When I saw this this topic, I suddenly connected it to my own experience. My major was Japanese when I was a undergraduate student. As a foreign language I hadn't learned any of it before entering into the university, it was very hard to learn.But our faculty and professors tried to created a new learning system by using information technology facilities and it really worked well.
The system offered us a virtual learning environment which allowed us communicate to each other in Japanese online even out of class. We shared a large amounts of resources with our teachers and the learning materials could be adjusted to the speed which was suitable to individual demand,such as the speed of music,or title of operas and movies. We also could connect with other language study organizations and communicated to the Japanese friends who were introduced to us through these kinds of organizations.
We had general English course for university students at the same time,but the English class was run in the traditional way. Compared to our major's class,this kind of traditional language classes become boring and useless.
As a student, I think the students' role have changed.
1.We become more active. In the traditional class,especially in some Asia countries,students are always in passive positions. The centre of the class is the teacher. But in the innovative class, students need to collect and choose useful information by ourselves and we have to think about what we want to learn and how we learn.
2.From a accepter to a creator. In innovative class,we always have many interesting assignments. For language study,we were required to make a short movie,and we write the stories and edited them by ourselves. Thus, students begin to think how to create a class,how to share information with classmates and how to use the knowledge we have learnt.
Language is a comprehensive skill which need us not only to read and listen, but also write and speak. Your undergraduate system just provide you an virtual environment to practice Japanese, I guess that's why it success to make you master the language. Students can be active in it because language itself is based on the use ,they can enjoy to communicate in that kind of environment,the communication in it is real.
ReplyDeleteHow cool it is to learn a new language in a virtual environment! But why not your English teachers learnt from your Japanese teachers to use the same student-centered learning system?
ReplyDeleteMiranda
I belief virtual environment helps a lot in language teaching and learning. Nowadays even in mainland China, majority of language schools design online courses for distance education. As speaking, listening and communication skills are main focus in language courses, virtual education has no evident drawbacks in developing these skills. It provide more opportunities for par-time students to attend language classes.
DeleteIt is good that you can connect the topic with your own experience and I think ICT is used quite good in your language study.I believe your faculty will improve the system to make it work more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI’m Leo Fung from “Hotpot” group. Thanks for sharing your experience. From your case, I find three different student roles in this innovative learning.
First, you have organized your resource and learning material for study, so you have got the “Self-learner” role. As you can communicate with the Japanese, share others thought and have collaborative learning, so “Team-member” roles is found. Also since you have collected and analysis the information for study, hence, “Knowledge Manger” role can be defined in this case.
Leo Fung
Thank you for sharing your own experience about learning Japanese language. in your case, i think your teacher letting students browsed out of the classroom that suggest student go on the self learning to fully aware and appreciated to take an active role in controlling your learning progress. The students determined when they learn and what they learn. And you can organized into groups according to your levels to discuss and collaborate on the problems. it provided for student to integrate active and collaborative learning with interconnectedness between classes and external peers into the curriculum. I think to make your work more efficiently.
ReplyDelete