Language Learning as a Reflective Activity

By Jane Jones

Good Teaching-what does it look like?

The ‘P’ factor Purposefulness

The ‘C’ factor Challenge The ‘V’ factor Variety The ‘P’ factor Progression The ‘M’ factor Memorability

Good Learning What is involved?

Active engagement in the taskMaking connections-transfer of learningStrategic competence- strategy useReflexivity-being self-criticalA successful learning outcome-moving form

A-B NB The most effective language learners

use more strategies and more effectively. Graham 1997

A Good Task

Worthwhile A real context Appropriate  High transfer value Challenge - food for thought

My Bonnie lies over the ocean

My Bonnie lies over the oceanMy Bonnie lies over the seaMy Bonnie lies over the oceanOh bring back my Bonnie to meBring back, bring backOh bring back my Bonnie to me

to me!Bring back, bring backOh bring back my Bonnie to me!

Strategy Training The teacher’s perspective

Part of the lesson plan Teacher modelling Opportunities to practise Evaluation and critiquing Learner diaries - thinking about learning Thinking aloud and rehearsal Test-taking strategies - getting test-wise

Listen!!

Identify cognates and known expressions

Hold sounds in your head Write sounds down Paralingual clues and context

Read!!

Identify grammatical categories Informed guess (infer?) from the

context Use orthographic references Repeat efforts to decode

Speak!!

Keep it simple Use all purpose words ‘whatsit’

‘truc’ Circumlocution Mime, gesture, facial expression

Write!!

Use your favourite chunks Recycle what you have in front of

you Use resources Make it ‘fancy’

Being strategically competent - Be smart

Metacognitive – Thinking about the learning task e.g. self-monitoring

Cognitive – Interacting with the materials/task e.g. substitution

Social and affective strategies – Interacting with another person e.g. Pooling info or using affective control e.g. Reduce anxiety

Jabberwocky: a reflective task

Listen Look Imagine React Connect Reflect Consolidate Enjoy

In the town where I was bornLived a man who sailed the seaAnd he told us of his lifeIn the land of submarinesSo we sailed on to the sunTill we found the sea of greenAnd we lived beneath the waves in our yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine yellow submarine yellow submarinewe all live in a yellow submarineyellow submarine yellow submarine

And our friends are all aboardMany more of them live next doorAnd the band begins to playIn our yellow submarine We all live etc

As we live a life of easeEveryone of us has all we needSky of blue and sea of greenIn our yellow submarine We all live etc