Growing Literacy
Oxford Brookes University (Gipsy Lane Campus)
Crossing the Boundary between an EFL Multiliteracies Classroom and the Industry: From the Learners’ Perspective View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Y. Gloria Lo, Michelle Liu, Ying Wannie Wang, Sy Ying Lee
University-Industry collaborations have been increasingly recognized as an approach to crossing the boundary between academia and the industry. Much research has been exploring the issues and challenges generated from collaboration from the perspective of the organization (either academia or the workplace). Scant research has investigated the impact of such collaboration from the learners' perspective. To address the research gap, this collaborative project aimed to (1) understand the emergent factors contributing to the boundaries faced in the academia-industry multimodal branding process and to (2) investigate how the students respond to the boundaries as the result of the collaboration. A total of 37 advanced English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners, two literacy instructors, nine collaborating target brand owners, and five workplace professionals were the stakeholders participating in the joint academic-industry project. Individual in-progress reflection papers, in-depth focus group interviews, and learners' multimodal branding materials were collected and analyzed. Results show that (1) the conflicting priorities, needs, requirements, and demands between and across different stakeholders involved in the project, (2) learners' lack of multimodal, digital, marketing, and collaborating skills, and (3) the gap between their imagined and experienced curricula were the factors contributing to the boundaries for their learning. To respond, the learners view meeting the needs of the workplace as their priority while also feeling torn by the obligations of fulfilling the course requirements. The discussion is further illuminated by boundary crossing theory and multiliteracies theory and pedagogy. Both theoretical and practical implications are be provided.
Pre-serve Teachers and Their Understanding and Design of Social Media TESOL Practice: An Exploratory Study on Emerging Language Teacher Identities View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chin Chi Chao
In this exploratory qualitative case study, graduate and undergraduate students who are pre-service teachers were invited to start their (Social Media) SM practices teaching their selected SM audience their chosen aspects of TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language). The researcher started by interviewing each of them about their backgrounds, experiences, and aspirations related to TESOL and SM. During the 12-week project while developing their SM practice, the participants also engaged in discussions on SM cultures and how such cultures might be in conflict with existing TESOL practice and how it could be made creatively useful for TESOL. They did so by analyzing some SM language-teaching practitioners and their work while using these practitioners’ work to dialogue with publications on language teaching methodology (e.g., learner-centered language teaching approaches) and SM culture (e.g., participatory culture). The whole process was documented through audio and video data, including individual interviews, group discussions, written reflections, and the participants’ elaboration on their work-in-progress. Drawing on Wenger, the findings is a complex picture of how these pre-serve teachers manifest SM in TESOL through their created SM practices. In particular, their participation or non-participation is related to their emerging language teacher identities (LTIs), for example, whether or not there is a willingness to break the ideological boundary of what it means to be a SM practitioner and a language teacher. Implications and suggestions for language teacher education are provided.
Teaching Writing Online: A Case Study of Selected Grade 9 ESL Teachers View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Krissel Joy Sabado
The outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated an abrupt transition from on campus, face-to-face sessions to Online Distance Learning (ODL). Alongside this sudden shift, educators were challenged to further explore new strategies or pedagogical changes in teaching writing. In order to aid in the enhancement of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) writing online in the Philippines, this study explores the teaching practices implemented in online writing classes and determine the teaching principles that guide the teachers in implementing such practices. An exploratory-descriptive case study was conducted to three Grade 9 ESL teachers from two different private schools in Metro Manila. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews, structured synchronous and asynchronous class observations, and a document review. The research findings show that three principles ground the writing instructor’s teaching practices in the online writing class: The value of providing structure to writing, the importance of implementing guided instruction, and the significance of giving timely and purposeful feedback. To provide structure to writing, the teacher-respondents were able to implement online lectures, lecture-type discussions, and demonstrations. Modeling and practice writing exercises were provided to guide the students as they harness their writing skills. The participants also employed oral and written feedbacking techniques during the prewriting and the composing stage of the process approach to writing. However, it was observed that ESL teachers implemented more teaching practices during the prewriting stage of the process approach to writing, and students were expected to compose, proofread, and revise their written output mostly on their own.
