Training L2 Teachers for Europe 2020 - TESOL-SPAIN



Training L2 Teachers for Europe 2020

Trinidad Jerez Montoya

Centro de Profesorado “Luisa Revuelta”, Córdoba

Abstract

According to Europe 2020 - the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade - digital skills are a top requirement for teachers who intend to teach students belonging to a new generation of digital natives. Proper training and subsequent effective use of technical devices such as the Interactive Whiteboard will enable the activation of scaffolding techniques, essential for bilingual education. Learning content through L2 can be a challenge for students who do not have multimedia and visual support. Using IWBs, tablets and mobile phones as instruments to reproduce web and mobile education applications in foreign language lessons is the key to move into actual L2 Flipped Classrooms.

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Introduction.

Since the arrival of Interactive Whiteboards (IWB from now onwards) in our classrooms five years ago, we have witnessed varied responses from teachers, principals and stakeholders. IWBs are expensive and didactically powerful devices which should be made the most of, as an effective usage proves to have excellent results in terms of methodology and assessment implementation. Against the backdrop of early technology provision at schools, Beauchamp and Parkinson (2005) commented that “IWB comes with its own specific software, which presents a challenge as another new application to master but, more importantly presents opportunities to staff and pupils”.

IWBs are the third most-widely used device, after students´ computers and their own mobile phone. However, it would seem that it is not always the case that interactive whiteboards add value to both content and language lessons. Being an empowering tool, poor maintenance and incorrect training decisions, have resulted in a widespread limited use of its functionalities. Software tools, focusing attention, scaffolding learning, changes in pedagogy (notably the change in pace of lessons and transitions between different part of the lessons) and problem-solving are some of the extra things that the whiteboard can offer.

L2 and content teachers should receive proper training in order to fully integrate content, technology and methodology, starting from novice Smartboard use and progressively moving into what has been termed exemplary level. Along the following lines, an analysis unfolds of the four-stage route that teachers should traverse in order to successfully integrate current technology in CLIL lessons.

Technology, content and language integration within the European Framework.

According to Europe 2020 - the European Union growth strategy for the coming decade - digital skills are a top requirement for teachers who intend to teach students belonging to a new generation of digital natives. According to Prensky (2010), teachers are considered digital immigrants and they are faced with the challenge of covering the gap between their digital skills and students´ native abilities. In most cases the distinction is not so clear. In fact, many “natives” limit themselves to poor uses of mobile and computer devices, as applications and accessed social networks become just a source of entertainment.

The European ICT Survey (2013) acknowledges the importance of new technologies for increasing school results but there is not sufficient concluding evidence regarding this cause-effect relationship. Current research proves that technology does not reinvent teaching methods, but rather only expands its possibilities. In this light, TPACK is a research line that focuses on proving the advantages of a combined approach to Educational Technology. At the heart of the TPACK framework is the complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK), and Technology (TK).

True technological integration entails understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher who is capable of negotiating these relationships acquires the ability to integrate the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Mastering these three skills requires a well-defined and effective lifelong training route and a proper context of technologically well-equipped schools where teachers can enhance the interplay and reach powerful didactic conclusions from teaching practice.

Language teachers displaying CLIL methodology can be said to seamlessly turn this pedagogical content knowledge into IPACK. Diane Tedick (2012) has coined the term to refer to this integrated mindset that content and language teachers working in highly technological bilingual settings have already acquired through intensive and careful proactive planning. Interactive whiteboards and its add-ons have greatly favoured integration for the last five years.

CLIL approaches to education allow for the use of technologically-supported tasks that revolve around higher order thinking skills. Bloom's taxonomy becomes a stronghold for the teacher that effectively uses a Personal Learning Environment and leads him/her into a fully-fledged classification of tools (Digital Curation Toolbox) according to their functionalities to promote interaction, sharing, collaboration, filter and information transfer.

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An example of PLE: A threefold classification of tools

This is just an example of the possible classifications available. Every teacher should reflect upon their own teaching practice and design a PLE where most useful tools are gathered. They are frequently updated over time, following the requirements of innovation in education.

Edshelf is a website that allows for a well-informed selection of tools after careful consultation with education experts. Highly recommended tools are the ones that prove useful, especially in those cases in which thinking skills are at play: classifying, defining, ordering, reasoning or evaluating, to name just a few. Proper lesson design hinges on HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) and LOTS (Lower Order Thinking Skills) question sequences which every teacher should be able to monitor. Flipped lessons are characterized by this ability on the part of teachers to indirectly guide lesson advances, making the most of students´ prior knowledge of content made available for them through multimedia online platforms such as Edmodo .

Flipping the classroom through video recording is another possibility. Khan Academy , a free online education platform, offers access to video lessons teaching a wide range of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and sciences. Video watching is reserved for out-of-the classroom time, whereas actual discussion and feedback on most relevant issues is carried out within classroom teaching time. There are also other resources to offer students additional support outside the classroom or to free up class time for hands-on learning.

A taxonomy of tools and resources to develop Language and Thinking Skills.

Dale & Tanner (2012) describe six stages a balanced CLIL lesson might follow in order to deal with language, skills and content in an integrated way. Along these stages, thinking and language skills can be seamlessly promoted, either by means of graphic organisers or mind the gap strategies in the case of Guiding Understanding Stage.

Activating: Guessing the lesson (Wordle), researching the lesson (Pinterest) and word wall (Padlet).

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Word clouds work as an effective tool for achieving understanding. Online software allows for real-time brainstorming sessions by creating writing desks with varied templates, shapes and colours, such as in .

Guiding Understanding: Graphic Organisers (Popplet), Mind the gap (Learnclick) and Skinny and fat questions and thinking skills (Smart).

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Popplet is another web and tablet tool (available for iOS and Android) commonly used for brainstorming. It is available in a free ‘lite’ version for classes, runs on standard web-browsers and students can publish maps or embed them on a website or blog.

Focus on Language: Mind maps (Mindmeister), Personal vocabulary file or glossary (Quizlet) and Word stories (Pixton).

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The latest research on genre-based programming has focused on the relevance of text typologies attached to specific registers in subjects such as Science, Mathematics or History. Narrative, expository and argumentative text typologies lend themselves to technological enhancement. Digital storytelling is one of the learning techniques widely promoted by advanced Edtech teachers. Training programmes have focused on the benefits of a careful narrative language display when it comes to reporting knowledge in any subject. Translating this effective technique into L2 teaching practices, students are required to produce writing assignments by using any of the web tools and applications that lend themselves towards a proper narrative sequence outline.

Against this backdrop, Pixton allows students to record their voices speaking the text of the comic. Due to the fact that the output is virtual and assignments do not ask for instantaneous output, students will experience less anxiety and be able to play with the language and the comic before submitting any final work (Burke, 2002: 88). Comic creation can be a continual project throughout the language-learning course, allowing students to develop characters, or stories as their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar develops.

Focus on speaking: Information gaps (Random Idea English), Rubric Jigsaw for presentations (Rubistar) and Think, pair, share (Notebook 15.0).

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Focus on writing: Framing writing (Dipity), Question to paragraph (Book creator) and Storyboard (Storyboardthat).

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Storyboardthat allows the content and language teacher to set up a project in which students can intuitively create 3-panelled comic strips in which they summarize stories from literary or specific subject books.

Assessment, review and feedback: Assessment questions (Glogster.Edu), Complete a rubric (Teachnology) and Multiple intelligences in assessment (Piktochart).

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Language programming in CLIL educational curricula is supported by mindmapping or picture description, as strategies to unfold genre-maps are steadily adopted by content teachers. In this light, infographics do not only transmit facts and figures, but they are also create prompts for oral production and creative writing outputs. Picktochart, a well-known infographics editor, allows students to present conclusions from student action research in a creative format. Its blog (by clicking on Education category in the right-hand-side menu) provides teachers and students alike with hints for using Infographics effectively in the classroom.

Some of these web-applications are interchangeable and can be applied to different stages and purposes. This classification is just a sample model. Activities such as complete a rubric or information gaps lend themselves well to additional digital tools, as new ones appear gradually in the field of education. Edmodo also provides education apps that can be accessed freely by teachers and students alike.

Web-tools and applications as built-in Interactive Whiteboard functionalities for language support.

According to recent studies, critical sifting of information is posing a problem for teenagers and teachers as they are so intoxicated by Internet-driven information and social networks that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to discriminate relevant academic and practical information. In this sense, latest discussions on CLIL focus on the relevance of full content acquisition, which reaches its highest peaks in lessons where proper educational technology – IWB and one-to-one devices - is effectively used.

In spite of new upcoming online tools, IWB software (Notebook or Activinspire) can still enhance language learning by using Activity Toolkit for vocabulary revision; accessing Internet in order to develop skills (listening, reading and speaking); promoting interaction after video-watching; fostering writing self-correction by means of menu functionalities and designing tasks that can be uploaded into a school platform for lesson flipping.

In the last five years IWBs have exponentially increased the add-ons available for use in order to enhance interaction among students and teachers. Extreme Collaboration was an add-on to Notebook 14, accessed from the Activity Toolkit Gallery, which allows students to write on the IWB directly from their mobile device. Nowadays, specific software allows teachers to conduct lessons from anywhere in the classroom by an iPad. Smart is the brand that openly offers this possibility. It is widely used in the United States, where tablet implementation openly supports Ipad and teacher training policies. The SMART Notebook Maestro add-on unleashes the power of mobility, letting the teacher interact with content and conduct collaborative two-way SMART Notebook lessons from a single iPad anywhere in the classroom.  The interaction between devices is seamless. By writing on the interactive display, the content will appear on the iPad and by using an image on the iPad, it will automatically appear on the display.

Educreations and Lensoo (iOS and Android devices respectively) are virtual whiteboard apps, useful for teachers who may want to create tutorials or lessons that students can view at home or can review to make sure their understanding is up to speed.  By hooking up their device to a screen, teachers can present notes and other information to students quickly and easily. It is also very useful when it comes to having students respond to short writing prompts or to complete bell-ringer activities and informative assessments. Students can even email their creations to their teacher, making it easier to look over the work and track student progress.

Teacher training demands a stronger focus on digital skills. Most training institutions – such as INTEF or MIRIADAS - are embracing this focus on technology by integrating technological support in those courses aimed at subject teachers. Early software training has been overcome by the design of Personal Learning Environment panels from content curation tools such as Symbaloo, Pearltrees or Edshelf. Social bookmarking has evolved greatly in the last five years and it has become the perfect complement to advanced software usage when enhancing teachers´ digital skills.

Pearltrees is a visual bookmarking tool that makes organizing your webpage shortcuts intuitive and orderly. It also makes it easy to connect and browse web-content curated by other teachers. This is ideal for collaborative learning projects and teachers who want to share course content with their students. It can lend itself to bookmarking every student's blog in order to monitor their progress at a glance on the board.

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Pearltrees also sync account with Facebook, Twitter, email or personal blogs. 

Sharing links to Symbaloos with students makes it easier for them to readily access class resources. This is another bookmarking tool that is really useful for the language teacher as he/she can create a row of tiles for different categories of resources in class.  For example, in the French webmix, the first row takes students to a blog and wiki.  The second takes them to the Language Guide site and Google Translate (for vocabulary help).  The third row takes them to images for their writing prompts.  The fourth row is reserved for reading resources.  The last row is for links to videos that help develop listening skills in French. Webmixes can be shared with the public or privately with friends.  Symbaloo also lets you share via Twitter or Facebook. Finally, you can customize the appearance of tiles (change colours and upload your own images).

Towards an overall picture of technology-friendly L2 and Content Teacher Training.

According to results on the survey IWB equipment, usage and training carried out by teachers enrolled in the online course Herramientas y aplicaciones digitales para el aula de idiomas at Aula Virtual del Profesorado de Andalucía, in two subsequent years – 2014 and 2015 - wide acknowledgement of software is accompanied by more creative uses. Most teachers agree on the fact that more than 50% of teaching staff use the IWB at least once a week, being Science, Maths and L2 teachers those who most actively use the functions.

The interplay between CLIL and the whiteboard does not turn IWBs into a magic carpet that floats into the classroom and whisks troubles away, as there are at least four phases that a teacher must cover in order to become an exemplary IWB user:

Novice smartboard user (Phase 1): Teacher is aware of where to locate IWB related resources on the web. Two main activities are downloading and using IWB files and lessons without much modification and saving them to a personal folder.

Level one interactive (Phase 2): Teacher actively searches and collects IWB files and lessons. Students start to create assignments using the notebook to be displayed on the whiteboard.

Level two interactive (Phase 3): Teacher designs lessons and activities that promote higher order thinking skills and incorporate digital images, graphic organizers, etc. S/he can also develop alternative methods of assignment through differentiated assignments and uses Action Research to inform instruction.

Exemplary (Phase 4): Teacher actively shares resources, mentoring and training other users. S/he encourages students to collaboratively use the software to create presentations, activities and assignments. Finally, s/he also shares results of Action Research.

Moving from one stage to the other requires initial qualified training support that is triggered by training institutions, either public or private schools. Nowadays it is mainly provided by IWB brands through their own websites or . They include free 90-day trial versions of software, which in the case of Notebook 15.0, is really useful when it comes to promoting students' creation of assignments by using this software. Smart presentations (Prezi, Emaze or any other mapping tool) are an alternative to other formats such as the traditional Power Point. The brand Smart has also encouraged the creation of teachers' online communities in order to favour the exchange of experiences and good practices. In this sense, Smart Exemplary Educator Program, Smart Education Blog and Educator2Educator YouTube Channel are three powerful examples of online training resources that promote innovative teaching and tips.

Another strategy to move into higher levels of IWB command is exploring comprehensively didactic webs such as TED Ed: Lessons worth sharing . It can be used as a content storage site and also as a tool in itself to create lessons following the pattern already set for lessons: watch, think, dig deeper and discuss. The creation tool allows L2 and content teachers to design open questions and multiple choice, so that video, audio and visual exploitation might be graded according to students' age/ language level.

As regards IWB training, most teachers surveyed consider that it has been effective and has led to widespread IWB use among students They favour online training and those sessions that take place at schools. They also consider methodology has changed as a result of intensive IWB usage by promoting participation and interaction among students.

Surprisingly enough, a positive answer to the question: “Do you think the IWB might become a White Elephant, namely, a device that runs the risk of becoming underused?” increases as time goes by. In 2014 survey, 61.54% of teachers considered the risk is high; whereas in 2015 survey, 83.33% of teachers agreed that IWBs at their schools are not properly kept up to ensure wide optimal use in the near future.

Conclusion

An overall picture of a technology-friendly L2 teacher is not easy to draw. A reflection on the pedagogical uses of IWBs at L2 lessons reveals that image and sound transmitted via the board provide a wealth of possibilities for teaching and learning. 80% of our pupils are visual learners, and that means that they can manage to understand and even acquire “higher order thinking skills”, provided an intensive and effective use of the Interactive Whiteboard is made by teachers. Language and content scaffolding is paramount when it comes to pegging knowledge in which both elements are entangled. Education technology helps a lot when it comes to designing thought-provoking tasks and a visual focus on language, increasing the effect of L2 input and intake. However, effective use of web and mobile applications is still to be achieved.

The future of education is collaborative, engaging learning from anywhere, on any device with integrated digital content from multiple sources: home-grown, public and collaborative. 21st Century skills are critical for student success in the real world, and these skills are the same skills needed by entrepreneurs, computer scientists and high-performers. Therefore, teachers are valuable resources who will use new tools to structure new digital content and work with students in new ways.

References:

Beauchamp, G., & Prakinson, J. (2005). Beyond the ‘wow’ factor: Developing interactivity with the interactive whiteboard. School Science Review, 86(3), 97-103.

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Trinidad Jerez is currently working as Teacher Training Counsellor for Plurilingualism and European Programmes at Centro de Profesores “Luisa Revuelta” in Córdoba. Bilingualism and ICT are her main fields of interest. She has taught English at IES Santa Rosa de Lima (Córdoba) since 2007. As School Bilingual Programme Coordinator, she conducted the research project "Contribución de la PDI (Pizarra Digital Interactiva) a la adquisición de la competencia lingüística y digital en el área de Inglés, Ciencias y Matemáticas" (expediente PIV-086/11) during the school year 2011/12, funded by the Consejeria de Educación. She has been a speaker at several Jornadas including CETA, GRETA, TESOL-SPAIN National Convention and the 4th IWB International Congress at UNED. She is a teacher at UCO Master for Pre-service Secondary School Teachers and expert evaluator for Erasmus+ Projects at SEPIE.

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