthetic manner
(see also Topol 2013: 40–41). Such behaviour is frequently impeded or
even prevented in those games where the player can be punished if they
fail to accomplish a particular task assigned by the programmer.
The existence of an opportunity to create surrounding reality and
the extent to which the user can take part in it constitute an equally
interesting aspect. Virtual worlds give the user much more freedom of
creation than it is in the case of games. Referring to Second Life, Radosław Bomba emphasises that “primarily, these are users, not server
supervisors, who create its content. Linden Lab (…) created only general
rules governing the world, whilst the character of its content depends
itself only on the creativity of people who make use of it for their own
purpose” (2014: 164, translation – K. K.). By contrast, in games, the user’s actions are rigidly focused on solving a particular problem what
results in a highly restricted range of potential activities. The role of
the player usually comes down to being no more than actor performing
on the scene, set up by the programmer.
In order to conclude the above discussion, one cannot omit the technological aspect of the problem. In spite of the fact that, throughout last
decades, the development of IT has been remarkably quick, the technology which is used to create virtual worlds still remains relatively
rudimentary. While entering computer-generated worlds, users explore
them only by means of sight and hearing, resulting in reduced sense
of immersion. However, one has to underline the fact that technologies having potential to change the status quo have already started to
emerge. For instance, it can be illustrated with the phenomenon called
augmented reality, where a digitally generated picture is superimposed
on a real world representation. The usage of this technology is not restricted only to games (where, for example, genuine drones moving in
a real space shoot down virtual objects), as it is also applied in tourist
guides (Benckendorff et al. 2014) or in various types of training software (Chen et al. 2014). New peripherals, such as Kinect, detecting body
movement of the user and enabling more intuitive steering of virtual
objects are also being developed. Some scientists expect that, eventually,
the technological development will lead to the situation when both, virtual and existing reality, will blend with each other resulting in a hybrid
one whose features are for the time being difficult to predict (Damer,
Heinrichs 2014).
2.Language communication in virtual reality:
from Second Life to video games
Numerous aspects of oral interaction taking place in a typical language
classroom have been subjected to criticism. Many authors raise the issue
of its “artificiality,” claiming that in the classroom, teachers and learners
find themselves in a cultural and linguistic world that is completely different from a real one, as it is fabricated by means of texts, pictures and
audio-visual documents (Loiseau 1997). Another distinctive feature of
classroom environment is its permanent sensory reduction (Rozenberg
2009), i.e., the fact that classes do not activate all the senses of learners,
as only some of them are stimulated. As far as oral communication is
concerned, it has been noticed that considerable part of teacher-student interaction follows IRF pattern which starts with, for instance,
an instruction or question on the teacher’s side (initiation) followed
by the learner’s answer (response) and concluded with the teacher’s
utterance approving or rejecting a particular response (feedback). Next,
the majority of questions asked by the teacher can be categorised as socalled display questions, i.e., when the teacher knows the answer but asks
learners in order to test language knowledge (Lyster 2007: 89). Finally,
oral communication in the language classroom is often dominated by
the teacher whose talking time constitutes approximately 70–80% of
the whole lesson time (Walsh 2011: 221).
In this section, we will try to reflect on the potential advantages of
implementing virtual reality in a language teaching context. The first lesson to be analysed took place in a virtual house belonging to the teacher
built in Second Life. Learners, sitting at the couch in the living room, join
the conversation which is led by their English teacher.
1) T: Now that you’ve looked around
the house ++ you should have some
sort of idea about the person who lives
in that house. I want you to give me
adjectives to describe this person. ++
What adjectives can you come up with.
This person is me. I live here. These
are my things. What kind of person
do you think I am from having a look
at my house. Phoebe can you give one
adjective to me?
2) L1: Quiet
3) T: You think I am a quiet person? +
OK. Actually I am. Mmm. What else
do we have. Ann. Can you give me
an adjective.
4) L2: I think you are person who [a]
who are enjoyable. Like enjoy the life.
5) T: OK + and why do you say that?
6) L2: Because you have the like
newspapers on the table and also have
the wines in the [keɪsjes] so you have
I think you have a lot of ways to ...?...
7) T: OK that’s good /…/ and back to
Kevin
8) L3: Yeah so I I would say like you like
reading + reading books
9) T: I do. I love reading. And there are
lots of books here. And these books are
interactive. If you click on the books,
you’ll get a copy of them in your
inventory. And there are novels in there.
So we can sit down and discuss a novel.
We could read it together.
For the purpose of the above transcription the following symbols were used: 1) – verse
number; L1, L2… – learners; T – teacher, +, ++ – pauses according to length; ? – rising
intonation; ...?... – incomprehensible piece of utterance; […] – phonetic transcription;
/…/ – omitted fragment of the recording. The recording can be found at: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=Hch3jAzowhI (2’28’’–5’06’’).
In the first stage of the lesson, learners were encouraged to move
around the house and their aim consisted in looking around the building, as well as refreshing indispensable vocabulary for the purpose of
a further stage of the lesson. Then, in the second stage, learners, who are
gathered in one place, initiate discussion. Their task consists in judging
the personality of the owner of the house on the basis of its decor. Above
described communicative sequence itself strongly resembles standard
classroom communication where the teacher chooses learners one after
another and asks them to answer his question. In this case, it is easily
noticeable that the fact that classes take place in virtual reality does not
necessarily itself make the course of the lesson significantly different
from those conducted in a typical classroom. However, the fundamental
difference stems from the fact that numerous objects can be manipulated
and some of them, as underlined by the teacher in utterance 9, are fully
interactive. The surrounding reality is usually created by the teachers
themselves who build it up in such a way that it could fulfil the needs of
learners. However, the extent to which this potential can be used depends
only on the teacher. It is equally possible to imagine a situation when
a virtual world consists of elements which are nothing else but the scenery for a particular dialogue, as well as the one where the presence of
the said objects is indispensable in order to understand the meaning of
a particular interaction and to conduct it effectively.
Equally interesting phenomena can be observed in the second example. This time, the analysis is focused on the fragment of the lesson conducted by the author of this paper (Kotuła 2015: 85–86). During the said
lesson, learners were playing platform game. The software was steered by
means of interactive whiteboard enabling all the participants to follow
the game course comfortably, as well as assuring that all the elements of
virtual reality are manipulated by touch in an intuitive and convenient
way. Language communication manifested itself in the discussion when
learners were negotiating and trying to reach a consensus on the most
appropriate way of solving a particular problem.
1) L1 & L2 : a:::h!
2) L3 : l’escargot tombe dans +
the snail falls into +
3) L4 : quelques chose pour [le] ours
something for the bear
4) L5 : il faut arrêter l’escargot ++ il faut
utiliser + à gauche et [muve]
we need to stop the snail ++ you have to
use + on the left and [muve]
5) L4 : déplacer
move
6) L2 : ah oui déplacer
ah yes move
7) L2 : oh non !
oh no !
8) L4 : le ++ a tué Bob
the ++ killed Bob
9) L5 : électricité
electiricity
10) L2 : il est mort
he’s dead
11) L1 : Arrêtez Bob
stop Bob
12) L1 : il faut + faire quelque chose
avec + déplacer
we need to + do something with + move
13) L6 : déplacer ce +
move this +
14) L1 : oh oui + aha ++ c’est pour
[redyse] to jest siła tego +
oh yes + ah ++ this is to reduce this is
the power of this
15) L6 : force?
power
16) L1 : [redyse] le pouvoir de l’éléctricité
++ il faut déplacer encore une fois + non
non oui
reduce the power of electricity ++ we need
to move one more time + no no yes
17) L4 : encore encore un fois
one more one more time
18) L3 : o::h !
19) L2 : a::h !
20) L2 : vous pouvez aller sur ce plateforme + et après on on appuyer sur ce
bouton déplacer
you can go on this platform and next we
we are going to press this button move
21) L6 : et ensuite on + on doit appuyer
ce flèche je crois à droite + pour déplacer
ce plate-forme à gauche
and next we + we have to press this arrow
I believe on the right + to move this
platform to the left
22) L4 : ces deux flèches par ++ encore
encore + pomper le ballon +++ peutêtre utilise Philippe /the name of
the player / cette flèche à droite à droite
these two arrows by ++ again again
+ inflate the balloon +++ perhaps
you have to use Philippe /the name of
the player/ this arrow on the right on
the right
23) L2 : à gauche
on the left
24) L1 : oh oui!
oh yes
25) L2 : et il faut appuyer sur ce bouton
au milieu
and you have to press the button in
the middle
26) L6 : ah oui !
oh yes!
27) L5 : il faut que l’escargot marche
the snail has to walk
28) L2 : ah oui !
oh yes!
29) L1 : oui oui
yes yes
30) L4 : six points !
six points!
For the purpose of the above transcription the following symbols were used: 1) – verse
number; L1, L2… – learners; […] – phonemic transcription; xxx – fragment in the first
language; /…/ – additional comments of the author (K. K.); +, ++, +++ – pauses
according to length, + at the end of the verse refers to the intonation of “hesitation”
indicating obstacles to express oneself; x:::x – protracted, prolonged syllable or sound,
the number of colons depends on the prolongation scale; ? – rising intonation; ! –
the tone of liveliness, enthusiasm, not necessarily exclamation.
In the present interaction the aim of the players consisted in helping
the one responsible for steering to escort the game’s main character from
the left to the right side of the screen in such a way that all traps could be
avoided. The game’s hero perishes twice (utterances 1 and 7 relate to this
fact); whereas, eventually, during the third attempt, learners manage to
successfully accomplish this level.
The most noticeable phenomenon is the fact that learners do not
need any external motivation to get involved in the interaction. They
take the floor at random, always when they consider themselves able to
contribute to solving the problem they are faced with. One has to underline the fact that learners are utterly autonomous as far as language is
concerned. The teacher responsible for this lesson was only watching it
passively. Interestingly enough, learners sometimes spontaneously took
the teacher’s role by correcting their classmates, suggesting an appropriate form or completing one’s another utterances (utterances 3, 5, 9,
15). The paradigm change manifests itself in the fact that the teacher is
no longer the main character in the classroom constantly intervening in
the course of the interaction. Learners’ engagement is clearly visible: participants’ utterances and their exclamations testify to strong emotional
reactions following both defeats as well as the final success (utterances 1,
7, 18, 19, 24, 26, 28). It stems directly from the game’s nature, where any
activity taken by players is rewarded or punished.
Differences between virtual worlds and video games cannot go unnoticed. As it has already been said before, in the case of virtual worlds, there
is no imposed and defined goal. As a result, the teacher is responsible for
creating space all users can share as well as for giving a sense of purpose
to their activities. Consequently, in the majority of cases, the fact whether the potential hidden in virtual reality is fully exploited depends on
the teacher’s creativity. This statement does not refer to video games, as
the goal that has to be attained is set by programmers. Undoubtedly, this
situation turns out to be advantageous as people creating video games are
usually masters of constructing software in such a way that it would arise
the recipient’s interest and encourage them to make further attempts to
get through obstacles they are faced with. The problem of motivation
intrinsically related to foreign language teaching is therefore fixed. On
the other hand, the range of possibilities for the teacher who wants to
implement ludic strategies in the language learning process seems to be
restricted as they have no opportunity to freely create a world that would
become the stage where learners’ linguistic activity is performed.
Conclusion
In order to conclude this analysis, one should present the above arguments
in a wider context of the reflection on the teacher’s place in the world
dominated by modern technologies. As already discussed, the change in
the teacher’s role may result in them losing control over learners’ activities
and the course of didactic process to a bigger or lower extent. However, it
does not even suggest that the teacher in the language classroom becomes
useless. It is well the opposite as the challenges to come may turn out to be
more difficult than those they have already encountered while teaching
by means of traditional methods. For instance, teachers who are eager to
implement video games during their lessons have to possess theoretical
and practical knowledge about digital forms of entertainment, well developed IT skills as well as they need to be good organisers, able to effectively integrate ludic elements with the rest of classroom activities. The key
feature in this context is also the ability to reflect on one’s own initiatives
by means of critical observation and analysis of personal achievements
as well as drawing appropriate conclusions enabling to develop suggested
work patterns. Undoubtedly, both video games and virtual worlds have
huge educational potential. Foreign language teachers should be not only
encouraged to implement them but also appropriately trained with a view
to fulfilling requirements still to come in the future.
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Małgorzata Łuszcz
Beata Bury
Digital technology as a supportive tool
in the English classrooms
Abstract. Recent years have shown new possibilities, as well as challenges for
both, teachers and learners, in the ELT environment. Over the last few years,
teachers have been exploring educational purposes of the digital technology.
The supporters claim that digital tools supplement classroom teaching and lead
to an improved learning experience (see for example Snyder, Gardner 2012,
Hattie 2012, or Catchen 2013). Digital technologies allow students to learn
not only the meaning of new words but also functions of vocabulary or even
grammar. Moreover, Web 2.0 tools enable the students to develop their speaking skills (for example, Vocaroo or Voki) or writing skills (for instance, Facebook,
Twitter, or Instagram). Teachers have picked up on the creative use of the Internet technology, blogs among others, and put it into the classroom. It is claimed
that digital technology adds a new dimension to the teaching process. Blogs,
for instance, support self-directed learning and skills development in language
acquisition. However, there is still disagreement on whether teachers ought to
implement digital technology in the classroom. The aim of this paper is to show
the creative possibilities of digital technologies and challenges the teachers
need to face in the English classes. Moreover, this paper is to investigate how
modern technologies can be applied to develop students’ command of English.
The aim of this paper is to highlight that digital technology helps students develop their creativity and at the same time brings innovation to the classroom
environment. The recommendations are based on tested practices of English
teachers and students responses as well as reactions on Web 2.0 tools during
English lessons. This will help to determine whether modern technologies are
a really supportive tool in the English classroom and whether they should be
introduced into the curricula.
118 Małgorzata Łuszcz, Beata Bury
Introduction
Many scholars point out that modern technologies have been changing
today’s education (Sharpe et al. 1998, Brown, Adler 2008, or Snyder,
Gardner 2012). However, there is a gap between teaching English to Polish
lower secondary and secondary learners and the influence of Web 2.0 tools
on them. Thus, the present article aims to present digital tools and their
impact on Polish students on the basis of empirical research.
The choice of different Web 2.0 tools was motivated by the desire to
propose various tools for different purposes: to teach new vocabulary,
revise grammar, develop speaking skills, or train writing and find out
whether such tools are effective and whether they develop students’
creativity in the English classrooms.
1.Theoretical background
Literature shows that scholars are interested in the possible outcome of
the incorporation of Web 2.0 tools into English classrooms and their potential for transforming education industry. Most research studies have
discussed strategies and guidelines for using Web 2.0 tools in ELT environment. However, little attention has been paid to how much students
enrich their knowledge of English with the aid of Web 2.0 tools. Thus,
this research aims at outlining the linguistic competencies developed by
students with the use of Web 2.0 tools.
1.1. On the notion of Web 2.0 tools
The scholars differ in how freely they apply the notion of Web 2.0 tools.
However, there is an increasing consensus that Web 2.0 tools have
four human dispositions: the playful, the expressive, the reflective, and
the exploratory. Web 2.0 aids “participatory, collaborative, and distributed” activities within Web 2.0 (Lankshear, Knobel 2006: 38). Web 2.0 is
also defined as “participatory media” (Bull et al. 2008: 106) and “a social
digital technology” (Palfrey, Gasser 2008: 1). It is believed that Web 2.0
is a platform where Internet users and the content are equally important.
Web 2.0 is also known as “Read-Write Web” (Richardson 2006: 24) because it encourages users not only to view the content but also actively
contribute to it.
Digital technology as a supportive tool in the English classrooms 119
The notion of Web 2.0 that is considered during this studies belongs
to of O’Reilly and it emerged around 2004:
Web 2.0 encompasses a variety of different meanings that include
an increased emphasis on user generated content, data and content
sharing and collaborative effort, together with the use of various kinds
of social software, new ways of interacting with web based applications,
and the use of the web as a platform for generating, re purposing and
consuming content. (O’Reilly 2004: 4)
Web 2.0 offers a great variety of powerful, creative, and accessible
tools that enable the users to acquire, process, and distribute information
in a variety of digital formats. According to Alexander (2006: 33–34),
there are some key concepts that can be associated with Web 2.0 in
education. They are: social software, microcontent, openness, and folksonomies (tagging by the users).
Web 2.0 includes blogs, wikis, Really Simple Syndication (RSS),
social networking sites, or media sharing, such as YouTube and Flickr.
These applications are receiving more and more attention from the education industry (Allen 1999: 1). Web 2.0 applications are believed to
enhance students’ learning experience by providing rich opportunities
for collaboration and networking (Bryant 2006: 61). According to Boyd
(2007: 15–16), it is the social aspect that engages students in online
education.
With the emergence of Web 2.0 tools, students may choose how
and where to learn, for instance, in an online or private setting. Today’s
learners are interactive and media oriented. They use Web 2.0 tools in
their everyday lives and claim that increased use of digital tools would
result in their better preparation and engagement (DeGennaro 2008: 3).
According to Thompson (2007: 2), students expect their lecturers to use
Web 2.0 tools in order to communicate their knowledge more effectively
and in more creative way. Tagg (2003) believes that Web 2.0 can be employed effectively to aid teaching practice as well as stimulate learning
environment.
1.2. Advantages of Web 2.0 tools
In many research papers, Web 2.0 tools have been found beneficial for
education. Some benefits include:
• increased motivation – Web 2.0 tools give students a space to comment on their assignments. This possibility of commenting on
each other’s composition encourages competitiveness and increases motivation and creativity. Students put greater effort to create
their work when they know it will be published on the Internet;
• building social rapport – social networking sites, such as Facebook, facilitate discussion and develop students’ social and communicative skills. Students become a part of online community
where learn expressive forms of behaviour;
• technology and skill development – Web 2.0 tools help students
become proficient in writing and their digital skills are improved.
Duffy and Bruns (2006) have enumerated other educational benefits
of Web 2.0 tools. Blogs, for instance, encourage students to be creative
and show their critical thinking skills. Wikis aid students’ ability to work
with an evolving document. Students engage in collaborative writing
task offered by Wikis (Duffy, Bruns 2006).
2.Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning
Web 2.0 tools have shifted attention from information access to access to
other people (Brown, Adler 2008: 18). Web 2.0 tools offer more powerful
and interactive learning setting in which students become knowledge
creators, producers, evaluators, and editors (Richardson 2006: 26). Moreover, Downes (2005: 7) has noticed that e-learning in not “a content-consumption tool” but “a content-authoring tool.” In other words, learning is
not delivered but created. With the emergence of Web 2.0 tools, learning
has become open for other users to “refine, distribute, and comment on”
(Bonk 2009: 371).
As Thomas and Brown (2011) have noticed, the society has entered
the participatory learning culture. Web 2.0 tools encourage social interaction and collaboration among teachers and students (Brown, Adler
2008). This mutual collaboration and generating and sharing ideas can
be more effective than working in isolation (Barsky, Purdon 2006: 65).
For instance, learners build new pages within Wikipedia instead of only
browsing through its pages (Grossman 2006/2007: 38).
Web 2.0 tools create online communities where students engage in
a variety of activities and collaborate with other users (Brown, Adler
2008). Students also create their personal learning environment where
they alter its content to their own needs and interests (Bonk 2009).
2.1. Blogs in the EFL classrooms
During the last decade, blogs received more educational attention. It
is believed that blogs provide multiple opportunities for developing
critical and analytical thinking. Students are also encouraged to compare their own views and thoughts with others. According to Oravec
(2003: 616–621), when students create a blog, they attempt to foresee
how their views might be interpreted by other users.
Blogs promote learner autonomy and students’ participation is independent of physical and geographical barriers. Blogs can also be a plat
form for writing practice, especially creative writing. For instance, students
may produce blog entries along with the audio or visual material (Lee,
Allen 2006) or they may create posts from the perspective of the chosen
fictional character. These exercises may encourage competitiveness and
increase students’ involvement.
Class blogging encourages students to interact in English speaking
Web 2.0 communities. Students engage in language learning opportunities online, and they feel confident to look for their own learning
strategies. This blogging experience also gives students an opportunity
to master their digital skills.
Most students are familiar with the technological devices, but they
are not necessarily good digital learners (Murray 2009). In order to
conduct a successful blogging class, teachers ought to provide adequate
training on the use of software.
2.2. Digital posters, graphic organizers, and mind maps
in EFL classrooms
Web 2.0 tools that help the students to create digital posters, graphic
organizers, and mind maps are: Popplet, SlideRocket, or Prezi. Such tools
allow the students to organize new information in a creative way and to
write comments.
According to Philips and Nagy (2014), students’ acquisition comes
naturally and their critical thinking skills are developed while using graphic organizers. Moreover, Popplet, SlideRocket, or Prezi help the teachers
to monitor the students’ progress, and these tools are an excellent source
of knowledge. They also facilitate students’ English learning experience
since learners use both sides of the brain effectively by pictures and words.
Popplet, SlideRocket, or Prezi incorporate text, images, and videos,
and allow the students for a real-time collaboration. The students can
export their results as a JPEG or PDF file. Moreover, the students can
make their digital posters accessible by the public, group, or certain
individuals.
2.3. Digital presentations with text, images, music, and videos
Web 2.0 tools that allow the students to make short digital presentations
are Animoto (animoto.com) or Fotobabble (fotobabble.com). Such tools
are created with a constructivist approach, that according to some scholars, lead to better educational software and better learning (Atkins 1993,
Jonassen 1994, or Harper et al. 2000).
Digital presentations enable the students to navigate, create, and construct their knowledge with the use of text, images, music, and videos.
Moreover, they help the students to individualize their learning, make
connections, and work out the meaning. Such presentations are quicker
than traditional ones and develop students’ creativity, which makes
them ideal for digital storytelling in the classroom. Because of the fact
that Animoto and Fotobabble are web-based, the students can continue
their work at anytime and anyplace. These tools develop collaboration
between the students.
2.4. Developing listening, speaking, and pronunciation
with the use of Voki and Vocaroo
Webs 2.0 tools that develop listening, speaking, and pronunciation are
Voki and Vocaroo.
Voki is an example of a tool which employs text-to-speech technology.
It enables the students to create personalized speaking avatars. Thus, shy
and reluctant students can complete an oral task in a more comfortable
way. Moreover, Voki provides oral practice and develops metalinguistic
awareness. This tool engages the students in the variety of oral activities,
increases students’ productivity, enhances their learning, and promotes
creativity.
Vocaroo was created in 2007 and it is in free BETA version. By using
this tool, teachers can leave voice messages to students about upcoming
assignments on the classroom website. The students can record their voice
while doing reports or presentations. Moreover, they can use Vocaroo in
the classroom discussion outside of class instead of typing blog posts.
2.5. Other Web 2.0 tool ideas
Other web 2.0 tools may be used to create a virtual classroom and support individual learning. Educators implement Web 2.0 tools to establish
communication among students. Such tools are: padlet.com, answergarden.ch, or wallwisher.com where students respond to a question posted
by the teacher and put their comments on different topics. Students use
the space to discuss the content and explore their own knowledge. Buncee.com is another useful tool which helps the students to acquire new
vocabulary. With the use of this tool, the students make digital flashcards
and print them in order to study. Mind42.com and Postermywall.com help
students prepare mental maps and make poster-sized collages to practice
vocabulary. Fodey.com, on the other hand, allows the users to create their
own text and convert it into a variety of formats, such as newspaper
articles. Lyricstraining contains a great variety of listening activities, for
instance, music videos for different levels. Teachers also make use of
online learning tools, quizlet.com among other, that enable the teachers
to prepare tests for the students. With the help of Google Docs, teachers
can upload and create tests, presentations or videos. Educators use cloze
generator to make cloze exercises which may serve as an exercise or a test.
3.Methods
This section describes the project that has been created to explore English teaching and learning with the use of Web 2.0 tools. There were two
groups of Polish lower secondary school and two groups of secondary
school students who participated in the study and were taught English
using different pedagogical practices.
The first group of lower secondary school and the first group of secondary school were taught English with the use of traditional methods
and the second group of lower secondary school and the second group
of secondary school were taught English with the use of Web 2.0 tools.
The results of students’ tests and questionnaires show that the use of
Web 2.0 tools develop students’ acquisition of English.
3.1. The goal of the project
The goal of the project was to bridge the gap between the use of Web 2.0
tools and the acquisition of English as well as developing creativity
among the students. Lee and McLoughlin (2010: 59–60) claimed that
Web 2.0 tools in education lead to the development of students’ store of
English vocabulary. However, it would be useful to investigate whether
such tools lead to the development of students’ speaking, writing, listening, or reading skills.
3.2. The participants
Two groups of Polish students of the lower secondary school and two
groups of the secondary school learners were selected to take part in
this project. The groups of the lower secondary school students were
at the same level of English proficiency and the groups of the secondary school students were at the same level of English. Both groups of
the lower secondary school and the secondary school were selected randomly from all groups in their schools. There were 32 lower secondary
learners and 36 secondary learners altogether. The gender distribution
in the lower secondary school was 42% males and 58% females and in
the secondary school was 38% males and 62% females.
3.3. Location
The research took place in Polish lower secondary and Polish secondary
school in Łódź. There are not many studies conducted on the problem
of English acquisition with the use of Web 2.0 tools in Polish schools.
Thus, conducting a study in Polish lower secondary school and Polish
secondary school was aimed at bridging this gap in Polish literature of
the subject.
3.4. Design and procedure
Two groups of learners of the lower secondary school who participated in
this project were randomly selected from all groups in the school. There
were 16 students in each group and gender distribution was randomized.
They were taught by the same teacher. The project was one term long.
The first group of the lower secondary school was named the Traditional Group 1. The students from this group learned English with
the use of the traditional approach. They used traditional textbooks and
dictionaries while learning and they did the exercises that were available
in their books. The teacher also gave them additional activities that were
prepared with the use of traditional methods.
The second group of the lower secondary school was named the Experimental Group 1. The students from this group learned English with the use
of Web 2.0 tools. They used, for instance, blogs, Voki, Animoto, Popplet,
AnswerGarden, or Fotobabble. The teacher also gave them the same
number of additional activities as she gave the Traditional Group 1 on
the same topics but with the use of Web 2.0 tools.
Two groups of learners of the secondary school who participated in
this project were also randomly selected from all groups in the school.
There were 16 students in each group and gender distribution was
randomized. The same teacher taught them and this project was one
term long.
The first group of the secondary school was named the Traditional
Group 2. The students from this group learned English through traditional approach. Similarly to the Traditional Group 1, they used textbooks
and dictionaries while learning and they solved the exercises available in
their books. This group was given extra activities that were prepared with
the use of traditional methods.
The second group of the secondary school was named the Experimental Group 2. The students from this group learned English with the use of
Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, Voki, Animoto, Popplet, AnswerGarden, or
Fotobabble. The same number of additional activities was given to them
and students were supposed to solve them with the use of Web 2.0 tools.
Before the project started, all students’ results from English tests were
analysed and the average number of points from all the tests was calculated. Then, the students were taught English using different pedagogical
approaches: the Traditional Group 1 and the Traditional Group 2 learned
with the use of traditional methods, whereas the Experimental Group 1
and the Experimental Group 2 learned English with the use of Web 2.0
tools. During the course of the project and at the end of the project
students took the tests. The tests’ results were analysed and the average
number of points from the tests was calculated. All the students were
also observed and interviewed on the topic of methods employed in
the learning and teaching processes.
3.5. Data analysis
The analysis of the data was conducted in three stages. Firstly, the average
results of tests before the project for all groups were compared. Secondly,
the average results of tests during the project for all groups were compared. Thirdly, the average results of tests at the end of the project were
compared. This was to assess any potential differences in the knowledge of
English between the Traditional Group 1 and the Experimental Group 1
and between the Traditional Group 2 and the Experimental Group 2.
This was conducted with the use of Mann-Whitney’s test to show whether the difference concerning English knowledge between the groups was
statistically significant and to determine whether the implementation of
Web 2.0 tools is useful for English teachers.
The students from all groups made progress in English at the end of
the project. Table 1 and Table 2 present the findings.
Table 1. The distribution of points of the Traditional Group 1 and the Experimental Group 1 of the lower secondary school in tests results
Lower secondary school learners
Tests
Average number of points
Percentage
Traditional
Group 1
Experimental
Group 1
Traditional
Group 1
Experimental
Group 1
Before the project
60/100
60/100
60%
60%
During the project
72/100
90/100
72%
90%
At the end of
the project
78/100
98/100
78%
98%
Table 2. The distribution of points of the Traditional Group 2 and the Experimental Group 2 of the secondary school in tests results
Secondary school learners
Tests
Average number of points
Percentage
Traditional
Group 2
Experimental
Group 2
Traditional
Group 2
Experimental
Group 2
Before the project
64/100
64/100
64%
64%
During the project
72/100
90/100
72%
90%
At the end of
the project
76/100
96/100
76%
96%
The data presents a 20% difference between traditional tools and Web 2.0
tools in learning English in the lower secondary school and the secondary
school. According to Mann-Whitney’s test, the difference in English
knowledge between the Traditional Group 1 and the Experimental Group
1 and the Traditional Group 2 and the Experimental Group 2 at the end
of the project was statistically significant (p-value <0.0001). Web 2.0 tools
turned out to be more effective in teaching English. Moreover, the project
boosted both Experimental Groups’ motivation to learn English, enriched
students’ creativity, and developed their cooperation with peers.
Conclusion
Web 2.0 tools are becoming an indispensable ingredient in education.
Such technologies enable the students to be the creators rather than
passive receivers of information in the learning process. Moreover, they
provide opportunities for social interaction and collaboration. Digital
tools individualize the learning experience of learners, broaden their
learning horizons, and develop their creativity.
The research confirmed that modern technologies are useful for
teaching English. The results indicate that students who learned English
with the use of Web 2.0 tools performed better in English tests. The 20%
difference between two Traditional and two Experimental Groups of
lower secondary and secondary learners is significant and suggests that
teachers ought to use Web 2.0 tools as often as they can. There should
be more studies devoted to the right choice of digital tools for different
educational purposes.
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nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol3/iss4/5
Joanna Miłosz-Bartczak
John Speller
Lodz University of Technology
Using Moodle to teach Academic English
as a second language for engineers
Abstract. This paper presents novel ways of using the Moodle Course Management System (CMS) as a collaborative and coordinating tool for the teaching of
Academic English to first cycle engineering students. First, the learning outcomes
and content of the course Academic English are presented, with background on
the institutions at which the course is taught and the students at whom it is directed. Next, we examine the IT infrastructure available to language teachers and
students, with a special focus on the university Moodle platform. We then look
at how the Academic English for Engineers Moodle page has been constructed
to reflect and reinforce the structure and assessments, while providing a common space for the teachers to encourage teamwork. The division of the page
into teacher areas, sections for disciplinary specialisms, and for assessments will
be given. The system of uploading of written assessments and teacher feedback
through Moodle will be described. The use of mobile technology for the filming
of presentations for assessment submitted through the Moodle platform will
be discussed. Throughout, we will see how the use of a single course page by
several teachers enables greater coordination and fosters collaboration between
teachers, while the selective use of the tools and settings Moodle offers facilitates delivery and assessment of learning outcomes.
Introduction
The Foreign Languages Centre (CJO) at the Lodz University of Technology (TUL) in Poland was established in 1951. The Centre employs over 60
language instructors, teaching English, German, Russian, Italian, French,
132 Joanna Miłosz-Bartczak, John Speller
Spanish and Polish for foreigners. It welcomes over 6000 undergraduate
students from different departments within the university, as well as Masters and Doctoral students in accordance with the University curriculum,
participants in the Socrates-Erasmus and IAESTE programmes, students
of the General Secondary School of TUL, students of the University of
the Third Age of TUL, foreign exchange students from the Cangzhou
Vocational College of Technology (China), and international students
who wish to study at TUL. As a sub-section of CJO, the IFE Language
Team delivers English language classes at the International Faculty of Engineering (IFE). Established in 1993, IFE is a unit of the Lodz University
of Technology, offering BSc and MSc courses taught entirely in English
or in French. The degree programmes offered at IFE broadly match those
taught in Polish, but all tuition and materials are provided in French or
English. Students at IFE pass through a selection process, and generally
have greater confidence and a higher level in the language in which
they have chosen to study than those who follow degree programmes
in Polish. All IFE students have the possibility of studying or having
an internship abroad. They, therefore, have a particular profile, requiring
courses to prepare them for academic study in a foreign language and for
entering an international employment market.
This article examines how the IFE Language Team is using Computer
Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) for the freshman course Academic English for Engineers (AEE). It describes how the AEE Moodle page has been divided
into sections for teachers and areas corresponding to the different subject specialisms. It also sets out how assessments are managed through
the system, with innovative use of mobile technologies for the recording
of presentations and electronic marking of written texts. A key point
will be to emphasize how the use of technology reinforces the learning
outcomes of the course and facilitates coordination between teachers.
Language learning through technology has had a long history, and
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has now become commonplace, with important implications for second language acquisition
(Chapelle 2001: 19). Following initial exuberance, among some, and
trepidation, among others, the integration of computers in language pedagogy is beginning to be “normalized” (Chambers, Bax 2006), although
significant obstacles persist and progress is not uniform. The barriers
Using Moodle to teach Academic English as a second language for engineers 133
McCoy (2000) discusses, including lack of time, of institutional infrastructure, of technical support, of access to necessary software and
hardware, and of recognition and reward for efforts, may be seen to continue to hinder many efforts to integrate technology in language courses.
One of the key factors to the success of language programmes relying
on the use of technology is that they must be long-term, and based on
the stability of the teaching teams (Navés 2009).
Computer assisted learning offers a range of possibilities for language
instructors. Quiz creation software, including several popular freeware
options, provide a number of common question forms including cloze,
crosswords, text reconstruction, multiple choice, and simple yes/no answers. Yet, although the interfaces and usability of such software have in
many cases improved, there has been little change in their functionality
since its appearance in the late 1990s. Moreover, these question types
cannot easily be adapted to deal with higher level language points, particularly for grammar and writing. Again, the time usually required for
the development of interactive content using these tools can be prohibitive, especially as courses change, instructors may switch courses, and
teachers are encouraged to tailor their materials to particular groups.
Issues of copyright may also be a barrier.
Many publishers have begun to supply DVD-ROMs and websites
with ready-made e-learning material. There has also been a proliferation of interactive language learning exercises freely accessible on
the web. Some websites have appeared which enable the rapid creation
of flashcards and rudimentary language games from vocabulary lists,
as well as dictionaries which allow users to save entries they have
looked up and which then transform such lists into quizzes. Several
of the issues we have seen preventing the development of e-learning
content by teachers may be solved in part by encouraging students to
create their own personalised online activities, encouraging learner
autonomy, which can also be shared with others in the group for collaborative learning. This approach is particularly suited for vocabulary
training within the communicative approach, as glossaries can be built
up according to students’ requirements. Although studies on the use of
these technologies for L2 vocabulary training have yielded conflicting
results, it seems reasonable to conclude that as part of a well-balanced,
“blended” course combining a range of methods they can contribute
to increase learner motivation and effectiveness (Warschauer, Meskill
2000, Chiu 2013).
Similarly to the rise of social networking sites, which have in some
ways combined and in others expanded the possibilities offered previously
by email, wikis, blogs, forums and e-portfolios, the popularity of mobile
devices has increased and transformed opportunities for a number of
existing pedagogical strategies, principally distance learning (restyled as
“m-learning”), but also use of sound recording, film, and photography, as
most modern smartphones are equipped with cameras and audio/video
recorders. Again, as with the use of social networking sites (Phillips et al.
2011), consideration must be given to issues of privacy, from confidentiality to cyber-bullying, as well as to the usual questions of accessibility
to the technology and digital literacy which underlie any application of
CALL (Chapelle 2001: 93–94).
1.Academic English for Engineers
Academic English for Engineers is a course for TUL freshmen students
enrolled in the Departments of Architecture Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Biotechnology, Business and Technology, Computer Science, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Applied
Computer Science, Telecommunications and Computer Science, and
Science and Technology wishing to progress towards B2/C1 certification.
The course enables students to develop writing, presentation/communication, and grammar skills required for academic success in their fields
of study. This 30-hour course is an integral part of a well-developed fouryear IFE language programme, with Academic English for Engineers being taught during the first semester of BSc studies, Business English for
Engineers I and II during the second and the third semesters respectively,
and a Project Semester completing the cycle. Upon course finalization,
the students are able to interpret and critically evaluate oral and written
discourses related to their academic disciplines; communicate effectively
and use appropriate grammar forms in a range of academic scenarios;
write texts applying registers, formats and language appropriate to their
academic disciplines; prepare and deliver a multimedia presentation
related to their academic disciplines; and make effective use of selected
computer software and Internet resources for academic purposes.
Various forms of verification, such as: teacher observations, self,
peer and teacher evaluation, oral and written assignments and tests are
employed throughout the course to assess the participants’ performance.
Grading is based on: 1) continuous assessment (progress tests, attendance and active participation in classes) accounting for 40% of the final
mark; 2) oral presentation assessment for 30%; and 3) technical report
grade for 30% of the final mark.
During the semester, grammar structures typical for engineering
disciplines such as: articles, passive voice, tenses, participles and relative
clauses are practiced. Presentation skills focusing on effective presentation openings and closings and graphics typical for engineering (e.g.,
sketches, elevations, drawings, schematics) are also developed through
real-life and recorded simulations. Written skills are improved by practicing selected parts of reports, such as: abstracts, introductions, conclusions, descriptions of processes, materials, methods, and results.
The range of functional language developed during the course includes:
comparison and contrast, cause and effect, summarizing and sequencing.
Students are expected to make active use of the University IT tools, as
well as selected computer software (Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) and Internet
resources appropriate for academic purposes.
1.1. IT infrastructure at IFE and TUL
The IFE building is home to three computer laboratories, each containing
around 15 modern computers. All classrooms are equipped with a computer for teachers, as well as with overhead projectors and whiteboards.
In addition, there is a computer room for students containing around
20 machines which can be accessed using a smart-card during normal
working hours. Wi-fi is available throughout the IFE building. There are
two IT technicians available to assist teachers. The IFE language team
and students at the faculty also have access to a dictaphone and handheld
camcorder, as well as to two laptops.
In 2012, TUL implemented Wikamp, a new Moodle-based CMS.
Moodle is a well-established, open-source platform, first released in
2002 and continuing to develop through the efforts of a dedicated opensource community (Cole 2005: ix). Moodle offers a variety of in-built
modules which are well adapted for language teaching, including quizzes
and questionnaires and file submissions (Robb 2004). Teachers can share
files with students and embed media, although copyright restrictions apply. SCORM objects can also be uploaded and accessed through Moodle.
An important aspect of Moodle is its grounding in social constructivist
pedagogy (Crosslin 2009: 505). It features a number of social tools, including blogs, wikis, discussion boards, and chat rooms, to facilitate collaborative and communicative learning within groups and in groupings.
In addition, Moodle provides useful course management tools including
a gradebook and attendance module.
At IFE, Wikamp replaced the Blackboard solution that had been
pioneered within the university. At the time, many teachers in other departments were already using their own Moodles or alternative learning
management systems. A directive was given that all teachers should move
to using the Wikamp platform. Each department of the university was
given its own Wikamp site. One year later, at CJO the decision was made
to require all teachers to keep attendance and grades using Wikamp. As
a result, language teachers are among the most intensive users of Wikamp
throughout the university. The IFE language team enjoy considerable
autonomy with regard to Wikamp administration on the IFE site, with
the support of the university IT centre which manages the system overall.
As a result, they have been able to set up, modify, and adapt the pages
through a continual process of consultation, in such a way that the CMS
meets their particular needs as teachers while also reinforcing their common learning objectives – facilitating coordination and collaboration,
and providing students with a structured online learning environment
that reflects the content delivered in face-to-face tutorials.
1.2. Moodle page structure
Teachers of Academic English for Engineers share a main Wikamp page,
including grade book and attendance module. The page is divided into
sections using the “Topics” setting to reflect and reinforce the specialisation of the course according to departmental groupings (Technical,
Scientific, Information Technology). There is also a General AEE area,
and a section for each of the two main assessments. The page is set to
show one topic per page, to prevent unnecessary scrolling. Other pages
can be accessed via a drop-down menu. In each of the subject sections
there are resources selected for that faculty group. Each subject section
has been given an image taken from the Wikamp site of a faculty chosen
to represent that grouping. At the top of the page is a GIF showing
each image in turn. This structure is designed to reinforce the division
of the course into variants catering to each of the three main subject
specialisms.
In addition, each of the three teachers of Academic English has
a section of the main page. There is then a button which hyperlinks to
a separate Wikamp page for each instructor. These pages are invisible
on the main IFE Wikamp site, and can only be accessed via the shared
Academic English for Engineers page. This set-up enables teachers and
students to benefit from the advantages of both a shared space and individual areas. The shared space cuts down on the requirement to set up all
course information and assessments, gradebooks, attendance, resources,
etc., separately. The individual areas enable teachers to share resources,
create forums, groups, extra assignments, quizzes, etc., and to arrange
their space according to their preferences. Moreover, through mutual
consent each of the teachers’ areas are accessible to the other members
of the team and also to their students (these areas could also be password
protected). This facilitates course coordination and sharing of ideas and
resources. Resources can be downloaded and reuploaded (possibly modified) from other teachers’ areas or uploaded directly using the Wikamp/
Moodle “import” function. Students can see the resources and activities
the other teachers are using to achieve the same learning objectives and
may find material that they decide is useful for them.
It is aspired that the awareness they share a common page with other
groups, with common materials, course information, assessment criteria, etc., will build confidence among students that their courses are in
line with those given by other teachers, especially in terms of evaluation.
It may even be hoped that it helps create an interdisciplinary community of learners (Elias 2010: 121), with similar learning experiences and
academic culture, although these are matters for further research. For
teachers, the hybrid of individual and shared areas is designed to chart
a middle course between standardization and personalization, enabling
instructors to develop their own methods and materials, while also
learning from each other and benefitting from the time- and labour-saving economies of using a common main AEE page. Our experience is
that having teachers working on different sections of the same course
builds team spirit and enables more effective course coordination.
Similar results have been reported by other teachers sharing a Moodle
page (Perkins, Pfaffman 2006: 37).
2.Presentations assessment
Presentation skills, and communication skills more generally, are essential for engineering students to facilitate their education and prepare
for their future careers. Oral communication and presentation skills are
considered to enhance careers dramatically (Riemer 2002: 94). Inadequate soft skills undermine the whole profile of the professional scientist
or engineer, who is expected to be able to communicate and present
effectively in a shared language in multinational environments (Hissey
2000). At IFE, presentations in English also form part of the coursework
and assessments in many academic subjects, including the Project
Semester. In AEE, students are given presentation assignments based
on their subject areas, requiring that they research areas of interest and
develop their subject-specific lexis.
Students’ presentation skills are developed with a focus on presentation openings, use of visuals (including presentation of data), and conclusions. Grades are given based on the content, organisation, design,
and clarity of their presentations. The presentations are divided into
segments taught and assessed in three parts. One method of assessment
used is to request students video themselves presenting using either their
mobile phones, a webcam, or the camcorder available to IFE students.
Students then upload the video either directly to Wikamp/Moodle or
(for large files) via YouTube. To maintain privacy, students are required
to mark any YouTube videos as “unlisted” and the link is shared with
the instructor only. A special podcast on how to upload presentations
has been prepared for the students, and they may contact their teachers
in case of any technical difficulty.
Student videos are not shown to others in the class except with
the creator’s written consent, and within the closed Wikamp environment. However, with permission slides and videos may be shown on
Wikamp via a forum, so peers can comment on the quality of the assignments, and this peer assessment may also contribute to a student’s grade.
For the main presentation assessment parts, teachers use a common
rubric created within Wikamp, which is visible on the main AEE page
and appears to students before submission of their files. Students receive
graded feedback on each of the criteria plus additional comments from
the teacher. The final grade appears in the gradebook to be viewed by
the individual student. Once the grade has been agreed, students are
reminded to remove any videos hosted on third-party sites.
Of course, videos cannot replace the experience of live presentations,
and students are given ample practice in class, which may also be assessed
(as continuous assessment or presentation parts). However, use of video
and audio has been shown to dramatically improve presentation skills in
students and greatly facilitates grading (Riemer 2002: 93), as students can
watch themselves presenting and repeat their performance if necessary,
and teachers can pause and rewind the video to provide more precise
feedback. So far, IFE students appear to react positively to the uses being
made of video, and to have few difficulties with the technology. However,
student perceptions of these methods and their effectiveness in terms of
learning outcomes need to be investigated more thoroughly.
Report assessment
Writing is another key skill for scientists and engineers, to ensure both academic and professional success – although, its importance varies across
disciplines, and different types of writing may be needed by different
specialists. For instance, verbal communication may be more important
than writing for engineers (Darling, Dannels 2003), while for professional scientists there is pressure to write research papers for publication,
a skill that is not a priority for most students of Computer Science (Taffe
1989: 17). However, a common requirement of both academic courses
at IFE and of professional practice for both scientists and engineers is
the writing of reports. Certain principles (such as register, concision, use
of passive voice, referencing, etc.) and components (such as abstracts,
introductions, conclusions) of writing reports are, moreover, shared
with other types of document (Winberg et al. 2010: 300). Over the last
two years, the AEE curriculum has been revised and adapted to enhance
the students’ writing skills. Students now have numerous opportunities
to develop their writing through various in-class and home assignments.
They learn how to write the abstract, introduction and conclusion of
a technical report, describe graphs, diagrams, and processes, and how
to write the materials and methods and experimental results sections of
lab reports, as appropriate for their disciplines. We also focus on the key
academic writing skills of summarizing and paraphrase (Braine 1995),
by asking students to, e.g., write the abstract for a report based on its
introduction and conclusion.
As with the presentations assessment, writing tasks are broken
down into manageable “chunks,” rather students being asked to produce
a complete final report (as had been the case with a previous version
of the course). Teaching writing is labour intensive, requiring considerable marking which may be especially difficult for teachers who are
not native English speakers. Technology has helped us to manage this
problem, using (among other tools) the “Assignment” upload function
in Wikamp/Moodle and the Markin 4 electronic marking application.
Students may submit their assignments electronically, in Word or RTF
format, on the Wikamp platform, where they can also see the explicit
criteria for evaluation used by teachers to assess the task. Teachers can
correct the assignments directly, using the track-changes and comments
functions available in most word-processing programmes. However, at
level B2/C1 on the CEFR ESL learners should be able to self-correct,
and revision is a key stage in the writing process (Winberg et al. 2010:
302). Electronic submission also enables easy revision based on teacher
feedback. Markin 4 enables teachers to quickly indicate where errors
have occurred using comments and colour-coded abbreviations in superscript. Students can then correct their texts, possibly in pairs for peer
appraisal, or resubmit them for further teacher feedback.
Using Moodle, teachers can easily manage their marking, seeing how
many files remain to be marked and with submissions separated into
groups. Grades for the separate assignments are automatically calculated
into a final grade. All grades, corrections, and feedback are visible to all
teachers on the course, enabling effective calibration, of course, grades.
Teachers can compare their grade evaluations with those of other teachers, who may also request second opinions. Moodle provides an effective
way of managing and assessing written assignments, which (in combination with word-processing and electronic correction software, and also
alongside the use of online spelling and grammar checkers, plagiarism
checkers, bibliography generators and search engines of scholarly literature) has greatly facilitated the crucial but challenging task of teaching
academic writing.
Conclusion
This article has shown how a platform based on the freeware Moodle
CMS is being used to facilitate and enhance the teaching of Academic
English as a second language for engineers by teachers from the Foreign Language Centre at the Lodz University of Technology. Having
a common course page for all teachers has been seen to facilitate cooperation and coordination, including sharing of resources and grade
calibration, while also reducing workload. The structure of the page
has been designed to reflect and reinforce both, the interdisciplinary
nature of the course and its learning outcomes, chiefly technical writing
assignments and academic presentations. The use of the system for
managing video uploads and assessment of presentations and electronic
marking of written assignments has been described. Both, this article
and our practice, have drawn on research and the experiences of other
institutions. We hope to contribute with this paper to the on-going debate over the utility of computer assisted language learning solutions,
and to knowledge-sharing with regard to its practical applications. Areas
for further research include student perceptions of the effectiveness of
technology use for the teaching of writing and presentation skills and
the qualitative analysis of student attainment of the learning outcomes.
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Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 28 (3), 299–308.
Paweł Nowak
Dolnośląski Ośrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli, Wrocław
Wykorzystanie Dolnośląskiej Platformy
Edukacyjnej i Elektronicznego Systemu Obsługi
Konkursów w realizacji dolnośląskich konkursów
Wspieranie uzdolnień jest od kilkunastu już lat jednym z priorytetowych zadań edukacji na Dolnym Śląsku, wspieranym przez Kuratorium
Oświaty we Wrocławiu, jak i Samorząd Województwa Dolnośląskiego.
W ramach zadań związanych z funkcjonowaniem systemu wspierania
uzdolnień zrealizowano do tej pory 15 edycji konkursu zDolny Ślązak
Gimnazjalista i 12 edycji konkursu zDolny Ślązaczek. Konkurs zDolny
Ślązak Gimnazjalista jest konkursem wojewódzkim skierowanym do
wszystkich uczniów szkół gimnazjalnych, a zDolny Ślązaczek – do wszystkich uczniów szkół podstawowych z terenu województwa dolnośląskiego.
Konkursy są realizowane w ramach Dolnośląskiego Systemu Wspierania
Uzdolnień. Organizatorem konkursów jest Dolnośląski Kurator Oświaty
przy współpracy z Samorządem Województwa Dolnośląskiego.
Realizatorem konkursów zDolny Ślązak Gimnazjalista i zDolny Ślązaczek jest Dolnośląski Ośrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli we Wrocławiu
(DODN) oraz Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu, w gestii której
pozostają konkursy z zakresu języków obcych: angielskiego, niemieckiego i francuskiego. Do wykonania zadania Dolnośląski Kurator Oświaty
powołuje Wojewódzką Komisję Konkursową. W realizacji II etapu konkursu DODN współpracuje z powiatowymi ośrodkami doradztwa oraz
dyrektorami i nauczycielami sześciu szkół podstawowych oraz 11 szkół
gimnazjalnych. Nadzór nad prawidłowym przebiegiem konkursów pełni
Kuratorium Oświaty we Wrocławiu.
146 Paweł Nowak
Cele konkursów to:
1. Rozbudzenie zainteresowań i rozwijanie uzdolnień uczniów.
2. Wdrażanie uczniów do samokształcenia oraz doskonalenia umiejętności kluczowych i ponadprzedmiotowych.
3. Rozpoznanie uzdolnień uczniów.
4. Stworzenie płaszczyzny pozytywnej i twórczej rywalizacji zarówno dla uczniów, jak i dla szkół.
5. Integrowanie środowiska edukacyjnego związanego z II i III etapem kształcenia.
6. Propagowanie idei wspierania uzdolnień oraz promocja nauczycieli i szkół wspierających uzdolnienia.
Konkursy zDolny Ślązak Gimnazjalista i zDolny Ślązaczek realizowane są zgodnie z regulaminem zatwierdzanym przez Dolnośląskiego
Kuratora Oświaty publikowanym w formie elektronicznej na stronie
internetowej konkursów w dniu 1 września każdego roku. Jednocześnie tego samego dnia rozpoczyna się wprowadzanie wpisów w części
poświęconej aktualnościom, w której umieszcza się ważne informacje
dla dyrektorów szkół, nauczycieli i uczniów. Strona jest częścią Elektronicznego Systemu Obsługi Konkursów (ESOK) w konkursach zDolny
Ślązak Gimnazjalista oraz zDolny Ślązaczek. Stanowi on bazę danych
zarejestrowanych szkół i uczestników, pozwala na kwalifikowanie ich do
poszczególnych etapów oraz generuje ważne dla konkursów statystyczne
podsumowania. Realizatorzy mają zatem dostęp do niezbędnych informacji o uczestnikach, a także pomoc techniczną w przeprowadzeniu
wszystkich etapów. System, oprócz wyliczeń wartości progowych, decydujących o listach osób w kolejnych etapach, tworzy karty identyfikacyjne uczniów z kodami, wykorzystywanymi w II i III etapie. Uczniowie,
którzy przystępują do II etapu, mają zakładane konta, służące przekazaniu indywidualnego wyniku oraz dostarczaniu uczniowi skanu jego
pracy. Podobnie jest w etapie finałowym. ESOK tworzy też wszelkiego
rodzaju podsumowania, wykresy i zestawienia tabelaryczne wszystkich
etapów. Dodatkowo wykorzystywana jest Dolnośląska Platforma Edukacyjna, w której zamieszone są archiwalne arkusze konkursowe i do której
dostęp otrzymują nauczyciele i uczniowie przez cały rok.
Dolnośląska Platforma Edukacyjna, której właścicielem jest Samo
rząd Województwa Dolnośląskiego, a opiekę merytoryczną sprawuje
DODN we Wrocławiu, jest również wykorzystywana w realizacji Konkursu
Wykorzystanie Dolnośląskiej Platformy Edukacyjnej… 147
Historycznego Wiedzy o Rosji Białe Noce. Konkurs, którego celem jest
pogłębienie wiedzy o historii i kulturze Rosji, miał już siedem edycji.
Platforma jest wykorzystywana przy przeprowadzaniu etapu szkolnego
i międzyszkolnego. Dzięki możliwościom. jakie daje zestaw narzędzi
umieszczony w salach, uczniowie przystępują do rozwiązywania testów
drogą online. W takim systemie nie tylko z łatwością przeprowadza się
kwalifikację, ale również daje on możliwość wielokrotnego powtórzenia
testu przez uczniów i sprawdzenia swoich błędów. Zgłoszeni do konkursu uczniowie otrzymują loginy i mogą przygotowywać się, rozwiązując
testy z poprzednich edycji. Mogą również wymieniać spostrzeżenia
i uwagi na forum w sali konkursu.
Dolnośląska Platforma Edukacyjna i Elektroniczny System Obsługi
Konkursów nie tylko służą realizacji celów postawionych przez organizatorów konkursów, ale są również niezwykle pomocne w technicznym przeprowadzaniu dolnośląskich konkursów, szczególnie że są to
konkursy masowe, w których liczba uczestników sięga kilkudziesięciu
tysięcy rocznie.
Luis Ochoa Siguencia
Damian Herman
The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice
Gilberto Marzano
Rezekne University of Applied Sciences, Latvia
Creating effective online collaborative
learning groups at higher education institutions
Abstract. Collaborative learning or group learning is something natural and practiced from ages by mankind but with the new possibilities of using Information
and Communication Technology it is possible not only in the classroom and at
work but also at home and everywhere a person has the possibility to connect to
the Internet. We think it is important to analyze how we are using these online
tools for learning activities and if there are differences in the use of them in male
and female students. In this work we present a desk and field research on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. The target group was a Management
Students’ group of the second year bachelor studies at the Academy of Physical
Education in Katowice (Poland), attending a course of “E-services” and using PBworks during and outside the lessons.
Introduction
Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a multidisciplinary field which includes computer science, instructional technology, educational psychology, social anthropology, cognitive psychology,
and social psychology.
An analysis of the existing collaborative systems shows that a number of tools and functions are designed and implemented in order to
facilitate or better support the collaborative learning process.
150 Luis Ochoa Siguencia, Damian Herman, Gilberto Marzano
However, there are many open questions about CSCL: “Is CSCL
context sensitive?”, “What are the appropriate means for supporting collaboration in an e-learning or distance learning environment?”, “What
are the main actual design questions that preoccupy researchers CSCL
scope?” and, accordingly, “Does their research really meet the user needs,
expectations and skills?”
Collaboration can assume two different forms in a learning environment: synchronous and asynchronous. Three different kinds of relations
can be observed:
Figure 1. Relations in online collaboration platforms
In designing effective CSCL systems, we are persuaded that we have
to take into account the different learning contexts and to ask the right
people the right questions. In fact, our idea is that, now, the main issue
is not so much to create new tools, but rather to assemble, integrate and
increase the usability of the already available tools.
The research shows that one ought to invest in designing the different
collaborative learning scenarios and select the appropriate tools, striving
to understand the requirements, opportunity and limitation of new technologies. Nevertheless, introducing hybrid solutions could be considered.
This paper tackles the above issues analyzing the CSCL four basic
elements:
Figure 2. CSCL basic elements
Then, the first step of an ongoing research is presented. The findings
of a preliminary survey performed on a limited sample of students (22 females and 20 males) are illustrated and discussed. The questionnaire
Creating effective online collaborative learning groups… 151
was prepared by means of Google tools which allow online forms.
χ2 test was used for comparing the observed data with the expected
frequencies.
The main result emerging from our work is that students show
different preferences towards CSCL tools, and these preferences seem
gender-affected.
1.Methodology
The survey was conducted from April 20 to May 15, 2015 in a sample
of 42 students of Management at the Academy of Physical Education
in Katowice (Poland) among whom there were 22 female students and
20 male students. The average age of respondents was 23.9 years ± 1.8.
To carry out the survey, Google forms were used to create an online
questionnaire. A hyperlink to the online questionnaire was provided to
the students from different years. The results available through Google
sheets were transferred to Statistica 10 StatSoft, Inc.
The questionnaire used closed and multiple choice questions.
The material was given a qualitative statistical analysis. To verify
the hypothesis that the two qualitative characteristics of the population
are independent χ2 test was used comparing the incidence observed
with the expected frequencies.
where:
Oi = the number of observations of type i
Ei = the expected number of observations of type i
To determine the relationship power between characteristics, the Kendall’s τ coefficient has been used, giving the assessment of the similarity
triaged data set.
where:
n – sample size
2.Findings
Our research aims to investigate some important aspects of the learning
process of university students not only during lessons but outside of
the classroom, covering two important education paradigms, formal
and informal. We focuse on the use of so-called clouds. Students using
“Google Drive” or “Dropbox” at home have been supposed to maintain
this behavior at university (chi2 = 37.36, p = 0.00000 at; tau b = 0.756).
Data shows that most people (36.6%) sometimes use cloud computing
both, at home and at the university. Almost a quarter of respondents intensively use virtual disks both, at school and home, while slightly more
than 17% do not use. As stated before, everybody benefits from clouds
at home and at the university and there are no students that would use it
only at home or only at the university.
Figure 3. The use of “cloud computing” at home and at the university
A small difference can be found when asking about the use of WIKI.
Here we also have a high correlation between using the tools at home and
at the university (chi2 = 26.757 at p = 0.00002; tau b = 0.641). The largest
percentage of respondents (25.6%) use extensively these tools both at
school and at home.
The most popular tool which students intensively use at home and
at the university turns out to be the Facebook. 64.1% of respondents,
affirm to use this social media instrument for research and teamwork,
at home and on campus. This social networking site is largely used for
storing and searching for lesson notes. This portal is very popular among
students so that in addition more than 10% of respondents who use it
at the university from time to time, at home uses it frequently (chi2 =
21.148, p = 0.0003 at; tau b = 0.645).
Figure 4. The use of WIKI at home and at the university
Figure 5. The use of Facebook at home and at the university
On the other hand, the tool least popular in the framework of collaborative learning is the blog. Students do not use it so frequently and
only 2.4% use these tools often, both at school and at home, for learning
activities. In contrast, over 63% do not use them ever so at the university
and at home.
Agree
86.36%
95.24%
52.63%
52.63%
57.89%
77.27%
85.71%
61.11%
77.27%
1. It was easy to use the tool in group work.
2. It was effective to use the tool in group work.
3. The tool was easier to use than traditional
tools such as MS Word.
4. I liked to comment and edit others
contributions to group work.
5. I liked that other students comment and edit
my own work in the group.
6. The quality of collaboration in the group
increased with the use of the tool.
7. The tool motivated me to collaborate with
the students in the group.
8. It was instructive to edit and comment others
contributions to group work.
9. The tool did work as expected.
Table 1. The use of PBworks by students
22.73%
27.78%
9.52%
22.73%
31.58%
42.11%
36.84%
4.76%
9.09%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
Women
0.00%
11.11%
4.76%
0.00%
10.53%
5.26%
10.53%
0.00%
4.55%
Disagree
84.21%
73.68%
63.16%
83.33%
70.59%
66.67%
68.42%
89.47%
89.47%
Agree
5.26%
21.05%
36.84%
11.11%
23.53%
22.22%
21.05%
10.53%
5.26%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
Men
chi2
10.53% 5.4942200
5.26% 0.7849776
0.00% 5.4363210
5.56% 2.4389930
5.88% 0.6748320
11.11% 1.8540300
10.53% 4.4845940
0.00% 0.4832668
5.26% 0.2312579
Disagree
0.06411
0.67537
0.06600
0.29538
0.71361
0.39573
0.10621
0.48695
0.89081
p
Figure 6. The use of blog/journal at home and at the university
Table 1 shows the detailed results of the attitude of students to the various statements related to the work in groups and the relations with gender.
Students agree very much that the use of collaboration tools for educational purposes is both easy and effective. 86.4% of respondents agree more or
less with the above thesis. In addition, more than 80% of students admitted
that the collaborative tool responded as they wished and over 78% felt that
the work, rather than using these tools made the group more opened and
the cooperation within the group has gained in quality. It should be added
that most of the answers are unrelated to sex. Women and men usually
coincide with their opinions on the usefulness of the collaboration tools.
Figure 7. Motivation to collaborate with the students in the group
The only differences that are appearing among men and women are
the answers to the question about the motivation while using collaborative tools. It turns out that surveyed women were more likely to agree
with the thesis that teamwork motivates them to cooperate in a taskgroup. More than 85% of women and 63% of men that participated in
the survey agreed with this opinion. This may corroborate the opinion
that women have a stronger need to work in a team.
Figure 8. Expectation of the tools’ work
On the other hand, men were more likely to agree with the statement
that PBworks worked as expected. Nearly 7% more men compared to
women agree with this opinion. But at the same time, it is puzzling that
10.5% of students believe that the tool does not work according to their
expectations. Perhaps these people are very advanced and tools which
they work with have very strict requirements.
Also, students’ answers about feelings related to the use of the collaborative learning platform PBworks are similar. Men and women do
not differ significantly in the responses. The most similar responses
between the two sexes involved even if such statements as, “I learned
to exchange information with other students via PBworks” or “The use
of PBworks increased my motivation to study this course.” Something
to remark is that only 4.55% of women and 10.53% of men disagreed
with the thesis that PBworks increases the motivation to participate in
the course.
61.90%
57.14%
85.00%
86.36%
65.00%
72.73%
95.00%
66.67%
59.09%
81.82%
2. I felt comfortable to see other students edit
the content I had posted on PBworks.
3. My group was able to come to a consensus by
using PBworks.
4. I learned to exchange information with other
students via PBworks.
5. The feedback and editing from peers were
useful in improving my writing skills.
6. PBworks helped me share ideas with the other
students.
7. The use of PBworks promoted knowledge
information.
8. The use of PBworks increased interaction
with other students.
9. The use of PBworks increased my motivation
to study this course.
10. The use of PBworks promoted collaborative
learning environment.
Agree
1. I liked to see my peers interact with
the content I had posted on PBworks.
Table 2. PBworks and skill development
13.64%
36.36%
28.57%
5.00%
19.27%
30.00%
9.09%
15.00%
38.10%
33.33%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
Women
4.55%
4.55%
4.76%
0.00%
4.00%
5.00%
4.55%
0.00%
4.76%
4.76%
Disagree
83.33%
63.16%
88.24%
82.35%
84.21%
89.47%
84.21%
66.67%
77.78%
72.22%
Agree
11.11%
26.32%
11.76%
12.09%
15.79%
10.53%
15.79%
27.78%
16.67%
27.78%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
Men
chi2
5.56% 0.0737900
10.53% 0.8586875
0.00% 3.0919430
5.56% 1.5634870
0.00% 0.7996857
0.00% 3.9885680
0.00% 1.6254000
5.56% 2.6527170
5.56% 2.2812810
0.00% 1.4901910
Disagree
0.96378
0.65094
0.21310
0.21116
0.37119
0.06321
0.44366
0.26544
0.31961
0.47469
p
Figure 9. The use of PBworks increased interaction with other students
Some differences between men and women in the responses to the question on interaction with other students were found (chi2 = 3.09). 66.67%
of women and over 88% of men agree with the statement that PBworks
increased interaction between students. In addition, none of the students,
as opposed to almost 5% of students, disagreed with this thesis.
Figure 10. Feedback and editing from peers impact in writing skill
Women and men also differ when the judgment on whether the feedback and joint editing may develop writing skills (chi2 = 3.99; p = 0.0632).
Almost 90% of men and only 65% of women believe that groupware
features such as communication, feedback and group editing have some
influence on the development of writing skills in the colleagues.
Figure 11. Influence of PBworks
Interesting data provides the answer to the question what is the most
important feature of teamwork. It turns out that students can have
different motivations to use these tools. Almost half of male students
(47.4%) chose the option “Developing new skills.” 15.8% of male and
female students chose “Access to others’ work” and “Writing the content
on the computer.” Over 10% of the students mark as the most important the “Dynamic and easy learning.” 5.3% agree that “Enough time to
complete tasks” and “Interaction with classmates is very important in
the collaborative work.”
Among women, the answers were distributed slightly differentd. Over
36% of respondents answered that they developed new skills, 22.7% say
that the access to others’ work permitted them to improve their own
work. A little less than 18.2% chose “Enough time to complete tasks.”
Other listed options: “Writing content on the computer,” “Dynamic and
easy learning,” “Learning others’ opinions about our task” which received
less than 10% of the election among female students.
Conclusion
In our research, we did not find special differences in the use of Information and Communication Technology by male and female students.
Male and female students use PBworks as an online platform for their
workshops during the lessons as stated by the teacher. The group of two
[maximum three] students were chosen during the first meeting and each
group had a laptop, tablet or smartphone with the Internet connection
for the use in the class. To see if the students and groups were using this
online tool after the classes, the edition history of the page was analyzed
during each week of the course duration.
We discover that students start to use this tool not only for the “e-service” lessons but for other activities like exchanging views on substantive
issues, when having to make practical agreements and solving possible
problems together, in order to reach a joint end product.
In this paper, we present the different educational situations where
PBworks was used and what impact had on the students.
Writing a paper or homework online can be very motivating for
students. PBworks is an excellent tool available online and free of charge
for educational purposes. PBworks is an online collaboration tool where
students can present the results of an assignment or research to other
students. This tool gives the possibility to consult different revisions of
the result.
Peer Review is a way of collaboration where students give each other
feedback on assignments. The aim is to bring the product to a higher level, before the instructor will judge – review it. In this way students have
the possibility to learn from each other. Self & Peer Assessment module
in PBworks simplifies the organization. The system divides the tasks
among the students and makes the feedback visible for the instructor.
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Izabela Olszak
Exploring factors that influence reading
comprehension strategies among EFL students
Abstract. The study focuses on identifying factors that influence reading comprehension achievements among undergraduate EFL students at selected Polish
universities. The teaching of the reading comprehension skills and strategies are
regarded as an important predictor for the future reading literacy achievement
among foreign language learners. Therefore, its instruction should constitute
an integral part of the whole foreign language teaching on various levels. According to constructivist reading theory, there are at least five aspects that matter and are closely connected to the reader. These are readers’ skills, knowledge,
cognitive development, culture and reading purpose. The present paper analyzes
factors influencing reading comprehension based on the questionnaires carried
out among EFL students. The results point to the statistical importance of gender, the level of studies, background, student’s motivation and reading-related
self-perception. The results may shed a new light on commonly known issues
connected with reading comprehension among EFL students.
Introduction
The study attempts to indicate specific factors connected with reading
comprehension achievements among EFL students at selected Polish
universities. Reading literacy has always been regarded as one of the most
significant abilities that students acquire from the first years of their
education. The ability to understand texts is a starting point for a constructive and interactive process in foreign language learning. According
to Binkley and Kelly (2003: 6), readers actively construct meaning, while
164 Izabela Olszak
simultaneously applying various effective reading strategies. They use
the literacy for personal growth, enjoyment and participation in peerbased communities. Reading literacy is “...the ability to understand and
use those written language forms required by society and [or] valued by
the individual. Young readers can construct meaning from a variety of
texts. They read to learn, to participate in communities of readers and for
enjoyment” (Mullis et al. 2009: 11).
Reading comprehension can be defined as the interaction between
the reader and text, which involves a broad repertoire of knowledge,
cognitive and metacognitive strategies and various other skills. The current study focuses on identifying factors that are closely connected with
students achievement.
There has been a number of research studies discussing the factors
at student, classroom and school level which affect reading comprehension. Most of the researchers investigated factors contributing to educational effectiveness (Scheerens, Bosker 1997, Wallner-Paschon 2009,
Bos et al. 2007). There are two central factors related to students reading comprehension, that is student’s motivation and self-perception.
According to Chapman and Tunmer (2003), students’ self-perception
forms in response to emerging patterns of accomplishment or difficulty
with learning tasks. Students’ constant success or difficulty in reading
comprehension appears in the first years of schooling and is connected with students’ values, knowledge and beliefs. According to Turner
(1995: 410), motivation is a vital aspect of reading comprehension at any
level and creates an important relation to understanding and engagement in the reading process. Moreover, as Schraw and Bruning (1999)
point out, the positive involvement in reading process raises the level of
understanding and motivation.
The deep analysis of the factors influencing students’ reading comprehension presented in the current study may shed a new light on
commonly known aspect of teaching foreign languages.
1.Literature background
Common approaches to teaching reading as a foreign language
It is commonly known that typical EFL lesson focusing on reading
comprehension revolves around various exercises based on the selected
Exploring factors that influence reading comprehension strategies… 165
textbook. It usually starts with pre-reading questions, teacher’s brief
insight into students’ background knowledge and the introduction of
unknown vocabulary. Students often try to predict the content of the text
by previewing it, looking at its title or analyzing other attached photos,
pictures and visuals. Later they are asked a set of post-reading questions,
complete various grammar or vocabulary exercises, engage in “personalization” activities in a written or spoken form where they express their
opinion on different subjects (Nunan 2003). In the next phase, students
get a number of comprehension questions, exercises and activities.
Table 1. Factors influencing reading comprehension according to National
Reading Panel (2000, http://www.education.com/pdf/reading-comprehensionfactors/)
Type
Factor
Background Knowledge
Students activate their knowledge about the whole
world and literary one to link what they know to
what they’re reading.
Vocabulary
Students recognize the meaning of familiar words
and apply word-learning strategies to understand
what they’re reading.
Fluency
Students have adequate cognitive resources available
to understand what they’re reading when they read
fluently.
Comprehension
Strategies
Students actively direct their reading, monitor their
understanding, and troubleshoot problems when
they occur.
Comprehension Skills
Students automatically note details that support
main ideas, sequence ideas, and use other skills.
Motivation
Motivated students are more engaged in reading,
more confident, and more likely to comprehend
successfully.
Genres
Genres have unique characteristics, and students’
knowledge of them provides a scaffold for
comprehension.
Text structures
Students recognize the important ideas more easily
when they understand the patterns that authors use
to organize text.
Text features
Students apply their knowledge of the conventions
and literary devices used in texts to deepen their
understanding.
Reader
Text
Role in reading comprehension
166 Izabela Olszak
The situation changes a bit in multi-skill courses where reading passages
are mostly assigned to review a target grammar point. In such cases,
the amount of practicing reading skills is limited to the minimum.
Rather, the reading texts are used for practicing grammar, vocabulary,
speaking, listening or writing skills. It is true that not every lesson looks
as depicted above. Some variation exists and it is mostly dependant on
a number of factors: gender, students’ reading level, students’ engagement, time devoted to reading and teacher’s confidence in students’ abilities. According to Grabe (2009: 111), “students become better readers by
reading a lot and reading often” and the time devoted to silent reading as
opposed to time spent on doing reading exercises is limited. Moreover, it
is likely that testing of reading exceeds the teaching of reading and blocks
students from becoming better and critical readers (Anderson 2008,
2009). Researchers claim that students need explicit reading as it aims
at developing skilled and strategic readers (Anderson 2008, Grabe 2009,
Grabe, Stoller 2013). In order to care about future proficient readers, it is
worth remodifying approaches to EFL reading. Within the last centuries,
researchers have analyzed the causes of individual differences in the students’ text comprehension, namely the reader’s skill and knowledge.
The former concerns basic reading and language abilities that are lower
level skills, including word recognition, vocabulary and memory and
higher level skills such as reading strategies and inferences. The reader
who acquires these skills is better at comprehending various texts (e.g.,
Cunningham, Stanovich 1990). Table 1 presents two main factors influencing reading comprehension.
2.Aim of the research
The present study attempts to examine the factors influencing reading comprehension strategies among EFL students at selected Polish
universities who are trained to be future teachers, translators or both.
The objective is to investigate what factors influence the choice of reading
strategies among EFL students, frequency of different kinds of reading
strategies adopted by EFL students, the correlation between the adoption of reading strategies and the students’ development of reading comprehension and whether there is a close relationship between reading
comprehension achievements of EFL students.
2.1. Material and method
The questionnaire for students concerning the usage of reading strategies
among EFL students. It consists of ten questions concerning open and
close-ended questions regarding various aspects of reading strategies
applied by EFL students. There have been a number of advances over
the centuries that enhanced the understanding of the reading process,
however, it is still perceived as a complex cognitive process as the reader’s
task is to interact with the text in order to construct meaning. The present
author aims to investigate the factors influencing reading comprehension
strategies of EFL students involved in the process of reading comprehension, namely while organizing and planning, strategies applied while
reading and in the evaluation after reading.
2.2. Participants
The participants in this pilot study are first- and second-year EFL students at selected Polish universities, namely the University of Białystok,
the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and the Maria Curie-Skłodowska
University in Lublin. Most of the investigated students were female
(77.6%) and the rest male (22.4%) of the first and second year of undergraduate English Studies. First-year students constitute 62.2% and
second-year students encompass 37.8%. The greatest number of the investigated population studied English as a first language (68.4%). These
students have taken similar English courses at the mentioned universities, that is they study English Philology.
2.3. The questionnaire
In this study, there was one questionnaire involved. According to Parrott (1993), the questionnaire serves as a crucial tool in all scientific
studies as it helps to collect basic data about the investigated learners,
that is their general and common attitudes towards learning foreign
languages and all processes of their foreign language learning. The questionnaire was created for the students in order to examine the usage of
metacognitive and cognitive reading skills while reading various texts
in a foreign language. The adopted questionnaire consists of ten questions that aim to elicit the factors influencing reading strategies among
EFL students.
168 Izabela Olszak
2.4. The results of the conducted research
The below-presented tables indicate the frequency of reading strategy
application according to the gender of the students. The strategies are
divided into four phases of reading comprehension process, that is
1) organizing and planning, 2) strategies undertaken while reading,
3) evaluation after reading and 4) dealing with problems.
When analyzing the first phase (Table 2) of reading process it is
important to notice that both, male and female students, apply quite
often various reading strategies. It’s worth noticing that male students
in contrast to female more often plan how to complete the text before
doing it (SD 1.40) and analyze the structure of long sentences (SD 1.30).
Female students, on the other hand, more eagerly skim the text quickly
to get the general understanding (SD 1.22) and reread the given question
if not understanding it (SD 1.05).
Table 2. Organizing and planning (based on own questionnaire results)
Type of strategy
Gender
male
M
SD
female
Test
U MannWhitney
M
SD
Z
P
I plan how to complete the test before doing it.
3.36 1.40
2.96
1.22
-1.321
0.187
I am aware of the aim of the reading tasks.
4.14 0.77
3.95
1.06
-0.424
0.672
The title of the text helps me to get a general
idea of what the text is about.
3.77 1.07
3.82
1.02
-0.098
0.922
I pay attention of the questions and try to
remember them before reading.
3.73 0.98
4.04
0.97
-1.500
0.134
I skim the text quickly to have a general
understanding of it.
3.05 1.09
3.37
1.22
-1.203
0.229
I reread the given questions to the text if I do
not understand it.
4.05 0.79
4.25
1.05
-1.577
0.115
I analyze the structure of sentences when they
are long and hard to understand.
3.45 1.30
3.83
1.04
-1.092
0.275
The situation looks also quite interesting in the second phase (Table 3)
that is while reading. It turns out that female students more often know
what to read carefully and what to avoid (SD 1.02), highlight the topic
sentences of the paragraphs (SD 1.36) or monitor the understanding of
the reading materials and reading tasks (SD 1.06). The last mentioned
strategy is statistically meaningful due to the U Mann-Whitney Test
(Z -2.345; p 0.019). Male students, on the other hand, read the text fast
to find out the information of reading tasks (SD 1.26), underline the key
words (SD 1.41), which according to the U Mann-Whitney Test matters
statistically (Z -2.565; p 0.010), or take notes while reading (SD 1.43).
Table 3. Strategies undertaken while reading (based on own questionnaire results)
Type of strategy
Gender
male
female
Test
U MannWhitney
M
SD
M
SD
I verify what is necessary to be done and
how to do it.
4.14
0.89
4.04
0.77
-0.659
Z
0.510
P
I know what to read carefully and what
to avoid.
3.68
0.78
3.57
1.02
-0.536
0.592
I read the text fast to find out
the information of reading tasks.
3.18
1.26
3.70
1.03
-1.764
0.078
I underline key words, expressions while
reading.
2.50
1.41
3.37
1.24
-2.565
0.010
*
I modify reading speed depending on
different reading purposes.
3.14
1.28
3.47
1.08
-0.898
0.369
I highlight the topic sentences of every
paragraph.
2.05
1.00
2.54
1.36
-1.371
0.170
I am aware of how much of text
remained to be completed.
3.55
1.14
3.59
0.90
-0.192
0.848
I monitor the understanding of
the reading materials and reading tasks.
3.36
0.90
3.84
1.06
-2.345
0.019
*
I control my own progress to complete
the questions on time.
3.36
1.14
3.72
1.13
-1.232
0.218
I stop and think whether I have
understood the contents I have read.
3.14
1.28
3.59
1.01
-1.617
0.106
I am aware of my ongoing reading tasks.
3.73
0.98
3.80
0.89
-0.135
0.892
I correct mistakes immediately when
I think I have misunderstood the text
or tasks.
4.18
0.96
3.97
0.99
-0.964
0.335
I attempt to understand the hidden
meaning of the given text.
3.59
1.01
3.68
1.00
-0.445
0.656
I guess the meaning of unknown words
or phrases according to the context.
4.18
0.80
3.97
0.99
-0.768
0.443
170 Izabela Olszak
Type of strategy
Gender
male
Test
U MannWhitney
female
M
SD
M
SD
I use my grammar knowledge to analyze
sentences so as to help get meaning.
3.73
1.12
3.82
1.07
-0.288
Z
0.773
P
I guess the meaning of unknown words
according to their roots or affixes.
3.68
1.17
3.55
1.18
-0.489
0.625
I take notes when reading to help
memorize information.
2.68
1.43
2.84
1.33
-0.354
0.724
I make use of transitional words, such
as first, second, however, but, because
etc. to understand the logical relations
among the main points in the text.
3.59
1.26
3.41
1.22
-0.688
0.491
Strategies adopted in the third phase (Table 4) show that female
students regularly determine the goal of text tasks (SD 1.08), reread
the given text if they do not understand it (SD 1.38) or check the answers
carefully before submitting the test. Male students more eagerly evaluate
whether they achieved the reading plans (SD 1.19), predict the content
of the upcoming passage (SD 1.41) or translate the test into Polish
(SD 1.44). Surprisingly, both male and female, write down a summary of
the given text to remember important information (SD 1.48).
Table 4. Evaluation after reading (based on own questionnaire results)
Type of strategy
Gender
male
female
Test
U MannWhitney
M
SD
M
SD
I determine what was the goal of the test
tasks and questions.
Z
P
3.86
0.94
3.64
1.08 -0.833 0.405
I revise the expected information based on
the text context.
3.32
1.13
3.57
1.04 -0.917 0.359
I evaluate whether the reading plans are
achieved.
3.50
1.19
3.46
1.00 -0.156 0.876
I assess my won performance and progress
while completing the text.
3.36
1.22
3.37
1.15 -0.053 0.958
I check the answers of reading tasks
carefully before submitting the text.
3.68
0.99
3.87
1.02 -0.956 0.339
I evaluate the effectiveness of strategies
I used while doing the reading tasks.
3.23
1.11
3.12
1.10 -0.487 0.626
Type of strategy
Gender
male
Test
U MannWhitney
female
M
SD
M
SD
I predict the content of the upcoming
passage while reading.
Z
P
3.50
1.41
3.29
1.14 -0.986 0.324
I translate what I have read into Polish.
3.18
1.44
3.03
1.36 -0.487 0.626
I summarize the main ideas of the text.
3.14
1.42
3.33
1.30 -0.528 0.597
I reread the given text if I do not
understand it.
3.73
1.16
3.86
1.38 -0.938 0.348
I write down a summary of the given text to
remember important information.
3.23
1.48
2.82
1.48 -1.127 0.260
Table 5 indicates that EFL students deal with and know how to solve
problems encountered while reading process. Female students try to
find out their weaknesses (SD 1.20), relate previous knowledge to new
information (SD 1.06) or use feedback from teachers or peers (SD 1.12).
In contrast to this, male students more often control their nerves while
reading (SD 1.34), think how to improve reading skills (SD 1.22) or
analyze the relationship between the reading text and tasks (SD 1.20).
Table 5. Dealing with problems (based on own questionnaire results)
Type of strategy
Gender
male
M
female
SD
M
SD
Test
U MannWhitney
Z
P
I try to find out my weakness in reading
activity.
3.77
1.11
3.30
1.20
-1.708
0.088
I control my nerves while doing
the reading tasks.
3.45
1.34
3.63
1.08
-0.325
0.745
I distinguish easy and difficult questions.
3.59
1.22
3.68
1.05
-0.107
0.915
I analyze the relationship between
the given reading text and reading tasks.
3.73
1.20
3.62
1.13
-0.588
0.557
I connect what I have read with my prior
experience.
3.77
1.23
3.55
1.28
-0.713
0.476
I relate my previous knowledge to new
information to better understand the text.
3.95
1.00
3.67
1.06
-1.081
0.280
I use the available handy information to
guess the new information.
3.77
1.19
3.67
1.00
-0.686
0.493
172 Izabela Olszak
Type of strategy
Gender
male
M
female
SD
Test
U MannWhitney
M
SD
I think how to improve my reading
skills.
3.18
1.22
3.47
1.10
-0.988
Z
0.323
P
I spend much more time on difficult
reading tasks.
3.00
1.15
3.42
1.16
-1.510
0.131
I use feedback from my teacher or peers
to improve my reading skills.
3.32
1.09
3.42
1.12
-0.355
0.723
The above-mentioned data show that gender is one of the decisive
factors in the whole reading process. Both, male and female students,
apply various reading strategies in the four phases, but they differ in
the application of the strategies.
The questionnaire results in signal that there are also differences in
the application of reading comprehension strategies among EFL students according to the level of studies. According to the collected data
while planning and organizing the reading task first-year in contrast to
second-year ones students more often:
• plan how to complete the test before doing it (SD 1.32);
• are aware of the aim of the reading tasks (SD 1.10);
• use the title of the text to get a general idea of what the text is
about (SD 1.06);
• skim the text quickly to have a general understanding of it (SD
1.23);
• reread the given questions to the text if do not understand of
them (SD 1.09);
• analyze the structure of sentences when they are long and hard to
understand (SD 1.15).
In the second phase, that is while reading, first-year students tend
to undertake definitely more action that the second-year students. They
regularly:
• verify what is necessary to be done and how to do it (SD 0.82);
• underline keywords, expressions (SD 1.36);
• modify reading speed depending on different reading purposes
(SD 1.17);
• highlight the topic sentences of every paragraph (SD 1.32);
• correct mistakes immediately when they think they have misunderstood the text or tasks (SD 1.07);
• guess the meaning of unknown words or phrases according to
the context (SD 1.01);
• take notes when reading to help memorize information (SD 1.41).
However, in the evaluation phase, second-year students in contrast
to first-year students tend to:
• revise the expected information based on the text context (SD
1.15);
• assess their won performance and progress while completing
the text (SD 1.18);
• check the answers of reading tasks carefully before submitting
the text (SD 1.28);
• predict the content of the upcoming passage while reading (SD
1.35);
• translate what they have read into Polish (SD 1.47);
• summarize the main ideas of the text (SD 1.40).
As far as dealing with problems is concerned both, first- and second-year students, undertake various strategies. The results are presented below (Table 6).
Table 6. Differences in applying reading strategies (based on own questionnaire
results)
Strategy
Year of studies
First (SD)
Second (SD)
I control my nerves while doing the reading tasks.
1.03
1.27
I distinguish easy and difficult questions.
1.04
1.16
I analyze the relationship between the given reading text and
reading tasks.
0.97
1.22
I connect what I have read with my prior experience.
1.22
1.35
I think how to improve my reading skills.
1.15
1.09
I use feedback from my teacher or peers to improve my
reading skills.
1.21
0.93
3.Discussion
The above-mentioned results indicate that there are various factors
determining the application of reading comprehension strategies among
174 Izabela Olszak
EFL students. The collected data indicate that the usage of the reading
strategies is dependent on EFL students’ gender and level of studies.
The application of reading strategies differs also due to the phase of
reading comprehension process. Male students seem to be in favor if
planning and organizing reading, whilst female ones tend to get the general understanding of the whole process of reading. Both genders use
additional help like highlighting, underlining the words or asking teachers or peers for support.
Conclusion
EFL students at most universities aim to become a proficient user of foreign language and to be aware of the reading comprehension they apply
in the process of foreign language learning. The differences that appear
between students does not matter, all of them seek for reading strategies
that they could use to master their reading abilities. The decisive factors
differentiating students reading comprehension process in various reading stages in the ELF classroom, were indicated on the basis on collected
questionnaire results. The present author believes that teachers will take
advantage of the decisive factors of ELF in the reading classroom and
see notable improvements in students’ reading abilities. The changes
that are seen in one’s own EFL teaching or learning, always motivate
and encourage to implement modest changes in the process of teaching
other EFL students. What matters is, doing small changes in the reading
comprehension process consistently, rather than big ones rarely.
References
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2006. Paper presented at the ECER Conference, Vienna, Austria.
David Parmentier
A survey of e-learning technologies
in Norwegian higher education
(from the perspective of the Sogn og Fjordane
University College)
Abstract. I begin this presentation with a brief orientation of the interface between Norwegian higher education and the pedagogical use of technology at
the national level. The Norwegian government funds three national bodies to
the tune of tens of millions of Norwegian crowns to address this challenge. Highlights from a quantitative survey (carried out by one of these organizations first
in 2008, then 2011 and finally 2014) of Norwegian students, professors and management as to use and expectations with regards to digital learning technology
will be shared. Next, with a primary focus of activity at the university college,
I present a description of our online education programmes, our work with digital
examinations, use of Learning Management Systems, podcasts and SmartBoard
technologies. The primary target group for this presentation is that of e-learning
specialists, but the technical level should prove accessible to a broader public.
Introduction
In my presentation, I will take up some of the elements in Norway, that
contribute to the development of e-learning on a national level, then move
on to focus on our activity at my institution. I will attempt to paint a quick
picture of Norway. Since the conference is addressing language instruction,
I would feel remiss without teaching you a couple words of Norwegian.
Hei, eg heiter David. Kva heiter du?
(Witam, mam na imię Dawid. Jak wam na imię?)
(Hi, my name is David. What is your name?)
178 David Parmentier
Please take the next 30 seconds to learn the name (ask in Norwegian) of
the person to your left and to your right. Now, with your basic understanding of the Norwegian language, let me talk a little more about the country.
Norway is a large country with a small population, but many resources. Ironically, when Bogumił Ucherek and I first met in 2013, I quickly
concluded that the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław
had come farther in most regards related to e-learning than our university college. I suppose the public vs. private factor may be quite significant
here. It could also be that the Poles work ethic is stronger than that of
the Norwegians.
Now let’s look a little bit at how the Norwegian national government
supports e-learning technologies. Allow me to tell you about three significant national organizations.
The first is known as Uninett. With its more than 100 employees,
Uninett provides the technical infrastructure for higher education including the research network. Additionally, much of the need for identity
management is addressed by this organization. Purchasing cooperation
of large IT systems is another of its services as is network management
and security.
Next we move to the Norwegian Centre for ICT in Education. Seventy-five employees focus their work on the quality use of technology in
education with a target group of K-12 plus higher education.
Lastly, an organization called Norgesuniversitetet (The Norwegian
University), with its ten employees, addresses a number of issues. Numerous development projects in public higher education have been
funded over many years. They serve as a network between public higher
education and the private sector. They provide guidance to teachers of
higher education as to the legalities of intellectual rights and teaching
resources and they undertake a survey of students, faculty and management in Norwegian higher education as to use, and expectations with
regards to the use of digital learning technology.
1.“The Status of Digitalization in
Norwegian Higher Education”
This quantitative survey, called “The Status of Digitalization in Norwegian Higher Education,” has been carried out in 2008, 2011 and most
A survey of e-learning technologies in Norwegian higher education… 179
recently in 2014. The target groups for the survey are students, academics, and management in all Norwegian universities and colleges, both
public and private, with more than 500 students. In 2014 the two main
goals of the survey were:
• to describe the status of the use and facilitation for use of digital
tools in teaching and learning in Norwegian higher education;
• to detail changes in the use of technology over time and identify
trends.
Following is a sampling of some of the most salient findings:
• In 2011 approximately 80% of Norwegians between the ages of
9–79 used the Internet daily.
• In 2014 this number increased to 88% with the average use being
approximately 120 minutes daily.
Findings regarding students:
• Since 2008 there has been a steady increase of computer use by
students in the classroom.
• There has been a decrease in the use of computer for home study
in the period between 2011–2014 and a minimal increase in
the use of computer for study at school.
• Smartphones and tablets were used relatively little in the classroom.
In 2014, 70% of students used them less than one hour per week.
The use of smartphones and tablets is an area that can be used to
a much greater extent for instructional purposes than it is today. Faculty
have before them a tremendous potential to be applied wisely.
Figure 1. Students and faculty use of search engines, Wikipedia and eliterature
As can be seen in the above diagram (Figure 1), nearly all students
and faculty use search engines in their work. This is a relatively recent
development, but clearly one that can be incorporated into “standard”
teaching and learning procedures. Interestingly, the use of Wikipedia
seems to have stabilized as regards faculty use and even declined for
students. Could this be a result of the increase in availability of other
electronic resources? A clear strategy regarding online teaching resources is an important element in modern instruction.
Figure 2. Students and faculty use of email, SMS, chat and social media
In the above diagram (Figure 2), we can detect a difference in the patterns between faculty use of these four media and that of students. Particular attention should be given to use of email. While faculty use email
nearly at 100%, student use is seen to be dropping. Rapidly increasing on
the student communication side is the use of social media. Here we see
a slight decrease in use for faculty. If one’s goal is to reach students where
they are, a greater focus on the use of social media by faculty could be
a successful strategy. Patterns in students’ use of chat could indicate that
here, too, is a potential area for greater use by faculty.
Survey findings regarding management:
• 58% say they work actively to encourage faculty to use digital tools.
• 70% believe their role is important in implementing use of digital
teaching tools.
• 71% maintain that it is the faculty that leads in this process of
implementation.
So while slightly over half of those in managerial positions in higher
education claim to encourage digital activity, nearly three quarters still
believe that it is the faculty themselves that are pulling the digital development. This may tend to foster environments with great variation in
the use of digital technology ranging from the enthusiasts on one side
to the totally uninterested on the other. A more systematic focus on
development on behalf of management is nearly certainly necessary for
consistent institutional development.
2.Online education in Norway and locally
One very relevant area for Norway within the realm of digital learning
technology is online education. In a land of huge distance, harsh weather, difficult travel and a strong digital infrastructure, the possibility of
offering education over the internet opens obvious benefits to the Norwegian people.
Norway has a long tradition of asynchronous online education starting with correspondence courses and moving on to Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOC). Faculty at the Sogn og Fjordane University College
(SFUC) have practiced asynchronously by placing educational materials
in our Learning Management System (LMS) since the early 2000s. Our
institution has no systematic plans for the use of asynchronous materials
nor for the production of MOOCs.
Synchronous online education is quite common, both in Norway and
at SFUC. The two most common models are one of blended learning
which combines physical meeting with net meetings and pure net-based
teaching. SFUC has positive experience and results with both models.
Our institution is particularly focused on the blended learning model as
it offers pedagogy for students with a variety of learning styles – face-to
face lecture, video recordings and textual materials. The platform used
here is Adobe Connect which is the most widely used program for online synchronous teaching in Norway. The Telemark University College
uses a program called OmniJoin, which they evaluate quite positively.
Skype for Business is discussed in certain circles of Norwegian higher
education as a possible replacement for Adobe Connect as it tends to be
a more stable platform in terms of audio performance, though not quite
as robust in terms of pedagogical modules available.
Here at SFUC, we have tested out two other models of synchronous
online education that merit a mention. The first is a model where instructors taught both, auditorium students and net-students simultaneously.
The two most positive elements with this approach were: 1) practicality
for those students who lived far from campus and 2) access to the recording of the online lecture for all students. As we do not normally
record campus lectures, element number 2 was quite positive for many
both online and analog students. The principal weakness of the model
proved to be the difficulty in giving enough attention to the net students.
With 100 or more students in the auditorium, the lecturer was usually
unable to spread his or her attention sufficiently. A possible solution,
though resource heavy, is to assign an assistant to the net students and
relay information from them to the lecturer. Interactivity was also quite
difficult with the online students.
The final model which I will address is a video conferencing model
where SFUC has cooperated with three other higher educational institutions in Norway. This is a model we have run for two semesters per
year for two years. Four distinct groups of students are connected up via
a video link and one lecturer addresses all. Each location has the possibility to send video, send voice, send computer screen and receive all of
the above. The strengths of the model are that each of the institutions can
select experts to address the subject matter quite effectively. Even without
the necessary competence at one institution, the students can get a quality lecture from a faculty member from another school. The possibility
to mute the microphone locally and have local discussions of issues is
also a strong point. It sets the stage for quality discussion but requires
good facilitation. It is not always a given that the students (without local
supervision) are disciplined enough to direct the conversation. Given
the technical complexity, many students are hesitant to speak to the full
group via the video system.
3.Digital assessment
The last five years have shown a significant development in the use of
digital assessment. Initially, the impetus came from the institutions
themselves and the desire to electronically control written essays for plagiarism. In Norway, the two systems most widely used for this purpose
are Ephorus (now Ephorus/Turnitin) and Urkund. These systems check
written work against open Internet sources, as well as a set of closed
resources including a database that they build up themselves over time.
The primary objective with such systems is preventative, as well as to
increase student awareness of proper citation practice. In 2011 the National Union of Students in Norway, an organization of Norwegian
students at the national level, started a national campaign demanding
that universities and university colleges begin offering school examinations digitally. This provided additional impetus for developing digital
assessment methods and doing it relatively quickly.
In Norwegian higher education, the most common type of assessment is the written examination (in-school exam) without access to any
aids. This typically involves sitting for 3–8 hours and writing/editing by
hand. SFUC’s major thrust in the movement toward more digital assessment has simply been replacing the pen and paper with a computer. This
has been well received by our students. The slower process of finding
a proper balance between formative and summative assessment and that
of applying knowledge vs. memorizing and repeating facts goes on in
the background.
The two most prevalent digital assessment systems in Norway are:
Norwegian based Inspera and Danish developed Wiseflow. These systems
provide a lock-down web browser for the written exams and a hand-in
module for essays. Both written exams and home exams are tested via
plagiarism control systems and allow for grading by both internal and
external proctor within the system. Currently, grades are not exported to
the student system so this functionality is not used to any great extent.
At SFUC, we allow faculty members to apply for grants for digital
development and have had a focus of digital assessment for the last
several years.
4.Learning Management Systems
There are two systems used in Norway to a far greater extent than any
others: Fronter and It’s Learning. Both are Norwegian developed systems. Within the last two months, Fronter has been purchased by It’s
Learning so the dynamics of the two systems will undoubtedly change
significantly. From January 2016, Uninett will be coordinating a national
project addressing the use of LMS in higher education and developing
a set of specifications for modern LMS with the goal of potential change
of LMS for 21 institutions by fall of 2016.
Use of LMS is quite varied from one subject to another. From
“The Status of Digitalization in Norwegian Higher Education”:
Nearly all of our faculty and students use LMS’ on a regular basis, but
mostly to send messages, upload and read lecture materials. There are
big differences between the varying educational institutions and much
of the responsibility for how the LMS is used lies at the faculty level.
(Norgesuniversitetet 2015: 84)
5.Additional e-learning technologies used at SFUC
Podcasts: Nearly all of our online lectures are recorded and made available to students afterwards. Only a very small selection of campus-based
lectures are recorded. There is no central authority requiring this of our
lecturers. Our current policy at SFUC is that the faculty are the owners
of their work including recorded lectures. A work group is now revising
our institution’s policies regarding intellectual rights and this will be
included in the work of the group. The primary platform we use for
production of such podcasts is Adobe Connect.
SmartBoard and Sympodium: This equipment is located in nearly
all of our campus buildings and used primarily for students of Teacher
Education. We offer both credit yielding courses and less formal workshops to our faculty in the use of the technology. Both SmartBoards and
smart screens (Sympodium) are used occasionally for online teaching.
Maintaining updated software at the same level for all equipment proves
challenging. When we are unable to maintain such consistency, we note
a reduction in use (due to increased complexity) by our faculty.
Facebook and other social media: While our students create their own
groups in Facebook for many of their subjects, the use of social media by
faculty is significantly more limited. Those that do use this form of communication with students commonly report that the expectations as to
response time are very high. Our early conclusions are that the method is
effective in terms of reaching our students, but quite heavily demanding,
regarding time spent for the teachers.
Concluding remarks
Digital technology provides new possibilities for involving students in
the educational process. When used appropriately, this can positively contribute to learning. Technology cannot replace a good teacher. Properly
used can enhance a good teacher’s work. This is our challenge as modern
educators: to critically assess the possibilities inherent in e-learning technologies and apply them judiciously yet with passion.
References
Norgesuniversitetet (2015) Digital tilstand 2014. Tromsø: Lundblad Media AS.
https://create.kahoot.it/#login?next=
http://edglossary.org/summative-assessment/
https://iktsenteret.no/english
https://norgesuniversitetet.no/om
https://norgesuniversitetet.no/skriftserie/1-2015-digital-tilstand-2014
http://www.student.no/english/
https://www.uninett.no/en
https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senter_for_IKT_i_utdanningen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninett
http://www.wordle.net/create
Bente Sollid
Hege Gjerde Sviggum
How do teachers in Teacher Education perceive
their own e-moderator training?
Abstract. Today’s educational systems are being revolutionised by different
models of online and blended learning (BL). At the Sogn og Fjordane University
College (SFUC) we started to use the web conferencing software Adobe Connect
for Web-teaching distant students in 2010 for a new Teacher Education Program.
This program employed a blended learning approach to teaching with a combination of traditional classroom and synchronous online teaching, in addition to
using a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Thus gave our teachers new challenges because they were unfamiliar with the new modes of teaching. A need
for our teachers to acquire Web-teaching skills, creating a good plan on how to
educate them and provide examples of best practice arose.
We developed a plan built on Gilly Salmon’s (2013: 32) E-moderator model. The model originally consists of these five stages: 1) access and motivation,
2) online socialisation, 3) information exchange, 4) knowledge construction and
5) development. We have adjusted the model to our project with these five stages: 1) Access and motivation, 2) Socialisation in Adobe Connect, 3) E-moderator
training, 4) Participation and bringing forward knowledge, 5) Practicing e-moderators.
An important issue when teaching online in real-time is to have a necessary
backup for the teachers. We need to know if the support given is experienced
as gratifying for our teachers. During the four years since we started online synchronous teaching, we have also tried different models of how to train the teachers. In this paper, we investigate how the teachers at SFUC have perceived their
own training.
188 Bente Sollid, Hege Gjerde Sviggum
Introduction
Different models of Blended Learning (BL) have been used at the Sogn
og Fjordane University College (SFUC) for many years. The online
synchronous teaching as a part of BL is, on the other hand, new to most
academic staff since they have had no or little experience of online learning during their own education (Moskal et al. 2013). It is believed that
most teachers within higher education mainly learn to teach through
looking at others in their disciplines. It is therefore also believed that
they mainly teach as they themselves have been taught (Gregory, Salmon
2013, Garcia et al. 2010). Teacher training and “best practice” examples
on how to teach different subjects online is, therefore, a necessity. In
addition, it is essential to evaluate and reflect on the teaching activity
and teaching situations to give everyone involved an opportunity to give
feedback and to revise the way a course is taught (Moskal et al. 2013,
Brew 2008). Therefore the research question we addressed in this paper
is how do the teachers at SFUC perceived their own training in synchronous online teaching.
At SFUC we started to use AC for the synchronous online teaching of
distant learning students in 2010 for a new part-time Teacher Education
Program. This program employed a BL approach to teaching that was
new to us, and thus gave our teachers and administration new challenges. Our design in BL is a combination of face-to-face on-campus teaching
and synchronous online teaching using the web conferencing software
Adobe Connect (AC) for our live online lectures and for the VLE we are
using Fronter.
In 2013, we started a new part-time kindergarten teacher education
where we also wanted to use AC for synchronous online teaching. This
meant that more academic staff needed to be educated using this technology for teaching.
In order to build a model for online teaching and learning, we
needed to make sure that what Gilly Salmon (2013) calls e-moderating skills were achieved for both our academic staff and our students.
E-moderating is a central element in our project and we have developed
a plan for training our teachers to become secure online teachers built
on Salmon’s (2013: 32) e-moderator model. Salmon (2013: 22) defines
an e-moderator as a person who can “bridge the gap between pedagogy,
How do teachers in Teacher Education perceive their own e-moderator training? 189
design and delivery.” Her model for collaborative learning consists of
five stages to become an e-moderator: access and motivation, online
socialisation, information exchange, knowledge construction and development (Salmon 2013: 32). We have adapted Salmon’s model and
adjusted it to suit our project. Translated into English the five stages
are: 1) Access and motivation, 2) Socialisation in Adobe Connect,
3) E-moderator training, 4) Participation and bringing forward knowledge, 5) Practicing e-moderators. In this paper, we have also limited
the understanding of e-moderating to the online synchronous teaching
using AC.
Figure 1. E-moderator training model
An important issue when teaching online in real-time is to have
a necessary backup for the teachers. We need to know if the training
and support given are experienced as gratifying for our teachers. During
the four years since we started teaching in AC, we have also tried different models of how to train the teachers.
1.Background
The different aims of our part-time BL courses are a combination of
increasing students’ activity outside the face-to-face classroom, a more
learning focused education and the need to meet students’ needs. Also
SFUC’s mantra on having a close relation between students and staff
contributes to why we have chosen BL. Traditionally the structure of our
BL part-time teacher and Kindergarten programs were three to five days
gatherings three to five times each semester on Campus and VLE based
work, mostly written an assignment and hand-in exercises, between
each gathering. The structure of our new part-time programme in Kindergarten teacher education was three days at Campus, three times each
semester and one day a week with online synchronous teaching.
A project for teaching the academic staff how to use AC and how
to teach online was created when the new part-time Kindergarten-program started. The main goal for the project was to develop an ICT-supported training and educational program for a collective, Kindergarten
teacher-education. A big part of this project was to develop a training
package for the teaching staff. Some of our staff teach in both part-time
Kindergarten program and part-time Teacher Education Program that
started three years earlier, and since it was important for us to make sure
that all our staff was trained to be e-moderators, we have included all our
teaching staff in this part of the project.
2.Students and teachers in part-time teacher educations
The students participating in these part-time programs are adult students. A study made in spring 2013 on our part-time Teacher Education
Program (TEP) (Sollid, Wathne (in prep.)) shows that the average age
for the students (N = 64) is 34 years. Most of them are married and
92% of the students have children, 2.4 children on an average. 69% of
the students work in a 53% part-time position in addition to their 75%
part-time study. Most of them live outside campus, 90 minutes’ car drive
on an average. For these students, it is, of course, a benefit to be able to
attend some of the teaching in their study from a computer at home.
In the same study, we also asked the students how they perceive
the quality of different parts of the program. We used a six-point Likert
scale from 1 (very suitable/good/strongly agree) to 6 (not suitable/strongly disagree/very bad). In Figure 2 you can see that the students assess
the gatherings on campus higher (M = 1.6–1.8) than online gatherings in
AC (M = 2.6–2.9). The students are also more united in their assessment
of campus gatherings (SD = 0.7–0.9) than online gatherings in AC (SD =
1.1–1.3). These differences are significant.
Figure 2. Students’ perceived quality in part-time TEP
The teachers in our part-time courses are Teacher education teachers
from different subjects, i.e., art and craft, mathematics, drama, music,
language and pedagogy. And as we see in Figure 2 the students assess
the teachers’ professional skills significantly higher (M = 1.6) then their
digital competence (M = 2.7). The digital competence of course contains
more than their teaching skills in AC, but other questions in the same
study suggest that the students were not satisfied with the online teaching skills of our teachers (Sollid, Wathne (in prep.)). This probably can
partly be explained by too little-organized training in e-moderator skills
for our teachers during the first two years of performing online synchronous teaching. We, therefore, saw the need to start a more organized
training of our teacher and one of the goals in our project is to increase
the students perception of study quality by increasing the teaching staffs’
both technical and didactic skills in online, synchronous teaching by
training them to be skilled e-moderators.
3.Training to be e-moderators
To learn and work online is to move from the known to the unknown
(Salmon 2013). Salmon also assumes that to learn about working online
is best done along with learning about the topic. Even though much literature up to now has claimed that to learn about technologies (e.g., Adobe
Connect) and to learn with or through the same technology, are two
different things. Salmon (2013), on the other hand, claims that practice
shows that the integration of both, the technology and the learning by use
of technology, is the most successful approach to both, learning the topic
and learning it online. In our E-moderator training model (Figure 1),
based on Salmon’s (2013: 32) model for online teaching and learning, we
have concentrated in the training of our teachers to become e-moderators on step 1) Access and motivation and step 3) E-moderator training.
We have tried to train and learn about the technology and learning with
the technology by using examples from how more experienced teacher
teach online in AC.
Before our project in part-time Kindergarten teacher education
started in January 2014, we had offered our teachers to attend lectures in
how to use AC. The lectures took place in the autumn 2013 and consisted
of an online lesson in AC, explaining the main content and technical
functions in AC, step 1) in our model. The teachers were then asked to
do some homework, before attending the next lesson. About 30 of our
teachers took part in the first lesson and ten in the second. They were
taught the basic functions of AC through AC, attending the lectures
from their own computer in their office. The teachers are also offered
a backup service for the first two times they teach online in AC.
As part of our training, we have also made short instructional films
that explain different technical solutions and posted them on our ICT for
Teachers website.
Our experience tells us that if the training is offered too early,
the teachers are not in the mood for learning, but we also needed to learn
more about how our initiatives have worked before deciding on the way
forward for our teaching and support of the academic staff.
4.Method
To gain insights on how the teachers have perceived their own training,
we have used an electronic questionnaire, QuestBack (2015), and asked
our teachers about different issues regarding their training and backup
services. The response from the teachers will be used in planning how to
proceed with the training.
To find the academic staff who have used Adobe Connect for synchronous teaching we used a pre-questionnaire were all staff at SFUC
were asked to answer if they had used Adobe Connect. 44% of the population answered (N = 154) and from these, 40 respondents who answered that they had been using AC for synchronous online teaching,
received a follow-up questionnaire, which is our main questionnaire
in this survey. The questions aimed to explore different aspects of their
own training to be online teachers and their own teaching in Adobe
Connect. Most of the questions were pre-coded, we had one open-ended question where we asked the respondent to share an experience
from teaching in Adobe Connect. 77% (N = 31) answered our main
questionnaire.
There are many pitfalls in conducting a questionnaire and Groves
et al. (2009) try to explain the cognitive processes in answering survey
questions. They explain it with a four-step model with comprehension
of the question, retrieval of information, judgment and estimation and
reporting an answer at the end (Groves et al. 2009: 218–227). To make
sure that the questions were understandable and not containing any
biases, we presented it for some of our colleagues who had not yet been
teaching in Adobe Connect and made the necessary adjustments.
We have made a consistency analysis of some of the questions to
validate the answers of the questionnaire. We have asked questions with
almost the same content in different parts of the form and correlation
analyses have revealed significant correlation, see Figure 3. We can see
that those who answers that they master teaching in AC well, also regard
their AC technical skills as good. And we also see that there is a negative
correlation between how many hours of organized training they have
had and whether they have taken part in organized training, which
according to the values of the data, is correct.
Figure 3. Consistency analysis
5.Results and discussion
To analyse the result from our survey, we have used SPSS. We present in
the following some descriptive statistics.
39% of the respondents were male and 61% were female. In Figure 4
we can see the profile of the respondents in terms of their age. It is interesting to notice that 61% of the respondents are between 51–70 years
of age.
Figure 4. Profile of the respondents in terms of their age
We also asked the teachers if they have felt pressured to teach in AC.
In Figure 5 we see that about 40% of the teachers agree (1 and 2) in feeling pressured. A further analysis in terms of the age of the respondents
reveals that nearly 60% of those 50 years and younger, feels pressured,
while only 32% of those over 51 answers the same. We do not have any
answers to why the younger feels more pressured, but it would be an interesting finding to follow up.
Figure 5. I have felt pressured to perform synchronous online teaching
Figure 6. Descriptive statistics
We have been using a five-point Likert scale from 1 Totally agree
to 5 Don’t agree at all. We see in Figure 6 that for most of the questions,
the score is around the middle point 3, neither agreeing nor disagreeing
in the statements. Q3 with M = 2.68 tells us that we should offer more
organized training to the teachers. In fact, since we had this survey, we
have offered Teaching in AC-webinars for all the teachers at SFUC. We
have had two one hour webinars each week in November, the same topic
both days. Here we try to do what Salmon (2013) referred to as to learn
about working online along with learning about the topic. The topic is of
course how to teach and how to ensure student-active teaching methods
in online synchronous teaching. We share the experience with each
other. We have had nine attendees on an average in these eight seminars
and plan to continue with this model of teaching. The attendees have
expressed that they already have used some of the new things they have
learnt to improve their own online teaching.
One of our concerns regarding online teaching has been that it is easy
to fasten in a way of teaching online that don’t involve student activity,
because the teachers don’t master the tools to activate the students. When
asked about developing their own teaching, Q6, we see that the teachers
tend to disagree, M = 3.32. This is something we have to work on to change.
We have also asked the teachers about using different tools and methods
for student activity in their online sessions, and we see that almost none of
the teachers have used e.g., student presentations, Q12, in their online sessions. We believe it is because they are not secure enough on the technique
to prepare for student activity, and will of course have a focus on this and
other student-active teaching methods in online synchronous teaching.
The only statement standing out a little in a positive way is Q8 I have
received sufficient backup help when teaching AC. This leads us to believe
that we have found a right model for the backup and will continue using
and improving this.
References
Brew, Linda (2008) “The role of student feedback in evaluating and revising
a blended learning course.” [In:] Internet and Higher Education 11, 98–105.
Garcia, Eugene, M. Beatriz Arias, Nancy J. H. Murri, Carolina Serna (2010) “Developing responsive teachers: A challenge for a demographic reality.” [In:]
Journal of Teacher Education 61, 132–142 (doi: 10.1177/0022487109347878).
Gregory, Janet, Gilly Salmon (2013) “Professional development for online university teaching.” [In:] Distance Education 34 (3), 256–270 (doi:10.1080/01
587919.2013.835771).
Groves, Robert, Floyd J. Fowler Jr., Mick P. Couper, James M. Lepkowski, Eleanor Singer, Roger Tourangeau (2009) Survey Methodology. 2nd ed. New
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Moskal, Patsy, Charles Dziuban, Joel Hartsman (2013) “Blended learning:
A dangerous idea?” [In:] Internet and Higher Education 18, 15–23.
QuestBack (2015) Startside QuestBack. From Enterprise Feedback Management and Social CRM – QuestBack.no: http://www.questback.no/
Salmon, Gilly (2013) Etivities. The Key to Active Online Learning. New York:
Routledge.
Sollid, Bente, Ann K. S. Wathne (in prep.) Quality in Part-Time and Distributed
Teacher Training Program, Level 1-7.
Monika Tarantowicz-Gasiewicz
The application of the Internet-enhanced
flipped classroom model to MA seminars at
the Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław
Abstract. In the article, the author presents the outcomes of her seven years of
experience with wiki websites used as a supplementary learning environment
during MA courses, within the so-called flipped classroom model. Firstly the author explains motives that lead her to adopting such a didactic approach in her
work with seminar students. She also explains practical details of the organization of the learning process with wiki websites. In the later stages of the article, the author presents the results of questionnaires conducted with students
participating in the wiki-supported seminars. 46 respondents were asked to
relate to questions concerning the usefulness of various wiki-based activities,
as well as classroom activities associated with work on the wiki. Students also
expressed their views on the level to which various roles of the wikis, presumed
by the teacher, were actually fulfilled. From the analysis of students’ replies, it
can be concluded that the influence of the wiki-based learning environment was
very positive. It helped students to develop autonomy, cooperation, practical
computer skills, as well as expertise in the subject matter of the seminars.
Research presented in the paper concerns the possibilities of applying
the computer-supported flipped classroom model at the university level.
In this model, students first cover a portion of the course material at home,
learning from assigned sources and sharing their knowledge, supplementary materials, questions or opinions with peers online. In the next
200 Monika Tarantowicz-Gasiewicz
phase, they meet in the classroom to refine their expertise under
the teacher’s guidance. In such a model of content delivery students
are given considerable responsibility, but also freedom of thought and
interpersonal contact. This is believed to promote their autonomy,
engagement and creativity (Bergman, Sams 2012: 19–34). The teacher’s
role is to appoint the basic direction of learning, but also to follow
research paths proposed by individual students, thus enhancing the development of their interests and academic maturity (Bergman, Sams
2012: 14–15).
The concept of the flipped classroom outlined above was implemented
by the author during her work as a supervisor of three MA seminars at
the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław in the academic years 2007–2014. Below, the author briefly characterises the subject
matter of the seminars, and next, focuses on the computer-enhanced
methods of organising students’ classwork and homework. Finally, she
presents the outcomes of questionnaires examining students’ perception
of the instructional model adopted in their MA courses.
The subject matter of the seminars encompassed the rationale and
techniques of applying computer technology to support instructional
strategies (as presented in: Marzano et al. 2001) in teaching English as
a foreign language. The choice of the subject matter of the MA seminars
was dictated by the fact that the majority of participating students were
pre-service or in-service teachers of English. The content had to be relevant to their professional careers, but also novel and intriguing. Inviting
students to explore deeper pedagogical aspects of Computer Assisted
Language Learning seemed to comply with these prerequisites. Students
at this level are frequently acquainted with several popular computer
tools useful in a teacher’s job. However, as the literature of the subject
warns (e.g., Beatty 2003: 11), basic acquaintance with technical advances
is not sufficient, unless technological skills are accompanied by pedagogical competence. Specifically, trainee teachers need to encounter enough
opportunities to reflect how to connect the use of computer technology
with their general knowledge of pedagogy and methodology of foreign
language teaching (Egbert 2005: 4, Krajka 2012: 160). Hence, one of
the main goals of the seminars was to provide such opportunities, and
thus let students realise that computers can actually help to cultivate
in their teaching such concepts as cooperative learning, project- and
The application of the Internet-enhanced flipped classroom model… 201
task-based learning, reflective self- and peer-assessment, or learner
autonomy, to mention only a few.
As for the organisation, i.e., the mode of communication and content
presentation, the supervisor opted for the Internet-enhanced flipped
classroom model, characterised in the initial fragment of the paper.
In the currently described project, the online learning platform augmenting the flipped classroom was held on a wiki website. Wikis are
free, user-friendly, cooperative websites allowing all their members to
modify pages, contribute various types of content and participate in
a discussion forum (Krajka 2012: 70). Numerous sources suggest that
conducting a classroom wiki website can exert a positive influence on
students’ academic skills and social development (e.g., Krajka 2012: 71,
Richardson 2006: 65). Apart from wikis, there are other free Internet
applications that can serve as cooperative learning tools for university
students. For example, Johnson (1999) describes the following MA seminar organizational model: students were to post their critical comments
on reading assignments on a discussion forum prior to real classroom
meetings, thus preparing themselves for further learning in the presence
of the teacher. The author of the current paper decided to apply Johnson’s model, however, based on a wiki website rather than a discussion
forum, as wikis are much more versatile, multi-functional tools. Details
of the wiki-enhanced seminars are outlined below.
At first, it is necessary to explain the author’s motivation in creating wikis with her seminar groups. The decision to blend home and
classroom activities with online work on the wikis was dictated by
the supervisor’s certain hopes and expectations. First of all, the teacher
believed that the hands-on experience with wiki websites would grant
her students immediate practice of the concepts of Computer Assisted
Language Learning and instructional strategies that they explored during
the seminar. Apart from that, the wiki-supported flipped classroom strategy could influence students’ motivation and engagement in the seminar
work. In this respect, the teacher expected the wikis to help create a lively,
cooperating community, sharing their resources, reflections on reading
assignments, or posting links to self-created multimedia exercises.
The sense of mutual responsibility could also be boosted by the fact that
the wiki software allows all users to act as administrators – they can decide about the site appearance and name, add and name pages or upload
files. Students could also create personal profiles and exchange private
messages. Apparently, they could treat their wiki as a natural, familiar
tool of communication and cooperation. Beside the wiki, the teacher
planned to encourage them to use one more cooperative tool, namely
a social bookmarking system del.icio.us or diigo. Bookmarking systems
are used for collecting tagged bookmarks online, possibly by a closed
cooperating group of users, which was the case here. The collection of
links to practical resources and academic articles could be an invaluable
help in the process of writing MA papers.
No less importantly, the teacher assumed that thanks to the prior
online exchange of reflections on the reading assignments, the following
in-class “real” seminar discussions would be lively, well-informed, and
smoothly conducted, mainly by students themselves. Finally, the wiki
was to provide an additional channel for teacher-student communication, ranging from individual tutorial enrolments, delivering teacher’s
corrections and feedback on students’ posts, uploading various files,
to assigning class activities and homework. The paragraphs below will
explain more concrete, practical details of the wiki projects.
The wiki websites were created on a free platform wikifoundry.com
(previously wetpaint.com). This software is exceptionally intuitive and
user-friendly. Editing pages are made easy thanks to a graphical user
interface. Also adding new pages or attachments requires only a single
mouse click. One disadvantage might be the presence of advertisements,
but this drawback can turn to an asset. Namely, students can feel more
natural and open when sharing their experiences and opinions in this
type of familiar online environment, which does not resemble the more
formal style of a university learning platform.
Seminar wiki sites were created together, by the teacher and the students, during the first meeting of each of the three MA courses, so each
group had their own wiki. The names and addresses of the wikis are:
• We love strategies! (2007–2009) at: http://instructionalstrategies
wsf.wikifoundry.com;
• MA strategies (2010–2012) at: http://ourmaclass.wikifoundry.com;
• Black team MA (2012–2014) at: http://blackteamma.wikifoundry.com
Before each class, one student selected on a rotary basis, had a task of
creating a new page on the wiki and writing a summary of the assigned
texts regarding one instructional strategy. Next, all students were expected to use the discussion forum (called Threads) placed at the bottom
of each wiki page. They were requested to write a post containing their
reflections or questions connected with the assigned texts. What is more,
they were asked to write two replies to posts contributed by their peers.
One day before the class meeting, one student, also chosen on a rotary
basis, read all the submitted posts and made preparations to conduct
an in-class discussion. During each class, after an oral presentation of
the current topic (made by another volunteering student), the student
moderator asked authors of posts to elaborate on their findings, after
which persons who had submitted online replies were requested to make
additional comments, this time, face to face. Just as the teacher had anticipated, the discussion organised in this way was dynamic and seemed
appealing for the majority of students.
As was already explained, in the flipped classroom model, the teacher’s role is that of a guide assisting students in pursuing their individual
learning paths. Hence, the teacher’s preparation before the class consisted in studying all the contributions on the discussion forum and
devising complementary mini-lectures or points for discussion to help
students clarify their understanding of difficult or interesting issues
raised in their posts. She also prepared practical computer activities
thanks to which students could practise concepts they had previously
read, written and talked about. The follow-up activities assigned as
homework gave them opportunities for further development of these
practical skills. For example, students created their own electronic materials, like online language games, quizzes, mind maps or other visuals,
and placed them on the wiki, so that they could view and appreciate one
another’s work.
As already stated, the author hypothesised that the wiki-based MA
seminar would allow her students to gain rich, diverse learning experiences in compliance with such fundamental postulates of modern didactics as autonomous learning interconnected with cooperative learning.
To verify her suppositions, the supervisor prepared questionnaires which
were delivered to the three groups of seminar students at the end of their
MA courses, in years 2009, 2012 and 2014. The details of the questionnaires and their results are discussed beneath.
The whole study group consisted of 46 respondents, 43 (93.4%) of
whom were pre-service or in-service teachers of English. Particulars are
provided in Table 1.
Table 1. The study group
2009
All respondents
Teachers
2012
2014
All
19
15
12
46
17 (89%)
15 (100%)
11 (91%)
43 (93.4%)
The goal of the questionnaires was to elicit students’ opinions on:
1. the usefulness of their experience with:
• online events (9 types);
• classroom events (2 types);
2. the extent to which the assumed goals of the wiki site were
achieved (13 goals).
As for the first goal, detailed questions were ascribed to each type of
online and classroom event. For instance, online event no. 5 described as
“writing summaries of all book chapters on wiki pages” had the following questions ascribed:
Was this event helpful to:
• keep track of the homework reading assignments?
• have the seminar well-organised and well-structured?
• develop the feeling of “owning” and co-creating the “virtual learning space” (the wiki)?
• develop the feeling of responsibility for and control over the learning process?
• engage mentally or/and emotionally in the course?
• develop the feeling of cooperation with the group?
It can be observed that two initial questions were designed to elicit
students’ feelings connected with the formal organization of the course,
but the others were related to learners’ autonomy, cooperation and motivation. Questions assigned to the remaining eight types of online events
were similar in nature, so they will not be quoted here.
Students were asked to provide answers by filling the boxes on the left
side with numbers from 1 to 4 which indicated:
1 – not helpful at all;
2 – helpful to a limited extent;
3 – helpful to a reasonable extent;
4 – very helpful.
The data below present the average scores of all nine types of online
events. The results are presented in order, with the highest-scoring events
appearing first. The top three events are presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Questionnaire results – online events (part 1)
Online events
2009 2012 2014 Average
teacher’s e-mails to the group connected with important
issues and occasional private e-mail contact with students
4.0
3.80
3.93
3.91
creating the Seminar Timeline and Tutorial Calendar on
the wiki home page
4.0
3.81
3.60
3.80
posting teacher-created materials, guidelines, etc., on
a separate wiki page
3.7
3.88
3.60
3.72
Judging by the above data, it can be assumed that the teacher did
not manage to increase students’ enthusiasm for a learner-centred
style of learning, because all three highest-scoring online events are
actually teacher-centred. In reality, however, these results only suggest
that students highly value neat organization and the smooth flow of
information. Actually, students seemed to appreciate the opportunities
of autonomous learning offered to them, which can be assumed from
results in Table 3.
Online events
2009 2012 2014 Average
posting student-created materials (interactive quizzes and
games, visual aids, etc.) on the wiki
3.52
3.78
3.45
3.58
creating the wiki and deciding about all its attributes
3.53
3.50
3.58
3.53
writing summaries of all book chapters on wiki pages
3.40
3.71
3.33
3.48
All three online events listed in Table 3 are student-centred, they
require a high level of personal engagement and responsibility for
the whole group. All three results oscillate around 3.5 on a 1–4 scale,
which can be considered a highly satisfying result.
Table 4 presents scores reflecting students’ attitude towards the remaining three types of online events.
Online events
2009 2012 2014 Average
sending posts on reading assignments and comments to
others’ posts (the wiki discussion forum)
3.56
3.53
3.30
3.46
exchanging complements and private messages via
the wiki mail
3.22
3.20
3.55
3.32
sharing links on the del.icio.us/diigo websites
3.40
2.95
2.92
3.09
Even though they are the least popular events, values are in no case
lower than 3, which suggests that students accepted these events too.
Especially the first of them (“sending posts on reading assignments and
comments to others’ posts”) can be deemed as an indicator of the general
success of the project. This event scored 3.46, even though it was probably
the most demanding element of the course. Critical reading, formulating
one’s personal questions and opinions or finding additional resources
usually constitutes a major challenge for students. In this case, they also
had the additional task of replying to their peers’ contributions, but still,
as the result suggests, they accepted this activity as an integral part of
the wiki-supported course. As for the other two events, the relatively low
results are rather easy to explain. Students’ desire to exchange comments
and links to valuable resources was fully satisfied thanks to the wiki
discussions forum. Wiki mail and social bookmarking systems played
a very similar role as the forum, so perhaps students slightly avoided
them.
The next part of the questionnaire concerned classroom off-line
events. Students evaluated two types of such activities. Results are displayed in Table 5.
Table 5. Questionnaire results – classroom events
Classroom events
2009 2012 2014 Average
student-moderated discussion (based on the wiki
discussion forum)
3.77
3.70
3.45
3.64
oral presentations of reading assignments
3.73
3.35
3.24
3.44
Again, as in the case of online events, classroom events related to
the wiki project scored quite highly (3.64 and 3.44), on the 1–4 scale.
The results confirm the supervisor’s anticipations that students would
value the live exchange of opinions and experiences in a self-directed
manner, with the teacher retaining the position of the assistant and guide
rather than instructor.
The second part of the questionnaire is related to 13 assumed goals
of the wiki websites. Students were requested to point out to what extent
each of them was actually attained, using the scale from 1 to 4, where
particular numbers denoted:
1 – not attained at all;
2 – attained to some extent only;
3 – attained to a reasonable extent;
4 – attained to a considerable extent.
Three top positions (but four goals, as on the third position there are
two goals with the same score) are listed in Table 6.
Table 6. Questionnaire results – the accomplishment of the wiki goals (part 1)
Goal of the wiki website
2009 2012 2014 Average
to give students a chance to exchange personal experiences
connected with their teaching
4.00
3.94
3.8
3.91
to have the seminar well-organised and well-structured
4.00
3.78
3.7
3.82
to develop students’ feeling of responsibility for and control
over the learning process
3.93
3.72
3.6
3.75
to extend students’ knowledge of useful teaching strategies
and electronic didactic materials
3.80
3.87
3.6
3.75
It is worth noting that the goal which, as students felt, was fulfilled to
the greatest extent (average score: 3.91) was “to give students a chance to
exchange personal experiences connected with their teaching.” This aim
is strictly connected with the basic motivation underpinning the author’s
decision to use the wiki website – to develop a cooperative community,
sharing their authentic experiences. The second highest-scoring goal
refers to the formal organization of the seminar, and its high position in
the list (average score: 3.82) indicates that wikis can be really very helpful to preserve clear structure and organisation of the course. The next
goal achieved to a high extent (average score: 3.75) related to learner
autonomy. Again, as with the previously discussed results, this result also
indicates that the wiki website can successfully serve the development
of students’ responsibility for and control over their learning process.
The last of the highest-scoring goals of the wiki was connected with
the subject matter of the course. Students admitted that the wiki website was very efficient as a channel through which they extended their
knowledge of instructional strategies and electronic didactic materials.
The remaining nine goals are listed in Table 7 in a sequence reflecting the level of their accomplishment. It can be concluded that, in
the students’ point of view, all of them were actually achieved to quite
a high degree, because even the last goal in the list scored above 3 on
the 1–4 scale.
Table 7. Questionnaire results – the accomplishment of the wiki goals (part 2)
Goal of the wiki website
2009 2012 2014 Average
develop students’ feeling of cooperation with the teacher
3.93
3.78
3.5
3.73
extend students’ knowledge of useful websites
3.70
3.78
3.7
3.72
develop students’ feeling of cooperation with the group
3.70
3.67
3.7
3.69
develop students’ feeling of “owning” and co-creating
the “virtual learning space” (the wiki)
3.86
3.50
3.6
3.65
help students to prepare for the classroom discussion
3.70
3.61
3.6
3.63
help students to keep track of the homework reading
assignments
3.86
3.61
3.4
3.62
engage students mentally or/and emotionally in the course
3.80
3.56
3.4
3.58
support students’ critical reading of homework assignments
3.50
3.44
3.5
3.48
help students to decide about MA topics
3.50
3.17
3.4
3.35
The questionnaire outcomes presented above point to the fact that
the wiki websites appeared to be highly functional tools serving a number
of educational goals. The results confirm the author’s primary suppositions concerning the positive role that this tool could play in the seminar
students’ learning process within the flipped classroom model.
Apart from the positive aspects discussed earlier, the wiki-enhanced
seminar also faced some difficulties, which had to be overcome. One
of them was the quality and regularity of students’ contributions to
the wiki. Even though there will always be more and less active, or gifted,
individuals, the teacher’s goal was to support all students, so that the volume and quality of their work could be satisfying. They were provided
with several templates of posts, which served as scaffolds in the initial
phase of the wiki creation. All students’ posts were evaluated for their
inventiveness and originality, while the most outstanding contributions
received open recognition during the class discussion. Also, the work of
the students moderating the discussion, writing summaries and presenting oral overviews of the assigned texts was evaluated. In order to help
the students fulfil their tasks properly, the teacher provided them with
guidelines and rubrics which set the standards expected of them. Thanks
to these means, and, above all, thanks to the generally positive students’
attitude, there were only minor problems with the wiki discipline, like
missing or simplistic posts, lacking or low quality online homework, and
finally, absence or inattentive participation in class activities.
To conclude, it can be stated that the number of positive aspects certainly outweighed the size of problems. Judging by the questionnaire results, the application of wiki websites to MA seminars caused the growth
of students’ motivation, self-awareness of their educational needs and
conviction that they were able to pursue their own research, the result of
which were their successfully written and defended MA papers.
References
Beatty, Ken (2003) Teaching and Researching Computer-Assisted Language
Learning. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Bergmann, Jonathan, Aaron Sams (2012) Flip Your Classroom. Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. USA: International Society for Technology
in Education / Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Egbert, Joy (2005) CALL Essentials. Principles and Practice in CALL Classrooms.
Alexandria: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
(TESOL).
Johnson, Marcia (1999) “CALL and teacher education: Issues in course design.”
[In:] CALL-EJ Online 1 (2). Available at: http://callej.org/journal/1-2/johnson.html [retrieved 10.09.2015].
Krajka, Jarosław (2012) The Language Teacher in the Digital Age – Towards
a Systematic Approach to Digital Teacher Development. Lublin: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej.
Marzano, Robert, Debra Pickering, Jane E. Pollock (2001) Classroom Instruction that Works. Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Richardson, Will (2006) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools
for Classrooms. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Bogumił Ucherek
Applications and interactive online resources
of the WSF Moodle platform
Abstract. This paper is devoted to the Moodle platform of the Philological
School of Higher Education in Wrocław (WSF). It provides general information
on the technical background of the online service, including user accounts, access and enrolment methods, as well as an overview of the institution’s online
resources and how they are organized into different categories: core modules,
supportive courses, tutorials and trainings. The two main types of courses, i.e.,
online lectures and practical language courses, are discussed in detail, giving
insight into both formal and practical aspects of all course creation procedures.
The main activity types and software solutions implemented are listed. The article also mentions selected aspects of international cooperation between WSF
and foreign partner universities in the field of online teaching.
The e-learning platform of the Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław was launched in 2010. Moodle 1.9 was chosen as the Learning Management System, due to its versatility, worldwide popularity
and open-source code, which allowed the system to be customized and
smoothly integrated with all the other IT systems of the institution.
Originally, the course portfolio comprised approximately 15 online lecture courses for BA and MA level English Studies students.
As of the academic year 2015/16, WSF runs Moodle 2.7 and the educational offer includes over 320 e-learning courses for students of all
212 Bogumił Ucherek
programs offered by the institution: BA and MA studies in the field of
English, German, Spanish and Italian, as well as postgraduate and PhD
studies, specialized programs in teacher training, translation and interpreting, and others.
Figure 1. The WSF e-learning platform homepage
Each study program includes mandatory online courses and, therefore, all WSF students use the e-learning platform. In addition to compulsory modules, students can choose from a wide selection of supportive
courses.
Despite the large portfolio of e-learning courses, the Philological
School of Higher Education does not and cannot offer online-only study
programs, as the Polish government regulations require for at least 40%
of classes to be conducted in the form of traditional classroom teaching
and take place at the university.
1.Access and enrolment
All students and members of both, the teaching and administrative staff,
have access to the LMS. The e-learning platform can be entered directly
at http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl as well as via the online students’ services
website e-Dziekanat at http://edziekanat.wsf.edu.pl. The two systems are
seamlessly integrated, as user accounts are stored in Active Directory
and the LDAP protocol is used to communicate with the LMS.
Applications and interactive online resources of the WSF Moodle platform 213
Access to the vast majority of the courses is granted automatically,
basing on the student’s chosen study program and academic year. Some
courses require the users to apply for access via the student affairs office,
especially if the course is not a standard element of the student’s study
program but is to be completed as an extracurricular activity. The central
database in which the information about user enrolments is stored is
the custom-made System Obsługi Dziekanatu.
2.International cooperation
While practically all resources on the university’s platform are prepared
by the academic and administrative staff without third-party assistance,
the continuous development of the WSF e-learning services is also
the result of tight cooperation with numerous partner universities.
The following foreign visits have been made to various European higher
education institutions in order to exchange know-how and seek further
inspiration to improve the WSF educational offer:
2012: Havering College F&HE,
Hornchurch, England
2013: Sogn og Fjordane University College,
Sogndal, Norway
2014: Mid Sweden University, Östersund,
Sweden
2015: University of Teacher Education,
Styria, Graz, Austria
The main improvement implemented after the visit to the Havering
College was upgrading the LMS from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2.2, which
resulted in many more options available for both, teachers and students,
and a modern redesigned interface. The custom Rocket graphic theme
was installed along with the new version of the LMS and branded to
match the institution’s needs.
The focus of the study visit to the Norwegian Sogn og Fjordane
University College was synchronous teaching. A selection of software
tools for webinars and real-time online lectures was tested and evaluated
by the e-learning specialist, with most attention devoted to Adobe Connect. Discussions on organizing the process of synchronous teaching
followed. While synchronous conferencing systems have not yet been
implemented at WSF due to a lack of direct need, both hardware and
software resources are available for that purpose if necessary.
The introduction of VoiceThread, an external tool for audio/video
discussions, is the main asset the Philological School of Higher Education
owes to the cooperation with Mid Sweden University. As online teaching
at WSF does not take place in a synchronous setting, solutions that make
asynchronous oral communication possible are of vital importance for
practical language courses. VoiceThread has proved to be a successful
and popular application for this purpose.
The visit to the University of Teacher Education Styria focused
on discussions and workshops on gamification and edutainment. As
a result, more attention is being given to using the games module and
the system of gradual resources unlocking on Moodle, especially in
practical language courses. In addition, user badges are planned to be
introduced in the next academic year.
3.Course types
The numerous resources available on the WSF e-learning platform
serve a wide range of teaching and training purposes. The materials can
roughly be divided into three course categories.
3.1. Core modules
These courses constitute a standard part of the curriculum. Participation
is mandatory and students receive ECTS credits upon course completion. The following two subtypes of core courses can be distinguished:
a) online lecture courses: there are over 100 such courses, typically
on more theoretical subjects, such as, e.g., Introduction to linguistics, Descriptive grammar, History of the USA, etc. These courses
are available on the e-learning platform exclusively and consist of
video presentations and in-term tests. More than 1600 video presentations are available, all of them recorded by WSF academic
staff and tailored to the students’ needs;
b) practical language courses: these courses are used to develop
the students’ practical skills in English, German, Spanish and
Italian. They always accompany corresponding traditional classes
at the university, e.g., such subjects as Integrated skills, Practical
grammar, Writing and exemplify the blended-learning approach.
WSF offers over 90 online practical language courses. Their content consists of numerous interactive activities of more than 20
different types, such as quizzes, crosswords, word search puzzles,
forums, dictionaries, etc.
3.2. Supportive modules
These courses are used by the students to further improve their language
skills, as well as gain insight into academic fields not directly related to
language studies. Supportive modules are not compulsory and no credits
are awarded for their completion. The following major groups of supportive courses can be listed:
a) 120 courses in English, German, Spanish and Italian created within the Active in Languages – interActive in Teaching project. These
courses, similar in form to the core practical language courses,
are available on all levels from A1 to C2 and allow students to
improve their reading, writing, conversation, grammar and listening skills in dedicated courses;
b) 30 “eco-courses” created within the A philologist for the environment project, allowing WSF students not only to develop specialist language skills, but also participate in interdisciplinary
learning activities and educate themselves on such subjects as
green energy, ecocommunication, ecotourism, natural resources,
environment-related legal issues, ecopolitics and human health.
3.3. Tutorials and trainings
Both university students, as well as the academic and administrative
staff, are required to participate in online trainings on a regular basis.
The use of the e-learning platform has proved to be a highly efficient and
cost-effective way of delivering training to large groups of users.
WSF students complete trainings on safety regulations, navigating
through the student services website, using the library catalogue, etc.
Trainings are delivered in the form of video presentations or screencasts.
Courses for the academic staff focus principally on e-learning, online course designing, and using Moodle, as well as external software to
create course materials. Screencasts are the primary training medium.
Over 60 tutorials for Polish- and English-speaking teachers are available,
providing a complete overview and step-by-step instructions on using
all the functionalities available to create interactive online courses.
4.Online lectures
While the number of practical language courses is growing rapidly,
lectures remain the largest category of WSF’s e-learning resources.
Depending on whether it is a one-semester or two-semester course,
a typical online lecture course consists of 13 or 26 video presentations,
matching the consecutive weeks of the semester, and approximately three
or four short in term tests per semester, which the students are required
to complete to unlock the following lectures.
Figure 2. A sample slide from an online lecture on History of Italian literature
Online lectures are based on PowerPoint presentations prepared
by the WSF academic staff and recorded in the university’s separate
recording room. An average video presentation has 25 slides and is 45
minutes long. Whenever possible and applicable, multimedia content
such as, e.g., movie excerpts, interviews, poem recitations, etc., is added
to the video presentations. Moodle’s built-in reporting tools let the academic and administrative staff gain detailed insight into the students’
participation and progress in online lecture courses.
Online lectures have proved to be a successful and popular way of
teaching more theoretical subjects. Students satisfaction surveys highlight the practical advantages of video presentations, which can be accessed unlimited times at any moment convenient for the student. What
is more, the PowerPoint presentation structure ensures that the lectures
are concise and well-prepared. In comparison to classroom teaching,
another asset is that multimedia content is already edited, located in
the correct place of the presentation and played without delay.
Figure 3. The most often pointed out advantages and disadvantages of online
lectures
While asynchronous online lectures do not provide the opportunity
for immediate teacher-student interaction, teachers provide students
with additional office hours to compensate for the potential communication hindrance.
5.Practical language courses
These courses form the second largest group of resources and use
the full potential of the Moodle LMS and external software that can be
integrated with the platform. To enable WSF students to over 20 activity
types are used:
• standard Moodle quizzes with the following question types: single choice, multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-gaps, drag-anddrop text labels onto image, drag-and-drop images onto the background image, ordering, short answer, hotspot;
• glossaries;
• discussion boards;
• assignment modules of the following types: file submission, online recording, online drawing;
• games: crossword, word search, hangman, snakes and ladders,
Who wants to be a millionaire, Sudoku;
• VoiceThread;
• Hot Potatoes quizzes;
• iSpring Quizmaker quizzes.
The activities are organized into units in a similar manner as video
presentations. Practical language courses, unless extracurricular, do not
form standalone online courses and are always accompanied by classroom teaching.
Out of the numerous software solutions used to build practical language courses, a tool that deserves special attention is VoiceThread. It
is a collaboration and sharing application used for asynchronous group
communication. In VoiceThread-based exercises, multiple users are
able to post audio/video comments on previously uploaded multimedia
content, e.g., a slideshow or video clip posted by the teacher.
Figure 4. A sample VoiceThread exercise, presenting the system of recording
comments
All comments are stored on a timeline and appear in the order they
were recorded, at the same time enabling everybody to jump to individual comments in free order. In this respect, VoiceThread resembles
a discussion board, but with audio/video messages instead of written
ones, being a very powerful tool for language teaching.
6.List of software solutions
The presentation of the applications and interactive resources of the Philological School of Higher Education platform can be concluded with
a list of all the software solutions employed to build the online courses.
Moodle has been successfully used as the institution’s LMS for over six years, its main
advantages being flawless integration with
e-Dziekanat and System Obsługi Dziekanatu,
as well as the open source code, which makes
it possible to customize the system easily.
Moodle is updated regularly, and a dynamic
community of users expands its basic functionalities by developing new plugins.
iSpring Presenter is the principal application used for turning PowerPoint presentations prepared by the teachers into
stimulating asynchronous video lectures,
which form the largest group of resources. Available all the time, also on mobile
devices, the video presentations recorded
with iSpring Presenter have proved to be
a valuable teaching aid.
Camtasia Studio can be used for creating
video tutorials consisting of screencasts
and integrated audio/video tracks. This
software suite is especially applicable to
IT-related trainings, e.g., on using Moodle
for academic staff. In addition, to screen
capturing and audio/video recording functionalities, Camtasia Studio offers a number
of post-processing tools. Intuitive and easy
to use, Camtasia is appreciated by both
the e-learning specialists and the teachers.
As online teaching at WSF takes place in
an asynchronous setting, VoiceThread is
a particularly valuable solution for practicing oral communication in the target
language. Thanks to this application, students are able to easily post audio and video
comments on resources of practically any
type, creating a discussion that resembles
a forum thread, but with spoken rather than
written messages.
iSpring Quizmaker is a user-friendly application for building online quizzes, which
can later be published in the SCORM format and uploaded to practically any LMS.
This tool offers numerous question types
(single choice, multiple choice, matching,
fill-in-the-gaps, ordering, type-in, hotspot),
to which multimedia content can be added
quickly and easily.
Hot Potatoes is a popular quiz-building
application used primarily in practical language courses. While it does not offer any
non-standard question types that would
not be available elsewhere (single choice,
multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-gaps),
Hot Potatoes remains well-liked thanks to
its simplicity and efficient editing of quizzes
containing larger amounts of questions.
Articulate Studio is a very powerful application used for creating presentation-based
online courses, which include a range of
engaging interactive elements and animations. At the Philological School of Higher
Education, Articulate has been employed
to create safety regulations courses for
the students and a welcome to course about
the institution for the academic staff.
Funmedia provides external language learning platforms, to which some of the courses
on the WSF Moodle platform are linked.
Well-designed, heavily gamified and multimedia-enriched, Angielski123, Niemiecki123
and Hiszpański123 serve very well as platforms for general English, German and
Spanish courses.
Conclusion
The Philological School of Higher Education offers a large portfolio of
online courses, addressing the needs of students of all study programs
at all levels. Both blended-learning and online-only courses are offered,
depending on the nature of the subject matter. However, classroom
teaching accounts for at least 40% of each study program, in accordance
with the government regulations. As a result, online teaching takes place
in an asynchronous setting only, as on-campus classes provide room for
convenient real-time interaction whenever necessary. WSF makes use of
the full potential of the Moodle platform, along with external software
solutions. Course creators can choose from a wide range of tools and
applications for creating stimulating and engaging materials, both for
strictly academic courses, as well as practical foreign language classes.
Mirosław Wiącek
Interactive online materials for teaching
practical language skills developed by lecturers
of Philological School of Higher Education
in Wrocław as viewed by Norwegian practitioners
Abstract. This article is the evaluation report on interactive online materials for
teaching practical language skills developed by lecturers of Philological School of
Higher Education in Wrocław under the Polish-Norwegian joint project Active in
Languages – inter-Active in Teaching. Modern tools and methods in foreign language
teaching with ICT applications. It presents the performance of the Polish teaching
specialists from the perspective of Norwegian practitioners.
1.Background
This paper is an evaluation of a series of e-learning courses developed
by the Philological School of Higher Education in Wrocław (WSF),
Poland, as part of the Active in Languages – inter-Active in Teaching
project. The project, funded through EEA Grants / Norway Grants,
started in February 2014 and is scheduled to be completed in January
2016. The main goal of the project is the continuation and extension of
cooperation between WSF and its partner institution Sogn og Fjordane
University College (HiSF), Norway. The more specific objectives include
the development of interactive teaching materials by WSF and exchange
of students from teacher training programmes. The conference closing
224 Mirosław Wiącek
the project was a venue for sharing the good practices developed during
the project. HiSF has taken on the role of coordinator of the project and
as such is responsible for the final assessment of the e-learning resources
created during the project.1
2.The courses
In the process of applying for the project grant, WSF prepared a document outlining the general framework of the e-courses. The courses
would cover four languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish), and incorporate a fixed set of language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing) together with practical grammar at six main levels of language
proficiency as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The six levels of language proficiency, from A1 to C2, according to
the CEFR scale2
Each course would normally consist of 15 modules; each module
would, in turn, comprise at least four different activities based on text,
audio or video files. Each module would engage the student for up to
90 minutes.
In September 2014, WSF contracted 21 lecturers to develop a total of
120 e-learning courses. All the courses were placed on WSF’s e-learning
1 For a fuller description of the project itself please visit this page: http://www.fss.org.
pl/en/content/active-languages-inter-active-teaching-modern-tools-and-methods-foreign-language-teaching-ic; to access the home page of the conference please
follow this link: http://www.wsf.edu.pl/84712.xml
2Source: http://vocabularypreview.englishprofile.org/staticfiles/about.html; for the full
text of the CEFR online, please follow this link: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/
Source/Framework_EN.pdf
Interactive online materials for teaching practical language skills… 225
platform (see below), and made gradually available to the students during
the academic year 2014/15. The courses did not replace the traditional
classroom instruction, but supported and complemented it as part of
blended learning.
3.The LMS
In 2010, WSF chose Moodle to host its existing interactive materials and
future e-courses. Moodle is one of many learning management systems
available for educational purposes; a simple search for educational LMSs
at www.capterra.com turned 136 results. One of the strengths of Moodle
is that it is a free open-source learning platform. Additionally, it currently boasts over 70 million users. Like most LMSs, Moodle offers a wealth
of resources or modules that can be easily organised and customised.
Key Moodle features include assignments, chatroom, forum, database,
lesson, glossary, quiz, wiki and workshop.
4.The evaluation criteria
Prior to the commencement of the project, WSF prepared a document
called “E-learning WSF” which outlines guidelines for preparation of
e-courses at WSF. According to the document, all e-learning materials
and activities should be accompanied by an introduction and very precise instructions. The instructions should set out the time limit, delivery
format and grading system for each activity. The students should also
be informed about the sources they can consult if they need help to
complete a given task.
In addition to the above, the document also specifies how to perform a continuous assessment of the courses. The evaluation criteria
are grouped into two major categories relating to a) the didactic value
of the materials published on the platform, and b) the functionality of
the platform itself.
1. The didactic value of the e-learning materials depends on whether:
• the instructions are comprehensive and clear;
• the working methods are suitable for the tasks at hand;
• the time allocated is sufficient for the completion of the tasks;
• the students are given the opportunity to self-correct;
• the students are given (ongoing) feedback on their work;
• the tasks and activities are attractive and motivating.
2. The functionality of the platform can be determined based on:
• the speed of loading;
• the user interface;
• the intelligibility (and ease of interpretation) of icons;
• the degree of interactivity;
• the format and quality of the uploaded materials;
• the overall organisation of the site including the colours and
font size.
5.The evaluation
This evaluation is based on the criteria presented above. It includes
a fairly detailed description of one full course, followed by a selection of
activities chosen at random from the remaining courses.
5.1. PNJA: Gram. prakt. B1–B2 2LES+2LEN3
This course has been chosen for description, because it can be seen
as a good model for imitation. The course start page features a brief
introduction where the students are asked to become acquainted with
the study plan for both semesters. The plan includes the course objectives, work requirements, and bibliography. It gives a clear picture of
what the students can expect and how they will progress throughout
the course. The students are also provided with an exact description of
the summative evaluation.
The course consists of 29 modules. They have all been given headings which state the topic and language level of the material included,
for example “B1 Unit 1 Irregular verbs” or “B2 Unit 21 Future.” This
makes it easy for the students to navigate between the modules, and
structures the content in a meaningful way since the learning activities
3 The course abbreviations stand for: PNJA = practical course in foreign languages;
Gram. prakt. = practical grammar; B1–B2 refer to the level of proficiency according to the CEFR scale; 2LES & 2LEN indicate the second year of a bachelor programme in English for campus based and distant students respectively. Registered
users can access the course via this link: http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/course/view.
php?id=263
are immediately linked to course objectives. Additionally, each module
contains some general instructions and a precise deadline. Figure 2
below shows an example of the module layout.
Figure 2. The module layout in PNJA: Gram. prakt. B1–B2 2LES+2LEN
5.1.1. Icons
The icons utilised in the course are easy to read and interpret. Even
the students with limited technical insight can safely assume that:
represents a downloadable PDF file;
represents a downloadable PPT file;
represents a recording;
represents a picture;
represents a hyperlink;
represents a written task;
represents a work requirement to be handed in.
Some other icons include:
– this icon represents a glossary/dictionary;
– this icon represents a discussion thread;
– this icon represents a ‘hot potatoes’ quiz;
– this icon represents a crossword puzzle.
The icons give an impression of the formal diversity of the materials
available on the platform. The materials are likely to appeal to students
with different learning styles.
5.1.2. Interactivity
In most cases, the students have an opportunity to interact with
the materials; the interaction can take the form of, for instance, an oral
description (recording) of a picture or a story based on a comic strip,
matching pictures with corresponding labels, rearranging scrambled
sentences or listening to a podcast and answering comprehension
questions. The students are also encouraged to interact with each other
when they, for instance, cooperate in creating a common glossary or
voice thread. Chatroom and discussion threads are other tools that
enable student-student collaboration. These forms of interaction are
vital as they can counter the feeling of alienation some students may
develop while working on their own, and create a sense of community
of learners. The interaction between the students and instructor is less
visible, but not absent. The instructor marks her presence through contributions to common tasks (the glossary), discussion postings and email
announcements. The students can also reach the instructor by means of
handy shortcuts like “appointment” or “e-mail” displayed at all times on
the course page (Figure 3).
Figure 3. “Szybkie łącza” or shortcuts for student-instructor
5.1.3. Materials – format and quality
On the whole, the quality of the materials is high. The sound files, be it
mp3 recordings or podcasts, are audible and easy to work with. The pictures and charts tend to be colourful and of a good standard (resolution).
So do the downloadable PPT and PDF files. A closer examination reveals,
however, that some materials were not subjected to the necessary quality
check. Figure 4 shows one such example.
Figure 4. A list of irregular verbs extracted from a pdf file
This example is not representative of the course as a whole, but such
materials are unappealing and may even be found discouraging by
the students. A quick search for a list of English irregular verbs on the Internet provides a number of more attractive alternatives, as exemplified
by Figure 5.
Figure 5. A list of irregular verbs4
5.1.4. User interface
The layout of the course start page is relatively simple, but this is not
to say that it is lacking in functionality. The students can comfortably
navigate between their courses by choosing “My courses” tab, or go back
to the WSF home page by clicking on the logo in the top left corner
(Figure 6).
Figure 6. A screenshot of the start page of the course
From the page, the students have also access to their profile settings,
logs, statistics, and reports. A full report on student activity provides lots
4 Adapted from http://sec31english3.es.tl/Irregular-verbs-list.htm
of information, including the number of visits or attempts, grades, and if
applicable warnings about submission deadlines (Figure 7).
Figure 7. An excerpt from a full report on student activity
Figure 8. A screenshot of a page reporting the statistics of an activity
What is interesting to note at this point is that the language used
throughout the course and on its start page is not consistent; it is
a combination of English (the target language), and Polish, which is
the mother tongue of the students taking the course. The students can
change the language of the page (see a drop-down menu in the top righthand corner in Figure 6), but it will only affect the “Administracja” menu
on the left, as well as a few minor tools under “My courses.” A typical
course activity report page will then look like in Figure 8.
While it is understandable that the home page of WSF is in Polish,
there are several arguments for a unified use of English throughout
the course pages. First of all, there is the benefit of input; exposing
the students to as much target language as possible should be a priority.
Secondly, it is not unlikely that exchange students with a native language
other than Polish enrol for the courses. Finally, e-courses make it possible to offer educational materials to students regardless of their location
and linguistic background. Why reduce the functionality of the site by
using Polish in the user interface?
5.1.5. Instructions and working methods
The great majority of the tasks and activities have been given clear
instructions.
Figure 9. A screenshot of a sample activity with instructions
5.1.6. Self-correction and feedback
A great advantage of online courses is that they can offer the learners
immediate feedback on their work. This course is no different. Once
the students have completed a task and submitted their answers, they are
presented with a key. The correct answers are highlighted in green and
incorrect ones in red. Sometimes the missing answers are provided for
the students (Figure 10); sometimes the students are asked to self-correct
and complete the task anew (Figure 11).
Figure 10. A screenshot showing feedback with answers
Figure 11. A screenshot showing feedback without answers
The students can also request a summary or detailed report of their
overall activity (Figure 12). The report lists all the activities the students
have attempted, and it also includes grades and percentages. This is a very
handy tool as it enables the students to keep track of their progress, and
facilitates planning and distribution of the required workload.
Figure 12. A screenshot of a student activity summary
5.1.7. Motivation and attractiveness
The materials presented in this course come in a variety of formats and
they are linked to a number of external online (re)sources, such as Luke’s
English Podcasts, BBC Learning English, Grammar Girl and many others.
This makes the course more attractive to the students and exposes them to
a wealth of interactive materials that they can explore and take advantage
of on their own. Another characteristic of the course making it motivating
to work with is that it contains several elements of gamification.5 The students are awarded scores, they progress to different levels of the course,
they have the possibility to compete with each other (for instance, based
on how much time they spend on a given task), they are involved in real
time performance, and receive real time feedback. All this brings diversity
into the learning context and enhances the learning experience.
5.1.8. Overall impression
The amount of materials comprising this course leaves no doubt that its
preparation required a lot of time and effort. There is also no doubt that
this investment paid off in the form of a course that is reliable, consistent and methodologically sound. The addition of peer assessment, for
instance through the Moodle module Workshop, would arguably make
this course, even more, comprehensive.
5.2. A selection of activities chosen at random
from the remaining courses
5.2.1. “Record the sound” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
assign/view.php?id=11359)
The visual prompts presented in the task provide relatively little context
for discussion. However, the format of the task allows the student to
practise oral skills, which in itself can make the task engaging.
5.2.2. “Combining pairs” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
quiz/attempt.php?attempt=194291)
This is a set of five traditional written tasks centring on grammar and
vocabulary. The tasks are all variations of gap-fill and matching exercises.
5 To read more about gamification in teaching and learning, please follow this link:
http://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/gamification-in-education/
What they have in common is that most of the instructions are somewhat
inaccurate. In one of the tasks, for example, the students are supposed to
“Fill the sentences in the correct superlative form.” Another task asks
the students to choose prepositions while the provided options are both
verbs and adverbial particles. Some of the tasks are also described as
“speaking,” but it is unclear how they are related to that skill.
5.2.3. “Drag and drop” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
quiz/view.php?id=13028)
This is a set of two vocabulary tasks, where the students are supposed to
match pictures with labels, or complete sentences with the help of provided words and picture prompts. In the latter case, the number of pictures does not match that of sentences. Additionally, several of the words
can be used in different sentences. Also here the tasks are described as
“speaking” while they are essentially written.
5.2.4. “Forum” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/forum/
view.php?id=11454)
This task is not a typical discussion thread, although it makes use of
the Moodle module Forum. Rather than a discussion it contains a collection of student texts, mini-dialogues written on the basis of a comic
strip. The students are supposed to practise the simple present tense, and
the task allows them to do that.
5.2.5. “Crossword” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/game/
view.php?id=12763)
This is a traditional crossword puzzle, where the students practise vocabulary related to travelling. The puzzle consists of eight entries only, but
the students should find this type of task amusing to work with.
5.2.6. “Millionaires” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/game/
view.php?id=13805)
This task is a variation of the popular TV show Who wants to be a Millionaire, and is a good example of gamification. The students answer
several questions on their way to the main prize; each question is worth
more than the preceding one. Like in the original show, the students
have three lifelines they can use after hearing a question.
5.2.7. “Snakes and ladders” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
game/view.php?id=13797)
This is another example of a task that introduces elements of gamification and as such has a potential to be engaging. The question is, however,
whether the students will find it entertaining to play a board game on
their own.
5.2.8. “Hangman” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/game/
view.php?id=12459)
Hangman is a well-known game that is often used to work on vocabulary.
The game is easy and enjoyable to play.
5.2.9. “Open written question” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
assign/view.php?id=12662)
This task is part of an advanced course in (academic) writing. The students are asked to consider a piece of writing and rewrite it in a more
formal style. The students then upload their work on the platform to be
checked by the instructor. The format of the task is fairly traditional, but
it serves its purpose well.
5.2.10. “VoiceThread” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/lti/
view.php?id=12806)
This task makes use of VoiceThread, an application that allows the students to respond orally to the presented multimedia content. The students
can also comment on each other’s contributions. VoiceThread is a more
advanced version of the traditional voice recording, and a popular tool
for assessing students’ oral skills.
5.2.11. “Video presentation” (http://e-learning.wsf.edu.pl/mod/
scorm/view.php?id=27266)
Video presentations are likely to be more captivating than the traditional PowerPoint presentations, as they are richer in (multimedia) content.
They also allow the students the luxury of watching their lectures
wherever they are. Video presentations can also include quizzes and
retrieval questions. They can, therefore, be a valuable addition to any
online course.
Conclusion
It is safe to assume that even though WSF started to use Moodle already
in 2010, it did not take full advantage of the platform until after the start
of the project. The project funding made it possible for WSF to transform
their random video and audio based resources into a set of well-structured courses. WSF achieved that in an excellent way, utilizing a number
of modern e-learning authoring tools in the process.
References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023t2s1/clips [retrieved 09.09.2015]
http://www.capterra.com/learning-management-system-software/#infographic [retrieved 09.09.2015]
http://www.capterra.com/learning-management-system-software/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&users=&feature[0]=38347&commit=Filter+Results [retrieved 09.09.2015]
http://www.fss.org.pl/en/content/active-languages-inter-active-teaching-modern-tools-and-methods-foreign-language-teaching-ic [retrieved 09.09.2015]
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/grammar-girl-quick-dirty-tips/
id173429229?mt=2 [retrieved 09.09.2015]
http://teacherluke.co.uk/ [retrieved 09.09.2015]
Syed Adnan Zafar
From the perspective of ESP educators:
Legal and ethical issues in the use of
mobile-based Facebook learning
Abstract. In today’s world, more and more institutions of higher education are
exploiting the benefits of mobile learning. Using Facebook as the educational
tool to enable learners to stay connected with the learning at all times can significantly enhance the knowledge acquisition process, and combining the use of
Facebook with the mobile learning can help forming a hybrid teaching methodology which can facilitate ESP learning in the quickest, most effective and efficient way.
Needless to say that this fairly new teaching methodology poses certain level
of risks and challenges to its users and it is extremely important to identify and
then resolve these issues so that the desired language outcomes can be successfully achieved. These risks and challenges can not only hamper the pace of
learning but cause demotivation and unwillingness to cooperate with the learning process for both, ESP learners and teachers.
Through this study, the security and privacy problems are discussed as
the two chosen ethical and legal issues for the mobile-based Facebook learning.
The research examines the impact of these issues from the perspectives of ESP
educators and based on the results from the interviews, makes the conclusion
and recommendations for remedying these problems.
Introduction
Thanks to mobile learning, the universities and colleges across the globe
are able to reach out to their learners in the fast, most effective and
efficient way possible. Having an ideal and productive mobile learning
240 Syed Adnan Zafar
environment can enable teachers to have a plethora of opportunities
for pedagogy, knowledge distribution and interactive sessions. With
the help of mobile learning, the student can have an ease in interacting
with educators and their counterparts and have great assistance in their
learning by having a vast number of learning materials on their disposal.
The use of mobile learning in evaluating students’ performances is also
one of its vital benefits. On the one hand, with the help of mobile learning devices and their applications, ESP practitioners can deliver learning
content and engage their students in a learning process which is dynamic,
flexible and allows a certain degree of freedom and independence, that
through the results of some studies, have proven to be quite beneficial for
the higher motivations of both, the learners and teachers. On the other
hand, the use of Facebook as a learning tool and combining it with
mobile learning can form a hybrid teaching methodology which helps
ESP teachers to have two most powerful mediums of communication on
their disposal and the effective use of this modern teaching method can
significantly assist ESP students in their desired knowledge acquisition.
It is interesting to note that although the use of Facebook in ESP teaching
is relatively a new phenomenon but it is gaining momentum and up
to this date, a fair amount of studies have been conducted to explore
the productive use of Facebook learning for the language students.
The use of Facebook in ESP learning allows teachers to have several
advantages, especially when it comes to monitoring, providing feedback
and comparing results and findings in an effective and efficient manner.
One of the examples of using this hybrid teaching methodology is when
ESP practitioners are required to run an ESP course related to the technical writing of pilots and air technicians. The teachers can create a class
Facebook page and invite students to join the group. Once all the students have been added then the teacher can start posting the writing
prompts and some videos relevant to the topic and then ask students to
watch the videos to establish the required knowledge to produce a short
essay by considering these prompts. Setting a deadline is necessary and
once students start posting their works then teachers can provide their
feedback instantly and help learners to alleviate mistakes and problems. Accessing Facebook on their mobile devices can help increasing
the efficacy of this whole process of learning for the learners it can cause
increased motivation because according to many researchers, it has been
From the perspective of ESP educators… 241
concluded that learners learn quicker and better when they are in their
comfort zones.
Despite of several benefits associated to mobile learning and the use of
Facebook in language acquisition, there are some very serious challenges
and risks that need to be kept in mind before educational institutions
grant permission for the use of this hybrid teaching methodology. Some
of the most challenging and difficult issues to deal with in mobile-based
Facebook learning are related to the problems about security and privacy of the details of the users. Malfunctioning of mobile devices, loss
of signals and wi-fi connectivity, thefts and risk of hacking are some
of the commonly discussed problems too. When it comes to using
Facebook for educational purposes, lack of interest, fear and scepticism
about peers, teachers’ reviews and comments are some of the main issues
(Zafar 2014). It is without a doubt an established fact that mobile phones
are prone to several risks and this could also be a serious challenge to
overcome for the ESP practitioners to promote mobile-based Facebook
learning (Howell et al. 2008). In addition to this, there is another important issue which is to find the right balance between the ESP practitioners’
typical responsibilities and the extra workload due to the use of this
hybrid teaching methodology. Studies have proved that more workload
means less productivity and in the case of ESP teachers, their jobs are
already very demanding, requiring them to deal with multiple areas of
language acquisition process and pedagogy so overwhelming them with
the additional work of managing and monitoring mobile-based Facebook learning may cause demotivation and lack of acceptance of this
new teaching approach (Osang et al. 2013).
The structure of this paper deals with the previous studies and their
findings in relation to the topic of this paper first. Furthermore, it attempts
to describe the research question and the methodology for obtaining
the results for analyses and discussion. Finally, it draws the conclusion
based on the findings and suggests scope of further research in the pertaining areas of mobile learning within the context of ESP learning
1.Literature review
The advent of mobile learning has made learning more flexible and enabled students to have certain level of freedom when it comes to studying
(Wagner 2008). One of the reasons of mobile learning being accepted
and recognized by the teachers, as well as the learner because there has
been unprecedented growth in the mobile phones industry and the latest
developments has made mobile phones technologically so advanced
that their functions are increasingly utilized by the language teachers
to promote and deliver language skills and expertise. Looking back at
those times when the size of mobile phones and tablets were the biggest
obstacles in the mobility of these devices, it was out of question to come
up with the idea of using mobile learning in the language classrooms but
in the last decade, the introduction of touch screen and ultra light mobile
phones and other mobile devices have pushed the demand further for
the use of mobile learning for language acquisition purposes.
The rise of mobile learning in the language classrooms can also be
attributed to the rise of issues and problems which are unique and exclusive to mobile learning. The increasing risks of information security and
privacy issues in the case of the use of mobile devices in ESP classroom
are some of the major issues which need constant attention. Allowing
students to bring their mobile devices into the classrooms can exacerbate
the security and privacy problems for the teachers, as well as the learners.
From the teachers’ point of views, the extra monitoring and surveillance
to make sure that the mobile learning for students is problem free and
the security and privacy of the information and the mobile devices are
not compromised is one of the significant challenges and a huge responsibility and less prepared teachers can significantly get demotivated due
to and lose interest in mobile learning. Some other major problems, that
can be caused by the security and privacy issues for the ESP teachers
in mobile learning, can be related with the safety and confidentiality
of the information and devices which can be comprised in the case of
the devices accessed by an unauthorized person. Furthermore, inability
to keep the information secure on the mobile gadgets is also one of
the major problems. Not being able to restrict or stop the hateful and/or
illicit actions can also lead to some serious issues in mobile learning and
of course, the inadequate filtration of data and not following the copyright law may pose serious and damaging consequences for the users of
mobile learning in ESP class (Hwang et al. 2008).
It is without a doubt an established fact that the use of mobile-based
Facebook learning is relatively a new teaching methodology that is still
going through the phase of recognition and acceptance among the language teachers. Though this new hybrid teaching methodology is getting
a positive response, the popularity of this teaching technique is being
held back due to some serious risks and problems. One of the most
important issues is the safety and security of the students’ information
while being engaged in Facebook-based mobile learning. When engage
with mobile-based Facebook learning, not only teachers need to make
sure that the risks related to the use of mobile devices are very well
explained and the required precautionary measures are taken to ward
off any potential threats related to the security and privacy issues of mobile devices, they also have to educate students to the potential threats
related to the use of Facebook on mobile devices. It is concluded from
numerous researches that Facebook does not have a very robust security
system in place to guard the users’ information. The password protection
to keep the accounts safe from the unauthorized access, use of an MD5
as an authorization and stressing on encryption are some measures
that Facebook takes to keep up with the security and privacy of their
users, but they are not enough to completely secure the user’s data and
their respective accounts. According to some researchers, the inability
of Facebook to completely alleviate the security problem is the biggest
challenge for them in the modern time (Jones, Soltren 2005).
Whenever language teachers decide to opt for mobile learning and
combining it with the Facebook, they must be ready for some major security and privacy issues that they are bound to encounter while creating
the learning environment. Focusing particularly on the technological
devices and their related problems, some of the major issues can range
from the theft of mobile devices to software and hardware issues. Some
other issues like phishing, and the risk of unscrupulous users accessing
their accounts may also deter teachers to avoid this new teaching methodology (Ally 2009).
The issue of privacy and security settings is not given much importance when it comes to the users of the social networking websites, especially Facebook. On the one hand, a lot of users simply ignore the recommended security measures and keep their profile open to anyone who
wants to see and check their profiles while on the other hand, most of
the SNSs like Facebook do not have a secured default setting to privacy
and a person who the user does not know can still see his information
but it is worth to state that even the most secured privacy setting is prone
to attackers’ access to user’s information (Gunatilaka 2011).
The Facebook users’ own ignorance towards the security of their
details such as giving out their passwords to their friends and family
members to take care of the management of their numerous profiles is
also fuelling the increased numbers of online security and privacy problems mainly identity thefts and authentication (Hogben 2009). Facebook
being the largest SNSs has also been labelled as the leading cause of
the security issues for its users (Sophos 2010).
In this research, the issues and challenges which ESP teachers consider important are discussed. This research strives to ESP teachers’ point
of views on the problems and challenges related to security and privacy
issues which have the potential to hamper the language acquisition
process when students are engaged in Facebook-based mobile learning.
2.Research question
2.1. ESP teachers: Interview
What are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook-based ESP
learning for the students and educators in the ESP classrooms?
2.2. Methodology
The interviews are used as the key method of gathering the data for this
research. They primarily target the ESP educators from the university.
In the interviews, the teachers are asked the question regarding
the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook-based ESP learning
for the students and educators in the ESP classrooms. It is made sure that
the respondents’ details are kept anonymous, the faculties and the university’s name are not revealed, and the data is only used for the research
purposes. Statistical graphs, diagrams, and tables are used to analyse and
depict the results.
2.3. Outcome
The results from the interviews are used to answer the research questions. The details are as follows:
ESP teachers: Interview
Q4) What are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook-based
ESP learning for the students and the educators in the ESP classrooms?
To answer this question, five ESP teachers are selected from the two
chosen faculties of the foreign languages, and English literature. The interviews were conducted in person and the results show that 80% of
the teachers consider the loss of data, loss and/or theft of mobile devices,
Internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and reviews on Facebook
for learning, teacher’s review of work on a shared platform and peer assessment as the most vital issues hindering the process of mobile-based
Facebook learning for the ESP students. The same percentage of the educators (80%) also believe that the ESP learners’ carelessness in posting
and sharing comments and other learning materials may cause issues
which would be difficult to monitor and deal with. 60% of the teachers indicate that they are quite reluctant to encourage students to use
their mobile devices and access Facebook for ESP learning because of
the aforementioned security and privacy issues. They feel that for the ESP
learners, any security or privacy issue they face while being involved
in this type of learning may hold them accountable. 40% of them also
consider negative attitude and lack of interest towards the use of technology in ESP learning by some of the students as an important issue.
20% consider the issues related to the IT infrastructure in ESP classroom
causing problems for this type of ESP learning among the learners. 10%
of the teachers depict that the lack of ESP teachers’ knowledge in IT in
general and social networking sites, i.e., Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile devices for ESP learning
via Facebook are also some of the key factors hindering the process of
Facebook-based ESP learning among the students.
Table 1. Highlighted issues in the interview with the ESP teachers
Issues highlighted in the interview (ESP teachers)
Teachers’
responses (%)
loss of data
loss and/or theft of mobile phone
Internet problems
80%
Issues highlighted in the interview (ESP teachers)
Teachers’
responses (%)
identity theft
online performance on Facebook
criticism of peers and teachers
sharing comments and reviews on Facebook
80%
teacher’s review of work on a shared platform
peer assessment
ESP learners’ carelessness in posting and sharing comments
teachers’ reluctance to encourage students for using mobile devices
60%
negative attitude and lack of interest (ESP teachers and students)
40%
IT infrastructure
20%
lack of knowledge in IT and SNSs of ESP teachers
10%
3.Discussion
Based on the feedback from the interviews of the ESP teachers, it is quite
evident that a number of the highlighted issues in the questionnaires,
i.e., the loss of data, loss and/or theft of mobile devices, Internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers
and teachers, sharing comments and reviews on Facebook for learning,
teacher’s review of work on a shared platform and peer assessment, are
considered important and most frequently occurring problems affecting the pace of the ESP learning of the students by the ESP educators.
The majority of the teachers also confirm that the ESP learners’ carelessness in posting, sharing comments and other learning materials can pose
serious problems not only for them but for their peers as well. Reluctance in encouraging students to use their mobile devices and accessing
Facebook for ESP learning by the teachers is also an issue that is brought
to light during the interview and more than half of the teachers think
that it could be because of the security and privacy risks associated with
this type of Facebook-based learning on mobile. Some educators also
feel that they do not want to be held accountable in case of any of these
issues get experienced by the students. Some of the teachers also point
out the students’ negative attitudes and lack of interest towards the use
of technology cause problems in this type of learning. Inadequate IT
infrastructure, i.e., slow or inaccessible Internet, lack of computers and
other related devices and so on, is also considered a vital issue by some
of the ESP educators and in their opinions, it causes demotivation and
an unwillingness among the teachers about the usage of mobile-based
learning via Facebook. Lack of ESP teachers’ knowledge in IT in general
and social networking sites, i.e., Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile devices for ESP learning via
Facebook are also considered some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook-based ESP learning among the students by the ESP
teachers during the interview.
Conclusion and further research
This research discusses the views of the ESP educators about the security
and privacy issues in the mobile-based Facebook learning. The use of
mobile devices to get involved in Facebook-based ESP learning is relatively a new teaching technique and though it is found from the research
that not many ESP educators have a great deal of knowledge about this
type of teaching method, they certainly accept its benefits and are willing
to experience it.
Security and privacy issues highlighted in this research are of great
concern for ESP educators and it is quite essential to address these problems in order for this new teaching technique to become popular and
practiced in the ESP classrooms. The security of the mobile devices and
to make sure that the details on them are safe and protected is not only
the responsibility of the ESP educators but the ESP learners too.
ESP educators should make sure that the students are given a thorough induction on the whole teaching process, benefits, risks and precautions about the mobile-based teaching via Facebook which consequently
allows students to gain the necessary knowledge in security and privacy
issues, as well as provide them the required confidence and motivation
so that they can be more acceptable towards this teaching technique.
Students should be clearly advised to follow the standardised and prescribed security and privacy measures to make their learning risks free
and smooth.
Furthermore, teachers, being moderators, should also make sure
that the continuous and efficient monitoring of all the learner’s online
activities on Facebook is on a constant basis so that no confidential
information and data of the learners are shared online. Moreover, they
should keep a close eye on students’ works and comments being shared
on Facebook to identify any issues related to some students’ hesitation
to take part in learning, eradicating bullying, and any sort of negativity.
In conclusion, the use of mobile devices for Facebook-based ESP
learning does not only provide autonomy to the teachers but enable
students to take control of pace, progress and productivity of their
learning too. Security and privacy issues can deter learners, as well as
the educators to avoid using mobile-based Facebook learning in the ESP
classrooms so it is important to comply with the suggested security and
privacy measures in order to make the learning process secure, effective
and efficient for the learners.
This study aims to explore the views of educators about the security and privacy issues while using Facebook on mobile devices within
the context of the ESP learning so any further research may explore
the implication of these issues in English for General Purposes, English
for Academic Purposes or any other genres of the English language acquisition. The larger data sample, examination of other legal and ethical
issues than the ones discussed in this research, and using ESP students
or gender as the main focus for the survey and interviews can also be
the good starting point for any future research.
References
Ally, Mohamed (ed.) (2009) Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of
Education and Training. Athabasca: Athabasca University Press (Issues in
Distance Education). Available at: http://www.zakelijk.net/media/boeken/
Mobile%20Learning.pdf
Gunatilaka, Dolvara (2011) A survey of privacy and security issues in social
networks. Available at: http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse571-11/ftp/social.pdf
Hogben, Gilles (2009) “Security issues in the future of social networking, ENISA Position Paper for W3C Workshop on the Future of Social Networking,”
3–4. Available at: http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/papers/Future_of_
SN_Giles_Hogben_ENISA.pdf
Howell, Mark, Steve Love, Mark Turner (2008) “User characteristics and performance with automated mobile phone systems.” [In:] International Journal of Mobile Communications 6 (1), 1–15.
Hwang, Gwo-Jen, Chin-Chung Tsai, Stephen J. H. Yang (2008) “Criteria, strategies and research issues of context-aware ubiquitous learning.” [In:] Educational Technology & Society 11 (2), 81–91.
Jones, Harvey, José H. Soltren (2005) “Facebook: Threats to privacy.” Project
MAC: MIT Project on Mathematics and Computing, 26–27. Available at:
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall05-papers/facebook.pdf
Osang, Francis B., Jey Ngole, Clive Tsuma (2013) “Prospects and challenges
of mobile learning implementation in Nigeria: Case study National Open
University of Nigeria (noun).” Paper presented at International Conference
on ICT for Africa 2013, February 20–23, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Sophos (2010) “Security threat report: 2010.” Available at: http://www.sophos.
com
Wagner, Ellen D. (2008) “Realizing the promises of mobile learning.” [In:] Journal of Computing in Higher Education 20 (2), 4–14.
Zafar, Syed A. (2014) “The role of social networking websites in assisting blended learning class discussion and peer assessment in an ESP classroom.” [In:]
English for Specific Purposes World Issue 44, Vol. 15, 2–3.

inter-Active in Teaching - Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna we Wrocławiu

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