Innovative teaching and learning at university: enhancing the learning
experience of Modern Languages students
Newcastle University, 27 May 2011
List of Abstracts (afternoon papers)
Keynote lecture: Marina Mozzon-McPherson, The University of Hull (OLB 2.21)
Dialogue as a pedagogic tool: Training language teachers and students to the skills of active
listening and self-reflection
This presentation considers ongoing research into advising practice at the University of Hull
(Mozzon-McPherson, 2007; Alfano 2009) and describes some of the key skills used in language
advising sessions. It examines these sessions as ‘learning conversations’ (Harri-Augstein &
Thomas, 1991; Cotterall & Crabbe, 2008), discusses the pedagogic power of the language used
by trained advisers and compares these mediating skills to those used in counselling practices.
Learning conversations in advising sessions are designed to help the learner
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to reflect on his/her own experience with a language learning situation, need or
problem,
to gather information from a variety of sources,
to sort through options and decide on a course action,
to plan, implement and finally review the agreed set of actions.
When advising is approached in this way, it is the adviser's skilled use of language that extends
and enhances the learner's thinking processes and help him/her to gradually develop his/her
way to self-manage learning. This approach positions the work of language advisers at the
centre of the learner autonomy debate (Mozzon-McPherson, 2007; Gremmo, 2008).
Formal advising has a structure. It involves an agreement to mentor and be mentored, a clear
framework for mentoring and perhaps a program of support.
In a formal mentoring relationship, there is discussion of expectations, goals and the process to
be used. The frequency and duration of contact is agreed and ground-rules are established.
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Through an analysis of extracts from adviser-learner interactions, I shall note that a careful,
skilled use of language together with a balanced negotiation of roles, tasks and behaviours is
necessary to create a successful advising session.
Following an initial review of the skills of language advising (Kelly, 1996; Riley, 1997; MozzonMcPherson, 2001; Rubin, 2007), this paper will provide the opportunity for a practical
exploration of some of these skills. In particular, the use of counselling techniques such as
active listening, echoing and mirroring, and paraphrasing will be examined.
If time will permit, this presentation will provide the opportunity for the participants to explore
and test their skills of listening and communicating in a one-to-one advising dialogue.
This paper will conclude by reflecting on the limited availability of real adviser-advisee data and
will highlight the need for more comparative, and collaborative, research within the field of
counselling. This investigation identifies ways in which professional training designed for
counsellors can contribute to developing and refining existing advising practice and establishing
a formal practical training programme.
Parallel sessions 3: Group F – Developing Learning Autonomy (OLB 2.21)
Antonio Martínez-Arboleda, The University of Leeds
How to Introduce Language Learning Autonomy in HE Learning Environments Effectively: The
Spanish Language Autonomous Learning Portfolio at the University of Leeds.
Over the last ten years, a points-based portfolio of autonomous learning composed of
personalised collections of activities has been operative in the University of Leeds as a
compulsory component of post-A level Spanish Language Modules.
Based on the experience accumulated during this time, which will be summarised, and on
student feedback, which will be discussed, this paper will argue that some of the inherited
limitations of our HE Learning Environments regarding language learning, partly due to the type
of learning ethos instilled in our students during their Secondary Education, can be turned into
opportunities for enhancing student motivation, personalising student language learning
experience and linking cultural “content” with language skills.
In particular, the way autonomy is defined and regulated within our Portfolio and the type of
worksheets and learning opportunities provided perform an important role in ensuring that
students become more responsible for their learning of the language and the culture in a
proactive manner.
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Catherine Franc and Annie Morton, The University of Manchester
Enhancing the acquisition of key language skills through e-learning based monitored
independent study
In October 2010, the Senior Language Tutors in the Department of French Studies at the
University of Manchester received a grant from the Teaching Enhancement and Student
Success Fund (TESS) for our project: ‘Enhancing the acquisition of key language skills through elearning based monitored independent study’. Keen to build on our recent language curriculum
innovation in EBL, we aim to harness e-learning as a means to promote independent learning
particularly in the areas of grammar and pronunciation. Whilst these are the basic building
blocks of the French language, it is clear that some of our students are not spending enough
time on their mastery or practice.
Within the context of our large cohort (approx 200 students in the first year), our project aims
to identify e-learning tools and develop effective Blackboard-based resources for assessing
grammar, providing feedback and tracking completion, as well as to create a language learning
type environment in Blackboard enabling students to listen to certain sounds, record and
compare themselves with the original production and again be tracked via the VLE. With a
penalty at the end of the year for non-completion of these activities, it is hoped that such
practice will encourage our students to work regularly and systematically at this aspect of their
ILP and ultimately produce more accurate spoken and written French.
Parallel sessions 3: Group G – Developing online resources to support learning (OLB 2.22)
Sandra Torres, The University of Manchester
Every Teacher a Language Teacher: The design of an interactive self-learning resource for the
primary school teacher.
Every Teacher a Language Teacher (ETALT) is a language learning programme designed to equip
primary school teachers to teach the primary language curriculum to pupils in KS2. Based on
the CILT specification for primary language upskilling, it aims to both build the individual
teacher’s language skills, as well as providing support with the language needed to enable
teachers to be confident in the classroom and to set pupils in primary school on the language
learning journey. This development programme consists of four intensive days, five tutorial
sessions and access to interactive language learning materials.
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The present paper focuses on the interactive self-learning resource which was designed based
on the Language Upskilling Specification via the University of Manchester virtual learning
environment Blackboard. I will discuss design principles and challenges in creating the resource
and will provide examples of learning activities and communication tools.
David Tual and Christine Bohlander, Durham University
Enhancing postgraduates’ foreign language reading skills for research by way of online
modules
In this paper we would like to report on an AHRC-funded project for the development of online
learning resources for doctoral students who need to develop or improve their reading skills in
a foreign language for their research. We will start with a short outline of the history of our
reading classes for postgraduates at Durham. Additionally we have been faced with an
increasing number of distance learning PhD students, with the need of more support and also
with a variety of languages, language proficiency and specialised areas. This naturally gave rise
to plans for the development of online resources for different languages and needs. The
materialisation of this was made possible through a successful joint bid with Newcastle
University for AHRC funding. As this is still an ongoing project, we will outline the initial stages
of discussion and universal needs analysis, the rationale for our pedagogic approach and the
software we opted for. We will present first feedback from the students and our vision for the
end product following from this. This will be illustrated by concrete examples from French,
German and Spanish resources.
Parallel sessions 3: Group H – Sanako UK workshops – 30 min., repeated (OLB 4.10)
David Binns, Sanako UK
Enhancing Student Learning & Interaction Experience via Digital Language Laboratories
An explanation of the range of communication and examination facilities available on the latest
range of Tandberg/Sanako digital language laboratories, with regard to the setting up both oral
and aural multimedia activities. The workshop consists of a hands-on session on how to utilise
the readily available material to quickly create engaging multi-media exercises including, audio
and video gap filling, automatic voice insert activity for student evaluation, subtitling and
graphic insert with audio and video material. Each delegate attending can register to receive a
free single user copy of the software.
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Parallel sessions 4: Group I – Audio and video tutor feedback (OLB 2.21)
Bettina Hermoso Gomez, University of Leeds
The benefits of video feedback technology
The use of emerging technologies in and out of the classroom is changing the ways in which we
interact with our students. Using different tools is key to interacting with students in new ways
and this is especially relevant when trying to reach out students with very different learning
styles. A very important part of this is the feedback that we produce for our students and we
still need to look further in the role of technology in feedback provision.
This paper would like to present a Pilot Project involving first year students of Spanish and the
use of screen capture software to give more detailed feedback on different types of coursework
and will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using video feedback technology when
giving feedback to students learning a Foreign Language.
Elena Polisca, The University of Manchester
Engaging language students in the feedback process: is audio-feedback the way forward?
This contribution seeks to assess the impact a new audio-feedback project has had on students
of Italian in its first year of implementation at the University of Manchester.
Through Hear it!, the tutor uses audio-feedback (MP3 recordings) uploaded into the
University’s VLE to provide students with personalised feedback on language-based tasks for
both summative and formative assessment.
The aims of Hear it! are twofold. It examines audio-feedback as an approach to reducing
marking time for tutors whilst trying to engage students with the feedback process in a more
constructive manner. Within Hear it! two test groups have been set up (beginners and finalyear levels). Whilst the tutor marks both control and test groups on paper, the test groups
receive audio-feedback whereas the control groups receive written feedback using
conventional feedback forms. The test groups are subsequently asked to complete feedback
forms according to the tutor’s audio comments.
Recent research has shown the benefits of audio-feedback for content-based courses
(http://research.shu.ac.uk/lti/awordinyourear2009/docs/AWIYE-proceedings-final.pdf). This
project wishes to explore whether similar benefits can be obtained for courses in modern
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languages: in this talk, preliminary results of a formal evaluation of audio feedback on student
learning will be put forward with advice on implementation strategies.
Parallel sessions 4: Group J – Collaborative feedback and self-assessment (OLB 2.22)
Christine Bohlander and David Tual, Durham University
The use of blogs for corrective feedback on formative work
Blogs are normally used as online diaries or for collaborative discussions or news exchanges,
but they have proven to be a great tool for giving feedback to students as an alternative to
more traditional feedback. Over the last few years the School of Modern Languages and
Cultures of Durham University has used blogs in different ways to enhance feedback on
formative student work.
The first part of our presentation will show the main features of blogs and examples of how
they can be used for language learning in different contexts such as reflective journals between
the teacher and the student, collaborative blogs for essays and translations or for oral
presentations. In the second part we would like to present different kinds of corrective
feedback (direct / indirect, teacher feedback / peer feedback, written feedback / video
feedback) and through this demonstrate how feedback on blogs can be more effective than
traditional feedback by fostering the students’ process of learning with easy monitoring.
Yuka Oeda, University of Leeds
Altering the gap: students’ self-evaluation and feedback
Feedback helps students to know how well they are doing during teaching periods and provides
supportive advice on how they can improve in order to meet the learning outcomes by the end
of an academic year. Self assessment also helps students to notice their own positive and
negative points by themselves rather than receiving a to-do list by a tutor. This presentation will
look at a Japanese speaking course at the University of Leeds. In this course, students are asked
to give a mock presentation which will be video recorded. After their presentation, students are
asked to watch the video clip and fill out a self-check sheet. After the self assessment, students
meet the tutor to have a one-to-one feedback session to receive feedback. By comparing
students’ self-check sheets and the tutor’s feedback sheets, students are able to see the gap,
and the tutor is able to discuss with students how to alter the gap in order to meet the learning
outcomes. It will also be examined the tutor’s and students’ marks to explore the patterns
between able and weaker students. Questions will be raised how to help students to be
independent learners.
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