An Open and Social Spaced Repetition System for Language Learning

In the last decades big improvements have been done in the field of computer aided learning, based on improvements done in computer science and computer systems. Although the field has been always a bit lagged, without using the latest solutions, it has constantly gone forward taking profit of the innovations as they show up. As long as the train of the computer science does not stop (and it won’t at least in the near future) the systems that take profit of those improvements will not either, because we humans will always need to study; Sometimes for pleasure and some other many times out of need. Not all the attempts in the field of computer aided learning have been in the same direction. Most of them address one or some few of the problems that show while studying and don’t take into account solutions proposed for some other problems. The reasons for this can be varied. Sometimes the solutions simply are not compatible. Some other times, because the project is an investigation it’s interesting to isolate the problem. And, in commercial products, licenses and patents often prevent the new projects to use previous work. The world moved forward and this is an attempt to use some of the options offered by technology, mixing some old ideas with new ones.

Project work in a Basque L2 classroom: students’ perceptions

[EN] Project Work has been acknowledged as an efficient medium for language learning for more than two decades (Stoller, 2006) according to the numerous successful applications of project-based programmes that have been reported. In spite of the lack of sufficient controlled studies to assess the benefits of project work, and the existence of some studies giving evidence of students discontent with project work, the reports given by second language (SL) and foreign language students (FL) who have experienced project based instruction give support to the success attributed to project-based learning, as they recognised having improved language skills, learnt content, developed real life skills, as well as gained in self-confidence and motivation (Sierra, 2008 and 2011; Stoller, 2006). The aim of the present study is to explore some key issues involved in implementing a project-based programme focusing on the students’ perceptions of learning gains, their views on the collaborative assessment scheme used in the programme, and the students’ overall evaluations of the implementation of project work in a post-compulsory secondary education context in Navarre, Spain, with students learning Basque as a second language. A group of 12 students enrolled in a project work based programme participated in the study. Results showed that the students’ perceptions were very positive concerning doing projects, learning gains and group work, although more grammar instruction and teacher-fronted activities were requested by the students. However, the collaborative assessment process and the use of a Notebook/Diary as a reflection tool bore mixed evaluations.

Internationalisation, multilingualism and English-medium instruction: the teacher's perspective

[EN]In the newEuropean higher education space, Universities in Europe are exhorted to cultivate and develop multilingualism. The European Commission’s 2004–2006 action plan for promoting language learning and diversity speaks of the need to build an environment which is favourable to languages. Yet reality indicates that it is English which reigns supreme and has become the main foreign language used as means of instruction at European universities. Internationalisation has played a key role in this process, becoming one of the main drivers of the linguistic hegemony exerted by English. In this paper we examine the opinions of teaching staff involved in English-medium instruction, from pedagogical ecologyof-language and personal viewpoints. Data were gathered using group discussion. The study was conducted at a multilingual Spanish university where majority (Spanish), minority (Basque) and foreign (English) languages coexist, resulting in some unavoidable linguistic strains. The implications for English-medium instruction are discussed at the end of this paper.

Irakaslegaien ahozko gaitasunen diagnosia

Igor Esnaola y Juan Ignacio Martínez de Morentin (coordinadores)

Estrategias de lectura on-line en inglés como lengua extranjera

XXIV, 508 p.

Word frequency cues word order in adults: cross-linguistic evidence

[EN] One universal feature of human languages is the division between grammatical functors and content words. From a learnability point of view, functors might provide entry points or anchors into the syntactic structure of utterances due to their high frequency. Despite its potentially universal scope, this hypothesis has not yet been tested on typologically different languages and on populations of different ages. Here we report a corpus study and an artificial grammar learning experiment testing the anchoring hypothesis in Basque, Japanese, French, and Italian adults. We show that adults are sensitive to the distribution of functors in their native language and use them when learning new linguistic material. However, compared to infants’ performance on a similar task, adults exhibit a slightly different behavior, matching the frequency distributions of their native language more closely than infants do. This finding bears on the issue of the continuity of language learning mechanism.

La ansiedad en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas

[SPA] El objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es realizar una investigación sobre cómo afecta la ansiedad en el proceso de aprendizaje de segundas lenguas y posteriormente ofrecer técnicas o estrategias para combatir dicha ansiedad. CASTELLANO

Enseñanza de español a alumnado anglófono

Este trabajo ofrece un análisis contrastivo entre los idiomas inglés y español en sus diferentes niveles: fonético-fonológico, morfosintáctico, léxico-semántico, rasgos paralingüísticos y pragmático-cultural, poniendo especial énfasis en las principales diferencias que se dan entre ambos. Está especialmente dirigido a todo el profesorado de español que enseñe esta lengua al alumnado anglófono, ya sea como LE o L2, ya que resulta útil para comprender las principales dificultades que presenta este alumnado en su proceso de aprendizaje de la lengua española.

Irakaslearen ikuspegi psikopedagogikoaren eragina idazketa prozesuaren hastapenetan: Avellaneda, Etorkizuna eta Eguzkibegi ikastetxeetako kasuen azterketa

EUSKARA LABURPENA:Haurrek hizkuntza idatzia nola barneratzen duten eta irakasteko metodorik egokiena zein izan daitekeen inguruko eztabaida egon izan da aspalditik. Gai horri buruz, haurrek idazketaz egiten duten jabekuntza prozesuan irakasleen ikuspegi psikopedagogikoek zer nolako eragina duten haurrengan ikertu dugu. Ikerketaren alde kualitatibo eta kuantitatiboei erreparatuz, metodologia berritzaileen aplikazio ezberdinak egiten dituzten Bizkaiko Avellaneda, Etorkizuna eta Eguzkibegi ikastetxeetan ikerketa sinkroniko bat eraman dugu aurrera. Lanerako lagina HHko etapako 5 urteko gelan dauden 55 ikaslek eta 6 irakaslek osatu dute. Emaitzek adierazten dutenez, ikuspegi tradizionalean heziak dauden haurrek idazkeraren alde figuratiboekiko ziurtasun handiagoa erakusten dute eta eredu eraikitzailean hezitakoek, berriz, komunikazio gaitasun handiagoa dute. Eredu bakoitzak bere indar-guneak eta ahulguneak izateak zaildu egiten du eredu baten egokitasuna nabarmentzea.

Lehen Hezkuntzako ingeleseko testuliburuak. Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoan erabiltzen diren materialen analisia

[eus] Ikerketa honen bidez, Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoan erabiltzen diren Lehen Hezkuntzako lehenengo zikloko ingeleseko testuliburuak hizkuntzen ikaskuntzaren teoriei, Europako Erreferentzia Marko Bateratuari eta Curriculum dokumentuei egokitzen zaizkien baieztatu nahi izan da. Horretarako, aipatutako teorietan eta dokumentuetan oinarrituta, sei aldagai diseinatu eta, horiek erabiliz, Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoan erabiltzen diren sei testuliburu aztertu dira. Ikerketatik ondorioztatzen da aztertutako testuliburuak ez datozela bat legediaren ikuspegi komunikatiboarekin ezta atazetan oinarritutako ikaskuntzarekin ere. Hala ere, hizkuntzaren inputa testuinguruan ematen dute eta, Curriculumean eskatzen den bezala, aspektu kulturalak lantzen dituzte.

Narratze-trebetasunen garapena: ipuin bera eta ume bera hiru adin ezberdinetan

Libro-homenaje editado por Mª José Ezeizabarrena y Ricardo Gómez

Corrective feedback in oral interaction: A comparison of a CLIL and an EFL classroom

[EN] Since Long's Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1983) multiple studies have suggested the need of oral interaction for successful second language learning. Within this perspective, a great deal of research has been carried out to investigate the role of corrective feedback in the process of acquiring a second language, but there are still varied open debates about this issue. This comparative study seeks to contribute to the existing literature on corrective feedback in oral interaction by exploring teachers' corrective techniques and students' response to these corrections. Two learning contexts were observed and compared: a traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom and a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classroom .The main aim was to see whether our data conform to the Counterbalance Hypothesis proposed by Lyster and Mori (2006). Although results did not show significant differences between the two contexts, a qualitative analysis of the data shed some light on the differences between these two language teaching settings. The findings point to the need for further research on error correction in EFL and CLIL contexts in order to overcome the limitations of the present study.

Cooperative learning strategies to teach nutrition to geriatric nursing staff

[EN] The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that cooperative learning strategies will help to increase nutrition knowledge of nurses and nursing assistants caring for the elderly in different institutional communities of the Basque Country, Spain. The target population was a sample of volunteers, 16 nurses and 28 nursing assistants. Training consisted of 12 nutrition education sessions using cooperative strategies conducted over a period of 3 consecutive weeks. The assessment instruments included two pretest and two posttest questionnaires with questions selected in multiplechoice format. The first questionnaire was about general knowledge of applied nutrition (0-88 point scale) and the second one on geriatric nutrition knowledge (0-18 point scale). Data were analyzed using SPSS vs. 11.0. The outcomes indicated a significant increase in general nutrition knowledge (difference between the pre- and posttest mean score: 14.5±10.1; P<0.001) and in geriatric nutrition knowledge for all participants (difference between the pre- and post-test mean score: 4.6±4.6; P<0.001). So the results indicated that cooperative learning strategies could improve the nutrition knowledge of nursing staff. Additionally, the results of this study provide direction to continuing nutrition education program planners regarding appropriate content and methodology for programs.