ADAPTING YOUR COURSEBOOK WITH TECHNOLOGY
Tsvetelina Harakchiyska
INTRODUCTION
The overarching priority of contemporary education is to provide all young people with
quality education that equips them with lifelong learning skills and transversal
competences that will allow them to take their place in the globalised and rapidly changing
world of work. In the context of increased linguistic diversity in Europe language skills
and language learning are essential to strengthening European citizenship, social cohesion
and personal development, as well as promoting intercultural dialogue. However, learning
nowadays (and language learning in particular) is no longer linear as individuals follow
mixed learning pathways which are supported by a rich variety of resources available over
the Internet.
The implementation of digital resources in the teaching of English as a foreign language
(L2) to young learners provides foreign language teachers with enjoyable activities that
guarantee a motivating approach to target language learning at an early age. Moreover,
multimedia applications for young learner foreign language teaching address different
learning styles and the use of multiple skills, promote collaborative learning, creativity and
critical thinking of learners. Unfortunately, the pedagogy to fully exploit this exciting
medium in the classroom lags behind which is in sharp contrast with the increasing
demand placed on L2 teachers to include technology in the young learner classroom.
Deciding on how to use and integrate the rich variety of multimedia applications available
on-line when working with young learners is a task that demands extra effort from fulltime language teachers. All this puts forward the need for providing methodological
support and learning opportunities to language teachers for coherent and systematic
utilization of the digital content available over the Internet.
The aims of the current paper are to:
 discuss why L2 young learner teachers need to be equipped with knowledge and
skills to organize the use of digital media;
 offer ideas for using ICT for supporting the L2 communicative skills of young
learners (age 6 to 11) .
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE L2 YOUNG LEARNER TEACHER
There is no doubt that digital technology has added another dimension to the traditional L2
teaching methodology which provides not only increased exposure to English, but also
opportunities for acquisition of the target language vocabulary and grammar in an
unobtrusive and amusing way. The influence of contemporary multimedia and information
and communication technology on primary school learners of English as a foreign
language has been a subject of considerable research. Sufficient evidence (Brett, 1995;
Felix, 1995; Haddad and Jurich, 2002 etc.) has been gathered to prove that multimedia
supported L2 teaching provides a realistic picture of the target language and culture in the
classroom by combining both visual and auditory channels for development of learners’
linguistic competence and literacy skills. It has also been established that the integration of
on-line tools can considerably improve children’s motivation (Terrell, 2011; Csizér and
Kormos, 2008; Clements, 1994; Clements, Nastasi and Swaminathan, 1993 and others) and
facilitate target language learning by exerting a “positive impact on certain aspect of the
general language proficiency” [Popovic, 2010, p. 1].
Despite all these potential benefits of the implementation of the vast array of digital
resources in the primary school L2 classroom, there is insufficient research on the
pedagogical considerations underlying the successful and effective use of computer
technology in the teaching of languages to young learners and on the preparation of
teachers to provide “technology-supported learning opportunities for their students”
[Lakkala, Ilomaki and Kantosalo, 2011, p. 2].
The need to foster the development of teachers’ digital competence has been recognized by
many researchers. Beavers (2001) and Hope (1998) state that although much technology
has been placed in schools (such as computers, educational software etc.) not many
teachers make use of this technology in their classrooms. This is a result of various factors
among which the lack of proper education of teachers (Ward, West and Isaak, 2002) of the
pedagogical and methodological principles underlying the effective use of digital
technologies to successfully provide rich learning experiences to their learners by using the
new types of media. Mishra and Koehler (2006) claim that the lack of specific training of
teachers on how to incorporate ICT tools and resources relevant to the topics and linguistic
areas covered in the coursebook they use, is the main reason for the lack of significant
changes in the way teaching and learning of languages is carried out in contemporary L2
learning environments. The two authors suggest a Technological Pedagogical Content
Knowledge (TPCK) framework which describes the knowledge and skills required by
teachers to effectively integrate ICT in the classroom. Although the proposed framework
does not refer specifically to L2 teachers of young learners, it fully illustrates the complex
interplay between technology, pedagogy and content (Fig. 1).
Pedagogical
Content
Knowledge
Technological
Pedagogical Content
Knowledge
Content
Pedagogy
Technological
Content
Knowledge
Technology
Technological
Pedagogical
Knowledge
Fig. 1 The Connections between Content, Pedagogy and Technology*
*
Adapted from Mishra and Koehler (2006) – Fig. 4, p. 19.
According to the two authors, contemporary teachers need to possess knowledge in the
following four domains:
a) Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) – this type of knowledge involves
knowledge of teaching strategies which will allow the teacher to successfully
incorporate appropriate suitable teaching approach to present or revise specific
language content. It also involves knowledge of what the learner brings into the L2
classroom – his / her language level, motivation, interests, language difficulties,
misconceptions.
b) Technological content knowledge (TCK) – knowledge of how the subject matter
is transformed by the use of technology. It involves knowledge of how technology
can be used to create new representations for specific content. For example, digital
stories can be used with L2 young learners for recycling vocabulary on a specific
topic (e.g. Disney Pixar’s Toy Story can be used for revision of toys).
c) Technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) – knowledge of how technology
can support pedagogical goals. It also includes the awareness of the capabilities and
limitations of the various types of digital media to integrate teaching approaches
relevant to the subject matter taught.
d) Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) – knowledge required by
teachers for integrating technology into their content teaching area. It encompasses
understanding and communicating representations of concepts using technology
and includes also knowledge of pedagogical strategies and the ability to apply these
with the help of technology. Or said in other words: it includes knowledge and
skills about current multimedia products and tools and didactical competency
(pedagogical knowledge and capabilities) of how to apply these products in the
lesson.
In order to be able to incorporate multimedia for teaching and learning purposes and to
support learner expression in the communicative L2 primary school classroom, teachers of
English to 8-10-year old children need to possess also knowledge about different types of
learning situations with multimedia. In particular, teachers need to know some of the
answers to questions essential to pedagogical practices with multimedia – e.g. How can we
adapt an English language coursebook with multimedia, for what purpose, in which ways,
with what results?; What are the roles pupils in a technologically enhanced lesson? and
How does the multimedia used change the role of teachers? The answers to such questions
cover the knowledge about the types of pedagogical scenarios for using multimedia in
pedagogical settings, about the adaptations that can be made with technology, and about
the didactical principles for building communication into the teaching material.
DIDACTICAL PRINCIPLES FOR ADAPTING AN L2 COURSEBOOK WITH
TECHNOLOGY
When discussing how a primary school English language coursebook can be adapted with
technology, it is necessary to focus our attention on the principles in which multimedia
genres can be used for communicative teaching in the classroom. A starting point in this
respect would be Johnson’s five principles of real communication (Johnson, 1983), which
have implications for incorporating a strong a strong communicative component in the
design of multimedia supported language teaching activities:
 Information gap – like in real life where people communicate to get information
which they do not have, in a foreign language teaching activity the information




necessary to complete the task is spilt by the learners. Pupils need to communicate
and exchange information in order to fill in the information gap. Some of the
variations include the opinion gap (a discussion on a topic) and the reasoning gap
(involves problem solving).
Information transfer – learners transform the information represented in a different
code (e.g. from written to oral, from visual to written, etc.);
Jigsaw principle – this is a principle of cooperative learning. Each member of a
group possesses a piece of information that is unique to them and everyone has to
share their piece of information to do the task (e.g. learners construct a story
together);
Task dependency principle – new tasks are created in which information from a
previous task is utilised (e.g. learners have to suggest a different ending of a story);
Correction of content – the focus of an activity is on the fluency and not on the
accuracy. Correction is limited to instances that could lead to misunderstanding of
the message.
These five principles can be implemented in the linear digital products which are
distributed through the Internet, on a CD or a DVD and which contain texts, graphics,
animations, sounds and videos in an integrated way. As pointed by Luckin et al. (1998)
this genre of multimedia products leads pupils through different sub-tasks in a sequence
and resembles the traditional narratives in films. Although learners have limited control
over the narration (children can go backwards or forwards along the narrative line), they
can use them for a variety of purposes – e.g. listen to a dialogue in the foreign language,
watch a video or an animation clip, listen to a song etc.
The teaching implications that underline the application of the linear multimedia
technology resources in the young learner English language classroom involve increased
students’ performance, group dynamics and constant recycling and integration of language.
In order to create technologically supported communicative activities suitable for the
primary school L2 learners of English, the following tenets should be taken into
consideration1:
1. Achieve novelty, variety, attractive presentation and content.
2. Help learners feel at ease, relaxed and comfortably engaged in the learning
activities.
3. Use visual support of the lesson content (graphs, pictures, charts, photos,
animations) to facilitate comprehension and production;
4. Facilitate learner self-investment by involving him/her in efficient use of the
resources.
5. Provide opportunities for communicative practice in the L2 – create reasons for
exchanging information in a task; split up the information used in the lesson (text,
sentences) and share the information with different learners.
6. Allow for recycling and rehearsing of information so that information is retrieved
from the short-term memory.
7. Think of the different learning styles of your learners such as visual, auditory,
kinaesthetic, tactile, dependent, independent, and experiential.
8. Offer plenty of opportunities for free practice.
9. Allow learners to be creative and to improvise.
1
Based on the principles for second language acquisition of Tomlinson (1999) that apply to materials
development
10. Exploit the paradox and let children use their imagination and playfulness;
11. Use technology to help you (e.g. storymakers, animation tools, voice recording
tools etc.).
Given that our attention is to encourage English language teachers of young learners to
make the most of their creativity and adapt the coursebook they use effectively with
technology, special attention will be placed on the captivating path to multimedia young
learner English language coursebook animation.
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
Selecting and adapting materials and activities for our learners with the help of multimedia
is not a haphazard decision. It is a decision which involves the making of effective choice
for their benefit. In this respect we cannot but agree with Graves (1997) who claims that a
text can be divided into components and rearranged to suit the level, needs, abilities,
learning styles, interests and expectations of pupils. Therefore, it can be said that a
coursebook can be digitally modified to include activities that build learners’
communicative competence. In order to illustrate this we will use a YouTube video
produced by Pixar and entitled Carl and Ellie – Married Life2, which is suitable for grade 4
Bulgarian learners of English. The short video clip tells the life story of Carl and Ellie from
the day they get married till the day they get old. It can be exploited in a variety of ways
with primary school pupils as it gives an opportunity for grammar and vocabulary practice
as well as for developing an integrated skills lesson (Table 1).
Table 1: Ideas for exploiting a YouTube video
Type of lesson
Grammar
focused lesson
Purpose




2
To practise the
Present Simple
tense;
To practise the
Present Continuous
Tense
To practise the
Future Simple tense
To practise the
comparative degree
of adjectives
Activity suggestions
Task: Write a caption under each picture
Pupils write captions under a series of pictures which
tell the story of Carl and Ellie.
Task: Use the Present Continuous and open the
brackets
Pupils open the brackets and put the verbs in the
Present Continuous Tense in a text (prepared by the
teacher) describing Carl and Ellie’s life.
Task: Predict what happens next
The teacher can stop the video at certain moments
and ask pupils to predict what happens next.
Task: Use –er / more … and open the brackets
The teacher can stop the video and ask pupils to
compare Carl and Ellie (e.g. when she climbs the hill
first – Ellie is faster than Carl) or the teacher can
prepare a handout with sentences in which pupils
have to fill in the comparative forms of the
adjectives given in brackets in the sentences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJcD6HyeOg – [Available: 04-04-12]
Table 2 (continued)
Type of lesson
Purpose

Vocabulary
focused lesson





Integrated
skills lesson

To practise the
comparative degree
of adjectives
To practise / revise
adjectives related to
feelings and
descriptions of
people;
To practise / revise
antonyms
To practise / revise
furniture or rooms
in the house
To present / practise
/ revise the colours
To present / practise
/ revise vocabulary
related to animals
To develop learners’
speaking and
writing skills
Activity suggestions
Task: Use –er / more … and open the brackets
The teacher can stop the video and ask pupils to
compare Carl and Ellie (e.g. when she climbs the hill
first – Ellie is faster than Carl) or the teacher can
prepare a handout with sentences in which pupils
have to fill in the comparative forms of the
adjectives given in brackets in the sentences.
Task: Create a timeline and use adjectives to
compare Carl and Ellie
Pupils can create a timeline of what happens and
then use adjectives to compare/contrast the two
characters when they were younger or older
Task: Look at Carl and Ellie’s house. What rooms
are there?
The house of Carl and Ellie can be used as a point of
directing learners’ attention to the pieces of furniture
in the house or of the rooms we have in a house (The
teacher can print the house of Carl and Ellie).
Task: Look at the picture of Carl and Ellie’s house.
What colours can you see?
Pupils can be asked to look at the picture of the
house of Carl and Ellie or of the balloons that Carl
gives to children in the zoo.
Task: What animals are there in the video?
The teacher can use a memory game and ask the
children to think back of the film and list the animals
that appear in it.
Task: Write the story of Carl and Ellie. Use Past
Simple tense.
Pupils write the story of Carl and Ellie. Weaker
pupils can write sentences under pictures showing
different moments of the story.
Task: Write a different ending of the story.
Task: Write a dialogue between Carl and Ellie.
The teacher can use different scenes from the video
clip (e.g. when Carl and Ellie watch the clouds, at
the
doctor's,
the
dream
trip
etc.)
Task: Describe the scene.
Pupils can describe a scene from a few posted in
front of class. The rest of the class guess which scene
is described.
As the present paper focuses on the development of young L2 learners’ communicative
skills, we would suggest a number of activities that focus on that.
Activity 1: Guess the Story
One of the ways to use your creativity and engage pupils in a fun activity that involves
improvisation and that exploits learners’ curiosity is Guess the Story.
Task: Look at the pictures and clues. Guess the story by asking your teacher “Yes” and
“No” questions. You have only 3 minutes. Then tell the story using the answers.
Look at the video and vote for the story closest to the original.
Activity 2: Exploit the Paradox
As the YouTube video does not include any dialogue and does not allow for regular
listening comprehension questions, young learners could be asked to write down 3
questions that the clip does not answer. When ready, pupils can work in pairs and answer
their partner’s questions.
Task: Write down three questions the clip does not answer. Try to answer your
partner’s questions when ready.
e.g.
How old are Carl and Ellie?
How many adventures are there in the book?
Where do they live?
Activity 3: Information Transfer
Young learners could be involved in a number of activities that involve information
transfer. For instance:
Task A:
Write down the subtitles of each of the scenes.
Task B: Watch the video. Put the pictures in the correct order.
Task C: Watch the video and fill in the boxes with the sentences in chronological order.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Carl and Ellie work in the zoo.
They buy a house.
Carl and Ellie get married.
Carl breaks his leg.
Carl and Ellie clean the house.
Ellie is sad.
Carl and Ellie
get married
___________
__________
_________
___________
__________
CONCLUSION
Digital adaptations of the coursebook complement and enrich the learning experiences of
children – a fact proved by research findings that have studied the educational benefits for
primary school pupils who have ICT integrated in their classroom experiences. However,
digital tools cannot replace the traditional teaching materials. They can simply add variety,
enhance the communicative goals of L2 instruction, change the pace of the lesson with the
fun and interactive element they bring and facilitate the teacher in giving shape to his / her
creativity.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Tsvetelina Harakchiyska
University of Ruse
8 Studentska Str.
7017 Ruse, Bulgaria
tel. + 359 82 / 888 612; E-mail: tharakchiyska@uni-ruse.bg