a blended learning approach to promote efl journal writing kazunori nozawa ritsumeikan university,...

A Blended Learning Approach to Promote EFL

Journal Writing

Kazunori NozawaRitsumeikan University, Japan

[email protected]

07.11.03 GloCALL 2007 (Hanoi U, Vietnam)

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Outline

An Overview of CMS/Moodle Blended Learning in an EFL environment

(at Kyoto University) Motivational Issues on Teaching EFL in J

apan Research Summary/Conclusion Future Plan


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An Overview of CMS/Moodle CMS stands for Content/Course

Management System. A Web application to run on a server

located anywhere in the world and accessed by a Web browser.

It gives educators a tool to create a course Web site and provide access control so only enrolled students can view it.


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An Overview of CMS/Moodle It provides a wide variety of tools that

make a course more effective through:– easy uploading/downloading and

sharing files,– holding online discussions/chats, – giving exercise, quizzes and

questionnaires,– gather/review assignments, – and recording grades, etc.


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Reasons to use a CMS/Moodle

While face-to-face teaching/learning can still be effective, a lot of research show how effectively combine online learning with it by using those tools.

Hybrid courses

Blended Learning


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Many teachers can save time while promoting students’ autonomous learning so that students can troubleshoot in classes.

Online tasks such as forum discussions can make students feel easier to compose questions and answers because of their shyness, uncertainty, and language issues in a face-to-face situation.


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Students’ demand: Online communication is second nature to many students.

Students’ schedule: Having part-time jobs and club activities, they need flexible access to courses.

Better management: Using a CMS/Moodle can make any classes more effective and efficient.


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Moodle is more mature and much easier to use now with the minimum technical knowledge and skills.

Moodle is an open source courseware and basically free to use for one’s own purposes and indeed better than expensive commercial ones like WebCT or Blackboard.


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Comparison of CMS Features

(Cole, 2005)


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What is Blended Learning?

Blended Leanring is – the combination of multiple approaches to l

earning. – can be accomplished through the use of ‘bl

ended’ virtual and physical resources. – A typical example: a combination of technol

ogy-based materials and face-to-face sessions used together to deliver instruction.


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Blended Learning at Kyoto University

Face-to-face teaching/learning with video-based texts + online learning using Moodle: Academic English at Kyoto University - http://www.tell.is.ritsumei.ac.jp/kyotou/


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English I (for law majors): – No. of freshmen: 33(32) (Male 24(23); Fem

ale 9)– No. of class hours: 90 min x 28 wks (two s

emesters)– Texts: Morita, A. et al. (2006). BBC Short Cl

ips on DVD, Seibido, Co. Ltd. + Nozawa, T. et al. (2007). 60 minutes: CBS Documentary, Kirihara Shoten, Co. Ltd.


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English I (for Architecture majors): – No. of freshmen: 25 (Male 18; Female 7)– No. of class hours: 90 min x 28 wks (two s

emesters)– Texts: Stempleski, Susan. (2006). World Li

nk Video Course 2, Thompson ELT + Stempleski, Susan. (2006). World Link 2 Workbook Book, Thompson ELT


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Motivational Issues English I is a required class and each class is

automatically assigned by the English Division for all the freshmen at Kyoto University, but not all of them are well-motivated to learn actively at EFL classes and try harder to improve their EFL skills because of the entrance exam burnout syndrome.

Students need to experience a different and refreshing learning style (Blended Learning ) from ones that they have previously experienced.


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Motivational Issues Most of students have acquired the

basic computer literacy at their secondary schools and can use it for learning EFL on line effectively at a university.

Students can collaboratively share their ideas in journal writings with their classmates or small group members or look at others’ writing products more critically .


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Research Summary/Conclusion

Students at Kyoto University in a blended learning style seem to have become interested in the provided contents and have worked harder to accomplish both online and off-line tasks.

Students’ EFL proficiency level are not the same so that the original journal writings as well as the responding writings vary in qualities and quantities.


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Research Summary/Conclusion

Students’ interests vary according to the topics. As a result, the responding writings are not long enough nor a bit far from an ideal level from the teacher’s view.

Adopting blended learning to promote learning EFL is, however, still an effective and useful way to give students more writing opportunities in a different learning style with a different kind of motivation.


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Future Plan These practical and experimental classe

s at Kyoto University in a blended learning style continues until January 2008 so that the year-end questionnaire will be given to find out the students’ attitude changes and, in particular, usefulness of using a forum writing & discussions with Moodle in learning EFL.


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References Blended learning. http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/lear

ning/yrk12focusareas/learntech/blended/index.php Cole, Jason. (2005). Using Moodle book. http://docs.

moodle.org/en/Using_Moodle_book Gray, Caroline. (2006). Blended Learning: Why Everythi

ng Old Is New Again—But Better. http://www.learningcircuits.org/2006/March/gray.htm

Valiathan, Purnima. (2002). Blended learning model. http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/aug2002/valiathan.html


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For Further Information

Prof. Kazunori Nozawa College of Information Science and Engi

neering, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577 Japan

Email: [email protected] HP: http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/is/~nozawa/index.

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