ICT in ELT Option

Tilly Harrison

University of Warwick

28th Jan 2011

Overview• Theoretical Issues (12.00 – 12.10)• Overview of Computer as Tutor - Behaviourism

(12.10 - 12.30)• Introduction to Hot Potatoes (12.30 -1.00)• Break (10 mins)• Quiz Creation (1.10 – 1.40)• Testing out and giving feedback on quizzes made

(1.40 – 2.00)

Stage 1970s–1980s: Structural CALL

1980s–1990s:Communicative

CALL

21st century:Integrative CALL

Technology Mainframe PCs Multimedia andInternet

English-teaching Paradigm

Grammar-Translation and Audiolingual

Communicative Language Teaching

Content-based, ESP / EAP

View of language Structural(a formal

structural system)

Cognitive (a mentally- constructed

system)

Socio-cognitive(developed in

social interaction)

Principal Use of Computers

Drill andpractice

Communicative exercises

AuthenticDiscourse

Principal objective

Accuracy And fluency And agency

The Three Stages of CALL (Warschauer, 2000)

Stage 1970s–1980s: Structural CALL

1980s–1990s:Communicative

CALL

21st century:Integrative CALL

Technology Mainframe PCs Multimedia andInternet

English-teaching Paradigm

Grammar-Translation and Audiolingual

Communicative Language Teaching

Content-based, ESP / EAP

View of language Structural(a formal

structural system)

Cognitive (a mentally- constructed

system)

Socio-cognitive(developed in

social interaction)

Principal Use of Computers

Drill andpractice

Communicative exercises

AuthenticDiscourse

Principal objective

Accuracy And fluency And agency

Computer Role TUTOR TOOL MESSENGER

The Three Stages of CALL + Benson’s Role of the Computer

Language Learning Context

What is learnt?Form

Functions

Four skills

Communication

Culture

TUTOR (rules)

TOOL (skills)

MESSENGER

Computer as Tutor

Focus on Form – Grammar

• Matching Exercises• Drills• Multiple Choice

– Vocabulary• Quizzes and gap filling• Electronic Dictionaries

– Pronunciation

Computer as Tool

Four skills– Reading – New literacies - hypertexts

• In the online era, to read is to interpret information and create knowledge from a variety of sources. (Warschauer 2001)

– Listening – Multimedia, audio examples– Writing – Word Processing, blogging, e-

mail

Computer as Messenger Culture

– Internet – encyclopaedic resource– key pals – international friends– Webquests – specific awareness raising tasks

Communication– e-mail – between peers, to teacher– CMC – more synchronous chat, talky-writing– Weblogs – both reflective and outward looking

Stage 1970s–1980s: Structural CALL

Technology Mainframe

English-teaching Paradigm

Grammar-Translation and Audiolingual

View of language Structural (a formal structural system)

View of learning Behaviourism (stimulus and response / conditioning / rewards / reinforcement)

Principal Use of Computers

Drill and practice

Principal objective

Accuracy

Computer Role TUTOR

Based on the Three Stages of CALL + Benson’s Role of the Computer

Stage 1980s–1990s:Communicative CALL

21st century:Integrative CALL

Technology PCs Multimedia andInternet

English-teaching Paradigm

Communicative Language Teaching

Content-based, ESP / EAP

View of language Cognitive (a mentally- constructed system)

Socio-cognitive(developed in social interaction)

View of learning Learners have different learning styles

Constructivism

Principal Use of Computers

Communicative exercises AuthenticDiscourse

Principal objective

And fluency And agency

Computer Role TOOL MESSENGER

Based on the Three Stages of CALL + Benson’s Role of the Computer

Behaviourism in the classroom

• Curriculum is a body of predetermined knowledge

• Content broken into parts (skills) and ordered from simple to complex

• Observation, explanation, activities and practice will result in learning

• Building the skills one by one will result in a coherent whole.

• Learners are passive, need external motivation and reinforcement

Computer as Tutor

Programmed Instruction• Small steps• Each step requires a correct response• Each step progresses to more

advanced work• Each learner works at their own pace• Good for details about language, not

communication

Behaviourism and CALL “a greater proportion [of CALL

applications] will be found on the behaviourist end of the continuum stretching toward a constructivist model.” (Beatty, 2003:90)

Criticisms of Behaviourism

• Assumes learner has no background knowledge

• Control of the learning process is with the teacher / computer

• Too simplistic for the complex process of language acquisition

• Focus on drills is boring and demotivating

Typical Behaviourist Activities

• Drills • Questions with prepared answers• Multiple choice quizzes• Gap filling• Matching• Any exercise where there is an ‘expert’ or correct

answer to reach.

Discussion

Are ‘behaviourist’ activities useful in the EFL classroom?

Discuss whether you would use any of the activities we listed and if so, how

you would integrate them into a communicative approach.