Category Archives: Language Learning

Posts on language learning in general.

So.. what is OpAL

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OpAL, Open Access to Languages is a project born to make languages accessible to students of modern foreign languages within the context of the UK education. With this project we aim at providing language learning support materials to those who have already an  understanding of how languages work but may feel rusty or still insecure, and also to those who have never had experience of learning a second language. OpAL at present is divided into four modules: Grammar and Grammaring, The “many” Parts of Language, Using a Bilingual Dictionary and Online Translation Tools.

The thinking behind the project is that in HE we have many students who feel put off in some areas of language learning (for example: grammar) therefore they don’t even attempt to learn a new language. Students may consider grammar boring, or of no use whatsoever to learn a second language. They may not even be familiar with the grammar of their own native language. In order to break down barriers, we aim at explaining the process that occurs when a learner starts learning the language. And to make the jump from theory to praxis accessible we have enrolled the help of students of languages. Our students are the ones creating materials to explain grammatical areas, or materials on how to use online tools such as dictionaries. From our point of view they have the experience of learning – we have the experience of teaching. Now it is their time to share and prove that language learning is not an area to be afraid of!

The materials students create and share are simple, accessible tools that represent and prove that understanding the mechanism underlying any language is not difficult. Moreover,  understanding what the basic components of a language are, how to identify and use them appropriately, is an essential skill that will enable anybody to understand their own language better and to even feel capable to study a second, third or fourth language.

Happy language learning to all!

OpAL and PLanT

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Ayuko resized Ayuko Yamada

One of the aims of OpAL is to have students involved in the creation of materials. PLanT (Partnership in Learning and Teaching) has enabled three our students to participate in our project. Luke Bailey, Michelle Oritsejafor and Ayuko Yamada are students with plenty of experince in learning a second language. They have been planning and designing materials for other students to use.  Luke, Michelle  and Ayuko are involved in exploring the use of online dictionaries and translation tools. Here we have a picture of Ayuko showing us a draft of her presentation on using online dictionaries that will become part of our OpAL project.

Pilar Gray Carlos

 

Language learning, what motivates us?

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Language learning in the UK is a topic that has been gaining interest and exposure in the social, political and educational scene of the UK. A recent article (with the above title) published in The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/19/language-learning-motivation-brain-teaching explores motivation for language learning.

According to Professor John Schuman from the University of California (UCLA) the motivation to learn a primary language (what we generally call the mother tongue or native language) lies in the need a child has to interact with the person who looks after him or her. The relation between the need and the outcome of the need is clear. When applied to learning a second or third language that motivation changes.

Within the past 50 years two terms have been used to describe and categorise motivation for language learning: instrumental and integrative. Integrative refers to affective parameters “get to know, be with, interact and perhaps become like the speakers of the target language”. Instrumental relates to more pragmatic ones “fulfilling a school requirement, getting a job, getting a promotion in that job, or being able to deal with customers”.

Which one applies to the motivation to learn a second language? A combination of both instrumental and integrative motivation will lie at the heart of any choice. The reasons for learning a second language will be as varied and as individual as each learner.

As teachers in higher education we are often asked, “what is the most useful language to learn?” We often reply, “it depends on what you want to get out of it”. Students may balance their choices on strategic and pragmatic views for getting the most out of their university years. But in the end what makes their language learning experience successful and encourages them to carry on learning is the relationships they form with their fellow students and their tutors.

Creating an environment where students feel safe and nurtured is one of the challenges for any provider of second language teaching. That is an environment that needs both institutional and national support if we look into the alarming shortage of speakers of second languages in the UK.

In times of economic and financial difficulties one of the first areas in education to be cut is the area of languages. A wider effort is needed in the awareness that communication lies at the bottom of any human relationship. It is common sense, isn’t it? We need language to communicate; communication is what motivates a child to learn a primary language in the first place. Efforts by different organizations and initiatives have been and are taking place in the languages’ landscape of the UK. We have a combined effort undertaken at present to bid for a strong investment in attracting students to languages at university level. We have organisations funding projects and activities for language providers at university level to promote languages in schools. Is that enough? Will the attitude towards second language learning change?

As a non-native who has lived the past 20 years in the UK, I have seen many changes in attitude towards a variety of topics at social and cultural levels (“cultural” understood as the lifestyle of a community). When will the attitude to languages be one of these changes? We need expert graduates in modern foreign languages. We also need students with expertise in non-linguistic areas, who are capable of expressing themselves in a foreign language in a variety of social and work related environments. We need languages for all and, at all levels.

Pilar Gray Carlos