Prólogo

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Massive Online Open Courses and Language Learning: The Case for a Beginners’ English Course

AbstractMassive Online Open Courses have recently burst onto the scene in Spain and may well prove to be a good way to teach and learn foreign languages. The course analysed in this presentation was part of the first large-scale experience with MOOCs as a tool for English language learning in Spain. This course was designed so that absolute beginners could quickly learn the meanings of the thousand most frequent English words and start to read short texts. A comprehensive questionnaire was given to participants to gather qualitative and quantitative information related to their background and previous learning experiences, as well as methodological aspects related to their experience of massive online open learning. Methodological issues in this new language teaching/learning resource explored in this presentation are: crowdsourcing, explicit learning, distance teaching/learning, learner autonomy, materials design, and the development of learning strategies

PRÓLOGO

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El papel de los MOOCs en el aprendizaje de lenguas: revelaciones de un curso de inglés para principiantes

This paper begins by analysing the features of MOOCs - massive open on-line courses which offer innovative methodological possibilities for the distance teaching and learning of languages. A study with a large cohort of students enrolled in two separate editions of a beginners’ English course was carried out. The results are analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and conclusions pertinent to the MOOC teaching and learning paradigm are discussed. The teaching and learning experience in a MOOC with high levels of student participation and acceptance is described and some methodological support for teachers and researchers thinking of using this teaching methodology is offered.Este artículo comienza analizando las características distintivas de los nuevos cursos MOOC, cursos masivos en abierto y online, que siguen una metodología novedosa por su potencial para la enseñanza/aprendizaje de idiomas de forma autodirigida y a distancia. Se describe un estudio con un grupo numeroso de estudiantes en dos ediciones de un curso de iniciación para el aprendizaje del inglés como Lengua Extranjera. Seguidamente se han llevado a cabo sendos análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de los resultados obtenidos. Se parte de la experiencia de un curso con una alta aceptación para indagar en las características que debe tener de forma genérica un MOOC y proporcionar consejos que puedan resultar de interés para otros docentes y/o investigadores

PRÓLOGO

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El "hablante nativo" de la lengua meta: ¿qué importancia tiene para la enseñanza de la L2?

This paper centers on research related to a concept used very often in the field of foreign language learning and teaching: the belief that native speaker usage is the definite standard of the target language. Too frequently we use it as the ultimate criterion for language correctness and/or appropriateness, especially in the L2 classroom. My goals were to identify some skills ideally attributed to the native speaker, to test them with empirical research and to check their validity. In this paper I deconstruct some of the abilities linguists have traditionally attributed to the native speaker of any language; specifically, I examine the ability to produce fluent spontaneous written discourse. I was able to validate my hypothesis that native speaker’s individal variation accounts for its inadecuacy as a justification for L2 learners’ performance in L2 tests. Finally, I infer some pedagogical implications teachers will need to take into account when evaluating writing achievements in the L2

Problemas en la evaluación de la competencia discursiva en inglés como L2

Nowadays, language testing is considered a fundamental component in foreign language teaching and learning. In this paper, some of the most representative features of language testing are described and special attention is given to the question of language test validity. Some well-known language-testing institutions use the native speaker (NS) as a stakeholder to evaluate the overall level in the foreign language, without taking into account the feasibility of such a concept. In this regard, some arguments are presented in order to demonstrate the ambivalence of the notion of “native speaker” in language learning evaluation. Particular attention is paid to international language-testing standards that, although well-known and widely used, may not be as appropriate as they are assumed to be. Some suggestions are made for the field of bilingualism studies

La mejora en los errores léxicos de la expresión escrita en inglés como lengua extranjera mediante el uso de feedback correctivo automatizado

This research aims at revisiting the role of software when it comes to providing learners with corrective feedback on their pieces of writing. The study, based on the analysis of handwritten and software-corrected versions of essays written by 33 undergraduate students enrolled in the undergraduate degree programme in English Studies at a Spanish University contributed to confirming the assumption that technology can indeed be a useful tool in the teaching and learning process. More specifically, this study demonstrated that students could reduce significantly the number of lexical errors in their essays through the autonomous use of error-correction software and that, over time, the students can improve on their ability to avoid such errors. Nevertheless, the study has also confirmed that software can in no way completely replace teachers, as computer programming is quite limited and there are errors that only proficient language users can detect and correct.El objetivo de este trabajo de investigación es reconsiderar el papel de las herramientas informáticas para proporcionar feedback sobre los errores de alumnos y mejorar su escritura. Este estudio, basado en el análisis de las versiones escritas y correjidas por programa de varias composiciones elaboradas por 33 estudiantes del Grado en estudios ingleses por una universidad española, nos llevó a la conclusión de que la tecnología puede ser una herramienta de gran utilidad en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en contextos de enseñanza a distancia. En este trabajo se vió que los estudiantes pudieron reducir significativamente el número de errores léxicos en sus composiciones mediante el uso autónomo de herramientas tecnológicas de corrección de errores y que, a lo largo del tiempo, los estudiantes mejoraron su capacidad para evitar tales errores. Sin embargo, el trabajo también demostró que ninguna herramienta tecnológica puede sustituir completamente a los profesores, ya que la programación informática es de momento limitada y hay errores que sólo los usuarios con conocimientos avanzados en el idioma pueden detectar y corregir

PRÓLOGO

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EL “HABLANTE NATIVO” DE LA LENGUA META: ¿QUÉ IMPORTANCIA TIENE PARA LA ENSEÑANZA DE LA L2?

AbstractThis paper centers on research related to a concept used very often in the field of foreign language learning and teaching: the belief that native speaker usage is the definite standard of the target language. Too frequently we use it as the ultimate criterion for language correctness and/or appropriateness, especially in the L2 classroom. My goals were to identify some skills ideally attributed to the native speaker, to test them with empirical research and to check their validity. In this paper I deconstruct some of the abilities linguists have traditionally attributed to the native speaker of any language; specifically, I examine the ability to produce fluent spontaneous written discourse. I was able to validate my hypothesis that native speaker’s individal variation accounts for its inadecuacy as a justification for L2 learners’ performance in L2 tests. Finally, I infer some pedagogical implications teachers will need to take into account when evaluating writing achievements in the L2