Metacognitive learning strategies: their influences on vocabulary learning through a webquest

87 PáginasEsta investigación-acción examinó cómo el uso de estrategias metacognitivas, a través de la webquest llamada "El mundo en nuestras manos" en la cual los estudiantes desarrollaron tareas complementarias a la instrucción de clase, influenciaron el aprendizaje de vocabulario. Treinta estudiantes con nivel A1 según el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas (MCERL) de octavo grado de dos colegios públicos colombianos quienes fueron entrenados en el uso de las estrategias metacognitivas y de vocabulario, participaron en este estudio. Seis intervenciones fueron diseñadas e implementadas siguiendo el modelo de Aprendizaje de Lenguaje Académico y de Contenido (CALLA) – y Aprendizaje de una Lengua Asistido por Computador (CALL). Los datos recolectados sugirieron que el uso de las estrategias metacognitivas en ambientes CALL influenció positivamente el aprendizaje de vocabulario, ya que promovieron la conciencia y autonomía de los participantes. Los hallazgos además indicaron que dichas estrategias ayudaron a obtener mejores resultados en su proceso de aprendizaje, ya que ellos adquirieron conciencia de cuáles prácticas seguir para aprender palabras nuevas efectivamente. Cuando los estudiantes planearon, monitorearon y evaluaron su progreso en el conocimiento de palabras, ellos alcanzaron la mayoría de sus objetivos y fortalecieron su competencia léxica

WebQuests and the development of the reading skill

WebQuests and the development of the reading skill es un TFM modalidad B destinado a investigar la influencia de las WebQuest en la competencia lectora de los alumnos. El trabajo consta de una base teórica, una revisión tanto de la literatura como de los estudios realizados en éste campo, así como una CLILQuest diseñada por mi

Is all culture learning created equal : students' perceptions of Persian language and culture

textThis study explores how cultural inquiry was integrated into a third-year Persian class via printed texts, film, WebQuests and PowerPoint presentations, and how that cultural inquiry was made sense of and understood by the students in the course. Specifically, this qualitative study addresses two research questions: 1. How do students experience the cultural inquiry pedagogy? 2. How do students' understandings about Persian culture develop? The study’s participants were four college students in a fifth semester Persian language course at a large southwestern university during fall of 2009. Students were exposed to two sets of cultural integration including two films and WebQuest activities. The collected data included a demographic questionnaire, classroom observations, individual interviews and students’ reflective journals. Data were analyzed using Constant Comparative Method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). A major finding of this study was that that in all four cases, participants felt they benefited from the content presented through multimedia and technology and the knowledge they gained through the cultural inquiry activities contributed to the development of their cultural awareness. In addition, the development of learners’ cultural knowledge and awareness was another important finding of this study. The study also revealed the deconstruction of some of the stereotypes that students brought with them to the classroom. Through the cultural inquiry pedagogy and exposure to different types of texts and group discussions, some of these stereotypes were deconstructed and new ideas were formulated. Another important finding of the study was the importance of utilizing cultural inquiry pedagogy. This study showed in particular the crucial role of group discussions, the importance of pre- and post- viewing activities related to filmic texts and WebQuest activities as benefiting the students most in their cultural inquiry. The study’s findings have implications for educators and curriculum developers to understand better the kinds of experiences and opportunities students have when they are engaged in cultural inquiry activities and are exposed to multimedia and technology, which contribute to the development of their cultural knowledge and awareness.Foreign Language Educatio

Need for learning management systems in higher education in subject that involve programming languages

Subjects that are teaching programming languages may contain different approaches\ud to learning, depending on the level of preparedness of students and the methodology used by\ud the teaching staff in the lectures and exercises. Because of the need for practical work in\ud programming, the introduction of e-learning support system for students can be as useful as it\ud is for them and for teachers. Attaching the materials to a local system (intranet) and the\ud possibility of accessing them and the program codes of classes, lessons and ancillary\ud materials for exercises can bring increased efficiency and increased degree of control of the\ud organization and behavior of students in class.\ud With the ability to simultaneous usage of necessary materials from the system,\ud explanations of the professor and the opportunity for practical work, students very quickly\ud can recognize the effects of learning and become more motivated for learning more content\ud during class. The professor, who had previously set the material to the system has a feedback\ud of student achievements in class, the problems that occurred and the way they were solved,\ud and the time they spent to solve the problem. Students themselves have the opportunity to see\ud whether they learned and can evaluate their knowledge through questions that are posed at\ud the end the lesson

The use of information and communication technologies in the foreign language classroom: students' attitudes, motivation and L2 selves

269 p.The aim of the present mixed-methods study was to compare the motivational and attitudinal disposition of 165 high school students (16-17 years old) from Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain over one school year and a half.The novelty of the study stems from its intention to contribute to the field of L2 motivation with empirical data gathered at this particular educational level in the Basque multilingual context through the lens of the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei 2005, 2009). The main focus was to examine the possible influence of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on students¿ motivation in general and on their Ideal L2 Self in particular. In addition to analysing the influence of ICT classroom integration on students¿ motivation, this classroom-based study compared the impact of ICT with that of the native English-speaking teacher (NEST) in the EFL classroom, as the latter is often considered an added value in itself. Moreover, the possible influence of gender on students¿ motivation was analysed. All in all, this study¿s novelty is based not only on its particular focus on EFL classrooms but also on the fact that it combines three important areas of education nowadays, namely: students¿ motivation towards learning an L2, the use of ICT and the presence of native vs. non-native teachers in a foreign language classroom

Teaching literature - how we could do it better

This paper addresses the institutional context and academic practices related to the use of literary theory and criticism, with a special focus on the role of teaching literature in recent years. As theory has become more central in English departments, literary studies have in the view of many turned away from the study of literature itself to the study of theory. In the same way that a painter uses shape, color, perspective, and other aspects of visual art to create a painting, a fiction writer uses character, setting, plot, point of view, theme, and various kinds of symbolism and language to create artistic effect in fiction. These aspects of fiction are known as the formal elements. An understanding of the formal elements will enhance the reader‘s appreciation of any piece of fiction, as well as student‘s ability to share perceptions with others. Critical approaches to literature reveal how or why a particular work is constructed and what its social and cultural implications are. Understanding critical perspectives will help us to see and appreciate a literary work as a multilayered construct of meaning. Reading literary criticism will inspire you to reread, rethink, and respond. Understanding the cultural context of a story can often help our understanding of some aspect of the story itself. The social, political, and economic currents surrounding a writer can, and usually do, affect the writer‘s literary creation. Sometimes it seems so slight that the cultural context of a work may be important only because it seems reasonable to assume that all writers are to some degree products of their time. Keywords: approaches, cultural context, literature, fiction

CONTENT-BASED SYLLABUS

There is growing interest in a model of language education that integrates language ad content instruction in EFL/ESL classroom. The current paper looks at content-based syllabus, with content (subject matter) providing the point of departure for it. Influences leading to the emergence of content-based instruction are discussed, followed by a brief description of the syllabus as well as the relevant frameworks for organizing and integrating. The paper then deals with several rationales for the integration of language and content. Next, some techniques, strategies, and activities used in implementing content-based syllabus are briefly mentioned. It is also suggested that pre-service and in-service teacher education can benefit from a focus on language and content integration. Some advantages and disadvantages of the syllabus are discussed at the end

CONTENT-BASED SYLLABUS

There is growing interest in a model of language education that integrates language ad content instruction in EFL/ESL classroom. The current paper looks at content-based syllabus, with content (subject matter) providing the point of departure for it. Influences leading to the emergence of content-based instruction are discussed, followed by a brief description of the syllabus as well as the relevant frameworks for organizing and integrating. The paper then deals with several rationales for the integration of language and content. Next, some techniques, strategies, and activities used in implementing content-based syllabus are briefly mentioned. It is also suggested that pre-service and in-service teacher education can benefit from a focus on language and content integration. Some advantages and disadvantages of the syllabus are discussed at the end

Using fantasy Literature in the ESL Classroom: an Educational Intervention Proposal in the Digital Era

This masters dissertation aims to present a didactic proposal of intervention based on the introduction of literary-based WebQuests in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom as a way to deal with the increasing influence of digital technology on our students. The motivation behind this idea is a purely personal one, as I came up with it during a period of supervised practice teaching in a secondary education center: during one of the sessions, I tried to explain the basics of direct/indirect speech by asking the students if they read books. The answer was that only 10% of the class did, and those not frequently. Later, as I was searching for a solution to this situation, my brother told me that his new videogame had features of gothic fiction. How could a young boy, who had never read those books, know about the existence of that specific literary genre? His answer was that he had been looking for the location of an important object from the game when he, navigating through different websites, found an article in which the designer confessed that the videogame was based on gothic stories. This led me to the belief that literature and Information and Communication Technologies (henceforward ICTs) could be combined in order to create learning materials that motivated the students to learn English and enjoy its literature and culture in a digital environment.Departamento de Filología InglesaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma