LEARNING STYLES AND

COMMUNITY SHAPING:

NEWCOMERS AND ITALIAN AS A

SECOND LANGUAGE (ISL) IN

ONLINE LEARNING

ENVIRONMENTS

Giovanna CarloniUniversity of Urbino, Italy

ICT and Italian as a Second Language (ISL)

to implement online ISL courses tailored to

migrant workers’ work-related language needs

planning of the theoretical framework underlying

the implementation of online ISL courses:

catering to migrant workers’ learning styles

OBJECTIVE:

E-learning (including audio/video

social software) can cater to a wide

range of learning styles

Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

Learning styles:

the way learners perceive, process,

represent, and acquire incoming input

Accommodating learners’ learning styles:

promote SLA in online learning

environments

Individualized learning: input and tasks

catering for learners’ preferred learning styles

E-learning needs to be student-centered:

actively participate in & take control over the

learning process

“very strong associations between ethnicity and learning style preferences” (Park)

“sociocultural influence on classroom interactional styles” (Park)

Newcomers’ learning style preferences are

likely to be affected by the culture they

grew up and were educated in (C1): South Americans: a major preference for

group learning (co-construction of knowledge)

Chinese, Thais and Bengalis: a major

preference for individual learning

Online tasks need to match learners’

preferred learning styles SLA

Style flexing needs to be activated

Style flexing: the ability to apply strategies

pertaining to those cognitive styles which do

not appear in a learner’s profile (Leaver

2005)

Certain cultures do not expect learners to have an

active role in their learning process

Learning Italian in online student-centered

environments

Newcomers’ style flexing in terms of active and

autonomous learning

Autonomous learning: asset for migrant workers

Learning styles

(a) sensory preferences

(b) cognitive styles

Sensory preferences

visual learners visual channel

auditory learners auditory channel

kinaesthetic and mechanical learners motor ch

(Leaver et al. 2005)

the channel through which input is perceived

How can e-learning

accommodate

sensory preferences?

Visual learners further

subdivided into imagists and

verbalists B-A-L-L

written materials such as handouts, forums, chats, tapescripts of lectures and podcasts, and presentations delivered through conference software

images such as pictures, drawings, diagrams, outlines, videoconferencing, vodcasts, and presentations delivered through audio/video software applications

Auditory learners further

subdivided into aural and

oral learners

listening to:

(a) instructors delivering

lectures via podcasts,

videoconferencing, and vodcasts

(b)

written texts converted to

audio/MP3 files with text-to-

speech software

(c) peers giving

presentations with audio/video

software applications

interacting verbally with

peers and instructors such as

on Skype or listening to

themselves speaking

(podcasts)

Kinaesthetic and mechanical learners

Hands-on tasks, such as lab

experiments, WebQuests,

Jigsaws, Wikis, and project-

based activities

Multimodality of input

online language learning environments

accommodate learners’ sensory

preferences

multimodality of input (multi-media texts

in the form of written, audio, and video

texts)

asset of online learning

Cognitive styles

The way learners process, manage and

acquire new information

A key role in promoting intake and thus

Interlanguage development

E&L Construct

Synoptic learning

Holistic process

Subconscious control

Ectenic learning

Atomistic process

Conscious control

(B. Leaver, M. Ehrman, B. Shekhtman 2005)

OBJECTIVE:

How tasks provided in hyper-context

learning environments can accommodate

most cognitive styles

fostering effective second language

acquisition

What kinds of online tasks

can accommodate

different cognitive styles?

Cognitive styles

Analogue learners

Digital learners

Concrete learners

Abstract learners

Wikis, blogs, problem solving, WebQuests, Jigsaws

highly structured activities,

forums

asynchronous tasks: project-based activities, wikis, WebQuests, Jigsaws, presentations delivered through audio/visual applications

asynchronous problem solving, WebQuests, Jigsaws as well as blogging and forums

Metaphors, meaningful, netlike connections (deep processing)

Linear, factual processing (surface approach)

Multisensory learning experiences

Theories and concepts

Field independent learners

Field dependent learners

problem solving, WebQuests, blogs as long as carried out individually

easily detect language

patterns, self-organize

materials, set goals,

work individually,

fomulate and test

hypotheses

social negotiation and collaboration as well as instructor’s and peers’ feedback

online cooperative activities requiring discussion, negotiation, reflection, and peer review as long as provided with step-by-step instructions

social software; cooperative tasks, role plays and classroom socialization tasks through videoconferencing

Field sensitive learners

Field insensitive learners

targeted and incidental input (peer conversations on Skype, reading peers’ blogs, many-to-many communication)

highly structured activities,

forums

Input-rich learning

environments, contextualized

learning

Bottom up approach,

sequentially organized and

highly chunked materials as

well as highly structured

learning paths

Global learners

Particular learners

Impulsive learners

Reflective learners

synchronous tasks (role plays, WebQuests, and Jigsaws carried out in chats or on Skype)

asynchronous problem solving activities, WebQuests, Jigsaws as well as forums and blogs

Easily get the overall meaning of input

Easily detect details

React very quickly to incoming input, fluency-oriented

Self-paced study

step-by-step scaffolding to focus on details and thus activate deep processing

step-by-step scaffolding to focus on the big picture

Inductive learners

Deductive learners

Levellers

Sharpeners

problem solving activities, project-based work, WebQuests, Jigsaws

highly structured scaffolding to carry out collaborative tasks in hyper-context, information-rich learning environments

step-by-step scaffolding to notice differences

step-by-step scaffolding to detect similarities

Working out language rules/theories in general on their own by hypothesis-testing

Language rules before using them, bottom up approach

Easily detect similarities

Easily detect differences

Random learners

Sequential learners

Synthetic learners

Analytic learners

WebQuests, Jigsaws, problem solving, wikis, presentations

structured activities; guidelines to arrange/ sequence/ tackle learning materials; forums

project-based and problem solving activities, wikis, WebQuests, presentations

blogs (reflection and peer review)

Organizing learning materials on their own and thus working autonomously

Highly chunked, sequentially organized materials

Using newly acquired information to create something new

Bottom up approach, how language works dividing language items into their smallest units

Web 2.0 tools (including audio/video social software)

cognitive styles

effective tasks and guidelines (cooperative and

project-based activities, problem solving, reflection and

peer review)

SLA in hyper-context learning environments

a collaborative interactionist framework (Gass 1997)

Cooperative learning:

social skills, individual accountability, and positive

interdependence (Richards and Rodgers 2001)

oral communication skills, self-esteem and self-efficacy

Cooperative learning (implemented through Web

2.0) can promote:

positive interaction and interdependence between

members of different C1s

the development of C2 socio-pragmatic skills

TASKS

in online hyper-context learning environments

by means of Web 2.0 tools

within a collaborative interactionist framework

suit most learning styles

(sensory preferences & cognitive styles)

foster effective SLA

Newcomers sensitized to:

(a) how learning styles can affect SLA

(b) how learning styles can be affected by learners’

C1s

(c) how learning Italian in online student-centred

environments may entail:

a partial reshaping of learning styles

style flexing

Conclusion

a sociocultural and interactionist

framework

ISL task-oriented learning

implemented through 2.0 technologies

can promote:

(a) individualized (experiential) learning catering to

newcomers’ learning styles (promoting SLA)

(b) intercultural and crosscultural awareness

(c) multicultural networked societies (collaboratively

and interactively constructed knowledge)

(d) pivotal ICT job-related skills

(e) key C2 socio-pragmatic skills (pivotal to promote

newcomers’ active role in multicultural Italian society)

Th nk you

giovanna.carloni@uniurb.it

Synoptic learningHolistic process

Intuition, subconscious control

Ectenic learningAtomistic processConscious control

Analogue Learning through metaphor Digital Literal and factual learning

Concrete Hands-on learning Abstract Learning through ideas and books

Field independent Decontextualized learning Field dependent Contextualized learning

Field sensitive Learning through osmosis Field insensitive Lack of osmosis in learning

Global Oriented toward the big picture

Particular Oriented toward details

Impulsive Simultaneous thought and reaction

Reflective Reflection following thought

Inductive Understanding rules from examining examples

Deductive Learning rules, then understanding examples

Levelling Noticingsimilarities

Sharpening Noticing differences

Random Preferring to self-organize materials

Sequential Preferring materials to be pre-organized

Synthetic Assembling pieces into wholes

Analytic Disassembling wholes into pieces

B. Leaver, M. Ehrman, B. Shekhtman (2005). Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: CUP

Presentations (videoconferencing)

Jigsaw activities

analogue, random, FI, inductive, synthetic learners

analogue, random, inductive, FI, synthetic learners

To sum up

Async: reflective, abstract, analytic learners

Sync: FD, impulsive learners

expert groups: pivotal for particular/sequential/linear/FD learners

Group problem solving

Wikis

analogue, inductive, FI, abstract, random, concrete learners

Abstract (concepts), analogue (meaningful/netlike connections), synthetic (create something new), concrete (hands-on tasks), random learners (self-organizing authentic materials)

FD learners (social negotiation)

FD learners (social negotiation)

learners can be assigned or can choose specific sub-tasks on the grounds of their preferred learning styles so that every learner can contribute in the most effective way to the final solution/solutions (self-efficacy)

WebQuests

Blogs

random, analogue, FI, synthetic, analytic, concrete, abstract learners

reflective, abstract, FI, FD, random, analogue learners

(inquiry-based; analysis-synthesis-

evaluation)