The Future Pedagogy - Article Example

 The Future Pedagogy Introduction Acquiring of knowledge through formal education has been a concern of both the teacher and the taught throughout the course of humanity. From one to one teaching it evolved into seminaries, progressing to classes based on the education system and content. Then came distance learning for those who were in far flung areas and could not physically attend classes. With the advent of Internet these distance learning centres developed e-learning where courses were distributed via the net and student interaction took the same route. The net has opened up a new panorama which is still being explored as it is still uncharted territory. Thus we see an explosion in the education system which had come out of its traditional boundaries. The world was earlier divided into nations and communities. Globalisation of trade and commerce had a twin effect on education. As the world converted into a global village so did the communities by melting into each other and communication on a common scale became a necessity. English had already become the language of commerce, more by default than by design, and it was but natural that it also became the most used language of communication in social, technological, scientific and other fields. The pedagogy of the language became a foremost concern and many ways and means were developed and tried to teach English as a second language (ESL). The Problem The pedagogy, where the students or learners had to be trained through the use of computers and software, is already in place. It had been in common use for dissemination of knowledge of subjects other than the language. Yet knowledge of English as a language was required as the subjects were well covered in this language. There is however a gap in the pedagogy of language. It was still being taught in the traditional way. By far the biggest barrier in the way of Language Acquisition specially English as Second Language (ESL) is the cultural difference between those who use English as First Language and those who have other Language as their first Language. It will be demonstrated later in the paper that as culture and language are intertwined, the study of one without the knowledge of the other becomes fructuous. This is another problem that needs addressing and is presently being handled through mixed culture classes and interaction between sets of students with distinctive cultures. But is this enough? Is this the final solution? Is there a more superior yet easier method? Words and their meanings are often misleading. This is the second problem. The cultural kaleidoscope is multilayered and perceptions run deep. Cultures are heavily loaded with either religion or race and each is very potent. A black could turn grey or even white when transported to another culture. In ESL there is need to restrict meanings to more common phenomenon to make communication possible. How to restrict this tide? What can assist in this quest for cohesion? History of CALL Of the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, the receptive skills of listening and reading are more commonly addressed by Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) programs than the productive skills of speaking and writing. The most common areas addressed by CALL are pronunciation, vocabulary and characters. It is commonly thought that these time-consuming but less creative tasks are what the computer is best suited for. Not only can these tasks take advantage of the consistency and patience of the computer, they also benefit from on its data-handling and multimedia capabilities. This was the early thinking and which still largely exists in the minds of the Teachers who have been trained in the traditional way of dispensing knowledge. There is no doubt that the computer software that focuses on receptive skills do serve very well in the areas of presentation and comprehension checks. The presentation of lessons has been highlighted by multimedia and has also been supported by easy recovery feature of the computer in providing on-line explanations as well as accuracy in such rationalization. Comprehension checks are achieved by the interactive capacity of the computer. But restricting the use of the computer to such basic levels is giving a go by to the potential it has and ignoring a tool that can become more useful when employed as it should be. In the early sixties of the twentieth century USA introduced CALL and soon it became an important factor in teaching second languages; English in particular. By the eighties it became an established tool and became widely used and introduced features of multimedia and the concept of learning in communities. In the nineties a new term was coined as TELL meaning Technology Enhanced Language Learning. Despite this being a more accurate description CALL remains the operative term for this method of using computers for acquiring second languages. The use of CALL was earlier restricted to the area of assistance rather than as an aide to learning. Thus early CALL meant that the learner was interacting with the computer to get assistance in understanding the meaning of words, their comprehension, grammar and pronunciation. The computer was a combination of a dictionary, thesaurus and grammar book and the student was able to skim through these with a wider choice more quickly. The presentation was easy and help was at hand at the click of the mouse. The limitation was that while choice was available, the final assessment and selection had to be with the learner. Often it became a frustrating exercise. The element of pedagogy was then introduced in CALL and interactive lessons with a teacher and with groups also began. The scope became wider and the learner found it easier to come to conclusion with these additional features. Three worldwide initiative helped in making CALL what it is today. They are CALICO, EUROCALL and WorldCALL. Present CALL Pedagogy Pedagogy through classrooms is restrictive and confined in time and space. On Line CALL is 24x7 by nature as it has become habit to be online 24x7. Current CALL software has embraced multimedia through wide use of technology, and there is growing interest in Web-based CALL (Felix U, 2001), where whole-class teaching with interactive whiteboards, and the use of blogs, wikis, podcasts and other social networking tools is becoming common. It was soon discovered that using computers in language classes could promote team work among students and, if planned well, could also encourage them to use the target language to communicate in front of their computers, thus increasing the time they spent practising their oral skills. (Piper A. 1986) This percolated in introducing concordance in pedagogy of CALL. A “concordance”, according to the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, is: “An alphabetical list of the words in a book or a set of books which also says where each word can be found and often how it is used.” Tim Johns later developed the concept of Data Driven Learning (DDL). DDL is an approach to language learning whereby the learner gains insights into the language that he/she is learning by using concordance programs to locate authentic examples of language in use, i.e. what this module is all about. In DDL the learning process is no longer based solely on the teacher's initiative, his/her choice of topics and materials and the explicit teaching of rules, but on the learner's own discovery of rules, principles and patterns of usage in the foreign language. (John T. 1991) Unfortunately the Pedagogy in call has failed rather miserably. Teachers have understood and used CALL under fear or awe of the software and have had unrealistic expectations which lead to treating it with a barge pole and keeping its at arms length. It has been noted that when CALL features are explained there is a feeling that runs among the teachers that their role is now reduced and the software should take over the functions of teaching as well as providing information. For example when a meaning or synonyms are provided along with pronunciation, the teacher feels no further need for explaining as all materials and phonetics have been provided and the student should now be able to understand the use of the word. This is unrealistic as Pedagogy demands interactions which the present software cannot provide. What is required that the Teachers should use these facilities and enhance the richness of language for the learner. The cultural aspect of the language is missing in CALL and this needs to be augmented by the teacher. Only if the Teachers use this explosion of information that is available through CALL they can develop the knowledge and experience of the students. This has been put in perspective very ably by (Bax, S) when he describes the seven stages of how pedagogy advanced in relation to CALL. “Stages of normalisation in CALL: 1. Early Adopters. A few teachers and schools adopt the technology out of curiosity. 2. Ignorance/skepticism. However, most people are skeptical, or ignorant of its existence. 3. Try once. People try it out but reject it because of early problems. They can’t see its value—it doesn’t appear to add anything of ‘relative advantage’ (Rogers, 1995). 4. Try again. Someone tells them it really works. They try again. They see it does in fact have relative advantage. 5. Fear/awe. More people start to use it, but still there is (a) fear, alternating with (b) exaggerated expectations. 6. Normalising. Gradually it is seen as something normal. 7. Normalisation. The technology is so integrated into our lives that it becomes invisible—‘normalised’.” (Bax, S. 2003) He further states that we have reached stage six only where a realisation has dawned that it is normal to fuse both hardware and software into CALL Pedagogy for really effective as well as beneficial results. The real test of endurance is now while we probe into the methodology of using our various faculties to enhance learning through CALL. The Pedagogy in present system is limited to knowledge of the use of the software and not the use of the knowledge itself. This has severely limited the role of both CALL and Pedagogy. What was meant to be the stepping stone has been mistaken for tapestry; and the whole purpose of using computers to aid knowledge enhancement remains ornamental. Future Pedagogy of CALL The essence of the integration of networks of computers and digital aids is discovery by empowering the human mind to learn not by coercion but by cooperative effort (Perelman 1992). The teacher assumes the role of a coach, a collaborator, a senior partner in place of an authoritarian leader. This facilitates learning as an experience which is far above knowledge gathering of the past. A number of CALL programmes have been developed over recent years to satisfy the requirement of both teachers and learners. Their profusion makes one wonder whether they have been produced with any aim and object or just to satisfy the curiosity of whims and fancies. Although the product of love and labour has often been the source of exceptional software, yet an amount of calculation and juxtaposition must go into any effort to make it worthwhile. The potential is unlimited but it needs direction and objectivity. There has been some degree of understanding and use of software and some innovative methods like the Multi-User Object Oriented Teaching (MOO) has become an accepted usage in Pedagogy of CALL. In this the teacher and student interact with each other but more importantly the Learner is made to become aware and involved in the subject. This participation is both interactive and interpretive but restricted to the limits prescribed by the author or Teacher Multi-User Object Oriented Teaching (MOO) The new way of learning is the interactive method. This is not the same as interaction between the teacher and the taught but also brings in the third dimension of the interaction with the text itself. In a classroom setting the reading is insulated in the sense that the reader is akin to a spectator and is therefore safe as an observer. He/she absorbs the normal text according to his/her depth and may or may not be affected by it beyond his/her perception or belief. In an interactive method of teaching he/she becomes a participant, one of the players like the character in the text and has to deal with the situation in greater depth and has to perceive the other players intent in order to be able to respond to it. This interaction is like being an active character alongside the portrayed characters, not as a total outsider, but emotionally bound to the emotions of the character and trying to fathom its true meaning, thereby gaining insight and knowledge that was absent in the simple normal text reading session. He/she becomes the target as soon as any critical remark is offered by him/her and is liable to scrutiny putting him/her in the central spot in place of the text character. Epsen Aarseth (1997) draws a sensitive picture of this situation by calling normal text reading as safe but impotent as against cyber-text reading as putting the reader at risk, prone to rejection. Whether it is done in cyber-space (internet environment) or the interactive-classroom, the effect is the same. The depth of understanding such a session brings is enormous and enhanced learning is possible. This is the true dimension of the MOO which is openly transactional as it involves the reader into committing actively and participating in the story or event instead of just being an observing bystander. The interactive classrooms have one drawback. Since all students are physically present one critical appraisal may not draw response from another for fear of being rejected. Online participation removes this fear as they do not confront each other in physical dimensions and feel bolder to face rejection. Marie-Laure Ryan (1999) observed that while the postmodern theory accepts the usefulness of interactive sessions it ignores the power of immersion (deep involvement) offered by this method. This is rejecting the power of mind over language and is a loss for pedagogy. Goodson et al (2002) trace this mentality to the traditional misconception and mistrust of technology by traditionalist teachers who are not keen to adopt new technologies. In a test case it was observed that the students were more comfortable in a MOO session mainly because they did not feel the physical presence of others and more importantly they could offer their critique in their own language. The very idea of not coming under criticism in the virtual environment encouraged eager participation and improvement in language eventually. A few things are striking in the above illustration. Firstly the students felt safe in this environment, secondly they could communicate better, and lastly they felt involved or immersed in the subject. This has brought about appreciation of the subject and heightened the perception and understanding. Yet the final analysis calling it “techno-utopianism” gives the impression that that Pedagogy itself has missed the point and does not regard it as a vital step in CALL. It only uses as another device, to be treated as secondary method of teaching mentally backward or inward students. This is a huge failure in the Pedagogy of CALL. The questions that arise in this connection are: •What are the strengths and limitations of CALL? •To what extent has computer technology served language pedagogy? •What areas have been best served and which areas can be better served? •What are the strengths and weaknesses with current CALL programs? •Where do we go next? Pedagogy has to lead technology. If this lead is given to technology then it is likely to misuse it prowess and wander into oblivion. As observed by Higgins & Johns (1984) the computer, with its endemic drills-and-practice, thanks to its patience and consistency, seems to have served audio-lingualism particularly well, which emphasizes repetition and imitation for the sake of formal accuracy. But it is clear that in general, CALL programs have not kept up with innovations in language pedagogy. Let us begin with light technology first and then progress to deeper technological abilities of software. Ergonomics Unless software is user friendly, its usefulness will come to naught and pedagogically it will end up as another junk to be discarded. In the ultimate user friendliness is the foremost feature of any programme and is equal to importance of presentation. Overall ergonomics are pointers to the software being easy to use.. Menu, toolbar and navigation For ease of use the menu items should be vivid; toolbar icons should be perceptive and navigation should be fast and simple. The idea is that in usage the user should be able to recall these items without having to spend time unnecessarily. There should also be uniformity with universally used icons and process so that migration does not become a challenge, Help On-line help is presented in pop-up text windows or dialog boxes. This has the advantage of requiring less hard disk space, but reading the text can be boring, especially when the text is long. But on-line help does not have to be delivered this way. For example a combination of voice-over and visual pointers or voice explanations can be very exciting. This kind of non-text help, although taking more storage space, requires less reading and simulates interaction with teachers or other students. Apparently, despite on-line help, the hard copy manual still has a number of attractions. The hard copy manual or dictionary will certainly cater to some users' preference. While on-line help is hidden, a hard copy manual's content is plainly visible and its bulk can indicate the extent and depth of help. This is where the innovations can make the user prefer on line help. Terminology There should be no complexity or confusion in the programmes. It should be uniform and universal. If dialects or different aspects of linguistics are involved, they should come with proper clarification to avoid misunderstandings. While technical terms have definite meanings among linguists, they may not be the most descriptive and the most memorable for the user. Many of the terms only add to the burden of memorization and their pedagogical values are rather dubious. Therefore the use of highly technical and specialized terms used in linguistic writings should be avoided and modified. Integration Integration here means that every component should be within reach or accessible with the click of a mouse or use of keyboard controls. For instance the dictionary or thesaurus should be available instantly committed to the exact or near about meaning of the word required. The different components as add-ons like punctuation and character tutor should be built in and available alongside as close links for easy reference. Integration actually goes beyond ergonomics as it provides a larger context for individual components. As an example consider the lesson which also provides pronunciation and vocabulary as an aide to learning. Then again these components need to be related to each other within the content and context as they provide addition insight and support to acquisition of knowledge. Roots – Reinventing Pedagogy Ergonomics of the system of CALL is however just the presentation mode. This helps pedagogy, but only peripherally. The real pedagogical experience calls for much more than ergonomics or ease of use. The use itself is under question. A new approach to pedagogy in CALL needs stepping back and looking once again at basics. It is important to understand that as children we begin our quest for knowledge in the simplest and most natural way and within our first three years of life we acquire almost 70% of our working vocabulary in our given mother tongue. We need to go back to our roots. As children we learn the normal way, let us turn back to roots to learn as adults as well. Infants and kids use Adoptive methods and not Adaptive methods for acquiring knowledge. We have to do the same to acquire language skills. They use Five Sensibilities; Hear, Touch, Feel, and later progress to Read and Write. Speech is primary while writing is secondary. Language shift can and does take place with very little personal disruption, if conditions are right. Children will learn the language of their environment, as most Americans immigrants do; that after two generations their children automatically learn English. There is universal application and replication of this fact. Let us reinvent the wheel. The purpose of the wheel was propulsion. We have mistaken the wheel for speed, but speed overlooks the feel and touch parts. Culture is about feel and touch. Today, information and communication technologies are poised to have a similarly strong ecological effect on society, especially taking into consideration Castells’s (1998) observation that “information technology, and the ability to use it and adapt it, is the critical factor in generating and accessing wealth, power, and knowledge in our time” (p. 92) Computer – Tool or Toy “Richard Bartle points out that “Computer games and education have an uneasy relationship. Computer games are fun. Education isn’t. Educationalists figure that by marrying the two, education can be made fun; unfortunately, all too often computer games are made unfun instead”(2004, 617).” We are taught to use the computer as a tool. Examples include word processors, spelling and grammar checkers and desk-top publishing. But the computer acts as a tool for manipulating language or analyzing it, not for communicating in it. Let us try using as a toy. Develop feel into CALL – how? Learning becomes fun; this is reason of popularity of games. (Racing gives you thrills and that is feel). Successfully blending education and entertainment, however, is not always simple task. In the early 90's, emerging popular media like video games seemed a panacea for educators hoping to sneak small fragments of learning content inside the everyday entertainment activities of youth. Back then, "edutainment" titles abounded; however, most failed so spectacularly that video game developers today routinely go out of their way to ensure that people do not consider their games as educational. Rather than meaningfully including learning experiences as part of a larger well-designed game experience, the original wave of edutainment titles unfortunately were built upon poorly designed games that occasionally halted, forcing players to learn educational content before allowing them return to the game. The Research Questions This enquiry therefore raises important questions about CALL Pedagogy. This relates to the quest of finding the extent to which CALL has been useful in the context of acquiring language and whether the Teachers have also understood the demands of Pedagogy in the CALL environments. An important quest will be to explore the Pedagogy of CALL as in prevalent practice. Is CALL understood by its ability to impart knowledge as assistance or as an aide or as something else beyond that? Another parallel that can be derived is that in CALL environment, especially of the kind that calls for high interactive based learning, the learners not only gain knowledge of the subject but also discover more about themselves as this is the true aim of any learning. What has happened so far in pedagogy of CALL? This needs an in depth investigation in order to find out the gap area where apparently CALL has failed to provide the stimulus to pedagogy. This study will highlight the failure on the part of the Teacher to fully grasp the potential and to use CALL as it was meant to be used. What is future of CALL Pedagogy? In view of the untapped potential of computers and software what is the future of CALL Pedagogy? The investigation here would include the possibilities that have come up due to the intelligent factor that has been steadily building up in software. Software is no longer a set of algorithms tweaked to produce results but its nature is subtly being altered by fusion of artificial intelligence as well. The anticipatory powers are already visible in the choices the software offers to a user and we need to find if these can be enhanced to serve the cause of CALL Pedagogy. The Need of Training Teachers in CALL Pedagogy Lastly in the future with enhanced CALL what will be the Training programmes for the Teachers and administrators who will use CALL as the means of enabling language acquisition? Training in present CALL Pedagogy is abysmal at best as the teachers are inclined to use CALL as a mere tool and expect it to self perform. CALL is not an end in itself and in the future the concepts will undergo major changes. The need of the hour is to make the Teachers and administrators aware of the potential and to bring them to an investigative mode where they will be testing the limits of CALL and will be able to take Pedagogy to new heights. It will be their obligation to categorize the needs for enhancements. Introducing m-Learning In any pedagogy (the art and science of teaching) the emphasis is on the teacher-student interaction that produces learning as a result. In the present day context pedagogy has undergone a sea change due to availability of new modes of delivery. First came the remote learning which created a distance between the teacher and the student and now there is m-learning. The new generation has been brought up and tuned to wireless devices as against their parents who were the computer geeks. The question is the teachers prepared for this? The answer to this lies in shifting the focus to the student rather than the teacher. What do students today think and do? What are their preferences? How do they react to normal pedagogy? This generation lives by the mobile. It is not just an instrument of communication; it has become a device that is really personal. Even the computer is somewhat public as other are able to access or use it but the mobile device is really held close to the person, carried in pocket or purse and is highly private. Since e-learning has been established for long as an acceptable and advanced learning method, normally the developers intent is to convert this to m-learning. But this is a wrong approach. The delivery mode, the internet remains common to both but the device is different. The most important fact to be understood is how the target audience uses their mobile device and what information is needed by him while he/she is on the move? The next thing to find out is what the best way to deliver this information is and how to ensure the students or audience are persuaded to repeat this experience? At this stage it is prudent to understand the common constraints. Firstly, the hand held devices work on low bandwidth hence the content has to be suitable for this. Secondly, for this reason, the graphics are not possible while browsing. Thirdly, the device screen is small and this is a big limitation. Fourthly the storage or memory is limited, hence input capability is inadequate. Lastly, the mobility of the user is a limiting factor and this restrictive. Once this is understood the content can now be designed and delivered to match these conditions. One thing is paramount that the content has to be very concise. Not only it must fit in the screen, it should convey the content in such a manner as to create an excitement for more. The curiosity factor plays a big part in a mobile device users mind. That is the reason games are the most popular content. Ideal content should be by way of tips for leaning or small snippets of beneficial information. It should also cause excitement or encourage curiosity for the mobile user to want more. The e-learning courses will need a redesigning on these lines to be effective. The text messages should ideally be within 100 to 200 characters and there must allow for two way interactions unlike e-learning where it is one way at a time. One can use power points and branching of text to create curiosity and develop interactive activity. A new face of Pedagogy The concept of m-Learning has been well established. But are we really prepared for the outburst that it can create? We are really at the fringe and there is much more beyond creation of beneficial content. Let us explore the immense new possibilities this can open up. A new culture has been in formation ever since the mobile device was introduced. The device itself has been upgraded continuously and from an ordinary communicator has become something unrecognizable form its humble origins. This has thrown up new usages and new ways of action and thought. Let us first look at the user. Imagine the old student in the public lab hooding over his/her desktop browsing away for information and piecing together information and collaborating with class over content. In today’s environment the same student is now carrying a mobile device on which content is streamed at intervals and he is able to immediately Google across to find a particular meaning or context to continue his quest. The best part is he is neither bound to his desktop nor to his class. His area of operation has widened considerably and he is no longer restricted by such mundane elements as time and space. He may well sit in the cafeteria and, across coffee and bagel, attend his class. This m-learning may well be directed at a small group or at a larger class, all dispersed over space and still engage in a common project. He may well be straddling across and still glued to his mobile is in sync. This is truly the return of the nomad. With data streaming in wherever the recipient is he is able to research his area of interest on the World Wide Web spread across space. Research is now on the fly in motion. When the effort is collaborative the team is in all probability working in different spaces. With bio-Wap facilities data now flows with the aid of the camera and video streaming of content adds richness and offers new depths of understanding. Imagine looking at a plant, sending its picture over to others and getting or giving information Where is the pedagogical connection in this cyber-culture? If we are able to harness this then we would have truly raised the level of m-learning and it will be as useful as other learning methodologies. A new Information Literacy is on the horizon. Social software like Meetup have been introduced and have created a swarming attitude. If this swarming can be extended to learning then a giant stride would have been made. The big question is whether the instructor also ready to join this swarm? This can play the role of a building block? Can the institutions use this opportunity and build upon it in a structured way? Conclusion - The Future Pedagogy There is an explosion in information and it is beyond the boundary of Places. It is available everywhere. Interactive web is creating new thresholds by the hour. Questions are now posed and posted literally at others’ doors and answers come from most unexpected quarters. Collaborators become groups and they turn into swarms. There is a contributory mood in the swarm. There is a new philosophy in the offing. The human layer of the earth has now become a vast downloadable, searchable, writable surface. This is augmented reality in practice. With new mobile usability and capabilities the physical world is moving into digital spaces for first hand learning. The nomadic swarms are already invading the campus and the time has come for the teachers and the institutions to rise up to the occasion and change the face of pedagogy. The teachers can contribute to this effort by using their ideas and imaginations. The intention should be to find what can be done rather than what has been done before. The effort is to be to see what is workable instead of what was workable earlier. The future is what must be kept in mind. Bibliography Aarseth, Epsen, J., (1997), Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature, Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press. Bartle, Richard, A., (2004), Designing Virtual Worlds, Indianapolis, New Riders. Bax, S., (2003)., CALL - past, present and future, System 31, 13–28 Castells, M., (1998), End of Millennium, Malden, MA., Blackwell. Felix U., (2001), Beyond Babel: language learning online, Melbourne: Language Australia. Goodson, Ivor, Michele Knobel, Colin Lankshear and J. 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