Session 5: Study Case in ID Field (3) (Lecturer: Sachi Takahashi)

[Research Themes]

My current research themes are shown below. Most of them are on-going as part of my work.

(1) Analysis of learners' property in CALL
(2) Design and development of materials for learning foreign languages based on the frameworks of
Story-centered Curriculum (SCC) and Problem/Project Based Learning (PBL)
(3) Construction of an English competency list for assessment

    The research theme above mentioned as (1) aims at building appropriate teaching strategies for learners with different learning styles and motivation, based on the data analysis of learning time and grades as well as of questionnaires on learner's property.
    The theme above mentioned as (2) aims at designing and developing e-Learning materials using the learner-centered methods such as SCC and PBL in which learners can be self-directed as well as mutually cooperative with other learners. E-Learning materials for learning foreign languages are usually intended for individual learning, but task-based learning and collaborative learning get more and more remarkable for assessing learner's competence or performances.
    For further information about SCC and PBL, please see the following web pages.

SCC (Story-centered Curriculum)
PBL (Problem Based learning) @ Wikipedia
PBL (Project Based learning) @ Wikipedia

Finally, I shall explain the theme above mentioned as (3). Recently there has been a movement among Japanese universities to standardize the descriptions of language skills and scales for assessing skills, based on the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment” (CEFR) established by the Council of Europe. Also in Kumamoto University, we have been developing the English competency list based on the CEFR standards. Another well-known approach has been made by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, and Assessment):
European standards for describing foreign language ability in the form of can-do statements: There are six levels; the lowest is A1, then A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

ELP (European Language Portfolio):
One of the CEFR projects: It contains Language Passport, Language Biography and Dossier.http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/portfolio/default.asp?l=e&m=/main_pages/welcome.html (broken link)

DIALANG (Diagnostic Language Test):
One of the CEFR projects: Free online self assessment tests of language ability are available. Performances are assessed in five areas such as vocabulary, grammar, writing, reading and listening based on the CEFR levels, and advice for learning is provided after the self assessment tests. http://www.dialang.org/project/english/ProfInt/index3.htm (broken link)

ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) guidelines:
American standards for describing foreign language ability in the form of can-do statements for academic institutions: Each skill (listening, reading, speaking and writing) has ten levels.

    There are many e-Learning materials for foreign language learning, especially for English learning, developed by private firms and educational institutions. The developers of those materials often worry about the difficulties in applying theories into the development and conducting appropriate assessments.
    I would like you to analyze one e-Learning material for learning foreign languages you are now using or you have used in the past, or the best-selling material. What do you think learners can achieve when they complete the material?
    Through the survey of the existing E-Learning materials, you may be able to understand the tendencies, learners' needs and problems we should solve.