Language Learning, Ecological Validity, and Innovation under Conditions of Superdiversity

Abstract

This article describes three pedagogical proposals oriented toward moving language learning to the center of higher education, and further, to emphasizing the importance of both continued first (L1) and additional/foreign (L2) language learning as central to academic and professional success. The first project, titled Language-Integrated Knowledge Education (or LIKE), aims at making explicit the linguistic resources necessary for full participation in written and spoken academic contexts, in both students' first as well as (potentially) multiple foreign languages. The second project describes the benefits and rationale for broadening the use of online intercultural exchange within foreign language education as well as the use of virtual intercultural dialogue in discipline specific (i.e., non-language focused) content courses. The third project, more briefly presented as a concept piece, explores the use of place-based learning through GPS-enabled mobile games in an effort to take language learning resources and activities out of the classroom and into the world. Each of the three proposals is simultaneously modest as well as ambitious. They are modest in that they build from and combine together elements of existing pedagogical approaches to language education, such as telecollaboration, Content and Language Integrated Instruction (CLIL), language focused portfolios, and utilization of mobile technologies to design place-based and augmented reality experiences that are developmentally useful for language learners. They are ambitious because each approach includes an explicit focus on L2 development within traditional language learning contexts (e.g., foreign, world, and modern language departments and courses), but also encourages the broad and systematic integration of language education with other realms of activity, including academic disciplines (the LIKE project), internationally distributed communities (virtual internationalization through online intercultural exchange), and environments/places outside of classrooms (GPS-enabled mobile games).

History, Pedagogy, Data and New Directions: An Introduction to the Educational Technology Issue

“…In their survey, they observe that newer technologies (e.g., social media, realia sources, language games) are the second most used technologies in language classes, following course management systems. These results suggest that technologies that emphasize symbolic and intercultural competence are becoming prevalent in shaping technology-mediated language learning environments, as argued by those making the case for ecological perspectives on SLA (Kramsch & Whiteside, 2008;Thorne, 2013;van Lier, 2004).…”

Emerging identities in virtual exchange

“…As stated in Helm (2017, p. 8), taking for granted the existence of the Internet and its effects on communication, and indeed education, is reductionist and fails to take into account the multiple forms of online mediated activity; the contexts of the creation, development, uses, and transformations of technologies and their mediating effect. Kramsch and Thorne (2002) raise this very issue as they ask the extent to which the medium changes the parameters of communication and the nature of language use (see also Blommaert, 2015;Thorne, 2013). The mediating effect of technologies and the affordances they offer cannot be ignored in the analysis of online interactions (Hampel & Hauck, 2006).…”

Linguistic diversity in online and mobile learning

“…Perhaps the most influential educational technology practice developed to reflect such understandings of multiculturalism and multilingualism is telecollaboration, which refers to online collaboration between geographically dispersed learners for the purpose of developing language competence and/or intercultural competence, often alongside digital literacies (Helm & Guth, 2016;O'Dowd, 2006). Newer terms for this kind of practice include COIL (collaborative online international learning) (Helm & Guth, 2016) and OIE (online intercultural exchange) (Thorne, 2013;Lewis & O'Dowd, 2016 Helm, Guth & Farrah, 2012). In addition, there are increasing numbers of educational exchanges which aim to help students collaboratively create digital artefacts, such as the CAMELOT project (CreAting Machinima Empowers Live Online Language Teaching and Learning) (camelotproject.eu; see also UCLAN, n.d.).…”

“…Foregrounding translanguaging and intercultural competence in turn strengthens the case, and indeed the need, for the development of digital, multimodal literacies (Helm & Guth, 2016;Lewis & O'Dowd, 2016). There may be potential for foreign language learning across different subject areas (Thorne, 2013), tying in with bilingual educational approaches such as CLIL (content and language integrated learning). While there is scope for translanguaging and multimodality in all forms of telecollaboration, this may be especially the case with students' collaborative creation of digital artefacts, such as might occur in group projects in a CLIL context, with students operating across languages and modes as they construct multimedia artefacts.…”