Monitoring Cross Sector Language Learner Dialogues

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Monitoring Cross Sector Language Learner
Dialogues

• Jane Hughes
• Lydia Buravova

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Project Background

• CROSSCALL - Cross Sector Computer Assisted
  Language Learning
• Linking school and university language students
• German, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic
• Virtual learning environment (WebCT)
• Mainly asynchronous discussion
• MP3 files to exchange spoken messages
• Both sides learn

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Research background

• Multilingual Internet ( Writing in English)
• Netspeak or online written language
• Language choice (eg Durham, 2003)
• Code switching, (eg Danet, Herring, 2003)
• Written and oral forms, (eg Warshauer et al)
• How writers adapt to technical constraints, eg
  Greeklish
• Electronic literacy
• (How) should language learners be taught online
  communication in the target language? (Schetzer
  and Warschauer, 2000 Chen, 2006)
• Collaboration between native speakers and
  language learners online (eg Lee, 2004)

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Example
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What to monitor?

• Safety
• Process of online communication
• How relationships developed
• Characteristics of language used
• Students awareness about language use
• Register
• Use of target language and English
• Roles and images
• How the university students see their role
• The image of themselves that the students create
• Learning
• What students in both sectors learned

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Observations

• Developing relationships
• Initiating the dialogue
• Pattern of questions and answers
• Topics discussed
• Features of more successful dialogues
• University student role conceptions
• Not teachers
• Approach to giving help and making corrections

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Language use

• Mainly informal but some variation
• Hola! Hi! Hallo, Hey! Guten Tag, Liebe Susan, no
  address
• Bis bald, xxx, Liebe Grüße, schreib bald, deine
  Susan, viel Spass noch in der Schule
• English mixed with target language in varying
  proportions
• Errors
• Internet and Texting features
• Seufz, )), Chats, D

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Examples

• Student perceptions
• call-discussionexamples.doc

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Acknowledgements

• Thanks to
• The language teachers and students at Elliot
  School, William Ellis School and Weald of Kent
  Grammar School
• The UCL/SSEES university students
• The project leader, Terry King
• The funders, CfBT and UCL

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References

• Chen, C-F. E. (2006). The Development of E-Mail
  Literacy from Writing to Peers to Writing to
  Authority Figures. Language Learning
  Technology, Vol.10, No.2, May 2006, pp.35-55
• Durham, Mercedes (2003). Language Choice on a
  Swiss Mailing List. JCMC (Journal of Computer
  Mediated Communication?), Vol 9, issue 1.
• Danet, Brenda, Herring, Susan C. (2003).
  Introduction The Multilingual Internet. JCMC 9
  (1), November 2003
• Lee, Lina (2004). Learners Perspectives on
  Networked Collaborative Interaction with Native
  Speakers of Spanish in the US. Language Learning
  Technology 8(1), January 2004, pp 83-100
• Shetzer, H., Warschauer, M. (2000) An Electronic
  Literacy Approach to Network-based Language
  Teaching. In Warschauer, M., Kern, R. (Eds.)
  Network based Language Teaching Concepts and
  Practice. New York Cambridge University Press
• Mark Warschauer, Ghada R. El Said, Ayman Zohry
  Language Choice Online Globalization and
  Identity in Egypt