In the third of our 6 part ‘Cambridge Papers in ELT’ series, we focus on the ways we can help our students achieve effective English. Today’s research paper by Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme explores personalisation through mobile learning in English language teaching. Inspired by the pedagogical and linguistic insights in this research paper, English Language Tutor, Vanessa Pasini, discusses how we can personalise language learning through mobile technology.
I remember a time when I used to actively discourage the use of mobiles in the classroom. Thinking about that makes me feel like a bit of a dinosaur! Gone are the days when I assume any student looking at a mobile screen isn’t engaged in the lesson. Of course, some pupils might be quickly checking social media, but it’s important to remember that learners are just as likely to be using their phone as a tool to aid their learning as they are anything else. In this post, I’ll be looking at why mobile technology is useful in ELT. What’s more, I’ll also be looking at ways we can embrace mobiles and tablets as part of a language learning toolkit both inside and outside the classroom.
Why use mobile technology?
- Personalisation of learning
From an ELT perspective, this is the main point. Learners are able to manage when, where and how they learn as well as the content they access. This all works towards providing more control over learning, making it more motivating and rewarding. - Students take ownership of their own learning
This will encourage more learner autonomy and more active participation. - Learning continues beyond the classroom walls
The portability of this technology means that the real world, and specifically the world the learner lives in, becomes a learning opportunity. We can take learning out into this real world and learners can then bring their lives into the classroom via images and recordings. - Digital competence
It’s fairly safe to assume that most learners have access to technology and reliable wifi. This is not a given, though – you must remember that this is not always the case.
Making the most of phones inside and outside of the classroom
Using and taking photos
This isn’t exclusive to mobile technology, but it’s likely learners will have photos they’ve taken that they will want to share and talk about. I taught a group of art students recently and asked them to share photos of their work (to be used in a speaking practice to describe objects). Using an image of a personalised object meant that enthusiasm was high. Teaching the students lexis that they actively wanted and needed made the exercise more meaningful. The more meaningful the practice, the more retainable the information becomes. As a classroom activity, students can take photographs to illustrate language points (eg. idioms) and create storyboards. You could set a homework task that involves students’ capturing a “Day in My Life” via photos. In fact, I’ve used this when contextualising grammar points with my lower level classes. For example, tenses (“Yesterday I went to … I ate….”), qualifiers (“At 7pm I had finished work and I was sitting on bus”) and comparatives (“His garden is bigger…”).
Recording
Get your students to video record themselves speaking. It’s great for pronunciation because they can hear the way that they’re forming words. Recording group discussions or presentations gives them a chance to analyse their speaking skills. They can look at aspects of interaction, language and content. This is particularly useful for exam practice and my classes usually respond well to this.
Apps
Dictionary apps, grammar practice apps, vocabulary training… the list of available apps is endless. You could even set up a closed Facebook group for your class and have them collaborate and share work over there! I’ve been experimenting with apps such as Voki, which allow you to create avatars and feed them text to speak. This might be better for younger learners and helps them to integrate pronunciation into writing.
A few things to consider
It’s important to raise the issue of privacy and policy when photographing or recording students – always make sure that these are clear to everyone involved. There are lots of ways to incorporate mobile technology into the classroom. The technology isn’t the focus, the learning is. Use what you are comfortable with and make the technology work for you! Mobile technology isn’t without its problems and we assume that learners have access to technology and reliable wifi both inside and outside of the classroom. It’s important not to forget the digital competence of both learners and teachers – there’s room for a lot of support and professional development in this area… lead the way where you can!
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