Agnes Kukulska-HulmeInstitute of Educational Technology
The Open University, UK
Beyond the Classroom Language Assistance is a Two-way Street
ICOFE 2015 keynote, Open University of Hong Kong
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Beyond the classroom:cities as environments for opportunistic, immersive and sustained language learning and communication practice
Learner-initiated or learner-led• Mobile experience capture - to research later, or to
discuss with teachers and others• Conversation practice using Skype in a café, chats
and blogs• Following mobile tours and experiences created
by other learners• Apps for language learning and practice:
vocabulary, pronunciation, story-telling…
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Mobile learners - crossing borders and cultures
• International students• Migrants• Global industry employees• Mediators, negotiators,
interpreters• Leisure travellers and tourists
… sometimes with their families
And increasingly, all learners
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Opportunities and challengesof learning in the city (including ‘smart cities’)
Why cities?
Complex and unpredictable environments Transportation systems; security incidents and safety issues; diverse services, employment and housing options; building works and pop-up facilities; shifting populations
Opportunities - but also challenges:
Ubiquitous interactions - but there are cognitive and ethical challenges
Content aligned to learner needs - but difficulties combining formal and informal learning
Cross-cultural encounters - but learners have to negotiate cultural differences
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(Informal, mobile) learning activities in the city
Observation and inquiry
Conversation practice
Translation on the go
Rehearsal e.g. for an interview
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situated
informal
incidental
playful
social
self-directed
mobile
experiential
contextual
What types of learning?
serendipitous
augmented
seamless
rhizomatic
ubiquitous
6Copyright Agnes Kukulska-Hulme 2015
What kinds of support or assistance are needed for informal mobile language learning in the city?
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Fifteen years ago: a “mentor” system to assist learning
Sharples, M. (2000) The Design of Personal Mobile Technologies for Lifelong Learning. Computers and Education, 34, 177-193
A mentor system can:
• act as a companion to a young learner • suggest ways of studying • provide long-term guidance on developing skills• act as a learning assistant in performing tasks or solving problems• store and abstract information from cases• support experiential learning…
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Considering types of learning assistance
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (chapter in press) Mobile Assistance in Language Learning: A Critical Appraisal, Handbook of Mobile Assisted Language Learning, eds. Palalas & Ally
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http://www.maseltov.eu (2012-15)
Developing a “mobile assistant”: a collection of integrated context-aware smartphone services for immigrants in
Europe
-> services: information, social support, navigation,language learning, translation, community building, cultural game
-> integrated through: a user profile, progress indicators, recommendations
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Cultural participation
• bureaucracy • health care• transport • points of interest • understanding of
local culture
• language practice • daily skills• skills for work
EducationSocial inclusion
• communication skills
• community inclusion
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Target learners
Recent immigrants, specifically:– those whose cultural background
differs greatly to the host country
Local residents: “…integration is a two way process of
mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents of EU countries…”
(European Parliament, 2005)
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Motivations and concerns - daily life, employment, use of mobile technology
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Experiences and incidents in different places in the city
Constraints
Hospital waiting room
“Please turn all mobile phones off whilst in this waiting area”
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Incidental language learning in the city
Incidental learning:
“unintentional or unplanned learning that results from other activities”
(Kerka, 2000)
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The Incidental Learning Framework
Outcomes
Social
Time
Tasks
Tools
Place
Learner’s journeyTi
me
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Learning journeys between home & city centre
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Physical journeys: purposeful or leisurely
Home
Shopping mall
Job Centre
Bus journey
POI
Bus journey
Bus stop
Planning
Language learning activity
Game
Info service
Info service
Translation tool
Walking
Social Interaction
Feedback
Reflection
Recommendations
Info service
Achievement/ rewards
Language learning activity
Social Network
ChildcareCentre
Emergency vocab.
PosterHelp Radar
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MApp: a range of services
Navigationguide
Serious game
Language learning
InformationresourcesFinding
local help
Social network
Translation
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Using the MApp: translation tool, language lessons, progress
Language learning activities
Photo of poster
Reflection on learning 20
Weekly survey: “Write 3 words or phrases to describe your experience of using the MApp”
A thread in the Social Forum on visiting the doctor
I am pregnant and you can imagine already :) using the MApp has been funny but productive… I am writing questions before I go and I will ask (the doctor) to speak slowly. Ha ha ha I will bring my mobile on the day of the birth!
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Duration of app use in seconds
Movements around the city
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0
45
90
135
180MApp90
Tim
e/m
inute
s
One participant’s use of MApp services
I have really liked the English course, it is very practical for the times when you have to use English for different occasions. It has helped me a lot .The second is the translation tool because now I take a photo of everything I don't understand and at that moment I know what it says
I have learned a lot more English language
I have learned to develop myself in different aspects of speaking English with the help of the course
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SALSA: Sensors and Apps for Languages in Smart Areas
Szkoła wyższa
AptekaRozkladjazdy
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http://www.open.ac.uk/iet/main/research-innovation/research-projects/salsa-sensors-and-apps-languages-smart-areas
Beacons
• Small, low cost devices broadcasting basic information
• A user’s mobile app can be enabled to look for the beacon’s transmission
• The app can notify the phone user of location-relevant content
The beacons are located on buses, in libraries, art galleries, shops etc. around Milton Keynes in the UK. 25
Social inclusion?Still the hardest part
realenglishspeaker.com
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One-direction assistance or a two-way street?
Asking for help = a common topic in language learning
Are we assuming learners are mainly recipients of help?
How much time do learners spend practising how to offer help to others in the target language?
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In summary… we should consider how we can:
• Find opportunities to harness incidental, unplanned, city-wide learning
• Help learners to engage with mobile, location-based, context-aware learning
• Connect formal and informal learning
Implications:• Rethink educational content, curricula and
learning management to reposition assistance as a two-way process
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References and Readings
Jarvis, P. (2006). Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Human Learning. London: Routledge.
Kerka, S. (2000). Incidental learning: trends and issues: Alert No. 18.http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED446234
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2013). Re-skilling Language Learners for a Mobile World. The International Research Foundation for English Language Education http://www.tirfonline.org/english-in-the-workforce/mobile-assisted-language-learning/re-skilling-language-learners-for-a-mobile-world/
Gaved, M., Jones, A., Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Scanlon, E. (2012). A citizen-centred approach to education in the smart city: incidental language learning for supporting the inclusion of recent migrants. International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence, 3(4) pp. 50–64. http://oro.open.ac.uk/36648/
Pearson, C., Gaved, M., Brasher, A., Jones, A., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Scanlon, E., Jones, J., Neumann, L. & Busta, M. (2014). Mobile Situated Language Learning. MASELTOV Deliverable Report 7.5.2. http://oro.open.ac.uk/42108/
Gaved, M., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Scanlon, E., Jones, A., Jones, J., Dunwell, I. & Lameras, P. (2013). Incidental Learning Framework. MASELTOV Deliverable Report 7.1.2. http://oro.open.ac.uk/39698/
Kukulska-Hulme, A., Gaved, M., Brasher, A., Jones, A., Scanlon, E., & Paletta, L. (2012). Designing for inclusion through incidental language learning. In: ICT for Language Learning (5th Edition), 15-16 November 2012, Florence, Italy. http://oro.open.ac.uk/35113/
Jones, A., Gaved, M., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Scanlon, E., Pearson, C., Lameras, P., Dunwell, I. & Jones, J. (2014). Creating Coherent Incidental Learning Journeys on Smartphones Using Feedback and Progress Indicators. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 6(4), 75–92. http://oro.open.ac.uk/42078/
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Agnes Kukulska-HulmeInstitute of Educational Technology
The Open University, UK
Twitter: agneskhPublications: http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/ak35.html
Thank you
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Beyond the Classroom Language Assistance is a Two-way Street