CALL SIG Symposium

Don Hinkelman

Sapporo Gakuin University

University of Melbourne

2007.11.23

Institutional Innovation What affordances led to innovation?

A Tale of Four Institutions

Kanda University of Intl. StudiesSapporo Gakuin UniversityHokkaido University Keihoku High School

Common Strategies of Innovation

From interviews and observations at four institutions

1. Forming collaborative teaching teams2. Building blended learning platforms3. Creating, configuring, and sharing

multi-media teaching materials 4. Adopting action research approaches

Sapporo Gakuin University: General English Program

Sapporo Gakuin University: Mobile Interfaces

Hokkaido University: Blended learning spaces (Kawai, 2007)

Kanda University of International Studies: Collaborative Research Teams

Seven research teams (5-8 teachers each)

Proficiency Project I (BEPP English)Proficiency Project II (BEPP IC)Proficiency Project III (BEPP ILC)Proficiency Test Project (KEPT)Internet Research Project (IRP)Read/Write Skills ProjectSelf-access Research (SRG)

Kanda University of International Studies: Blended learning spaces

Poster class assessment

Keihoku High School: Team teaching, Project Competitions

(Misumi, 2006)

Critical Questions?• What is a good language learning community?• What are the most authentic collaborative projects that

both “educate” and teach a new language? And how decide/negotiate?

• How create beginner/veteran teams, inside/outside exchanges, and multiple teacher/learner roles?

• How mix face-to-face/paper/online technologies and configure the learning process?

Is SLA a useful framework for modeling collaborative, blended language learning?

Changes in Metaphors

• Ecology, not…

inputs & outputs

• Environments, not… solitary learner

• Roles, not… cognition

• Actions/Norms, not…

rules, skills, strategies

• Interfaces, not… textbooks

• Project-based learning, not…

task-based learning

Changes in Theories

• Linguistic theories: SLI

• Psychological theories: SLA

• Socio-cultural theories: SLS

Model of SLISecond Language Instruction

• Grammar Progression

• Vocabulary Progression

PresentTense

PastTense

PresentPerfectTense

And so on

BasicWords

IntermediateWords

AdvancedWords

And so on

Sage on the stage metaphor

Model of SLASecond Language Acquistion

Information processing metaphor

Inputs Processing Output

Books

Teaching

Media

StudentEssays

Speeches

Test Answers

Shortcomings of SLA1. Disregard of environment2. Clumsy handling of roles and role-changing3. Ignored spaces4. Focus on single learner5. Focus on psychological processes

Need a theoretical framework that handles:Purposes/projects/actions/tasks: intentionalityRoles: multiplicity, variable contextsSpaces: semioticsCommunities/environments/collaborative groups: intersubjectivity, distributed cognition

Model of SLSSecond Language Socialisation

T=Teachers

NS=Novices

VS=Veteran Students

OV=Outside Veterans

SS=Sister School

OB/OG=Alumni

NSNS

NS

NS NS

Learning Community:

Sapporo Gakuin University ICC Class

NSNS

NS

NSNS

NS

NS

NS

NS T

VS

VS

NS

VS

OB OV

SS

SS

SS

SS

NS

SS

NS

T

NS

NS

SST T

VS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

Ecological metaphor Kramsch (2002), Van Lier (2001, 2005)

Changes in Research Design

• Experiments to Ethnographies– isolated variables to web of variables

• Classroom to Institution– lone teacher to change-oriented teams

• Agnostic to Critical– outsider observation to insider action research

Changes in Research AnalysisHow design a language learning environment?

• Affordances– environments at the micro level - lessons, interfaces– environments at the macro level - institutional policies, spaces,

programs

• Semiotics– Human-machine-space hybrid networks– power imbalances

• Relations/Actions– Agent oriented modeling (Gu, 2006)– Action-based learning (van Lier, 2007)

ConclusionsHow should language learning institutions innovate?

1. Form collaborative teaching teams2. Build blended learning platforms3. Design communities with multiple roles 4. Create, configure, and share

multi-media teaching materials 5. Adopt action research approaches

based on socio-cultural theories/SLS