Bildungswissenschaft/LANCELOT

1. Introduction

This paper reports the concept development and evaluation results from the project LANCELOT (LANguage learning with CErtified Live Online Teachers). In LANCELOT a training program on live online language training is developed. This training program covers technical, methodological and intercultural aspects of live online language training. Concepts for the use of current online communication technologies, for suitable language teaching methods and for the consideration of intercultural aspects of live online language training are developed within the project. The concepts are combined in the training program by using an innovative pedagogical concept for online teaching and learning, the Wehttp://www.lerndorf.de/know/index.cgi?thema_id=-1b-Didactics. The concept of Web-Didactics is used to integrate methodological, technical and intercultural aspects within the training program. Intercultural Ascpets are necessary for language teaching in online environmentzs due to the inernational nature of the expecte audience. New methods

2. Background

In recent years numerous new technologies were developed which opened up new opportunities for innovative language teaching and learning. However, there is a lack of training programmes for language teachers which take into account the range of possibilities that these new tools have to offer. The LANCELOT training course has developed a teaching programme to meet the rising demand for adopting language teaching methods to the new synchronous online environments taking into consideration technological possibilities and intercultural aspects.

2.1 Tools in online teaching and learning

Synchronous online interaction is not solely dominated by teacher-led activities, but can take the form of numerous ways of communication which can be found in a physical learning environment. Jonathan Finkelstein (2006) defines the following five functions which are served by synchronous online settings: instruction, collaboration, support, socialisation and informal exchange, as well as extended outreach.

This is enabled by a wide range of tools, both synchronous and asynchronous, which can be applied in online language teaching and learning. Apart from the web conferencing environment which lies at the centre of synchronous online teaching and learning, other asynchronous and synchronous tools are used to support and guide the learning process. These tools include forums, instant messaging, voice over IP, email etc.

blahblah -> New tools raise new demand for language teaching methods and teacher qualifications. (Finckelstein/Salomon)

2.2 Language teaching methods (Hanna)

How do these tools affect well-established teaching methods? vocabulary, grammar, listening skills, .... blahblah

Teaching in online environments using new tools with well established teaching methods raises new tasks for teachers who become facilitators who focus on supervision and coaching.

2.3 Supervision and coaching (Kathi)

New tool raise demand for new teacher role: Beside teaching a language supervision and coachgin of learners becomes necessary. Current concepts show: .....

Single aspecsta re covered, but not integrated into one convincing concept

2.4 Web-Didactic-concept for integration (Christian)

One of the aims of didactical knowledge organization is adjusting content to media. Adjusting content to media has been a challenge for didactical theory since Gutenberg invented printing. Comenius, one of the founders of didactical theory, has already reflected Gutenberg’s invention in 1657. Comenius described books as an innovative technology and an important medium for teaching that allows us to not only improve tuition, but also offer new forms of learning, and help the lower classes. In spite of the fact that schoolbooks have been well established within our culture, educational films are still developing and computer technology has only just started.

Today’s task was posed by Heimann in 1976, who questioned how aims, content, media and didactical models could be combined and incorporated. Whilst Heimann focused on the content we focus on the medium computer technology. Under the assumption that computer technology is here to stay, we must now inevitably query how knowledge can be organized and communicated through this medium. How do we consolidate this knowledge and apply it to education?

As Meder (1998) and Swertz (2000) demonstrated in a theoretical analysis of the media structure of computer technology, this medium requires offering individual paths through content to learners in a reflective way, thus requiring teachers to produce individually navigable hypertexts. Individualization does not mean offering “pure” self-directed learning, as learning presupposes instruction by others. We have to aid teachers in reorganizing knowledge to hypertexts that allow for individual navigation. Supporting learners in finding their individual path is also a crucial factor.

In light of these considerations, Web-Didactics was based on educational theory (Hönigswald 1927), knowledge organization theory (Buder 1991) and traditionally successful didactical models (Flechsig 1996). The analysis highlighted two key problem areas from the learner’s perspective.

We have to offer navigational aids allowing the learner to move around efficiently. We have to offer a variety of didactical models.

Web-Didactics solves these two tasks by a didactical ontology. This ontology uses vocabulary which may be used as an aid for navigation as well as a metadata system. Such a system allows for an automatic rearrangement of content according to varied didactical models. By offering the metadata system and the didactical models to authors, they are simultaneously supported in producing high quality content for learning. Another advantage is the element of quality assurance. This becomes simple as the material can easily be evaluated against the metadata. What does this ontology look like?

The Web-Didactic ontology consists of a local hierarchy being placed in a network topology. The local hierarchy consists of three layers: Media Units, Knowledge Units and Learning Units.

Media Units are in matters of size defined by the medium used. Every Media Unit is typed with their media type. Web-Didactics therefore offer an ontology of didactical media types. Knowledge Units consist of one or more Media Units having the same knowledge type. Web-Didactics offer an ontology of didactical knowledge types. Learning Units consist of one or many Knowledge Units having the same topic. The topics are organized as a thesaurus and connected with typed relations. Web-Didactics offer an ontology of relation types. The typed relations make up the topology.

The metadata, which will be presented in the complete report in detail, may be used as a navigation aid for learners as we have illustrated in our prototype “InLearn” on http://www.lerndorf.de. Our research has shown that learners understand the metadata as a navigational aid without further explanation and use them to find their individual paths through the knowledge network efficiently.

While the navigation aid is already available, the automatic rearrangement of content to chosen didactical models still awaits implementation. Which software architecture would be the best to fulfil this task?

To arrange content according to didactical models, Web-Didactics offer models on all layers of the hierarchy:

• Media models are applied to media types (e.g.: from concrete to abstract)
• Micro models are applied to knowledge types (e.g.: example based learning)
• Macro Models are applied to relation types (e.g.: learning by concentric circles)

These models are connected to the metadata, thus building a consistent ontology. For example, if exemplary based learning is chosen as the Micro-Model, Knowledge Units typed as Example will (amongst others) be used in the sequence. This shows at the same time how authors are supported; if they want to offer certain models they will know which knowledge types to produce from the ontology.

The current challenge that research is facing is to represent these didactical models in a way that allows computer technology to apply the models to the metadata. These tasks concern several considerations:

Didactical specialists constructed didactical Models. Unfortunately, didactical specialists often lack understanding of computer technology and programming skills. Learning material often reveals inconsistencies, which prohibit a clear sequencing decision. Learning material often has incomplete structures that can easily be handled by teachers, but become a serious problem for computer technology.

How can didactical models be represented? Possible architectures are logical knowledge representation, procedural knowledge representation and semantic networks. The use of logical representation was already tried in the Project “L3” (Ehlers et. al. 2003). Within L3, only hierarchical models were represented, and the implementation could only work on complete and consistent graphs. L3 proved that it is possible to represent didactical models with logic but it also exposed limitations. This model was far from an acceptable working code of practice. Since the didactical specialist was not able to modify the representation and any changes made to the representation caused many unforeseen changes in the software.

3. Main Focus of the Chapter

3.1 Learning objectives for language trainers

3.1.1 Language teaching methods (Hanna)

A central question in using these new tools for language teaching is which language teaching methods can be applied in live online teaching environments. In answer to this question, the LANCELOT course integrates well-established language teaching methods with new tools to serve as a case study for the course participants which were then put up for discussion. Being experienced language teachers they were thus able to develop competencies to design their own individual teaching scenarios for a live online environment.

The methodology strand of the LANCELOT trainee course does not depend on a particular teaching approach, but intends to enable experienced language teachers to transfer the methods they are familiar with and which they use in their own classroom teaching (e.g. Communicative Language Teaching, Grammar-Translation Method, Audio-lingual Method) to the live online environment. It does, however, support reflection and, consequently, the further development of those teaching methods which the teachers use routinely by giving examples of how these traditional teaching methods can be applied in connection with the new tools. Subsequently, the trainees are invited to discuss these examples, developing thus their own individual concepts of live online language teaching.

Typically, these case studies will show how the familiar concepts to any language teacher, such as promoting listening skills or correcting errors in spoken language, can be transferred to the live online environment. Examples are given both in a written and in an audio-visual form.

This example and activity oriented strategy is fostered by the Web-Didactics in that it offers knowledge types for examples, tasks, case studies, and lesson observations.

3.1.2 Tool recommendation

Unlike the methodology-related knowledge, tools application in a live online environment is not an area of expertise of the typical LANCELOT trainee. The LANCELOT course aims thus at providing knowledge needed for a well-informed decision on which tools should be used ideally in which situation. This includes detailed information on which tools are available, where and how they can be obtained, as well as a detailed description of their features.

Therefore, the knowledge conveyed in the technology strand is decision-oriented. The Web-Didactics system supports this by providing knowledge types such as description, checklists, how to, tools and glossary.

3.1.3 Intercultural aspects

Intercultural knowledge is particularly important for language teachers in a live online environment, as this medium independent from local meetings and favours international, i.e. intercultural, groups.

In order to be able to encounter difficulties typical for intercultural communication, the LANCELOT teachers reflect their own cultural background and how they are influenced by it. This approach is based on the assumption that “people who know themselves better will know their culture better and, as a result, will be more competent in other cultures” (Asli, LB4). These reflections are embedded in detailed theoretical knowledge and are divided into the following areas:

• knowledge
• attitude
• respect
• interaction
• awareness
• role behaviour

Web-Didactics enables this self-reflective approach by providing the following knowledge types: reflection, how to, task, and explanation.

3.2 Integrating the three strands with the LANCELOT methodology (Christian)

Integrated concept of new demands for language teachers: An example for the Web-Didactics is shown in screenshot 1. The screenshot shows a beginners lesson that was conducted using one of the language teaching methods developed in the project. The live online language teaching was held using an online videoconferencing system. The lesson was recorded. This recording is used in the LANCELOT trainer course as a scenario. Language trainers watch the scenario as an example for teaching languages online. To support language trainers in developing their own live online language teaching skills the scenario is combined with instructions on how to set up beginners lessons (“How To” in the screenshot) and a task where language teachers are asked to reflect on the connection of the given scenario with their own language teaching practice (“Writing Exercise” in the screenshot). “How To” and “Writing Exercise” are didactical knowledge types from the Web-Didacticm which offers an ontology of didactical knowledge types. With these knowledge types an example and acticity oriented learning strategy is set up in the methodological strand of the LANCELOT training. Since the LANCELOT strands are produced by people from different cultures each of the methodological, the technological and the intercultural strand uses different learning and teaching methods. Thus the Web-Didactics is used to model intercultural differences in teaching and learning. Through this concept intercultural differences are covered in the course and at the same time the course gives an example on considering intercultural differences. The same reflective concept is used in the technological strand. Links in the screen pages where language teaching methods are covered refer to specific online tools. In the screenshot links to tools which are suitable to introduce new languages to beginners were provided. Beside videoconferencing other live online tools, like voice over IP, instant messaging, screencasting, collaborative browsing etc. are covered. At the same time these tools are used within the training. Thus the usage of the tools is reflected. This way trainers learn how to teach online by being taught online. These experience are reflected and used for own teaching. This indicates a teaching and learning model we developed within LANCELOT: 1.Language teachers participate in an online teaching with a certain tool, for example: an icebreaker activity with macromedia breeze. 2.In the second step language trainers reflect this usage and think about their own experiences as participants in this activities. This reflection takes place during the live online session. 3.In the third step language teachers access asynchronous teaching material with backgrund informations on the teaching method, the tools and intercultural aspects (see the screenshot for an example). 4.Than they develop their own teaching strategy in a peer to peer activity, that is: they meet live online with other learners and develop a short teaching sequence. 5.In the last step the language teachers perform their teaching example in the online classroom with the respective tool. The teaching example is reflected by peers and the trainer. The usage of this reflective strategy is currently evaluated in an online course with 24 participants (http://www.lerndorf.at/lancelotcourses/). The evaluation shows that the reflective strategy works very well. Participations are successfully activated and did build a strong learning community. Problems occur for single learners with the online tools used and with the planned learning time.

3.3 Assessment strategy

Development portfolio - participation

3.3 Trainer skills in a virtual environment: Supervision and Coaching (Kathi)

Within the LANCELOT course trainees learn how to teach (live) online while being taught live online and in an online learning environment. They learn how to use new tools and learning environments for teaching while being taught throughout and in them. These circumstances make it necessary to evolve an new role of the trainer. The trainer becomes a facilitator - first introducing the learning environment(s), helping establishing a group process, forcing the group communication process, implementing the learning process and forcing the development of the new role as alive online teacher.

This role of the trainer as a facilitator is complex. Therefore in the LANCELOT train the trainer program three methods are introduced: Firstly the method of e-moderation, developed by Gilly Salmon (cite: Salmon 2001), was adapted for the needs the LANCELOT course is demanding. This method provides the background for the trainers to establish the communication-process and to guide trainees through their first steps in the LANCELOT course, supporting them finding their way through the new learning environments.

Secondly the trainer acts as a teacher under new circumstances having been described above. He or she first shows a new tool and how it can be used for teaching and then forces the trainees to reflect on this teaching scenario. This reflection-process is being initiated by the trainer with the help of supervisional strategies, called the LANCELOT-Method of Supervision. This method offers the possibility to help trainees developing their own way of teaching live online and finding their own role of the live online teacher.

Thirdly the trainer comes to support trainees in their learning process, to encourage them to go on learning, managing their time or establishing an environment of intercultural awareness. Therefore the concept of coaching was adapted for the special needs of the LANCELOT course, conveying coaching-skills to the LANCELOT trainer.

3.4 Evaluation

Formative Evaluation strategy problems: workload, unclear tasks, unsuitable forum, successful: p2p – activities, general setup (lancelot methdoology), tools Report with citations

4. Future Trends

We expect an increasing usage of onlline tools in language training.

5. Conclusions and recommendations

Concept successful, published as Creative Commons material, open for public use. Reccomondation: Use the material and talk about it!

Literature

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