Practical Criticism Midwest (PCM) Conference Presenation A Way to Create an Authentic Language Learning Environment in EFL contexts My presentation summarizes a two-year experience of initiating and overseeing an English Club in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, West Africa. Upon completion of my bachelor’s degree in English literature at Ball State University, I returned home to share with my countrymen my Fulbright experience. Part of the sharing included teaching English in four private high schools. At the dawn of my teaching career in Burkina Faso, however, I was confronted with fundamental problems that needed answers. The problems emanated from the shift the educational system in Burkina Faso was undergoing. The country was moving from a traditional model of education once calqued on the French education system to a model that fits international standards. That new model has generically been labeled LMD, which stands for Licence, Master, Doctorat. In its very core, the shift implied moving from a lecture mode class to a student-centered class. Though the new education model was adopted in theory, it still struggles to find its way in practice. How could the average teacher suddenly change his teaching practices to fit the demands of the new model without training? How could students who have always been passive recipient of knowledge suddenly be turned into active participants in their own knowledge construction? The frustration to implement this new education model was manifested through multiple student demonstrations. This very frustration found its way in the classes I was teaching. My students vetoed my first attempt to utilize a project-based learning because they could not see how it would help them pass their end of year exams, despite the numerous rationales I provided in favor of such a teaching methodology. Given the fact that the long term goal – learning English – and short tem goal – passing English exams – were in contradiction from students’ stand points, I decided to create an English Club. English clubs are very different from regular classes. They provide psychosocial support to students while helping them improve their language skills. They create a milieu for language learners to practice the language in a milieu where such opportunities are scarce. In our particular context,
Student activities included
All of these activities were undertaken in English with a few occasions where directions were given in French. In a context where didactic materials are rare and often not attuned to the cultural context, the English club filled that gap by using students themselves as material generators. For example, the short films produced by members of the club were in turn used as didactic materials. Furthermore, lots of skills were being forged through participation in the club. To cite a few,
Based on this experience, I can firmly assert that the English club sowed in my student a grain of motivation that was enough to make them successful language learners. As teachers, I believe we all want to inspire our students in such ways that they can learn on their own and only rely on us when they need guidance. The reinforcement of democratic values is often enacted through the education system. If the latter is empowering and promotes mutual respect and disagreement among participants without personal attacks, it indeed puts us on a good path to attaining real democracy. The below video is a condensed version of some of the activities that were carried out in the club. Enjoy! In a few years down the road, you probably would not "need" to learn a new language anymore. You could simply talk in your native language and a speech recognition software combined with a translation software will translate it in the target language using your own voice. I think this is a wonderful innovation that has the potential to bridge language gaps around the world. I can already see it being used in the military, tourism, etc. by individuals visiting a culture with zero language competence of that culture. If we currently are at 1/8 word error rate with the speech recognition software, that implies that the error rate of the speech recognition software combined with the translation software will be slightly higher. As indicated in this presentation, however, there is still a potential to reduce the error rate if a larger amount of data is used to establish the statistical combinations. As with any innovation though, it is still worth having reservations of some kind. Deep down, I feel like this innovation would only bridge communication barriers at superficial levels. The nature of human speech is extremely complex and is not limited to just spoken words. Additionally, spoken words only make sense within certain cultural contexts. It therefore would require some sociolinguistic competence on the part of this innovation to be effective. And that is something we are still miles away from! This semester, Fall 2013, I am teaching two sections of the Rhetoric and Writing class at Ball State University. This class aims at introducing and developing understanding of principles of rhetoric; basic research methods; elements, strategies, and conventions of persuasion used in constructing written and multimodal texts. One of our major assignments is the multimodal assignment, which in my class is a causal argument video. This post deals with some of the in-class activities that I find efficient in implementing that multimodal project in the composition class. Video as Multimodal TextIn the context of freshman composition, I find it important to conceptualize video production as a form of multimodal expression. The Causal Argument Video should not just be viewed as a fun assignment with the potential to spark students' interest. It should also be viewed as a legitimate composing task with the same conventions, rules, guidelines, and constraints as "traditional" writing assignments. Video production involves planning, composing, and revising, the same process encountered with "traditional writing assignments." Besides, video production puts even more of an emphasis on the composing process, since it usually necessitates more planning than regular writing assignments. Beyond using verbal text to get its message across, video production employs a combination of written, spoken, non-verbal, visual, and/or auditory material that communicates a message. Multimodal EvaluationAfter establishing video as a form of multimodal text, it becomes crucial to look at what makes multimodal forms of expression effective. In that regard, I implement a class activity that enables students to evaluate different multimodal texts. Students are assigned various texts and are asked to assess them utilizing the Relationship between Modes as described by Karen Schriver, the Principles of Design as established by Robin Williams, and the Visual Assessment Criteria as proposed by Cynthia Selfe. As they are completing this evaluation, I make sure they identify the modes used in each text and how these modes are interacting to create a unified meaning. In addition, they work closely in looking at how different elements are arranged in the text and how this arrangement is working to make the text meaningful. Finally, they evaluate the visual coherence, salience, and organization of different elements in the text. While going through each step, they are asked to reflect on the effectiveness of the choices made by the author and to propose different alternatives that could have worked better. This exercise enables students to realize that multimodal composition is indeed complex and relies on a set of principles to be effective. ExampleThe following are two multimodal texts, which are making a similar argument. They were posted on the blog It's Okay To Be Smart by Joe Hanson. While the video uses the Girl With A Pearl Earring to emphasize the existence of a "wonderland" between Science and Art, the second multimodal text uses different modes to reiterate this very point. Go over these two multimodal forms of expression and evaluate their relative effectiveness. Read Part IIThis semester, Fall 2013, I am teaching two sections of the Rhetoric and Writing class at Ball State University. This class aims at introducing and developing understanding of principles of rhetoric; basic research methods; elements, strategies, and conventions of persuasion used in constructing written and multimodal texts. One of our major assignments is the multimodal assignment, which in my class is a causal argument video. This post deals with some of the in-class activities that I find efficient in implementing that multimodal project in the composition class. The Grammar of Video Making: Camera Distance, Angle, MovementIn teaching the video assignment, I find it important to remind students that video is a language we all speak. Since we were children, we have been watching movies, television shows, video clips, etc. Even though most of us have not attempted to use the video medium to communicate to others, we have at least been able to construct meaning out of what we watched over the years. For that reason, video has become a language we understand at this point. Understanding a language, however, does not necessarily imply that we are fully conscious of all its rules. In teaching the video project for that matter, I find it imperative to bring to consciousness the rules that we have internalized and that have been part of our subconscious. As part of the effort to bring to light these below-the-consciousness rules, I discuss video making conventions as they relate to camera usage. Just as words in an essay are carefully chosen to deliver the message at the author's intended way, the camera of the video maker is likewise used to the same effect. In the context of video making, everything that appears on the screen has to be driven by the author's careful and effective choice. The video maker has to ensure that the audience views the elements on the screen the way he has intended. For example, if the author wants the audience to pay attention to a cat on the screen, he has to make sure that he uses a shot that effectively makes the cat the salient element on the screen. That said, the video maker has to be knowledgable of the conventions surrounding the camera shots, angles, and movements. Camera Distance "Camera distance," refers to the distance between the camera and the person or object being photographed or filmed. A specific language or grammar of video making, which the video maker should understand, has been developed to describe different camera shots. These shots have different implications on the way the message is received. Extreme Long Shot:
Long Shot
Medium Shot
Close-Up Shot
The Extreme Close-Up Shot
Camera Angle "Camera Angle" refers to the relative angle from which the camera was placed to photograph or film and object or a person. Bird's Eye View
High Angle View
Eye Level View
Low Angle (Worm's Eye) View
Oblique Angle View
Camera Movements Zooming
Panning
Tilting
Application
The terminology presented above allows video makers to effectively talk about different shots they used or saw used in a video. In real life, however, not every shot used in a professional video would necessarily fall into one of the above categories. In fact, video makers often use a combination of camera shots and angles and/or movements to cause the suitable emotional impact on the audience. Look at the following images of the Ball State Bell Tower and see if you could apply the above terminology to describe each one. While doing so, think of the different emotional implications each of these images has for you. |
AuthorHi, I am Ritassida Mamadou Djiguimde. This blog is intended to provide a linguistic perspective on different language phenomena taking place worldwide with a particular focus on Burkina Faso. Archives
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