English Language Teaching: how should technology support teaching and learning?

English language teaching: how can should technology support

teaching and learning?Rick Shepherd, EEPG Conference, Thursday, Sept. 15 2016

Berlin,  [email protected]

@rickmadridSkype: rickshep

Is this familiar?• Simple Present • Present Progressive / Continuous• Simple Past • Past Progressive / Continuous• Present Perfect Simple• Present Perfect Progressive / Continuous• Past Perfect Simple• Future Simple• Future Progressive / Continuous• Future Perfect

'A syllabus may start with the present simple, then the present continuous, then the past simple, and so on*. Learners are not usually exposed to more difficult structures than the ones they are learning.‘

From ‘Grammatical syllabus’ the British Council, www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Easy → Difficult?

Verging on nonsense

1. Do you like cheese?

2. Does he like onions?

From The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Dr. Suess, Random House

Verging on nonsense

Alice: Hello, I'm Alice.

Jim: Hello, Alice. I'm Jim. Are you hungry?

Moving to the surreal

Hello, I'm Alice.

Hello, Alice. I'm Jim. Are you hungry?

From togethermag.eu

Moving to the surreal

Hello, I'm Alice.

Hello, Alice. I'm Jim. Are you hungry?

Surreal

Is there any cheese?

No, there isn’t. But there’s some ice-cream.

Image: CC for non-commercial use

Are we playing?Are we boys?

Still from Snowpiercer, , Bong Joon-ho, Snowpiercer Production Co.

What's your name?

How old are you?

Images: CC for non-commercial use

Image: Tumblr

Usage

At 8 o’clock …

1. I’m having breakfast.2. I have breakfast.3. I’d be having breakfast.4. I’ll have breakfast.

Usage

At 8 o’clock …

1. I’m having breakfast. 2. I have breakfast. 3. I’d be having breakfast. 4. I’ll have breakfast.

Usage

At 8 o’clock …

1. I’m having breakfast. 2. I have breakfast. 3. I’d be having breakfast. 4. I’ll have breakfast. 5. I’ll be having breakfast.

So we tell students lies Hundreds of them

From: thecajunsamurai.wordpress.com

There is no structure or area of the Englishlanguage which is inherently more 'difficult‘than any other.

Dave Willis: Rules, Patterns and Words, CUP

English ≠ Maths

https://youtu.be/FMszjMfMoNU

The 'linear' model of language …• Simple Present • Present Progressive /

Continuous• Simple Past • Past Progressive / Continuous• Present Perfect Simple• Present Perfect Progressive /

Continuous• Past Perfect Simple• Future Simple• Future Progressive /

Continuous• Future Perfect

From: 5bblogger.blogspot.com

The SAMR model

Tech as support for Student Centered Learning, eg. creating a documentary video = collaboration, discussion. No one right answer

Significant functional change in the classroom, eg. collaborative writing skills for an authentic audience (blog, GDocs, WP)

Tech makes it easier, better, eg Immediate feedback

Same old, same old… with a computer. No functional change in teaching and learningSubstitution

Augmentation

Modification

Redefinition

The SAMR Model, Dr. Ruben Puentedura

Where we are on the SAMR model

Redefinition

From: www.writerswrite.com

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Memorize: retrieve information

Understand: comprehend meaning

Apply: use in a new situation

Analyse: understand structure

Evaluate: make judgements about value

Create: create a new meaning

The SAMR model and Bloom’s Taxonomy

Substitution

Augmentation

Modification

Redefinition

Memorize

Understand

Apply

Analyse

Evaluate

Create

Technology is driving change

Technology is driving change

Pedagogy should drive change, technology enables the change

•moving from individual to more collaborative learning•moving from passive to active learning•differentiated instruction and personalized learning are becoming popular•people are becoming multitaskers

Current digital publishing

Image: CC for non-commercial use

Current digital publishing

Image: CC for non-commercial use

Matchmaking

2 models• Produced on demand• Short run• Can change in real time

• Produced after many prototypes

• Economics dictate long run

• Difficult and expensive to change

Images: CC for non-commercial use

Digital publishing – two models

Monolithic

Disaggregated

‘enough stuff’

Images: CC for non-commercial use

How things change(necessarily) bland and ‘one size fits all’. Irrelevant

2015

?

?

Images: CC for non-commercial use

August 26th 2016

How things change(necessarily) bland and ‘one size fits all’. Irrelevant

2015 August 26th 2016

Images: CC for non-commercial use

How things change(necessarily) bland and ‘one size fits all’. Irrelevant

2015 August 26th 2016

How could we publish?Multimedia CMS Digital offer

Images: CC for non-commercial use

How do/could we publish?Author submits proposalMarket review, readersContract €%Eds.+Author MSReviewsResource sourcing (AW, photos)RightsProofing: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, CoverMarketing strategyPrint (Digital version starts)PromotionAdoptionsShipping from printersWarehouse

fix, improve, change

Launch

DisaggregateMonitor

Sell

Problems• Pushback

• Upskilling

• Change Management

• Tagging to substitute coherence through linearity

fix, improve, change

Launch

DisaggregateMonitor

Sell

Coherence = linearity

Tagging based on pedagogy

Where does content come from?• Text• Images• Photos• Video* • Audio• Activities

– PPP– TBL

• YouTube• Promotional videos• YouTubers**

– YGS – Good Mythical Morning– ASDF

• News• Music• Websites• Social media• Users

User Generated Content (UGC)

• Offers anyone the chance to become a ‘hero’

• Publishers offer their best service

Implications and developmentsPublishers • continue to use their employee skillset:

design, accuracy, rigor, universality and, most importantly …

• drive their Marque - seal of approval• remain relevant in the face of ‘good

enough’ OERs• offer a constantly updated changing

learning experience – what teachers want

Students and educators want learning experiences

that are personal

“… we have to (…) make education personal. (…)  teachers are not just instructors and test administrators. They are mentors, coaches, motivators, and lifelong sources of inspiration to their students.“ Ken Robinson Image: Tumblr

Students and educators want learning experiences

that are personal

Image: CC for non-commercial use

Move from content to service

Images: CC for non-commercial use

CurationDesignAccuracyRigourUniversalityMarque

Move from content to service

Images: CC for non-commercial use

Learning ‘Pills’Thematic unitsSubscription ‘as and when’

Lower origination costs

Addressing the long tail

Image: CC for non-commercial use

So … what might it look like?1.Introduce the task using a

piece of authentic video. Comprehension and pre-teaching of key vocab.

2.Possible tasks:– Invent conversation

with pet animal– Things that dogs (or

cats) would say3.Record the task using

mobile phones or audio recording or any medium they choose.

4. Students present or perform their task

5. Tasks reviewed and:• Grammar• Vocab• Pronunciation• Chunks

… picked out for practice. The offer provides form-based

(controlled practice) practice material. There is a need for LOTs activities but in the context of a higher purpose.

6. After review and teaching stage tasks are redone.

7. Students then compare attempts and evaluate themselves: where they have improved, where not, etc.

What have done here?• we have chosen and curated the videos• we have provided exploitation activities• we have provided a task framework• we provide a wide range of form-based practice activities

incorporating the traditional expertise of publishers in:– design– accuracy– rigor– universality

• we provide the teacher's guide• we suggest ways of working collaboratively• we give our marque• we might even provide the safe collaborative environment

(although we should be wary of providing services that are already catered to by LMS or other services)

Value adds

‘Just in time’/rolling Publishing

CMS - based

Constantly updated, ‘always being published’

Offering a tagged ‘cloud’ of disaggregated content

Retaining traditional Publisher’s value-adds

•Design

•Accuracy

•Rigour

•Universality

New publisher digital product (I)• will take into account learning both in and out of the classroom. With special

attention to mobile device content and look forward to other devices• will involve parent and peers as much as teachers and students themselves• will cater to different learning styles• will contain some daily 5 – 10 minute mobile revision component• will illuminate paths to related materials through tagging• will embrace and contain use of social media as part of peer learning• will 'never stop being published‘ like Gmail, Linux and Windows, the offer will

be continually updated. However updated and legacy content will coexist until legacy becomes unusable.

• will be less chaotic than social type learning and less structured than a typical course

• will bring the real world into the class• will use 'situated learning' where students are applying what they are

learning to an immediate context. • will be multiplatform

New publisher digital product (II)• will provide an offer that covers

– classroom– mobile (small device) 'knowledge pills' designed to provide revision,

controlled practice input or self-testing eg: flash cards, audios, quick tests, quick idioms, quick phrasal verbs, quick grammar

– home learning– spinning off elements into small apps,

• will provide tools for, aggregate and curate UGC, adding value with traditional editorial values– Design– Accuracy– Rigour– Universality– Marque… and sell it back at a premium

The upsides• no new titles every few years

– new design, covers and re-branding– no cyclical major upfront investment

• will gradually build up a store of activities for practising microcontent• will not require new grammar, vocabulary and other reference

sections• will not need cyclical promotion - cost of sale will fall• will allow successful smaller parts to be spun off as learning pills so

allowing for a long tail sales model• will not require new rights agreements with authors• will lock in users• will open new market opportunities:

– subscriptions– sales to third parties

English language teaching: how can should technology support

teaching and learning?Rick Shepherd, EEPG Conference,

Thursday, Sept. 15 2016 ,Berlin  [email protected]

@rickmadridSkype: rickshep