3/31/20101 Office/Department| |

FLAM 2013

Making the Most of Online Language-Learning Resources: Steering Students to the Best Tools

10/05/20132 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Do we ever hold students back…?

10/05/20133 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Overview• Reasons to encourage students to learn on their own• Things instructors need to know to help their students to learn

autonomously• Things students need to know to effectively engage in autonomous

learning• Just what are autonomous language-learning activities• Types of online resources students can use outside of the

classroom• Examples of resources students can use to learn independently• Helping students make the most of their self-directed learning

activities (by choosing, documenting, and reflecting on them)

10/05/20134 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Why…?Autonomy and Motivation • Autonomy is a key element of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

of motivation (Deci and Ryan)• Continuum of motivation orientations

• Amotivation Extrinsic Motivation Intrinsic Motivation

• Most productive kinds of motivation involve “internal regulation” (causality perceived as internal) and “self-determination”

• Focus on encouraging people to internalize/integrate values• Three basic psychological needs for health and well-being

• Competence, Relatedness, Autonomy

• Giving people more choice – more of a say-so – enhances intrinsic motivation and leads to more positive outcomes

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STD Motivation Continuum

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Enhancing the Extrinsic• “Frankly speaking, because many of the tasks that educators want

their students to perform are not inherently interesting or enjoyable, knowing how to promote more active and volitional (versus passive and controlling) forms of extrinsic motivation becomes an essential strategy for successful teaching.” (Deci & Ryan, 2000)

• “Given that many of the educational activities prescribed in schools are not designed to be intrinsically interesting, a central question concerns how to motivate students to value and self-regulate such activities, and without external pressure, to carry them out on their own.” (Deci & Ryan, 2000)

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Choice vs. Control• “Choice and the opportunity for self-direction appear to

enhance intrinsic motivation, as they afford a greater sense of autonomy. The significance of autonomy versus control for the maintenance of intrinsic motivation has been clearly observed in studies of classroom learning. For example, several studies have shown that autonomy-supportive (in contrast to controlling) teachers catalyze in their students greater intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and the desire for challenge. Students who are overly controlled not only lose initiative but also learn less well, especially when learning is complex or requires conceptual, creative processing.” (Deci & Ryan, 2000)

10/05/20138 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Other Reasons• Other reasons to encourage students to take more active roles in

their own learning:• Consistent with emerging alternatives to traditional, classroom,

teacher-centered learning, e.g. experiential learning, active learning, self-directed learning, self-paced learning, free-choice learning, peer-to-peer learning, etc.

• Facilitates differentiation of instruction• Recognizes differences in learning styles and strategies• Recognizes different intelligence types• Works well with standards-based learning and assessment• Students increasingly embrace the DIY mindset

10/05/20139 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

What Instructors Needto Know/Understand• What Language Proficiency Is (Functional Language Ability)• ACTFL’s 3 Modes of Communication• Principles of Proficiency-based Assessment• What Motivates (Today’s) Language Students• Our Students as Passive Consumers of Information/Media

10/05/201310 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

What Instructors Needto Know/Understand• What Resources are Out There

• What Constitutes a Resource?• OERs• Authentic Input (importance and availability of)• Traditional vs. Online (paper vs. digital)• Focus on Online Resources

• How to Evaluate/Recognize Good Resources

10/05/201311 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

What Students Needto Know/Understand• What Language Proficiency Is (Functional Language Ability)• ACTFL’s 3 Modes of Communication• What Resources are Out There

• Authentic Input (importance and availability of)• Traditional vs. Online (analog vs. digital)

• How to Evaluate/Recognize Good Resources

10/05/201312 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

What Students Needto Know/Understand• How to Make the Most of a Resource• Competencies and How to Match Resources to Them• Passive Consumption vs. (Inter)Active Engagement

• Planning to Ensure Maximum (Inter)Activity• Passive vs. Active verbs (e.g. listen, read, watch, speak, write,

share, post, tweet, comment, etc.)• Self-Assessment and Reflection

10/05/201313 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

ALLAs – What Are They?• Autonomous Language-Learning Activities

• are chosen by the learner• are done outside of class, one learners’ own time• that target a specific language/cultural competency• that use some source of input in or about the language/culture• that encourage learners to engage in a creative/active way• that encourage learners to document their learning• that encourage reflection on learning• should take about 45-60 minutes to complete• can be collected in a portfolio• are evaluated by the instructor

10/05/201314 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Targeting Competencies

• Students identify one or more language/cultural competencies to target through active engagement with an input source

• Speaking• Listening• Reading• Writing• Translation• Cultural Awareness

• Vocabulary• Grammar• Pronunciation

10/05/201315 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Input Sources• Students engage with some source of input in or about the language

or a related cultural aspect• Limitless possibilities, but a few examples include:

• Books, newspapers, or magazines• Recorded, streaming, or live music• Videos or still images• Native speakers • Cultural experiences• Apps and websites

• Such ‘texts’ or input sources can be tangible/traditional/real-life or online/digital/virtual

10/05/201316 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Online Resources Online resources specifically designed for language-learning

Online resources that can be used for language-learning

I am not addressing Web 2.0 resources many teachers like to use in class or for projects and assignments, e.g. Voicethread, Animoto, Wordle, Edmodo, etc. (although they’re great, too!)

10/05/201317 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Resources and Examples• Discussion of Resource Types

and Examples• Brainstorm and Share Ideas• http://www.rosettastone.com/• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/• http://www.duolingo.com/• http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.p

hp• http://www.livelingua.com/• http://www.verbling.com/ • http://www.studyspanish.com/• http://www.sharedtalk.com • http://elpais.com/elpais/portada_america.html

• http://www.musica.com/video.asp?video=3535• http://www.ouvirmusica.com.br/• https://www.youtube.com/user/Cristtyspain• http://youtu.be/c0A2-1LNkRw • http://www.hulu.com/latino • http://www.pinterest.com/all/animals/• http://spanish.about.com/• http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Gramática_del_español• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cueca

10/05/201318 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Documenting It All• Discussion of Activity Log and Rubric

10/05/201319 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Q&A• Any questions, comments, suggestions, complains…?

10/05/201320 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Contact informationDr. Jason Jolley

Head and Associate Professor of Spanish

Department of Modern and Classical Languages

Missouri State University

jasonjolley@missouristate.edu

10/05/201321 FLAM/OFLA Mini-conference| |

Sources• Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E.L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations:

Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54–67.