Reflective Dialogue

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created disruption in many of the institutions we regularly rely on, including universities. While disruption may often bring with it a myriad of possible pitfalls, it affords potential opportunities for change and development by reflecting on and modifying practices. In this article, a group of learning advisors and administrators from a self-access center at an international university in Japan reflect on the ruptures we experienced as a result of changes due to unexpectedly working remotely and our attempts to find stability, the pitfalls we sought to avoid, and the opportunities that we found amidst the disruption. Specifically, we illustrate our experiences related to student-led learning communities, self-access curricula, and learning advising, considering the effect on students and advisors alike. We advocate that self-access practitioners actively promote the use of language, encourage the development of communities of learners who focus on their interests, offer full online services even when the center is open, and use the same effective practices whether supporting learners online or offline. Our intention is that this article will help others to support stability, connectivity, and positive development in their own contexts.

Section: Approaches Taken When Advising Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

A Self-Access Center’s Response to COVID-19: Maintaining Stability, Connectivity, Well-being, and Development During a Time of Great Change

Davies

Wongsarnpigoon

Watkins

et al. 2020

“…In considering students, it is important to take charge of one's learning and follow intuition (Ryan & Deci, 2020), because as students develop as learners, they learn more about themselves and come to realize which strategies will work best for a particular situation (Oxford, 2016). Kato and Mynard's (2016) advising tools can also assist learners in reaching this point. As Madonna (1987) sang, "No one knows you better than you know yourself.…”

Section: Music and Mementioning

confidence: 99%

“…When unsure about which direction to go with their studying during a self-directed course, many students have the benefit of meeting with an advisor to discuss the learning process or receiving written feedback on their work (Carson & Mynard, 2012;Kato & Mynard, 2016;Mynard, 2017Mynard, , 2020Navarro & Thornton, 2011;Shelton-Strong, 2020;. While I had discussed the project with a colleague once before the start (and would do so again around the halfway point), these chats were not strictly for advising purposes, nor did I consider them as such.…”

Section: The Role Of An Advisormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, learners do not always know which resources match up best with their learning goals and might make poor decisions with regard to trying to improve their language (Werner, 2014). An advisor can help them consider new possibilities and move in the right direction when they feel lost, either through dialogue or written advising (Kato & Mynard, 2016;Mynard, 2012aMynard, , 2012bMynard, , 2020Navarro & Thornton, 2011;.…”

Section: The Role Of An Advisormentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Things Will Look Up Because They Always Do’: The Continuation of My Autoethnography as a Self-Directed Learner of French

Werner

2020

This is the second part of an autoethnography about trying to enrich my vocabulary and improve my listening skills as a self-directed learner through French language songs. I followed the same Study Use Review Evaluate (SURE) learning cycle as my students in a self-access English class, and my work occurred at the same time as theirs, over a period of six weeks. Throughout the project and in the course of writing it up, I was making comparisons and identifying connections between my learning and that of my students. This installment covers the second and third weeks of the project, and part of the fourth. First, it discusses vocabulary, describes how I adjusted a strategy, ways I enlisted help from native French speakers, and a problem that arose with using new words (the second step of SURE). Next, it details how I reviewed grammar through Duolingo, a language learning app, and the unexpected benefits I derived from using this app. Finally, this paper examines fluctuations in motivation and affect, which many learners experience at some point, and this initially led to anxiety and self-doubts about my purpose in conducting this project. Stepping into the learner’s experience was valuable, however, in helping me to rediscover intrinsic motivation and regain my self-confidence as I headed into the final weeks of the project.

“…The practice of advising varies from one institution to another, and although most sessions are done face-to-face individually or in small units (Mynard, 2012), other forms such as advising in open and distance environments (Hurd, 2001) and electronic environments (Reinders, 2006) are also possible. This form of counseling is targeted specifically to address the needs of the language learner (Mynard et al, 2018) and it aims to incite metacognitive reflection for a deeper understanding of one's own learning (Carson & Mynard, 2012;Kato & Mynard, 2016). Reinders (2008) outlines the elements of an advisory session and its consequent follow-up session.…”

Section: Language Advisingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language Advising as Psychosocial Intervention for First Time Self-Access Language Learners in the time of COVID-19: Lessons from the Philippines

Guban-Caisido

2020

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has dramatically transformed the education system all over the globe. The Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that continues the battle with over 50,000 cases as of writing. The country’s education system which remained exclusively traditional and classroom-based has since been forced to adopt more modern approaches, either synchronous or asynchronous. The sudden shift in learning mode on top of the rising apprehension of the situation prompted the need for an intervention. Ten student volunteers of A1 level Italian classes in the University of the Philippines, who have transitioned from face-to-face instruction to self-access language learning, participated in the advising sessions. The implementation of Advising in Language Learning (ALL) as an intervention has a three-point objective: to foster psychosocial support, to identify learner needs, and to track the students’ learning progress. Two advising sessions were conducted within the duration of the semester in which the students reported mainly personal, technical, and economic problems, the difficulty of learning a language remotely as compared to other subjects, and a combination of positive and negative feedback from the previous session that will greatly aid in the succeeding implementation of language advising in the Philippines.