Introduction
| Research
papers |
Hybrids and simulations or the real thing at the Open University?
Marie-Noëlle Lamy, Xavière Hassan, Lesley Shield and Robin Goodfellow (Open University) indicate current directions in their research on principles of language learning on-line. Further details are available at http://sole.open.ac.uk/pollo/intro.htm [link no longer active]
This article was first published in Higher, issue 2, April 2001.
Levy (2000) published a recent survey of research priorities in our field based on 47 articles published in CALL journals in 1999. From most to least-frequently researched areas, he lists: computer-mediated-communication (CMC) based CALL, CALL artifacts (i.e. software designed and constructed by the researchers), CALL hybrids (i.e. learning systems including CMC in conjunction with an artifact), comparisons between CALL and non-CALL and teacher education. Within these first two categories (where the core of our own work resides) Levy notes the recurrence of findings about social support and rapport-building, evidence of interactive competence and sustainability of an Internet learning community. Collaboration and reflectivity are also evoked, as is student resistance to conferencing in CALL, although they come lower down the list of aspects researched. All of these are reflected in our findings, both as a result of the research design and as an unexpected outcome.
In the past we have designed communicative on-line tasks to increase communicative experience and competence. We have also created reflective tasks focusing on form to increase language awareness and maximise the learner's experience of negotiating meaning. We have shown that a combination of both pedagogies facilitates L2 learning on-line. One such condition is rapport-building and maintenance, documented in our study of tutor-styles and their impact on group interactions (Lamy and Goodfellow, 1999 a). The next is the opportunity for learners to form a community in which to create and negotiate roles and projects, i.e. to be prepared to deviate from the teacher's agenda. However, this leads us to concerns that if learners deviated too much they might only rehearse such L2 language as they already knew missing opportunities to improve their competence. We reported on this with another OU research team working on synchronous conferencing via Lyceum (Lamy and Shields, forthcoming). The third condition is that learners should be shown how to engage in reflective discourse (Lamy and Goodfellow, 1999 b). Here our concern was that deficiencies in interactive competence may damage retention and our recommendation was that such competence (yet to be subjected to a principled description) should be taught and not assumed.
In the two current projects, we will seek to address these issues of rapport-maintenance, learning agendas and interactive competence through the design of the on-line task. We will use a model originally developed in France the late 70s for face-to-face teaching under the name simulation globale (Caré and Debyser, 1995). Initially designed to solve the problem of creating reality in the classroom whilst simulating authentic interaction, simulations presented pupils with the skeleton for a scenario or game where they become members of a community whose parameters were to be invented by themselves. Simulation went on to cater for more vocational learner populations in the 80s, and they have now been successfully adapted to Web-based projects.
Imagination is important; participants have freedom in what they say, who they are and what they create although events and actors should be believable and the simulation should be coherent. Supposing that the group has agreed that their house is set in a conservation area, one interaction might be that a newly arrived resident wants a satellite dish installed, an action resisted by neighbours. Thus students have to collect real information about the situation they are simulating. The teacher's tasks are to assist information-collection, manage interactions (as simulations may create situations requiring interactive skills that the students may not yet have) and to direct the linguistic learning necessary for the simulation to procede. Further, telematics-based simulations encourage learners to derive information from and communicate with different objects (web pages, sound files, images) in different modes (synchronous, asynchronous, spoken, written) and from a pool of native speakers based in the country whose language is being studied.
The choice of simulation globale on-line implies that students will be researchers on the web and participants in conferences (asynchronous and synchronous). It fulfils our requirement for a constructivist approach, for a community wherein to negotiate, and answers our design difficulty with the balance between teacher agenda and learner agenda (i.e. between freedom and limits). The maintenance of the social dimension is built in as part of the task. Finally, it can give rise to reflective conversations.
As in previous work we will use a mainly qualitative approach based on conversational analysis to identify learning benefits associated with different environments, or common to them. In stage one of our investigation, March to July 2000, we will develop and run a simulation with two cohorts of adult open and distance learners, using two environments: WebCT and MOO (Multi-user Object Oriented). In parallel we will document tutor-learner interaction in Lyceum as part of our training programme for Lyceum facilitators. In the second stage, November 2001 to 2002, we will carry out a study of the transferability of teaching models in reference to these different learning environments.
References
a) Lamy, M_N. and R Goodfellow, 'Supporting Language Students; Interactions in Web-based Conferencing' in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Vol 12 (5): 457-477 (Swets & Zeitlinger,1999)
b) Lamy, M-N and R Goodfellow) 'Reflexive conversations in the virtual language classroom.' In Warschauer, M (ed.) Language Learning and Technology (1999) [W.W.W. serial publication. ISSN 1094-3501] http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt [link no longer active]
Lamy, M-N. and L. Shield, (Forthcoming) 'Deux types de téléconférences pour l'apprentissage des langues' Paper delivered at UNTELE , Compiègne, May 2000. Also available at: http://hennepin.open.ac.uk/lesleyshield/webbed/untele/lamyshield/lamyshield.html [link no longer active]
Levy M, 'Scope, goals and methods in CALL research: questions of coherence and autonomy' in ReCALL, Vol 12: (3): 177-178 (CUP, 2000)
Caré J.M and F Debyser. Simulations globales (CIEP, 1995)
