Centro Colombo Americano,Bogotá
Abstract
This reflective article addresses the use of Internet tools to foster autonomous, collaborative and cooperative learning in teaching and learning English in an EFL context. Based on the experiences of the students of the Adult English Program of the Centro Colombo Americano, and the ones of several English teachers from public schools in Bogotá, who have taken training to improve their skills in classes offered as a result of strategic agreement between Única and Colegio Nueva Granada, some very useful web tools, that have been evaluated by both teachers and students, will be recommended in order to share the advantages of using these CITs (Communication and Information Technologies).
Key Words: autonomy, collaboration, cooperation, meta-cognition, Internet tools, self-regulation, self-efficacy
Resumen
Este artículo de reflexión trata sobre el uso de herramientas en la Internet para promover los aprendizajes autónomo, colaborativo y cooperativo en la enseñanza y aprendizaje del inglés en un contexto de enseñanza como lengua extranjera. Con base en las experiencias de los estudiantes del Programa de Inglés para Adultos del Centro Colombo Americano, y las de varios profesores de inglés de colegios públicos de Bogotá, que han recibido entrenamiento para mejorar sus habilidades en clases ofrecidas como resultado de un convenio estratégico entre Única y el Colegio Nueva Granada, se recomendará algunos sitios muy útiles, que han sido evaluados tanto por profesores como estudiantes, con el fin de compartir los beneficios de emplear estas TICs (Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación).
Palabras clave: autonomía, colaboración, cooperación, meta-cognición, herramientas de Internet, auto-regulación, auto-eficacia
Before the computer and the Internet started to be used systematically and periodically, the tools used were enough to teach English in the classroom. The people studying this foreign language attended classes on a regular basis in order to learn from an instructor, who used, of course, chalk and a board, and asked his or her pupils to use their textbooks and write words or sentences down in the notebooks. At that time, students could learn a lot, too. However, the opportunities to learn independently were scarce unless these people went to a bilingual library or did something on their own such as listen to pop and rock hits in a few genre-specialized radio stations or tapes, or watched movies on videocassettes.
Due to the fast development of digital technologies and the increasing number of quicker Internet connections, it is possible nowadays for almost any individual to log on to the Web in order to check his or her e-mail, keep in touch with others, do homework or study a foreign language like English at home. Nevertheless, it is not enough for a person to know that there are sites in which he or she can learn independently if there is no some type of training to use them successfully.
The acronym CALL, which stands for computer-assisted language learning is “the area of Applied Linguistics concerned with the use of computers for teaching and learning a second language” (Chapelle and Jamieson, 2008). Although it is clear learners study in a more formal setting such as a school or language center in a non-English speaking country like Colombia than if they were in the United States or the United Kingdom, it is also possible for them to learn autonomously in an EFL context by choosing and using appropriate Internet tools.
At the beginning, the use of CITs like computers and the Internet was not as formative as it is now. Today, due to the existence of online communities, the Web is where a lot of people’s interaction occurs, making them really social. Consequently, because of the popularity of social networks like Facebook and blogs such as Twitter and Blogger, the Internet has reached other dimensions, and its impact on daily life is unquestionable. A great number of users read e-mail messages in Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail, among others. Likewise, they watch videos in Youtube, and socialize very frequently in Facebook and other networks like My Space, Ning, and Grouply.
All of the aforementioned sites are not only a good way of meeting people, making “friends” or having fun. If they are used with academic or pedagogic purposes, they can serve as effective tools to maximize opportunities to study and learn English independently. Thus, if a learner uses them often and with a plan in mind or clear learning objectives, the chances to succeed in building up language skills and sub-skills can increase dramatically.
Through the constant use of Internet tools that have previously assessed by a user, either a teacher or a student, it is possible to become an autonomous learner who can cooperate and collaborate with peers so that they can learn from each other. For all of this to become a reality, it is necessary not only to have technological resources such as computers or access to the Internet, but also an open attitude and training that determines exploration, assessment, evaluation and report on outcomes.
Types of learning that can be enhanced through the use of Web Tools
These days, more than ever before, the emphasis given to autonomy, cooperation and collaboration in English teaching and learning make these three aspects key to allowing students learn to learn.
“Autonomy is the capacity to take control of one’s own learning” (Benson, 2001). Therefore, this capacity lets the learner set goals or determine objectives, define contents, choose a method and strategies, monitor progress and assess the process and the products or outcomes. A learner is autonomous provided that he or she is willing to keep learning on his or her own after a model or some guidance has been given. That is, an individual cannot be autonomous just by being required to be so. Instead, this person needs to be given clear instructions of what to do and how to achieve specific learning goals.
As Little, Sinclair and Ellis state “the students need to be trained to become autonomous” (cited by Vera, 1995). So, this implies efforts from the teacher to encourage his pupils to take risks and make decisions in order to keep learning autonomously once they have been presented with samples of tasks to do and tools to use to transfer what has been taught or seen in class to other contexts such as a language lab or home.
In regard to collaboration, David Nunan (1992) (as cited in Fandiño) claims that all the subjects involved in the teaching and learning process “…may wish to create an environment in which everybody teaches and learns from one another equitably.” Consequently, this environment can’t be threatening and has to be supportive. Teachers need to have a caring attitude and set the example by being autonomous themselves. Also, students need to have these qualities so that they can benefit from each other.
Collaborative learning is “based on constructivist principles since in this pedagogic practice learning is seen as a social act, where background knowledge is taken into account.” (Llano, 2007). Thus, learning is meaningful as long as the individual is able to connect what he has previously learned or is familiar with to new information and also skills. This integration of concepts and abilities makes it possible for a person to keep learning by himself or herself. When learners have the opportunity to share with their peers their views and work together in the pursuit of a common goal, they can all achieve a feeling of accomplishment, so they all know they are making progress.
“Cooperative learning is a type of instruction whereby students work together in small groups to achieve a common goal.” (Hammond, 2002). Due to time constraints or lack of tools or resources, a lot of people are not willing to work as a team, but more like a heterogeneous group in which each member does not have a specific role that really allows synergy or the accomplishment of common goals. It is not enough to assign roles without real engagement or involvement of all the members of a group, in which the teacher’s role is that of a facilitator, not only that of a monitor or evaluator.
Some Examples of Tools that Foster Autonomous, Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
Webquests are activities that are done using Internet resources that have been chosen previously by the teacher, so that the student can focus on the use of these resources instead of searching for them.
When working on a webquest, the students, autonomously, make decisions about how to contribute to looking for solutions to specific problems and have key roles to achieve these common goals. For instance, an English teacher can ask his or her pupils to work in small groups (teams) of maximum three members to work cooperatively on a webquest where the goal is to become an “expert tourist guide”.
To reach this goal, it is necessary each student takes a specific role: one of has to find out about the location of a given country and language spoken there; another student needs to find out about its weather and also about its flag and map; finally, the other member needs to look for information about its customs and sightseeing activities.
Likewise, the students are more autonomous when they are able to decide which information is more relevant to choose and use for the research and presentation. “WebQuests fit a student-centered syllabus that encourages pupils to develop autonomous learning.” (Luzón, 2002).
Cooperative work “is a way of teaching in which groups of students work together to solve problems and determine learning tasks.” (Hassard, 1990). These tasks have to be specific and be focused on a common but concrete goal. For example, the students can help to build a wiki, a platform that can be used to share findings and suggestions to develop and complete a project.
A wiki is an Internet site that can be edited by the members of a group. The students can add links, share ideas, and of course, benefit from one another. Thus, a wiki is a very good example of a Web tool that fosters cooperative learning. Being able not only to read what others think and write, but also to contribute by sharing insights provides an opportunity to learn from each other and support others.
A lot of students enjoy working in groups since they feel more comfortable and confident. Besides, they share responsibilities with their peers. In this type of interaction where there is cooperation, learners benefit from one another because they exchange ideas, make suggestions and come up with better products and results, all of which have been a consequence of their unified efforts.
In the book Reinventing Project-Based Learning (2007), written by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss, which offers educators a guide to maximize the benefits of Project-Based Learning in environments using CITs, it is recommended to use Twitter since it is a free service that allows to exchange tweets or short blog messages.
Nowadays, Communication and Information Technologies are being developed at a very fast pace, “which is influencing all fields of work and society; certainly, education is not an exception.” (Rosario, 2005)
Experiences at the Centro Colombo Americano and at Unica’s Teacher Training
In the Adult English Program and also on the Saturday Program of the Centro Colombo Americano, and the Reading Companion Training offered by Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana, Única, located in Bogotá, Colombia, several Web tools that promote autonomy, collaboration and cooperation have been used by teachers and students in order to support the learning process of this language in an our local context.
In the last years, teachers have asked their students to join online communities like Ning, Yahoo 360, Wall FM and Spruz, among others, to let these people keep learning by themselves, also out of class. The results have been positive since these students have been able to keep in touch with their teachers and classmates. Moreover, they have managed to get to know their peers better and have belonged to a learning community that goes beyond the walls of a classroom.
Additionally, students at the C.C.A. have been asked to join forum discussions and share their opinions and tasks in blogs. These blogs are usually features in social networks. Learners have been able not only to type or write their ideas, but also record their voices in sites like Chinswing and Voice Thread. Doing so has permitted them to familiarize with their own voices in English and also with the ones of their teachers and peers. Furthermore, they have had exposure to other accents.
The public school teachers who joined the Reading Companion training offered by Única as a way to help them improve their English skills while learning to use cutting-edge reading software in their workplaces with their own pupils, were asked to accept an invitation to be members of a free-of-charge social network (basic plan): www.grouply.com, in which the instructor added links to learning sites that foster autonomy, collaboration and cooperation among their colleagues.
The exact address to this group is http://readingcompanion.grouply.com/ and the site has embedded widgets and applications that have allowed its members not only to find out about their colleagues who work in other schools around the city, but also be in touch with the instructor and their peers in order to be informed about important news for the class. In addition, they have been able to help themselves with the meaning of new words by looking them up in a free online dictionary, which has been embedded in a tab and in the main page of their group.
Other web tools and sites that have been recommended like a page to learn the I.P.A. (International Phonetic Alphabet) and a site that converts text to speech can be found either in the home page or by clicking on some tabs at the top of the webpage.
Figure 1. Main Page of Reading Companion’s group in www.grouply.com
Figure 2. Other features of Reading Companion’s group in www.grouply.com
In the File tab in the main page of this site, these teachers have been able to familiarize with other useful web tools that make metacognition, self-regulation and self-efficacy possible.
Below there is a chart with some of the recommended English learning sites that these teachers have explored on their own outside the classroom. They are all free and fully functional.
Table 1. Web Tools that foster autonomy, cooperation and collaboration grouped according to skills
Figure 3. File tab: Downloaded document
Conclusions
After several years using various Internet Tools to encourage learners to be autonomous, students have reported having improved their English no matter they are not studying in a ESL context such as a country like the United States or England, since the frequent, guided and systematic use of these resources have allowed to work independently on difficult skills like listening, vocabulary and pronunciation as well as the other aspects of the foreign language.
Obviously, there have some problematic situations concerning slow Internet connections, use of third-party applications or add-ons like Java or Flash indispensable for the sites and widgets to work properly. More recent experiences have been even more successful due to the growing interest of students to explore the sites on their own in order to overcome these difficulties also autonomously.
Teachers willing to have their pupils use any of these tools to learn in an autonomous way and become more cooperative and collaborative with the peers, also need to explore the sites by themselves so that they can identify troublesome situations and have a clear picture of their use and advantages. Trainers or instructors should troubleshoot any problems before attempting to use them in a lab or recommending them to their students.
Finally, teachers need have clear objectives in order to choose a given tool so that success is guaranteed and students are not discouraged to check them out as a result of lack of planning when presenting them in a classroom that has to be provided with appropriate resources such as a TV, a computer, and of course, a good Internet connection.
References
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