Last week I read A Tale of Two Communities: Group Dynamics and Community Building in a Spanish-English Telecollaboration by Mark Darhower (2007). The study explores the linguistic and social behaviours involved in community building between two groups of language learners (Group E & Group D) over a 10-week period. The research question was: What linguistic…
Background Reflecting on my experience this academic year, what really stands out is how reticent my students were, in my Spoken English class, at speaking English. I had four classes with approximately 20-24 students, aged 18-19 years old in each class. Two classes were “Freshmen”, the equivalent of first year university students. Two classes were “Sophomores”, the…
My Masters assignments are all done, and my dissertation proposal on Telecollaboration has been submitted. Now is the time to think about how to turn my proposal into a reality. But where begin? The literature review? The learning activities? I read an excellent article by Alison Wylie (2003) recently called Why Standpoint Matters, a recommended reading by new…
三周前我参加了一个很好的活动。主题是三分钟汉语演讲。虽然我很竞争我还给观众介绍我的硕士论文计划。项目叫Telecollaboration. 是一种在线共同交换。邀请你们去看看。尽管给我评价。 你有VPN的话请去看YouTube视频。
Wanting to explore more colourful ways of putting my ideas on paper, a few months back I joined a beginners Sketching workshop led by Martin Barnes of Mountains of Imagination. During the month of June, Martin is leading a challenge to get all those interested, sketching on a regular basis. The aim is to build…
Last month I observed an English class in a Chinese primary school, and then was lucky enough to speak with 4 teachers: a Chinese teacher, a Maths teacher, and two English teachers. Please find the last interview with English Teacher Sandy. 最近我观察到一节小学英语课。然后我采访了四位老师： 一位汉语老师，一位数学老师和两位英语老师。 英语老师Sandy跟我们讨论激励策略，在课堂上使用数字化技术与让她的教学方法更丰富。 Friends outside of China, feel free to watch the video…
北京小学的中文老师张连杰让我采访她。我们讨论的就是学习和教学。 她跟我分享： － 小学的快乐经验 － 最喜欢的老师 － 怎么教孩子汉子 － 使用数字工具 In this interview I chat about learning and teaching with Zhang Lian Jie, a primary school Chinese teacher. Listen to the audio (in Chinese) to learn more about Lian Jie’s: – learning experience as a student – favourite teacher – method for teaching Chinese characters…
北京小学的数学老师李梦莹让我采访她。我们讨论的就是学习和教学。 她跟我分享： － 小学的快乐经验 － 最喜欢的老师 － 为什么成为数学老师 － 将来计划 In this interview I chat about learning and teaching with Li Meng Ying, a primary school Maths teacher. Listen to the audio (in Chinese) to learn more about Meng Ying’s: – learning experience as a student – favourite teachers – decision to become a Maths…
Last month I observed an English class in a Chinese primary school, and then was lucky enough to speak with 4 teachers: a Chinese teacher, a Maths teacher, and two English teachers. In the first interview with English Teacher Joyce, who discusses motivational techniques, the use of digital technology in the classroom and how she…
Telecollaboration uses “…online communication tools to bring together language learners in different countries for the development of collaborative work and intercultural exchange” (O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006, p623). Such collaborations may also be known as Tandem Language Learning (TLL), Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) or even Internet-mediated Intercultural Foreign Language Education (ICFLE). In this video, Hungary-based teacher…