Event Title
DP14 - Interconnecting culture in the ESL classroom: Using smartphones to develop an intercultural approach to SLL
Location
VAB-104
Start Date
4-11-2017 11:15 AM
Description
Currently, 1 in 2 people around the world has some form of internet access, 2.1 billion of whom gain access via smartphone. In a concurrent trend, nearly 1 in 3 people are engaged in some form of English learning, with over 80% of these students residing in the global south. (IDC, 2016) (IALC, 2016) These two figures point to a very new vision of the English as a Second Language (ESL) student, far divorced from outmoded third world tropes toward a more globally connected and tech savvy language learner. While students themselves are adapting, very little has changed about the everyday practice of ESL coursework. (Lotherington & Jenson, 2011) (McClanahan 2014) Skill-and-drill methods prioritizing memorization over meaning still abound. More troublingly, standardized textbooks and learning materials typically emphasize a monolinguistic disinterest in student's native language and culture, initiating by default a form of cultural imperialism in the classroom. (Arnold and Rixon 2008; Masuhara and Tomlinson 2008) Following the critical pedagogy tradition, a growing body of research attests to the many productive uses devices such as smartphones can have for ESL students, including the ability to engage multiple modes of learning, to allow for out-of-classroom practice, and to legitimize cultural and linguistic knowledge. (Gholami & Azarmi, 2012) (McClanahan, 2014) (C Chamberlin‐Quinlisk, 2012) This article focuses on the intercultural approach to ESL learning, a concept suggesting a form of pedagogy that emphasizes, validates and explores the culture, knowledge, and experiences that students bring to it. (Parker, 2013) Working with a group of university-level language students in Bogotá Colombia, the study seeks to place an intercultural approach in classroom practice. Using their personal smartphones, these students were asked to submit short, weekly videos expressing their views on a variety of topics. Following classroom discussion regarding Colombian stereotypes that exist in western media texts, these weekly prompts addressed a common question: what Colombian stereotypes will you, with your language skills, help to overcome? The efficacy of this activity was tested using textual analysis of the students' videos, framed around metrics including whether the activity led to greater language learning, if the ability to express personal opinions was valued, and if students seemed to forge meaningful connections between their own culture and the second language. The results found the exercise to be effective in these regard, with students using the privacy afforded by recording their speech outside of the classroom environment to express more elaborate and outspoken viewpoints. Perhaps most intriguing was students willingness to go beyond the requirements of the assignments by adding filters, music, and other editing effects to further personalize their videos. Though limited in its scope, the study adds to a growing body of research suggesting the huge benefits offered by smartphones and other devices in developing language and intercultural dialogue.
DP14 - Interconnecting culture in the ESL classroom: Using smartphones to develop an intercultural approach to SLL
VAB-104
Currently, 1 in 2 people around the world has some form of internet access, 2.1 billion of whom gain access via smartphone. In a concurrent trend, nearly 1 in 3 people are engaged in some form of English learning, with over 80% of these students residing in the global south. (IDC, 2016) (IALC, 2016) These two figures point to a very new vision of the English as a Second Language (ESL) student, far divorced from outmoded third world tropes toward a more globally connected and tech savvy language learner.
