Informal Learning and Institution-wide Language Provision

Informal Learning and Institution-wide Language Provision
Author: Denyze Toffoli
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2020-02-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3030378764

“Theoretically wise and practically powerful, this book is about how to take full advantage of advances in technology and the learner autonomy they afford, rather than simply adapt to or deny them. It issues a clarion call to language educators and administrators interested in building on recent advances in language learning via the informal avenues of digital communications.” --Mark Dressman, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US, Professor and Chair of English at Khalifa University, UAE “This important and original book challenges us to rethink the design and delivery of the language learning opportunities universities provide for their students. Drawing on Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, Self-Determination Theory and her own empirical explorations of informal online language learning, Denyze Toffoli paints a portrait of today’s university language learner that is novel, unexpected and urgent.” --David Little, Fellow and Associate Professor Emeritus at Trinity College, Ireland This book takes a fresh look at both context and the language learner in an attempt to shed light on the holistic and ever-changing system of the contemporary L2 speaker’s language development. Drawing on complex dynamic systems theory as a means to more fully understand the holistic nature of contemporary language learning, the author attempts to bridge the longstanding gap between formal language provision in Higher Education institutions, and more informal language acquisition achieved through activities such as listening to music, watching films and television, and playing games. Based on a theoretical understanding of the interplay between these contexts, contents and practices, the author offers suggestions concerning the shape of language centres in higher education and the role of teachers in readying the contemporary language learner for autonomous lifelong and lifewide language development. This book will be of particular interest to language teachers, teacher trainers, and higher education administrators.

Language Learning and Leisure

Language Learning and Leisure
Author: Denyze Toffoli
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2023-07-04
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110752514

The study of informal involvement with additional languages has recently emerged as a dynamic research field in SLA. With the rapid development and spread of internet-based technologies, contact with foreign languages outside the classroom has become commonplace. While this can take multiple forms, online contents are a major driving force because they present learners with unprecedented opportunities for exposure to and use of target languages regardless of their physical location. Research from diverse geographical, educational and socio-economic contexts bring a rich variety of perspectives to this book. It explores these phenomena via a range of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, focusing particularly on individual differences and language development. The volume proposes that teachers in formal learning settings should seek to support and facilitate the development of these identities and practices, and it indicates means they can adopt to best do so.

Informal Digital Learning of English

Informal Digital Learning of English
Author: Ju Seong Lee
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2021-12-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000507904

In today’s digital era, increasing numbers of youth around the world learn English outside classrooms, frequently with the use of technology. This timely book brings together research and theory on the increasingly common phenomenon of Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) among students of all ages and across a wide range of contexts globally. By examining the positive impact of IDLE on students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities, as well as the unique challenges that result, Lee synthesizes research in one accessible and comprehensive volume in this rapidly developing domain. This book addresses key concepts, including Computer Assisted Language Learning, the impact on standardized assessment, and the role of classroom learning. Lee offers empirically tested activities, pedagogical recommendations, and lesson plans to engage ESL/EFL students. The research overview and practical offerings make this an ideal text for courses in TESOL on online education, language teaching online, digital learning, community and language, and applied linguistics.

Language Learning Environments

Language Learning Environments
Author: Phil Benson
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2021-06-04
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1788924924

This book is the first in-depth examination of the application of theories of space to issues of second language learning. The author introduces the work of key thinkers on the theory of space and place and the relevance of their ideas to second language acquisition (SLA). He also outlines a new conceptual framework and set of terms for researching SLA that centre on the idea of 'language learning environments'. The book considers the spatial contexts in which language learning takes place and investigates how these spatial contexts are transformed into individualised language learning environments, as learners engage with a range of human and nonhuman, and physical and nonphysical, resources in their daily lives. Revisiting linguistics and language learning theory from a spatial perspective, the book demonstrates that the question of where people learn languages is equally as important as that of how they do so. This work is essential reading for any researcher wishing to research the role of the environment as an active player in SLA.

CALL and professionalisation: short papers from EUROCALL 2021

CALL and professionalisation: short papers from EUROCALL 2021
Author: Naouel Zoghlami
Publisher: Research-publishing.net
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2021-12-13
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 2490057979

The 2021 EUROCALL conference engaged just under 250 speakers from 40 different countries. Cnam Paris and Sorbonne Université joined forces to host and organise the event despite the challenging context due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Originally programmed to be held on site in the heart of Paris, France, the EUROCALL organising team and executive committee agreed to opt for a blended and then for a fully online conference. The theme of the 2021 EUROCALL conference was “CALL & Professionalisation”. This volume, a selection of 54 short papers by some of the EUROCALL 2021 presenters, offers a combination of research studies as well as practical examples fairly representative of the theme of the conference.

Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching

Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching
Author: Diego Mideros
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2023-09-05
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3031341821

​This book presents a unique perspective from an underrepresented region in the Global South. The volume features four different countries in the region: Barbados, Guyana, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Martinique, an island located just north of St. Lucia which is an overseas region of France. It documents innovations in learning and teaching Spanish, French, and Chinese in the case of the English-speaking countries, and English as a foreign language (EFL) in the case of Martinique. The chapters cover different aspects of language education in the Caribbean and will be of particular interest to those involved in managing change in language education that attempts to mediate between global trends and local needs.

Language learning and professionalization in higher education: pathways to preparing learners and teachers in/for the 21st century

Language learning and professionalization in higher education: pathways to preparing learners and teachers in/for the 21st century
Author: Béatrice Dupuy
Publisher: Research-publishing.net
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2020-11-16
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 249005774X

In this volume, language learning and professionalization are explored by addressing the existing gap between pressing needs for enhanced soft skills in work environments wherein technology-mediated, multilingual communication is increasingly the norm, and current foreign language teaching and learning offerings in higher education. Considering theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical perspectives for preparing language learners and teachers in/for the 21st century, this volume’s eight chapters underscore that research findings should inform the design of learning experiences so that people’s communication needs in fast-changing work environments are met and the link between language education and professionalization, within a lifelong learning perspective, is sustained.

Facing Diversity in Child Foreign Language Education

Facing Diversity in Child Foreign Language Education
Author: Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3030660222

This edited book uses the concept of diversity in child foreign language education as a major organizing principle. Since a foreign language, most typically English, is taught globally to an increasing number of children, the variability in the process and varied learning outcomes are inescapable phenomena. This book has been constructed on the premise that heterogeneity, first, concerns young language learners, who due to the disparity in the pace of development need appropriately tailored educational solutions, and, second, it refers to a diversity of contexts in which learning takes place. The contexts can be defined on a macroscale (e.g. different countries), mesoscale (e.g. different institutions), and microscale (e.g. specific learner groups). The book consists of four thematic strands. In Part One the learner-internal causes of heterogeneity of young language learners are clarified. Part Two presents a sample of classroom studies in which learner variables, such as gender, learner preferences, and special needs are taken into account. Part Three looks at teaching materials and how they meet learners’ needs. Finally, Part Four highlights diversity issues that teachers should be prepared to face.

The Professional Lives of Language Study Abroad Alumni

The Professional Lives of Language Study Abroad Alumni
Author: Celeste Kinginger
Publisher: Channel View Publications
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2023-04-05
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1800412525

This book investigates the impact of language learning and study abroad on the career options and choices of US-based alumni of all ages. It reports on the results of a mixed-methods study which used both an extensive nationwide survey and qualitative life history interviews with 54 participants systematically selected to represent a broad range of backgrounds and professions. International education experiences are shown to exert considerable influence on the aspirations and career paths of individuals in a wide variety of fields (e.g. education, healthcare, business, government service). The long-term benefits of language study are illustrated both in narratives from individuals whose work requires proficiency beyond English and from participant comments on improvement in their use of English for international communication. The book will be of relevance to a wide audience of international education professionals in addition to researchers and students in applied linguistics and language education.

Intra-individual Variation in Language

Intra-individual Variation in Language
Author: Alexander Werth
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110743035

This volume offers several empirical, methodological, and theoretical approaches to the study of observable variation within individuals on various linguistic levels. With a focus on German varieties, the chapters provide answers on the following questions (inter alia): Which linguistic and extra-linguistic factors explain intra-individual variation? Is there observable intra-individual variation that cannot be explained by linguistic and extra-linguistic factors? Can group-level results be generalised to individual language usage and vice versa? Is intra-individual variation indicative of actual patterns of language change? How can intra-individual variation be examined in historical data? Consequently, the various theoretical, methodological and empirical approaches in this volume offer a better understanding of the meaning of intra-individual variation for patterns of language development, language variation and change. The inter- and transdisciplinary nature of the volume is an exciting new frontier, and the results of the studies in this book provide a wealth of new findings as well as challenges to some of the existing findings and assumptions regarding the nature of intra-individual variation.