Bringing Foreign Language Bringing Foreign Language Learning into Students’ Real Learning into Students’ Real

Lives: Building Facebook-based Lives: Building Facebook-based Online CommunityOnline Community

By Li Jin, Ph.D. By Li Jin, Ph.D.

Department of Modern Languages

Foreign Languages Foreign Languages Teaching ApproachesTeaching Approaches

Grammar-Translation ApproachGrammar-Translation Approach

Audio-lingual Approach Audio-lingual Approach

Communicative Approach Communicative Approach Total Physical ResponseTotal Physical Response

Task-based / Functional-Notional Task-based / Functional-Notional

Computer-assisted Language Learning Computer-assisted Language Learning

2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference 22

Computer-mediated Computer-mediated Communication & Foreign Communication & Foreign

Language LearningLanguage LearningCMC enhances second language CMC enhances second language acquisition: notice of form, participation acquisition: notice of form, participation and production, pragmatics, cultural and production, pragmatics, cultural sensitivity, learning strategies sensitivity, learning strategies (Wauschauer, 1997, 2000);(Wauschauer, 1997, 2000);

CMC supports zone of proximal development (Thorne, 2002)

CMC provides a relaxing and flexible learning environment and supports real-time communication in the target language.

332009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Remaining Issues in CALLRemaining Issues in CALL

Class project-based Class project-based Lack of autonomyLack of autonomy

Lack of authenticity Lack of authenticity

Limited exposure to language input Limited exposure to language input

Limited chance to produce the target Limited chance to produce the target languagelanguage

Limited teacher’s involvement & supervision Limited teacher’s involvement & supervision

Free communicationFree communicationLack of structureLack of structure

Lack of learning objectivesLack of learning objectives44

2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Facebook PhenomenonFacebook Phenomenon

175 million active users worldwide 175 million active users worldwide

Multiple language platforms

Support personal profiles, status, photos, messages, chat, various groups & events

Important social networking tool: keep connected, less formal than email and less intimate than phone and text, prompt responses

552009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Context of the ProjectContext of the Project

An urban university: students live on or off An urban university: students live on or off campus; most have part-time jobs and campus; most have part-time jobs and maintain a busy daily schedule; maintain a busy daily schedule;

Beginning-level Chinese classes: 5 out of 25 are Cantonese heritage speakers;

The majority of students are active Facebook users: 14/22 check Facebook at least once a day; all but one use Facebook to get connected with friends.

Majority of students have foreign friends on Facebook, but mainly use English to communicate

662009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Facebook ProjectFacebook Project

DePaul Chinese Learning Group on Facebook

Learning TasksGroup wall posts (3~5 times/week)

Share videos, pictures, links

Events

Get feedback from the Instructor and revise

Peer revision

Rules10-week projects

All Chinese 77

2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Project ResultsProject Results

Total group wall posts: 444 Total group wall posts: 444

Videos posted: 6

Pictures posted: 65

Links posted: 4

Events announced: 3

Communication with the instructor & classmates: students added classmates & the instructor as friends, post Chinese on each other’s walls, Chinese status

882009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Facebook-based Learning Facebook-based Learning CommunityCommunity

formed the identity of Chinese learners formed the identity of Chinese learners through shared experience and interaction on through shared experience and interaction on the Facebookthe Facebook

Added friends and formed offline learning groups

Declared learning experience on Facebook status & posted status in Chinese, e.g. “Blas is 学中文” ;

Commented on each other’s status in Chinese;

Posted learning resources in personal profiles

992009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Learners’ Perception:Learners’ Perception:AdvantagesAdvantages

Used Chinese for practical purposes Used Chinese for practical purposes (update status, describe daily life);(update status, describe daily life);

Had to think of and use Chinese more frequently;

Prompt responses from classmates and the instructor;

Support from the instructor (message & chat)

Relaxing environment

10102009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Learners’ Perception:Learners’ Perception:DisadvantageDisadvantage

Group wall posting was too artificial, Group wall posting was too artificial, lack of structurelack of structure

Facebook is too distracting

No chance to practice speaking

Too few native speakers were involved

Anxiety about errors on the group wall

11112009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Bringing Chinese Learning Bringing Chinese Learning into Students’ Real Lifeinto Students’ Real Life Authentic purpose: Learning Chinese by using it communicatively;

Updated status in Chinese

Communicated with each other & instructor in Chinese

Shared fun cultural resources with each other;

Authentic and Rich Language Input: Exposed to larger vocabulary and more varieties of structures;

Exposed to more language learning resources;

Authentic Language Output:Writing in Chinese (vocabulary & structure);

Fluency 1212

2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Pedagogical ImplicationsPedagogical Implications

Maintain the group and nurture the Maintain the group and nurture the formation of identityformation of identity

Synchronous (chat ) vs. asynchronous (status update, discussions, video contests) activities for different proficiency level

Encourage students to organize off-Facebook events

Integrate Facebook cooperation in various course projects

Invite native speakers to the online community

13132009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Pedagogical ImplicationsPedagogical Implications

Instructor’s rolesInstructor’s rolesModerator: create and organize events, Moderator: create and organize events, maintain information flow, coach student maintain information flow, coach student group leadersgroup leaders

Resource: language and culture input, Q & A Resource: language and culture input, Q & A sectionsection

Friend: status update/comments, wall Friend: status update/comments, wall posting, pictures, chat posting, pictures, chat

14142009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

Final ThoughtsFinal Thoughts

Foreign language learning can be Foreign language learning can be seamlessly integrated in students’ daily seamlessly integrated in students’ daily life through Facebook; life through Facebook;

The existence of an online community provides great support for students with more learning difficulty and help students form the identity of Chinese learners/users and reduces the anxiety of learning a difficult foreign language;

The community members’ relationship is vital to maintain the community.

15152009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning 2009 DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning ConferenceConference

1616

Should you have any question, please contact Dr. Li Jin at ljin2@depaul.edu.