Supporting Self-access Foreign Language Learning through Social Networking

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Supporting Self-access Foreign Language Learning
through Social Networking Towards a Learning
Community

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• (English Teaching and Autonomous Learning
  Conference)
• April 8, 2009

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Introduction

• Learning community is a way to encourage
  learning through intense social networking and
  positive inter-dependence.
• Recent W2.0 has led to some websites that claim
  to promote language learning through social
  networking.
• But are they really LCs?

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Introduction -2

• This concept is consistent with the recent
  social turn in second language acquisition
  (Block, 2003) and the acceptance of Vygotsky
  initiated sociocultural historical theoretical
  (SCT) perspectives, which are now regarded as a
  valuable contribution to the existing cognitive
  view of language learning.

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Introduction -3

• The core of a learning community is a strong
  sense of community (SOC), which can sustain the
  individuals activities within the community.

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Problem Statements

• If LC is to be adopted to encourage self-access
  language learning,
• what insights can be derived by examining some
  successful learning communities?
• what would be a blueprint of an ideal LC for
  language learning purposes based on the above
  analysis?
• what could be revealed when the insights are used
  to evaluate one popular language learning website
  featured by W2.0 social networking?

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From the literature Common methods to support
deliberate and reflective self-directed language
learning
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Hong Kong University of Science Technology
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Supporting Deliberate and Reflective
Self-Directed Learning

• The Road To Excellence the Acquisition of Expert
  Performance in the Arts and Sciences, Sports, and
  Games (Paperback) by K. Anders Ericsson (Author)
• The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert
  Performance (Paperback) by K. Anders Ericsson
  (Editor), Neil Charness (Editor), Paul J.
  Feltovich (Editor), Robert R. Hoffman (Editor)
• "Making of an expert" by K. Anders Ericsson and
  others, Harvard Business Review, July 2007 they
  detail three well accepted conditions 1.
  Deliberate Practice and sufficient time2. World
  class coaching
• 3. Enthusiastic family support http//www.psy.fsu.
  edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.html

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Not just an opportunity to chat.

• Seeking a sense of community!

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• Three Exemplary Learning Communities
• Model 1 National Wright Project
• Model 2 Tapped In
• Model 3 Toast Master

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Analysis Framework

• McMillan and Chavis (1986) defines SOC by four
  key factors
• Membership,
• Influence,
• Fulfillment of individuals needs and
• Shared events and emotional connections A
  history

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NWP is arguably the most successful educational
network in the history of American
education (p. 5 of Lieberman, A., Wood, D. R.
(2003). Inside the National Writing Project
Connecting network learning and classroom
teaching. New York Teachers College. )
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NWP

• Membership Invited
• Influence TC
• Fulfilling needs
• Help is provided when creating teacher knowledge
• Continual development after the invitational
  summer seminar
• Shared history Long-term, local or US-based
  history

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TI

• Membership Drop-by guests and paid communities
• Influence Leaders of various sessions
• Fulfilling needs Leading and participating in
  the after-school sessions
• Shared history Long-term, US based or
  international
• Concerns One needs to settle in a group to
  develop SOC.
• For some, the content may be too simple or too
  localized.

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ToastMaster

• The first Toastmasters club was established on
  October 22, 1924, in Santa Ana, California, by
  Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, who conceived and developed
  the idea of helping others to speak more
  effectively. More clubs were formed, and
  Toastmasters International was incorporated under
  California law on December 19, 1932.

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TM Mission

• The mission of Toastmasters club is to provide a
  mutually supportive and positive learning
  environment in which every individual member has
  the opportunity to develop oral communication and
  leadership skills, which in turn foster self
  confidence and personal growth.

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Honors (Goals)

• Advanced Toastmaster Silver (ATM-S)
• Advanced Toastmaster Bronze (ATM-B)
• Competent Toastmaster (CTM)

• Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)
• Advanced Leader (AL)
• Competent Leader (CL)
• Advanced Toastmaster Gold (ATM-G)

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TM

• Membership Drop-by guests or paid members
• Influence Leadership roles
• Fulfilling needs Help is available for
  delivering presentations, honors to be obtain,
  fellowship
• Shared history Long-term, local, national or
  international history
• Concern Quality may vary.

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Analysis Matrix DisplayAssertions

• Membership Commitment is crucial.
• Influence Leadership roles allow more
  opportunity to influence and thus to sustain
  participation.
• Fulfilling needs A set of good activity focus
  and substantial content knowledge provided by a
  strong core group is likely to attract followers.
  
• History Having a history shows stability of the
  LC.
• Caveat 1 The wider spread the community is and
  the longer history it has, the more difficult it
  may be to maintain quality across the board.
• Caveat 2 It is not that every community is able
  to accommodate all kinds of learners.

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A Tentative Blueprint
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Evaluating an Online LC

• Live Mocha

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http//www.livemocha.com
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LM

• Membership (Commitment?) Drop-by guests
  volunteers
• Influence (Leadership?) Volunteer help
• Fulfilling needs (Substantial content? A strong
  core group?)
• Possible to have a wide selection of language
  courses,
• but the instructional design and content is too
  simple.
• Many users also abuse the peer evaluation
  function.
• History Not much history yet stability is a
  concern.

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Conclusion

1. We have derived insights about LC from analyzing
   some successful models.
2. A tentative LC blueprint for language learning
   purposes has also been attempted.
3. When the insights are used to evaluate one
   popular language learning website featured by
   W2.0 social networking, we could identify some
   possible problems.
4. W2.0 may not be LC. Social networking does not
   always lead to learning. As language educators,
   we need to be very careful about such claims.