{"title":"Online Interaction in Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language: an Italian Pilot Project on the Companion Volume to the CEFR","authors":"Letizia Cinganotto","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1618","url":null,"abstract":"The contribution focuses on online interaction as a new important dimension in the linguistic competence and repertoire of a learner, as highlighted by the Companion Volume to the CEFR. Starting from a quick overview on the theoretical framework related to the main features of the linguistic variety used in digital and multimodal environments and social networks, the paper will focus on the descriptors of online interaction presented in the Companion, referring to the initial consultation process and then to a pilot project carried out by the Italian Ministry of Education in cooperation with INDIRE, involving a school network all over Italy. \u0000Some comments from the teachers involved in the projects will be reported and discussed and in particular, an example of project carried out in one of the schools will be highlighted. \u0000As a general conclusion, experimenting the descriptors of online interaction turned out to be a very effective way to reflect and become aware of the importance of digital literacy and online communication and interaction in a foreign language, for both teachers and students.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88988977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Targeting Language Ownership and Awareness with Authentic Uses of English","authors":"J. Aiello","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1583","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1583","url":null,"abstract":"The present paper describes a 12-week content-based course implemented with a class of secondary school students in Italy that aimed to enhance the levels of language ownership and awareness via authentic uses of English. The themes of exclusion and exile – viewed from historical and contemporary standpoints – served as a springboard for class discussions and debates, and inspired the development of collaborative, multimodal final projects shared on Write4Change, an international virtual writing community. After reporting on language attitude and ownership data collected with an entry questionnaire that informed the course design, this paper describes the four phases of the course in detail and presents an overview of ways in which authenticity was embedded within the course. Favorable student responses to the course and its successful implementation, notwithstanding contextual constraints such as limited access to technology, make replication of this course in other learning settings both feasible and worthwhile.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74980488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Moving Towards a Revolutionary Change in Multilingual Education: does CLIL live up to the Hype?","authors":"Magdalena Jiménez Naharro","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1575","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a descriptive study, within the Spanish BIMAP research project, analysing the success factors of the CLIL approach in the teaching of foreign languages. Indeed, the wide dissemination of this methodology points to the world-wide acclaim it has received, so much so that it is currently considered to be one of the best strategies for the promotion of multilingualism. After a brief historical introduction on the origin of this methodology, on changes in the concepts of bilingualism and multilingualism and some underlying psycholinguistic issues which support it, a series of important issues will be covered: the differences between CLIL and other immersion systems, the success factors in CLIL and the criticisms that have been levelled against it. Finally, this work analyses how language and content are integrated in the light of research carried out in the context of history classes.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74574199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting EFL learners with a Virtual Environment: A Focus on L2 Pronunciation","authors":"J. Aiello, A. Mongibello","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1444","url":null,"abstract":"The article discusses a pilot project that explored the implementation of a virtual environment for the improvement of English pronunciation, funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) as part of a wider e-learning program for Higher Education. A speech recognition software program, SpeechAce, was embedded within the e-learning course to provide live practice and feedback on pronunciation to 372 undergraduate students at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” in 2016-2017. The project team was composed by Professors of English Oriana Palusci and Katherine E. Russo, who designed and coordinated the project, and e-tutors Jacqueline Aiello and Anna Mongibello, who generated the online course on Moodle and monitored students’ activities. The virtual class was created to foster awareness of English sounds and to practice pronunciation, an area that is often neglected in the Italian education system due to the large number of enrolled students. This paper first describes the project in depth and draws on the quantitative analysis of the students’ performance in combination with authentic online listening input. Then, data collected in pre- and post-program questionnaires are analyzed to examine the impact of participation in the online project on self-perceived pronunciation proficiency and L2 self-confidence, and to unveil participants’ opinions and experiences in this virtual environment.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"19 1","pages":"95-108"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74390369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Classroom Action Research in Teaching English for Senior High School Students through Blended Learning in Kendari of Indonesia","authors":"Amri Tanduklangi, Asrun Lio, Alberth","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1579","url":null,"abstract":"his paper focuses on the problem of class teaching and solutions through classroom action research. The main problem in teaching, namely students are less motivated to learn and therefore their English language skills are still lacking. From these two problems, we carried out several activities ranging from observation, interviews, to teaching in the classroom with the blended learning model, then discussing what had been done to find out the root of the problem. This action research uses the design of “action research spiral structure” advocated by Stringer (2007) which consists of three levels, look, think and act. The results show progress in teaching where students’ summative grades are higher than the minimum requirement of completeness scores. This progress is obtained through transformation in teaching techniques by creating student-centered classes by involving them in class discussions, interacting, and integrating LMS Edmodo into the learning so that it becomes more interesting, interactive, and resourceful.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82296622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing Language Awareness and Competence-building through a Fusion of Phenomenon-based Learning and Content and Language Integration","authors":"D. Marsh, W. D. Pérez, Mariana Escárzaga Morales","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1617","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1617","url":null,"abstract":"This article describes how the fusion of two innovative approaches in education can provide alternative pathways to the learning of academic subjects, including languages. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and Phenomenon-based Learning (PhBL) are combined to achieve intended learning outcomes which includes language awareness, attitude change towards language learning, and transversal subject learning. Enabling a form of pragmatic social constructivism, both CLIL and PhBL are heavily identified with types of integrative educational practices common to Finland. Following an introduction to each practice, the article describes the use of this fusion approach with high school students in Mexico where the level of additional language competence is generally low. Acknowledging that there are rarely educational models that can be exported from one country to another, it is argued that the fusion of CLIL and PhBL provides a blueprint that can enable educational innovation to flourish in different contexts.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75217505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovative STEM lessons, CLIL and ICT in multicultural classes","authors":"Elisabetta Schietroma","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1587","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to describe a number of scientific activities carried out efficiently and effectively in English, French, Spanish and Italian in High Schools. Cooperative and constructive methodologies in multicultural classes, the learner’s centrality, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and laboratorial tasks are the core of these projects. Every student, regardless of their linguistic, conceptual and scientific background acquired and reorganized his/her knowledge learnt by doing in multilingual contexts. Working in pairs or small groups Italians and migrants were able to perform complex and demanding tasks and create valuable digital products. Integration and the acquisition of knowledge of STEM were promoted through the awareness of teenage and adult students’ language competences, their conceptual and linguistic repertoire, their learning style and their type of intelligence. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) proved to be a suitable approach to increase motivation, develop the key European competences and promote integration. A quadrilingual approach in teaching STEM was the first successful attempt to find a solution to some problems that usually arise in multicultural classes.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"21 4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82913629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Learning second language through restaurant menu dish names","authors":"A. Graziano","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1567","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1567","url":null,"abstract":"This article follows research carried out by the author on the semiotics and pragmalinguistics of restaurant menus. The context is a training experience about how to teach LSP (Language for Special Purposes) in a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) environment with teachers in Istituti Alberghieri. The final output is the compilation of a multilingual menu, in the shared conviction that a communicatively effective menu in different languages can enhance the quality of restaurants and make them successful with tourists. The “little texts” composing dish names prove to be interesting under the lexical and the syntactical viewpoints: these are the language levels playing the most significant role in the info-marketing strategies adopted by menus and the ones presenting the greatest difficulties in translating from Italian into French or English. A careful Error Analysis conducted on a corpus of a hundred menus from the Italian region of Lazio proves a successful scaffolding strategy and a practical metalinguistic tool to lead learners—CLIL teachers and students alike—to the production of their own menus, even more when combined with cooperative learning, gamification, graphic facilitators and… lots of fun!","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78842864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Second Generation of Feedback-based Learning Model (FBL-2g) for Quantitative Courses in Higher Education","authors":"Yaron Ghilay","doi":"10.20368/1971-8829/1521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1521","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the second generation (2g) of Feedback-Based Learning model (FBL-2g) regarding quantitative courses in higher education. The intention was to examine students' views towards the model and check if there are differences between theoretical quantitative courses such as math or statistics and a computer course. The research was based on three samples of students (n1=28, n2=25, n3=19, n-total=72) who studied three quantitative courses based on the new model. All three course sites were prepared and managed by the same lecturer. Students were asked to fill out an online questionnaire to assess various characteristics of FBL-2g and its impact on their motivation and learning process. \u0000The study findings show that according to students' attitudes, FBL-2g is perceived as very effective for learning quantitative courses. All characteristics were highly rated as follows: Diagnosis, prognosis, student motivation and sense of belonging and the contribution to learning improvement. Therefore, it is recommended to support and train lecturers who teach quantitative courses in higher education so that they can use this model making a significant contribution to the students' motivation and learning.","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72525773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Story Stones for Telling Stories","authors":"Liz Chamberlain","doi":"10.4135/9781526461650.n9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526461650.n9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44748,"journal":{"name":"Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society","volume":"1 1","pages":"91-103"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147885918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}