The Librarian

1
The Librarians Role in Motivating Language
Learners

• Tales from an Eastern Washington
• College Town

2
Three Events

• Confronting the attitude of what would you need
  to order those books for? (2006)
• Receiving an instructors invitation to talk to a
  class about childrens books, in particular
  (2007)
• Coming across the LINGO Study online (2008)

3
LINGO Study

• European Commissions Directorate General for
  Education and Culture study on Motivating
  Europeans to Learn Languages
• Highlights 50 examples of good practices for
  language promotion in informal language learning
  environments, or to promote language learning
  activities outside the classroom in the case of
  formal educational institutions
• Examines intrinsic, rather than extrinsic
  motivation

4
Language Learning Then and Now

• Then
• Practice in a campus language lab
• Grammar drills
• Rote learning
• Repetition
• Motivation as a product
• Little role for the librarian

• Now
• Virtual Language lab anytime and anywhere
• Interactive, collaborative, and student directed
  learning incorporated into traditional (grammar,
  rule based) instruction
• Ability to reach beyond the classroom through
  online target language opportunities
• Motivation as a process
• Opportunities for librarian involvement

5
Librarian as Language Learner

• What is it like to be a first year language
  student? my experience in Chinese 101
• Implications for collection development
• Ideas for librarian involvement

6
Four important Language LearningVariables
according to Gardner

• Intelligence
• Language Aptitude
• Personality
• Attitude
• Motivation
• Situational anxiety

(Gardner, 1985)
7
Integrative versus Instrumental Motivation

• Integrative Motivation

• Instrumental Motivation

• The learner is motivated through social
  interaction and the desire to become bilingual
  and bicultural through a genuine interest in the
  target culture or language

• The learner is motivated to learn the language
  in order to increase their employment prospects,
  or to do something concrete. In todays language,
  it even includes the ability to compete on the
  global scene (Guilloteaux, 2007, p. 18)

8
Linguistic and nonlinguistic outcomes of the
learning experience

• Linguistic Outcomes
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Pronunciation
• Fluency
• Related to course grades and test scores

• Nonlinguistic outcomes
• Attitudes toward the cultural values and beliefs
  of the target language community

9
Setting or context in which language learning
takes place

• Informal context (exposure)
• Internet radio
• Movies in the target language
• Audiobooks
• Conversation
• Chatting online
• Emailing
• A variety of reading materials

• Formal context (instruction)
• Class assignments
• Tests
• Explanations, lectures
• Language lab recordings, drills

10

• The product of any language learning context is
  the result of a dynamic interplay of the
  experiences and the prior cognitive and affective
  characteristics. (Gardner, 1985, p. 149)

11
Language Learning Theory and Research

• A complex and intoxicating mix of social,
  societal, personal, psychological, financial,
  global, instrumental, cross-cultural,
  geo-political factors involving motivation,
  effort, desire, apprehension, fear, anxiety,
  self-doubt, goals, environment, stereotypes,
  linguistic self-confidence, extraversion, and
  introversion..

12
Role of the TeacherRole of the Librarian?

• A skilled teacher can have a great influence on
  awakening positive attitudes toward the target
  language
• If this is true of a teacher, what role can the
  librarian play, as part of the students
  linguistic and academic community?
• Research on the role of the school librarian
  by Keith Curry Lance.

13
Implications for the Language Librarian

• Language learning is a lifelong activity, as such
  it should not only take place in the classroom or
  lecture hall
• Extension of the students campus network of
  support
• Inspiring a language-friendly environment to
  motivate learners
• Promotion of creative language learning materials

14
Spanish 101

• Two classroom visits per semester
• First visit to introduce the library resources,
  visit book collections, and to discuss
  supplemental motivational supports
• Wiki (librarian created, student enhanced--is
  becoming a community site)
• Facebook
• email
• chatting etc.

15
Spanish 101 Second Session

• Second visit to reinforce the theme of immersion
  through library and Internet resources, and to
  introduce a cultural lesson through library
  resources.
• Flamenco music, DVDs, dual language versions of
  books by Garcia Lorca, YouTube videos

16
Target language resources and opportunities to
enhance social interactions

• Emailing classmates or friends in Spanish
• Finding a Spanish pen pal or tandem partner
• Texting a friend in Spanish
• Converting Facebook language settings to Spanish
• Online language exchange and language learning
  communities, livemocha and italki

17
Target Language Opportunities Through Texts

• Comic books and graphic novels
• Childrens books
• Young adult literature
• Familiar series titles
• High interest and popular titles
• Collection Development Issues!
• Collaboration with Acquisitions

18
Target Language Opportunities through Media

• DVD collection, feature films, travel videos
• YouTube for childrens songs, popular music,
  television shows, etc.
• Spanish subtitles and Spanish language options
• Turning on Spanish captions, when available
• Identifying online resources

19
Outcomes

• Discussions with students about challenges that
  first year language learners face, including
  feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety in
  speaking the language, fear that they will never
  learn the language, lack of motivation, lack of
  support
• This initial contact with students can lead to
  further communication, familiarity with the
  library, its resources and with the language
  librarian
• Feedback from students regarding material
  requests opportunity to strengthen the
  collection
• Future collaborative opportunities between the
  International Students Center and campus language
  learning communities

20
Other Benefits

• Raises the profile of the library and of the
  librarian for the language student
• Librarian involvement provides information on
  library resources, but also increases the
  language students circle of support and
  encouragement
• Contact with first year students who will now
  know who you are if they decide to enroll in
  upper level courses

21
Selected References

• Cary, Stepehen. (2004), Going Graphic comics at
  work in the multilingual classroom. Portsmouth,
  NH, Heinemann.
• Coleman, J. and Baumann U. (2005), The World as
  a Classroom, in eds. Hurd, S. and Murphy, L.
  (Eds), Success with Languages, Routledge, New
  York, pp. 140-160.
• European Commission (2004), LINGO 50 Ways to
  Motivate Language Learners, Retreived from
  http//www.eurointeractions.com/projectlingo.htm
  
• Guilloteaux, M. (2007), Motivating language
  learners a Classroom-Oriented Investigation of
  Teachers Motivational Practices and Students
  Motivation, PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham.
• Koenig, F. and Emgarth, A.(1951), The Modern
  Language Teacher and the Community, The Modern
  Language Journal, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 481-484.
• Lance, K.C. (2002), What Research Tells Us About
  the Importance of School Libraries, Knowledge
  Quest, Vol. 31, No.1, pp.17-22.
• Lance, K.C. (2002), Information Empowered the
  School Librarian as an Agent of Academic
  Achievement in Alaska schools, Alaska State
  Library, Juneau.
• Norris-Holt, J. (2001). Motivation as a
  Contributing Factor in Second Language
  Acquisition. The Internet TESL Journal.Vol. 7
  No. 6, available at http//teslj.org
• Stannett, Annette (1992), School Librarians and
  Foreign Language Teachers, The School Librarian,
  Vol. 40, No.2, pp.8-11.
• Warwick, B. (1991), Acquiring Literacy in a
  Second Language the Effect of Book Based
  Programs, Language Learning, Vol. 41, No.3,
  pp.375-411.