Presentation for my paper contribution to the SITE conference 2013 in New Orleans

1. Exploring student teacher roles
in 3D world projects
in modern language and teacher education
SITE 2013 Conference, New Orleans
Ton Koenraad, TELLConsult
www.tellconsult.eu

2. 1990 – 2011 2011 – present
Hogeschool Utrecht TELLConsult
University of Applied Sciences Technology
Enhanced
Faculty of Education Lifelong & Language
Learning
2005

4. Presentation Contents
• 3D in Language education & teacher training:
• Educational context + 2 project cases
• Evaluations / Conclusions
• Future

5. Educational context
• Innovation of mainstream education:
introduction of activating, learner-centered pedagogy
• Introduction of competency-based curricula in Higher
and Vocational Education -- Partnerships to create
Learning Blends
• Modern Language Pedagogy:
- gradual adoption of task-based approaches
- introduction of CEFR-related curricula & national
exams
• Individualisation / heterogenity increases need for &
use of ICT-mediated materials and learning processes

6. The ViTAAL Project
PARTNERSHIP:
– 2 Secondary Schools:
PC College,
OSG West Friesland
– 2 Teacher Ed. Organisations:
Hogeschool Utrecht
Hogeschool van Amsterdam
– Educational service provider: CPS
– National Edu Networks:
Surfnet & Kennisnet

7. The ViTAAL Project
• R & D for 3 Activity Formats:
1. Language Village:
training & testing
2. Interactive narrative
LanguageQuest
3. Events and
Fun Activities

8. Format 1: Virtual Language Village
•Teachers
• Student
Teachers &
Trainers
•Fellow pupils
Pupils

9. IRL, what is Languagevillage | Langueville | Sprachstadt ?
• RL-simulation with
physical props as scenes
for everyday
communicative situations
• Teachers, native or
competent speakers take
on roles and/or assess.
• Target group at 2ndary
Schools: mostly beginner
to intermediate level
(CEFR: A1-A2)
• A school-based, yearly event.

10. Virtual Language Village
• Rationale:
More practice of oral skills
for RL language tasks
• Design principles
Blended approach:
- techer-led f2f sessions &
in-world sessions with fellow
pupils and student mentors
- using additional materials
alligned to textbook in use
- formative, in-world
assessments by student
teachers

11. Virtual Language Village: Organisation
• Production / Mentor Team
A’dam student teachers (n=18)
• Materials:
paper based prep. activities,
CEF Level A1-A2
194 pp.
• Participants
2 schools, 1 class each
Age: 13-14
Student teacher mentored
groups (size: n=3)

12. Format 2. LanguageQuest:
an interactive detective story

13. The Interactive LanguageQuest
• Rationale:
Enhance the WebQuest concept
using story development and
embedding ‘live’ interaction
• Design principles
- LanguageQuest design criteria
(Koenraad & Westhoff, 2003)
- Competitive pupil teams (n=5)
- teacher-coached f2f team
sessions & in-world meetings with
story characters (student mentors)
- formal assessment of interim
products & final team results by
teacher

14. Interactive LanguageQuest: Organisation
• Production / Actor Team
A’dam student teachers (n=7)
• Materials:
- Original storyline,
- CEF-based inputs & tasks
( A2 – B1)
- specifically designed LQuest
template
• Participants
- 1 school, 1 class
Age: 16-17
- 1st year student teachers
(n=7)

15. Evaluation & Research
General Focus: Feasibility
• Proof of concept for Learning Blend: learning
potential, added value, win-win?
• Mapping of conditions
• Materials & Activity design

16. Evaluation: Pupil perspective
• Interesting, nice change • Did and learned equally
little as in f2f lessons
• Spent more time than
usual after school hours • 3D world not very inviting
(looks, interactive facilities)
• Learned more:
- vocab, • Technical (voice) &
- talking about self, organisational problems
ordering things, giving (partner presence)
directions
• More awareness of: • extension of the virtual
- relevance of grammar / village needed: a wider
pronunciation for variety of shops.
communication
- personal knowledge & skills
gaps

17. Evaluation: Teacher perspective
• Pupils enthusiastic, more • More class-based
motivation & time on task, preparation time needed
less inhibition for online sessions
• More authenticity in • Success factors:
tasks, language use: - timely delivery & quality of
attention for accuracy prep materials
- operational technology
- teacher competences:
• More opportunities for classroom management, ICT-
differentiation & skills
independent work
• Allignment of class
• Enjoyed working with new activities with student
formats mentors agendas

18. Evaluation:
Student teacher perspective
• Great learning • Design task very time
opportunity: consuming
- designing materials
- getting peer-feedback on
design issues • Organisational
problems:
- pupil presence
• Practicing teaching - teamwork
skills:
- giving feedback to pupils • Technical issues:
- doing assessments - voice
- AW- interface skills

19. Evaluation:
Teacher educator perspective
• Great chance for • Collaboration with
linking theory to schools is vital
practice
• Current module is too
• Implementation of demanding: further
experiential learning phasing of curriculum
in teacher ed. content
• Critical trainer’s skills:
- coaching student
production teams
- personal ICT / AW
skills

20. (student) Teacher professional
development for SCMC-
(student)enhanced language teaching
Teacher professional
development for SCMC enhanced
and research
language teaching and research

21. NIFLAR project aims
• Exploring the added value of video-web communication
(VWC) and virtual worlds (VW) for the development of
intercultural communicative and competence in L2
Development of design principles for effective L2 tasks
in VWC and VW
• Learning Blend:
Focus on language learners AND student teachers

22. Task aims for language learners and
student teachers
• Enhancing FL intercultural communicative
competence (ICC):
 authentic and fucntional NS – NNS interaction
• Promoting pedagogical awareness on:
 Intercultural communicative competence
 Challenges and opportunities of VWC and/or VW
by participation in task design and action research

23. Student teacher roles
• task designers
• task implementers
• NS interlocutors
• researchers of task effects:
– on interaction
– on language development
– on intercultural development
– on motivation
• researchers of VLE-related challenges and
pitfalls

24. Examples of tasks developed by pre-service
teachers

25. Tasks in Second Life
Task 1
Brilliant people!
Brilliant people!
-pre-task & task
-pre-task & task
--NS& FLL
NS & FLL
Scenarios:
Scenarios:
--Participantsgo to an
Participants go to an
appartment: look around,
appartment: look around,
exchange info, watch pictures,
exchange info, watch pictures,
eat and drink
eat and drink
-Decide where to go: cinema,
-Decide where to go: cinema,
Valencia, museum
Valencia, museum
-Describe aabrilliant person
-Describe brilliant person

26. Meaningful interaction: task 1
Exchanging info Sharing info about pictures
about appartment
Example Clips

27. Evaluation pre-service teachers
• Use & implement SCMC-tools to enhance
authentic interaction
• Task design to promote ICC
• Greater awareness of problems learners face in
L2 communication
• Support learners using pedagogical strategies &
multimodal affordances of the specific
environment.

28. Some student research findings
1. task effects (CEFR grid):
+ on fluency and interaction
-- on accuracy
2. tool evaluation (surveys):
+ opportunities for authentic & functional interaction
-- technical problems (lag / voice quality)
3. teacher reflection (diary entries):
+ growth in task design, interaction & feedback skills
-- skeptical on opportunities for future teaching practice

29. More info on:
results, support & research
www.niflar.eu
www.euroversity.eu