692 research outputs found

    Connecting to make a difference : social learning and radical collective change in prefigurative online communities

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    In view of the current global social and ecological predicament, what might constitute relevant forms of radical collective change? What role can processes of social learning play in facilitating such change? And to what extent are online networks able to support the unfolding of such processes? This thesis addresses these questions. I first present the results of two participatory action research projects, taking place in two different prefigurative online communities attempting to bring about very different forms of collective change. The first focuses on building a transnational, decentralised grassroots economic system as an alternative to global capitalism, but struggles to shake free from the toxic influence of global financial markets, and from unhelpful ways of relating and organising. The second aims to foster self-organisation and new forms of relationality between humans and with the rest of the living world, but struggles to address the heritage of historical violence and injustice, or to bring about visible political change. With the help of the Wenger-Trayner social learning theory and evaluation framework, I consider what processes of social learning have been taking place (or not) in these networks, and their outcomes; and what other social change efforts may learn from these experiments and their limitations. Finally, I present a reflexive account of my own process of learning and unlearning through my involvement with these projects and others, with regards to the question of what may constitute radical collective change. This critical assessment of my own thinking and aspirations leads me to argue in favour of decolonial approaches to social change as potentially relevant responses to the global predicament. This thesis contributes to the understanding of social learning processes within prefigurative online communities, and to the practice of social change efforts in such contexts

    Collaborative dialogue and deliberative communication: Reading circles with Young Adult novels and adolescent learners of English as a Second Language

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    Learning a second language (L2) requires extensive input, and interaction in the target language can allow learners to notice and adjust their language use. Pedagogical activities that involve small-group discussions around literary texts have the potential to provide such learning opportunities. There is limited empirical research in the fields of L2 learning and teaching, however reader response research demonstrates that in-depth exploration of interpretations can be facilitated and suggests that critical pedagogies where learners act as problem-posers and problem-solvers may facilitate democratic dialogue (Short, 2011). This interdisciplinary shared goal of negotiation of meaning follows the Education 2030ā€™s (UNESCO, 2016) global aims of furthering democracy. This qualitative study aims to provide insights into how reading circles can facilitate opportunities for interaction in L2 English and responses to literary texts. Data was generated from classroom observations and transcripts of audio recordings of learner-led reading circles with roles, Young Adult (YA) novels, and adolescent learners of English as a Second Language at a Swedish middle school. Selected purposively to draw insights from established communicative practices, this school implements reading circles regularly with their L2 English learners. Framed by sociocultural theory and the concept of languaging (Swain & Watanabe, 2013), the iterative linguistic and reader response analysis generated an analytical framework that draws on findings from Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research and reader response studies with picturebooks and younger learners. Main findings demonstrate how the learners co-constructed collaborative dialogue that involved appropriation of lexis and selfand other-repair of form, lexis, and narrative details. Supporting previous SLA research, this suggests how learner-led reading circles can provide opportunities for noticing form and lexis and adjustment of language in interaction. It also contributes to understanding how they can allow for negotiation of narrative details and regulation of reading comprehension. Adding to reader response research with adolescent L2 learners and YA novels, a typology of responses was developed that demonstrate how the learners made intertextual links within the novels and between the novels and their own narratives of life. This contributes to the discussion of the potential of literary texts to foster empathy by providing insights into how the learners drew on emotional responses to express compassion for or reject the charactersā€™ actions. In sum, the learnersā€™ interactions and negotiation of meaning suggest they were involved in deliberative communication, a pedagogical pursuit that aims to facilitate democratic processes (Englund, 2006)

    Machine Learning Algorithm for the Scansion of Old Saxon Poetry

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    Several scholars designed tools to perform the automatic scansion of poetry in many languages, but none of these tools deal with Old Saxon or Old English. This project aims to be a first attempt to create a tool for these languages. We implemented a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) model to perform the automatic scansion of Old Saxon and Old English poems. Since this model uses supervised learning, we manually annotated the Heliand manuscript, and we used the resulting corpus as labeled dataset to train the model. The evaluation of the performance of the algorithm reached a 97% for the accuracy and a 99% of weighted average for precision, recall and F1 Score. In addition, we tested the model with some verses from the Old Saxon Genesis and some from The Battle of Brunanburh, and we observed that the model predicted almost all Old Saxon metrical patterns correctly misclassified the majority of the Old English input verses

    Cognition-Based Evaluation of Visualisation Frameworks for Exploring Structured Cultural Heritage Data

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    It is often claimed that Information Visualisation (InfoVis) tools improve the audienceā€™s engagement with the display of cultural heritage (CH) collections, open up CH content to new audiences and support teaching and learning through interactive experiences. But there is a lack of studies systematically evaluating these claims, particularly from the perspective of modern educational theory. As far as the author is aware no experimental investigation has been undertaken until now, that attempts to measure deeper levels of user engagement and learning with InfoVis tools. The investigation of this thesis complements InfoVis research by initiating a human-centric approach since little previous research has attempted to incorporate and integrate human cognition as one of the fundamental components of InfoVis. In this thesis, using Bloomā€™s taxonomy of learning objectives as well as individual learning characteristics (i.e. cognitive preferences), I have evaluated the visitor experience of an art collection both with and without InfoVis tools (between subjects design). Results indicate that whilst InfoVis tools have some positive effect on the lower levels of learning, they are less effective for higher levels. In addition, this thesis shows that InfoVis tools seem to be more effective when they match specific cognitive preferences. These results have implications for both the designers of tools and for CH venues in terms of expectation of effectiveness and exhibition design; the proposed cognitive based evaluation framework and the results of this investigation could provide a valuable baseline for assessing the effectiveness of visitorsā€™ interaction with the artifacts of online and physical exhibitions where InfoVis tools such as Timelines and Maps along with storytelling techniques are being used

    Translanguaging for Equal Opportunities : Speaking Romani at School

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    This multi-authored monograph, located in the intersection of translanguaging research and Romani studies, offers a state-of-the-art analysis of the ways in which translanguaging supports bilingual Roma studentsā€™ learning in monolingual school systems. Complete with a video repository of translanguaging classroom moments, this comprehensive study is based on long-term participatory ethnographic research and a pedagogical implementation project undertaken in Hungary and Slovakia by a group of primary teachers, bilingual Roma participants, and researchers. Co-written by academic and non-academic participants, the book is an essential reading for researchers, pre- and in-service teachers of Romani-speaking students, and experts working with collaborators (learners, informants, activists) whose home languages are excluded from mainstream education and school curricula

    Communicating linguistics: language, community and public engagement

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    Increasingly, academics are called upon to demonstrate the value of linguistics and explain their research to the wider public. In support of this agenda, Communicating Linguistics: Language, Community and Public Engagement provides an overview of the wide range of public engagement activities currently being undertaken in linguistics, as well as practically focused advice aimed at helping linguists to do public engagement well. From podcasts to popular writing, from competitions to consultancy, from language creation to community projects, there are many ways in which linguists can share their research with the public. Bringing together insights from leading linguists working in academia as well as non-university professions, this unique collection:- Provides a forum for the discussion of challenges and opportunities of public engagement in linguistics in order to shape best practice- Documents best practice through a summary of some of the many excellent public engagement projects currently taking place internationally- Celebrates the long tradition of public engagement in linguistics, a discipline which is often misunderstood despite its direct and fundamental importance to everyday lifeBreaking down long-standing divisions between universities and the wider community, this book will be of significant value to academics in linguistics but also teachers, policy makers and anyone interested in better understanding the nature and use of language in society

    Armenia through the Lens of Time. Multidisciplinary Studies in Honour of Theo Maarten van Lint

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    From pilgrimage sites in the far west of Europe to the Persian court; from mystic visions to a gruesome contemporary ā€œdanceā€; from a mundane poem on wine to staggering religious art: thus far in space and time extends the world of the Armenians. A glimpse of the vast and still largely unexplored threads that connect it to the wider world is offered by the papers assembled here in homage to one of the most versatile contemporary armenologists, Theo Maarten van Lint. This collection offers original insights through a multifaceted lens, showing how much Armenology can offer to Art History, History, Linguistics, Philology, Literature, and Religious Studies. Scholars will find new inspirations and connections, while the general reader will open a window to a world that is just as wide as it is often unseen

    Teaching languages in primary schools using educational technologies: Experiences of primary-school language teachers in Vietnam

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    Using educational technologies (ETs) in classrooms to teach languages in primary education has become increasingly popular worldwide in the last few decades. In Vietnam, since 2000, the government and the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (VMOET) have also encouraged teachers at all levels of education, including primary education, to use ET to support their teaching. The VMOET has created opportunities for teachers to improve their teaching with ET integration, with some teacher professional development (TPD) being offered. Thus, primary school language teachers in Vietnam have different experiences of using ET as well as the ET teacher professional development activities being provided. There have been a number of studies on teachersā€™ experiences of using ET and ET TPD in higher levels of education in Vietnam but few at the primary level, especially in language teaching. Therefore, this study examines the experiences of primary school language teachers and makes suggestions for teachers, school leaders, and policy makers to improve the quality of ET TPD activities, and thus the effectiveness of ET use in language classrooms. The research method used in this study to gain an insight into the teachersā€™ experience is a mixed-method approach under the lens of hermeneutic phenomenology. First, teachers of languages in primary schools were surveyed to identify the more specific phenomena to study. Then, I interviewed primary school principals, school technology coordinators, and individual teachers about their lived experiences of applying ET in their teaching to have a deeper understanding of their experience. I also analysed documents such as teachersā€™ e-lesson plans, school policies, and government policy to address the aim. There are three key findings of this study. First, the language teachers in this study experienced the use of a limited range of ET including both personal and school-owned ET, but most had a positive attitude and made judicious use of the ETs most of the time. Second, they experienced using ET with a teacher-centred approach, which means ET was substituted for printed materials and chalk and board tools to present the language e-lessons, although the VMOET was advocating for a more student-centred teaching approach with ET support. Third, these teachers had differing perceptions of the two types of ET TPD available. The formal TPD activities were not equally accessed, nor practical enough to address teacher needs, and any learning was not shared formally with colleagues; whereas, the language teacher's informal TPD activities were useful and met the teachersā€™ needs. These findings may be of use to teachers, school technology coordinators, and school leaders as confirmation of teachersā€™ predominantly positive perceptions of ET use and that they endeavour to use ET according to their availability and the language learning purpose for the teachersā€™ lessons. These findings affirm a shift in research attention from ET integration generally to a focus on curriculum specific subject use of ET for teaching and learning. Further recommendations include that the VMOET TPD programmes become more learner-centred to meet the needs of the teachers attending. Overall, these results confirm the need for bridging the gap between policy and the practice of using ET in language teaching in the primary education sector in Vietnam
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