I have just finished attending the CLESOL conference (Community Languages and English as a Second Language), and have many new ideas floating around in my head, that will need digesting over the next few days (and probably weeks).
I am interested, for example, in adapting the R2D2 (no, not the robot: reading, reflecting, displaying and doing) model to the idea of having students develop a wiki about their hometown as part of their pre-departure learning. This model seems to offer a way of structuring the activity that caters for all learning styles, but I need to find more about this.
I also attended an interesting presentation on an online PAC (Pre-arrival Course) that was aimed at students coming to New Zealand (or other English-speaking countries). It was a self-directed resource (not free unfortunately), and focused on preparing students for communicating in English with study abroad in mind - homestay introductions etc. Although I felt the content was still rather traditional, it did have some good features including the ability to record and playback one's own version of conversational phrases. Also, the final unit (specific to NZ) on the culture and geography looked particularly interesting. It didn't, however, appear to have much on preparing the student to talk about his / her own culture and identity, which is where I want to focus my attention.
I also became aware of an excellent resource that is being developed called FLAX, which is part of a larger 'greenstone' project. The FLAX resource is basically a way for ESL teachers to develop an online library of texts, and to then use those texts to generate exercises (cloze etc) at the touch of a button. I am not sure that it could be immediately incorporated into my plans, but I can see potential in getting the students to record their own stories, and then use them as a language-learning resource for others.
On a less exciting note, I have been considering the creation of a wiki, but found there are a bewildering range of host sites offering various different features, some free and some requiring a monthly / yearly fee, and it is hard to know which one offers the best development opportunities. Obviously this is an area I need to spend more time exploring.
HI Nathan, welcome to the world of blogging. I was a bit dubious when I started but I absolutely love it now. You have raised some very good points that made me think about how I think about our students in Veterinary Nursing.
ReplyDeleteI think as a school we are a bit lax about taking into account the cultural aspects of our students, so your wanting to make holding on to their individual identity a major aspect of your design has given me a nudge to think about using individuality rather than mass production.
I have been a vocal advocate of reflective journalling ever since I did the writing for publication course with Maxine Alterio last year, she opened my eyes to how important stories are to people and I expect you are right, that your students would find it both useful and comforting to write about their home, experiences and expectations, I wonder if there would be a problem in getting them to write something personal on a wiki or using a podcast, then get them to translate it. I too wanted to do something along the lines of a wiki or web page but can't fathom out how it's done, so if you get an idea I would love to know
A great start Nathan, looking forward to seeing more
A rather delayed response, but thanks for the support.
ReplyDeleteYes, one of the things I have learnt from teaching and studying intercultural communication is just how easy it is to stereotype people. We do it not only to people from other cultures, but also within our own. Fortunately, we usually have more access to feedback on stereotypes within our own culture, but with limited access and filtered through the lens of the media, it is so easy to get misconceptions about people from other cultures. As I developed courses in intercultural communication, I found it essential to begin with an introduction to identity, and to help students place themseves within their own culture first.