Real or Virtual? Teachers’ reflections on the potential of iPads to transform pedagogy in Modern Foreign Languages

Author(s):

Linda la Velle(presenting / submitting)Janet Georgeson(presenting)Claudia Blandon Jane Horrell

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

16. ICT in Education and Training

Format:

Paper

Session Information

16 SES 03, Learning with Mobile Devices

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-02

17:15-18:45

Room:

B011 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Colin Harrison

Contribution

As part of a longitudinal project investigating MFL pedagogy in a secondary and primary school in Devon, UK and an all-age school in Galicia, Spain, we report here on teachers’ developing pedagogic content knowledge in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) using Apple i-pads with classes of 11-12 year old pupils. Along with other curriculum areas in the UK, MFL has benefitted from considerable resourcing in ICT. Although recent research has reported much lower adoption of iPads in MFL teaching than in other subject areas (Naace, 2012), social media provide ample evidence of vibrant online communities dedicated to the development of MFL m-pedagogy (Dale, 2013). However, it has been shown that in spite of sophisticated pedagogical thinking, transformation of the learning process is not straightforward, with or without ICT (Gray et al. 2007). The relationship between the pedagogy of a subject, the culture of the subject and the technology has been shown to be crucial to engendering quality learning (John and Sutherland, 2005).

Method

Researchers and teachers worked together to design interventions using specialist MFL i-pad apps, basing their planning on the ‘Padagogy Wheel’, (http://www.unity.net.au/allansportfolio/edublog/?p=324 ) which integrates a range of educational apps with the hierarchy of Bloom’s (1956) taxonomic model, updated for educational use of ICT (Churches, 2007). The wheel suggests a progression of pedagogic complexity from apps that provide substitution for other teaching strategies without any functional change; substitution with augmentation producing functional change in learning outcomes; modification of teaching strategy producing significant task re-design and outcome change and task redefinition in which enhanced learning outcomes become possible. Data collection has included questionnaires to track the attitudes and motivation for learning a MFL in both countries (N=317 (UK secondary school), N= 68 (Spanish all-age school)), surveys to investigate parents’ attitudes both to learning MFL and use of iPads, reflective conversations with teachers following classroom observations and discussing their reflective journals and finally focus groups with pupils about their experiences of different kinds of MFL pedagogy.

Expected Outcomes

We present here teachers’ reflections on the classroom interventions, including their views on the transformative power of ICT compared with the lived human experience of learning a foreign language in different cultural contexts. Previous research points to both the creative and rote-learning potential of ipads (Naace, 2012), as well as the interaction between self-motivation and competitive classroom culture, two aspects of pupil motivation that Bolster has highlighted as of particular importance in MFL (Bolster, 2009). Findings will also shed light on the importance of taking into account pupils’ previous experience of MFL and ways in which mobile technology, including personal devices, might help to compensate for different levels of knowledge, especially on transition between primary and secondary education in the UK context, and between peer culture and school culture attitudes to English in the Spanish school. We will also investigate whether the use of ICT in MFL lesson has potential to offer simulations of communication experiences (such as role play) in the same way that subject-specific apps in science and geography have been show to support learning previously gained only through lab work and field trips (Baggott la Velle et al. 2003; Poland et al. 2003.

References

Baggott la Velle, LM, McFarlane, AM and Brawn, R. (2003) Knowledge Transformation through ICT in Science Education: Ac case study in teacher-driven curriculum development. British Journal of Educational Technology 34 (2) 183-200 Bloom, B. S.; Engelhart, M. D.; Furst, E. J.; Hill, W. H.; Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Company. Bolster, A. (2009) Continuity or a frash start? A case study of motivation in MFL at transition, KS2-3 The Language Learing Journal, 27, 2 23-254 Churches, A. 2007, Educational Origami, Bloom's and ICT Tools Dale, J. 2013 The language of Twitter: the rise of MFL teachers online. The Guardian 7th February 2013. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/feb/07/twitter-language-mfl-teachers Carol Gray*, Rachel Pilkington, Lesley Hagger-Vaughan and Sally-Ann Tomkins (2007) Integrating ICT into classroom practice in modern foreign language teaching in England: making room for teachers’ voices. European Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 30, No. 4, November 2007, pp. 407–429 Peter John; Rosamund Sutherland (2005) Affordance, opportunity and the pedagogical implications of ICT Educational Review, 57(4): pp 405-413 NAACE (2012), The ipad as a tools for education - a study of the introduction of iPads at Longfield Academy, Kent. Online at http://www.naace.co.uk/publications/longfieldipadresearch. Poland, R. Baggott la Velle, LM, and Nichol, JD. (2003) The Virtual Field Station (VFS): using a virtual reality environment for ecological fieldwork in A-level biological studies. British Journal of Educational Technology, 34 (2) 215-232

Author Information

Linda la Velle (presenting / submitting)

Plymouth University

Plymouth

Janet Georgeson (presenting)

Plymouth University, United Kingdom

Claudia Blandon

Plymouth University, United Kingdom

Jane Horrell

Plymouth University, United Kingdom

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