m-Learning: An experiment in using SMS to support learning new English language words

There is an increase use of wireless technologies in education all over the world. In fact, wireless technologies such as laptop computers, palmtop computers and mobile phones are revolutionising education and transforming the traditional classroom-based learning and teaching into anytime and anywhere education. This paper investigates the use of wireless technologies in education with particular reference to the potential of learning new technical English language words using Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging. The system, developed by the authors, called mobile learning tool (MOLT), has been tested with 45 1st-year undergraduate students. The knowledge of students before and after the experiment has been measured. Our results show that students enjoyed and learned new words with the help of their mobile phones. We believe that using the MOLT system as an educational tool will contribute to the success of students.     

高职学生使用手机用途调查及预防成瘾对策

高职校园里,学生基本人人有手机,很多学生把手机作为学习工具使用,但也有少部分学生使用手机玩游戏,因此,预防学生使用手机娱乐,引导学生正确使用手机是当务之急。学生在上课时几乎人人都携带手机,禁止学生携带手机上课并不可取,强制学生上课关机效果也并不好。只有任课教师正视现实,因势利导,开发手机中帮助学生学习的功能,把学生的兴趣引导到对课程知识的探索和实践技能的掌握上,才能减少甚至杜绝学生手机成瘾。     

信息环境下西部地区大学生英语学习现状及其原因分析——以四川外语学院为例

信息技术影响到外语教与学的方方面面。对学生进行调查后发现,近半数学生喜欢通过网络和手机等电子工具学习英语;有1／3左右的学生喜欢通过虚拟学习环境学习英语;只有很少一部分学生喜欢去自主学习中心学习英语。从学生视角对造成上述现象原因进行分析有助于帮助学生提高学习能力。     

国外手机用于语言词汇学习研究发展综述

手机主要功能包括互联网浏览、语音短信留言、发送短信息服务等。手机所有这些功能可以在语言学习中进行实践活动,能够增加学习者的效率,让学生充分利用零散时间,使学习者以更主动的方式获得词汇。介绍了近年来国外手机用于语言词汇学习研究的主要成果,并在此基础上总结出手机词汇学习的优缺点,为今后研究提供充分的依据。     

“You focus,I’m talking”: A CHAT analysis of mobile dictionary use in an advanced EFL class

This article discusses how students and teachers in an Advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class in Cape Town, South Africa, construct meaning through mobile phones. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), mobile phones are viewed as cultural artefacts that learners and teachers engage in the construction of meaning-making practices resulting in contradictions that potentially lead to radical transformation in the object and subject positions offered in the classroom. The case study was located in a Cape Town EFL institution with 14 adult foreign language learners and two foreign language teachers as participants. The findings indicated potential primary contradictions in division of labour and object owing to the teachers’ uptake of communicative language teaching (CLT) practices and their institutional roles. As contradictions must necessarily lead to change in a system, the authors propose that the use of mobile technology has the capacity to shift pedagogy in this context.     

Teachers and Students Poised to Use Mobile Phones in the Classroom

This study examined the perceptions of 15 teachers and 103 middle school students at a progressive private school located in Mumbai, India to determine their support for the use of mobile phones in the classroom, their perceptions of the mobile phone features that are beneficial for school-related work, and the instructional benefits and barriers to mobile phone use prior to beginning a mobile phone pilot program. The results indicated that most teachers (86%) and students (92%) supported the use of mobile phones in the classroom while those remaining voiced uncertainties. The participants perceived many mobile phone features as being useful in the classroom, but the teachers and students significantly differed in their views. Participant responses revealed little concern about most of the barriers reported in the literature; both teachers and students were least concerned about the use of mobile phones causing a disruption to learning.     

谈大学生英语学习动力不足的原因及措施

学习动力是激发学习积极性最直接的因素之一,学习动力在外语学习活动中起着重要的作用。因此,分析英语学习中动力不足的原因,探讨如何在英语教学中激发学生的学习动力显得尤为重要。     

碎片化学习视域下基于智能手机的大学生移动学习认知研究

远程教育中采用移动学习方式是顺势而为,基于智能手机的移动学习有助于学习者将一点一滴的碎片化时间利用起来,极大地提高学习者的学习效率,促进学习者对知识的主动建构,成为传统课堂教学的有效补充和优化,同时将手机作为直播机,亦可解决远程学习者无法亲临现场学习难题。本文以大学生为研究主体,运用编制的测量工具获取在校大学生利用智能手机进行移动学习数据,然后综合采用曼一惠特尼U检验、克鲁斯卡尔一沃利斯检验、单一样本t检验等方法,认知大学生对使用智能手机支持学习过程的观点、态度及其影响因素并提出有效解决策略,以期研究成果不仅能够有助于大学生有效开展移动学习而且还可为远程教育采用移动学习方式提供可行参考依据。     

Challenges of Integrating Mobile Technology into Mathematics Instruction in Secondary Schools: An Indonesian Context

Implementing mobile learning in curriculum-based educational settings faces challenges related to perceived ethical and learning issues. This study investigated the affordances of mobile technologies to support mathematics instruction by teachers. An exploratory study employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews revealed that, while mathematics instruction can be augmented with mobile learning, the majority of schools in Indonesia have banned student use of mobile phones in classrooms. Teachers are concerned about the improper use of mobile phones that could impact their students' mental well-being and distract them from learning. Most teachers perceive mobile technologies to be disruptive and seem reluctant to use them for teaching delivery. However, teachers are eager to experiment with digital technologies within mathematics instruction. Our findings suggest infusing alternate technologies that fit better with the school's teaching and learning environment. This includes web-based applications that can run on different digital devices ranging from desktop computers, laptops, and tablets, to mobile phones. We propose setting up communities of practice for mathematics teachers to share their instructional repertoire on integrating digital technologies within the classroom.     

加强学法指导 全面提高学生的英语素质

教学活动的主体是学生,教师不仅要提高教学水平,更要充分发挥学生的主体作用。在中学英语教学中,教师应注重学生学习能力的培养,帮助其掌握科学的学习方法,从而提高外语教学的效率和学生的学习水平。     

基于智能手机的移动学习在高校教学中的应用前景分析

目前,基于智能手机的移动学习已成为教育教学研究中的一大热点。对于现在的大学生来说,以智能手机为载体的自主性移动学习,有利于满足他们随时随地的学习需要,有利于帮助他们利用"碎片化"的时间提高学习效率,改善学习效果。可以预测,以智能手机等移动智能终端为载体的知识学习将成为未来知识学习的发展方向。因此,文章根据大学生的学习特点,分析基于智能手机的移动学习在高校教学中的应用现状、存在的问题,并提出相应的解决策略,以更好地提高高校教学效率。     

多媒体技术在外语教学中的应用

多媒体技术教学与传统教学相比,由于其具有融合性、非线性、无结构性、相互交涉性、可编辑性和可存储性等特点,在外语教学中发挥着重要作用。但是,多媒体技术仅仅是教学的辅助工具,在外语教学活动中,师生之间课堂上的互动性交流才是提高教学质量最有效的手段。     

“互联网+”背景下大学英语词汇的移动自主学习实证研究

"互联网+"给我国现有的教育资源、教学模式、学习策略等带来了巨大的变化。移动学习应成为新型语言教学的辅助手段。本研究探索在"互联网+"背景下学生利用手机学习软件进行大学英语词汇移动自主学习的可行性和有效性,用定量和定性的方法考察学生移动自主学习效果。结果表明:学生对英语词汇移动学习的便捷性与有效性持肯定态度;利用互联网+进行大学英语词汇移动自主学习具有可行性,可以提高学生英语词汇学习效果;但在增强学习动机上作用有限。     

高职学生感知型学习风格与外语成绩的相关性研究

本文采用Lynn O’Brien的学习风格调查表对高职学生的感知型学习风格及其与外语成绩的相关性进行了调查研究。调查结果显示,感知型学习风格对外语学习成绩有影响,触觉型风格偏向与外语成绩之间呈显著负相关。该结论对高职外语教师的启发是：教师应了解学生的学习风格,同时结合培养目标和学习任务采用相应的教学方式,如在该研究中应适当增加满足触觉型学习风格偏向的教学方法与考试形式,这不仅有助于提高学生的外语成绩,更有利于全面拓展学生的学习能力。     

Integrating mobile phones into teaching and learning: A case study of teacher training through professional development workshops

This paper presents the development and implementation of a professional development workshop series on integrating mobile phones into science teaching for a group of teachers in Sri Lanka. The series comprised a 3‐day Planning Workshop followed by implementation of the planned lessons in real classrooms and a subsequent 1‐day Reviewing Workshop. During the Planning Workshop, teachers were provided with a hands‐on‐session on the use of mobile phones in science teaching followed by collaborative lesson planning activities. The methodological approach taken to evaluating the initiative was qualitative, and data were collected using observations and fieldnotes. The data were analysed using thematic analysis techniques with the support of NVivo8 (QSR International Pty Ltd., Victoria, Australia) qualitative data analysis software. It was found that as professional development for teachers was provided separately as Planning and Reviewing Workshops, these workshops supported the teachers in recognising the educational potential of mobile phones, in learning how to use them in science teaching and learning, in changing their attitudes towards the use of mobile phones in teaching and in sharing knowledge and skills relating to mobile phone applications in science teaching and learning.     

《创造课内外英语语言环境教学模式研究》结题报告

通过采取理论研究、实验研究和问卷调查三种形式圆满完成本项研究。本项研究的内容包括变革教学手段和教学方法、变革考试制度、开展第二课堂活动三部分。在教学过程中 ,变革教学手段和教学方法 ,充分利用课堂教学 ,创造课内外语言环境 ,提高学生的英语实际运用能力。变革考试制度 ,清除”应试教育”的消极影响 ,发挥其积极作用 ,使考试为教学服务。另外 ,开展丰富多彩的英语第二课堂活动 ,利用调频广播电台、多媒体教室和电子阅览室等设施创造课外语言环境 ,提高学生的应用能力。创造课内外英语语言环境教学模式 ,通过提供一个英语氛围 ,让学生轻轻松松地在课堂内外学英语 ,从而提高英语的应用能力     

工科类高职院校学生外语学习焦虑的探讨——以重庆水利电力职业技术学院为例

焦虑是现代大学生学习过程中普遍存在的现象。对于工科类高职院校的学生而言,外语学习似乎比其他课程的学习更容易引起焦虑。文章主要从工科类高职院校学生外语学习焦虑原因进行分析,并通过访谈了解重庆水利电力职业技术学院工科专业学生英语课堂的焦虑状况,结合笔者自己的教学实践经验,探讨一些帮助高职院校学生克服和减轻外语学习焦虑的有效策略。     

基于BOPPPS和“对分”的混合式课堂实践及成效

针对目前大学生在课堂上玩手机、走神、课堂气氛沉闷等问题,本研究在课堂讲授的过程中基于BOPPPS有效教学结构,注重“精讲留白”,并引入了“对分”教学理念,将部分课堂时间留给学生进行“隔堂讨论”。学生在听完授课内容后,引导学生在课后内化吸收时以“亮考帮”作业与传统作业形式完成授课内容的复习,为下次课进行“隔堂讨论”准备好“个性化”的讨论素材。经过多次实践,总结了实践过程中需特别注意的问题,收集了学生对这种教学模式的意见。反馈结果表明:采用这种教学模式后,大部分同学均表示加深了对知识点的理解程度,减少了上课玩手机、犯困、走神的时间,因同学提出的问题开拓了自己的思维,激发了学习的兴趣等,使课堂学习进入了良性循环状态。     

Native-English Speaking Instructors Teaching Writing in China

This article presents two separate but related studies on native-English speaking (NES) instructors’ teaching writing practice in Chinese universities. One study is a case study that explores the teaching practice of three NES instructors’ writing instruction in a southern Chinese university as well as students’ responses to their practice. Another study takes on an auto-ethnographic approach, in which the researcher retrospectively examines his own writing instruction as a college NES instructor in China with his new understanding of Bakhtin’s dialogic theory and theories of multi/biliteracy. The pairing of these two studies, methodologically and conceptually, illustrates the NES instructors’ teaching experiences in China from both an outsider and an insider’s perspectives. The findings of the studies indicate that one of the key factors that hinder the effectiveness in teaching writing in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts is the doctrine of ‘native fallacy’ widespread in the EFL field. This is an ethnocentric view of treating English as a hegemonic practice that drives EFL students to reach native-like English proficiency in both their English speaking and writing. The article concludes with a call for a paradigm shift in teaching and learning in the EFL field, which requires fundamental changes in the view of English from ‘native English’ to World Englishes or an international language for today’s globalized community.