Title: Meeting in the Virtual Middle: Blending Online and Human Resources to Generate a Year Abroad Community
1Meeting in the Virtual Middle Blending Online
and Human Resources to Generate a Year Abroad
Community
- Cathy Hampton and David Lees
- University of Warwick
2Learning spaces and changes in learning
- Social networking age age of uncertainty /
open-endedness - Technology enhances learning through transformed
social practices (Tynjälä et al, 2012) - Learning for an age of uncertainty and
strangeness should not be understood in terms of
knowledge and skills, but rather as a matter of
human qualities and dispositions (Sarnivaara et
al, 2012) - Self-awareness and flexibility crucial
3Year Abroaders radical learners?
- Nuancing the self through / in language exchange
- The frustrations of limited communicative
abilities force learners to develop alternative
means of interaction, not only with others, but
with their own self-identity. The result is a new
sense of personality and purpose. (Aveni, 2005) - Liquid learners in a supercomplex era
(Barnett) - a preparedness to encounter the unexpected, a
willingness to go on even though one does not
know what might be round the next bend, a
desire to voyage further and develop in the
process a will to listen to the world (2012)
4Year Abroaders radical learners?
- Open-space learners (from Monk et al, 2011)
- Transgressive
- Experiential / constructivist
- Collaborative
- The notion that failure should be honoured is
transgressive, as is the idea of adults
playing in open spaces. Related to this is the
idea that proposes the transitional nature of
OSL the work exists between clearly defined
spaces and, as such, is always in the process of
dialectically forming and re-forming so is always
provisional and never closed. OSL becomes,
thereby, transactional, in the sense of an open
and free exchange of ideas in which participants
do not compete to bank knowledge as private
capital but freely exchange and collectivize
their learning. (pp. 127 128)
5Year Abroaders radical learners?
- Disrupted learners
- We learn our patterns of attention so
efficiently that we dont even know they are
patterns. We believe they are the world, not a
limited pattern representing the part of the
world that has been made meaningful to us at a
given time. Only when we are disrupted by
something different from our expectations do we
become aware of the blind spots we cannot see on
our own. Cathy Davidson, 2011.
6Teacher / facilitator role in Year Abroad Open
Space
- Need to bring the student to a succession of
places where she is likely to be inspired
(Saarnivaara et al, 2012) - Inspiring teaching can include promoting the
uniqueness of each student, affirming each
students humanity, allowing space for the
development of the authentic self, fostering the
connections between students and care for the
well-being of students (Jones, 2009)
7Designing the site aims
- Privileging of undetermined outcomes (determining
outcomes in advance sets up a roadblock against
venturing into strange and challenging places.
(Saarnivaara et al, 2012)) - Space for discovery and dialogue
- Scaffolded challenges (collaborative and
individual) - Mapping future learning making connections
between this fluid year and demands of final-year
study
8Properties of the site
- Collaboration
- Forums
- Self and centre-driven
- Assessed work
- Individual
- Targets and feedback from the centre. Formative
process emphasis on rigour and intellectual
content - Personal reflection / self-generated learning
- Mahara and portfolio use
9Teacher involvement
- 1 overall co-ordinator
- 2 postgraduates (one of which native speaker)
- Team of lecteurs (changes yearly)
- Language co-ordinator (advisory)
10Student as learner the essay task
- 2 3 x 1500 word essay spread over year
- Detailed task criteria cognitive
- Find your own research area and title
constructivist - Build your own resource dossier Mahara
- Marked by lecteur team
11Task choose your subject create your title
must be discursive
- DONC, quelqu'un pourrait m'aider à penser à un
titre pour ma dissertation? Je voudrais parler de
l'homosexualité en France (l'égalité maritale en
particulière) et expliquer la situation en France
par rapport à celle en Angleterre. Je ne suis pas
certaine concernant ce que je dois mettre comme
titre. (JAZZ) - En plus, on peut utiliser des citations. Alors,
si tu veux encore traiter lhomosexualité et
faire une comparaison entre lAngleterre et la
France nest-ce pas possible daborder le thème
avec une citation? Peut-ĂŞtre tu peux choisir deux
une dun ressource anglais traduit en français,
lautre en français, et la suivre avec une
question générique du genre Qu-est-ce que ces
deux citations veulent-elles dire au sujet de la
perception de lhomosexualité en France et en
Angleterre ? (ANDREW)
12Essay task other areas of collaboration
- Forum collaboration on
- How to reference correctly
- How to use sources
- Where to find information online
- How to present work correctly
13Individual feedback
14Feed forward advice
15Collective advice
- Essay writing forum
- Shared examples of effective writing and
effective dossiers (with permission) - Targeted languages advice sheets based on
problems identified - Creating a good title advice document (by
lectrice team) - Essay 2 fewer detailed corrections emphasis on
self-correction of error
16Mahara area
- Guided dossier building student teacher
student - Also emphasis on democracy of learning shared
area blog page - Personal reflection space
17A first attempt at dossier building
18Second dossier more reflection better
organisation
19A template example sifting and sorting
reflection
20A more pictoral approach
21(No Transcript)
22- Informal collaborative learning the forum
23Student as task manager
- Target setting
- Cajoling and encouragement why English not
French? How can I improve? - Setting deadlines by this stage we need to
- Self-awareness ability to reflect on identity
and limitations
24Examples
- I don't know about you (speaking to the general
audience) but this first two months has been a
steep learning curve. This should be reassuring
and even satisfying but, apart from still being
alive and relatively healthy, I don't really feel
that the results are showing. What I feel I
am picking up is short cuts. My greatest fear is
that, if I don't hurry up and make myself
understood sharpish, my locutor will quickly get
bored and either interrupt me, ask me to speak in
English or walk away. As a result, my speech
sic has accelerated but articulation still lags
woefully behind, making it harder for people to
understand me. Stephanie.
25Andrews response
- Thank you so much for posting this - I was
beginning to wonder if I was the only person to
have this same awkward feeling that my
French is resting at more or less at the same
level and not progressing. -  the slow progression of my abiliity to
communicate orally is now beoming quite alarming
(particularly as I have been out here for just
over a month). I think, in part, it's actually
because we're thinking too much about what to
say (afraid of making mistakes, trying to think
ahead, trying to crystalise ideas about what to
say in our heads). The only times we've really
been under so much pressure to speak French has
been in oral exams (whether at Warwick or at
school/college), and an oral exam is hardly ever
a spontaneous occasion, whereas socialising with
French people is!
26- We're also used - in the UK - to speaking a
language fluently. I know that if I talk to
another native English speaker, even if I don't
quite express myself well, I will nevertheless
have been successful in communicating the concept
or idea that I wanted to say. We don't have that
luxury in a different country (and culture) such
as France.
27Jasmines pragmatic solution
- Chers Stefanie et Andrew,Tout dabord, je ne
crois pas qu'Ă©crire en anglais vous aidera Ă
ameliorer votre français - Bref, je vous conseille de vous entourer de
Français (et seulement les Français ou ceux qui
ne parlent que français) ou au moins demander Ă
quelques Français de vous aider en organisant un
(ou plus) jour de converser en français? A mon
avis, il faut pratiquer, pratiquer, PRATIQUER,
même si vous faîtes pas mal d'erreurs au
début. J'espère que vous ayez trouvé mon conseil
à peu près utile et que ce n'était pas trop (pour
utiliser un peu d'anglais) "Â Thank you, Captain
Obvious"
28Student as expert student as producer
- Practical information (mobile phone networks,
accommodation, what to see, dealing with a
medical emergency, etc) - What students need to know for next year
- Howdy peoples.
- I thought maybe it would be a good idea to have a
forum where we could post things that could be of
particular interest to next year's YAers. Think
about things that we wanted to know last year
Phones, Housing, Second jobs etc etc and it could
well help David in term 3 when he has a billion
2nd years asking him what the best available
phone tariffs are? Tom
29Student as professional expert more scaffolded
tasks
- Forum seeded with targeted questions
- Compulsory response required (linked with
monitoring points) - Expert areas set up
- Assistantship forum
- Erasmus student forum
- Paid work forum
30Student as professional expert the assistant
- Lesson plans
- Resources online and hard copy (using Father
Ted and Gavin and Stacey to teach about
accents!) - Differentiation of level (primary, secondary)
- Cross-cultural comparison (teaching and language
levels in Germany and France) - inspired activities teaching in a prison
writing poetry in the classroom - Dealing with discipline problems
31Student as professional expert the Erasmus
student
- How to deal with administration
- Which courses to sign up to
- After a nice break in England for most of January
(after popping back for a couple of exams) I was
ready to come back and only cheddar sic tear at
the thought of having to do the inscriptions
pedagogiques before starting semestre 2. These
weren't as bad as expected as I followed
Mairead's advice and looked up everything online
beforehand. (Caitlin) - How to network and make connections
32Student as intercultural negotiator
- Soft skills reading others
- The social aspect of uni here (or lack of) is
what we were warned about/expected, but seeing it
in action is different from hearsay. It's a shame
they don't have as much of student community here
as campus unis tend to, there's less of a hub of
activitiy in that sense, but I think this is due
to the entirely different systems, for example
the fact that students here tend to have at least
20 hour weeks regardless of subject, that mean
that such involved extra curricular activity
isn't really possible. There is a camarderie
though, which has been interesting to observe,
and I love seeing the differences that exist in
every aspect of student life. (Jennifer) - I have now managed to instill confidence in them
my pupils merely by telling them how impressed
I am with them when they speak. If they say
something correctly, I believe it is important to
give them positive feedback, not only to reward
them but to make them feel happy about themselves
having got something correct they are therefore
more inclined to speak voluntarily again. The
most important thing, as said, is to make sure
you don't lose your temper
33Student as intercultural negotiator
- Negotiating in difficult situations
- Despite being paid for only 12 hours of work per
week, I was asked to do all sorts of extra stuff
for free. And when I say asked, I mean I didn't
really have a choice. I found myself caught
between whether to just say yes to everything
(this has been my motto since working here,
especially in social situations) or to stick up
for myself. (Adam) - Importance of unlearning (Davidson)
- When I began my year abroad I felt like I had
all the time in the world to get settled and
start making the most of the opportunity.
However, the sooner you realise that isn't the
case the better off you'll be. That is the best
advice I could give anyone about to undertake
their year abroad, and also what I would tell the
former version of myself if I could time travel.
(Alessandro)
34Student as community builder
- Shared language / jokes cheddar as interculture
! - Example It turned out that I had acute
appendicitis so what followed was a laparoscopic
appendectomy on the same day I went into
hospital. I spent 5 days there recuperating.
Luckily Im feeling much cheddar now- cheese
things happen! (KATHRYN) - I made one reference to "Cheddar" in my second
forum post as it seemed to be a trend! As I live
close to Cheddar itself in Somerset it bought
more memories of the town than the cheese for me - I think 'cheddar' has come up in posts as much as
it has because it is typical of a 'French
equivalent which is SO different'. By this I mean
that there are many things that you come accross
sic on your year abroad which should be so much
like things you find at home, but just aren't! - Haha, once! I'd brie lying if I said I didn't
know... You gouda love a good pun.
35Questionnaire responses re use of forum (19
respondents)
- Regularity of reading
- 38 weekly / regularly
- 13 fortnightly
- 31 - every few weeks
- 25 when prompted by email
- Regularity of posting
- 75 once a term
- 20 twice a term
- 5 quite regularly
36Questionnaire most beneficial features?
- Community
- I have so many Facebook groups for various year
abroad criterion it's comforting to know that
there is a direct link to all other Warwick
students and teachers. - Sharing experiences and advice. It's nice to
feel part of a caring, interested community. - Language
- It's lovely to be able to track people's growing
confidence in writing in French across the year. - I like the fact that everyone has shared the
various language points that they have picked up.
It's also been useful to see that everyone is
having similar issues, with regards to, for
example, hitting a bit of a wall with language
learning or feeling isolated at times or feeling
like we should be speaking a foreign language
constantly and if we're not doing that then we're
failing dismally...The forums help to keep you
grounded.Â
37The students perspective Claire
- Facebook vs Moodle space
- What are online communities for, from the
students perspective?
38Questionnaire what is missing?
- Separate space for Joint Language students not in
France - More logisitical sic things like sorting out
internet, gas, electricity etc. Also all of the
bureaucratic things such as applying for CAF - Finance how to live on 800 euros a month
- Direct contact with the International Office via
site
39How is the site different from other social
networking tools?
- Academic integrity / focus
- The department's VLE focuses on the cultural and
educational side of living in France and
encourages us to share and compare our
experiences with other students all over France. - the opportunity to supplement our language
learning via written responses to questions
posed - More reputable information?
- It is a place to ask academic questions and to
gain reputable advice (either from other students
experiences, or in terms of recommendations)
40Weaknesses of the site
- Ease of use especially compared to Facebook
- Mahara adds to complexity and complication
41Capitalizing on expanded horizons
- Using the year abroad to transform
- Student to staff
- Student to student
- University to school
- Widening Participation Project
- Student led
- Critical analysis of text book resources and
teaching approaches (with local schools) - Gathering of teaching and learning resources in
France / Francophone countries - Discussion and dissemination via VLE
- Creation of schools resources and online
distribution
42Passing on expertise
- Face to face and online follow up student
workshops for outgoing students - Next year third assessment task different body
of resources for outgoing students - Too much information?
43Understanding personal development workshop for
returning YArs
- How would you define the Year Abroad in terms of
space? - As a learner, what are the differences between
the Year Abroad space and the Warwick space? - Can the Year Abroad transform you? If so, in
what ways? - Do you want to hold onto your experience? How are
you going to do that? - Il y avait une fois
- The fairy tale. Brainstorm what is
characteristic of this genre? How does it work?
Why might it be a good analogy for the year
abroad? - TASK Imagine your Year Abroad experience as a
fairy tale. Examine each stage of the process in
detail. Think about - Feelings
- characters
- space / geographies
44- Learning transitions are not, in themselves,
significant. What is significant is how those
learning transitions are viewed by the learner
in the learning gains, in the learners personal
development, that just might accrue from those
transitions. (Barnett, 2012)
45Bibliography
- Barnett, Ronald, The Coming of the Ecological
Learner, in Transitions and Transformations in
Learning and Education (Dortrecht Springer,
2012), pp. 9 20. - Davidson, Cathy, Now You See It How the Brain
Science of Attention will Transform the Way We
Live, Work, and Learn (New York Viking, 2011) - Duranton, Hélène, Wiki-mania enhancing
student collaborative writing and peer assessment
using a wiki. Paper given at Innovative teaching
and learning at unversity conference, University
of Newcastle, 27th May 2011 - Jones, Anna, A Will To Learn Being a Student
in Age of Uncertainty by Ron Barnett (review),
Higher Education Quarterly, Volume 63, Issue 1,
Jan 2009Â (112114) - Monk, Nicholas et al, Open Space Learning a
Study in Transdisciplinary Pedagogy (London
Bloomsbury, 2010) - Robert, Christopher , The Wheel Model of humor
Humor events and affect in organizations, Human
Relations, vol. 65 no. 9, September 2012
 (1071-1099) - Saarnivaara, et al, Transgression in Learning
A Possible Vista in HE, in Transitions and
Transformations in Learning and Education
(Dortrecht Springer, 2012) , pp. 307 325. - Tynjälä, Päiva et al, Changing World Changing
Pedagogy, in Transitions and Transformations in
Learning and Education (Dortrecht Springer,
2012), pp. 205 - 222