Can pluralistic approaches develop whole-brain learning? R. DAHM

Can pluralistic approaches develop
whole-brain learning?

Rebecca DAHM
ÉSPÉ – University of Limoges
LACES – EA 4140, Bordeaux-Segalen - Bordeaux IV

LAIRDIL international conference

“ Affective aspects in foreign language teaching and learning “
Toulouse, October 17th-18th, 2013

Pluralistic approaches of languages and
cultures

= didactic approaches which use teaching/learning
activities involving several (i.e. more than one) varieties
of languages or cultures (http://carap.ecml.at)


Whole-brain learning
•  Research underlines importance of connecting left
hemisphere of brain (verbal, logical and analytical
memory) to right hemisphere (spatial and intuitive
processing) (Respress & Lutfi, 2006).
•  AFFECT can interfere in the process of learning :
enhance or sabotage ability of pre-frontal lobe to
maintain working memory (Goleman, 1995).
=> « accelerate and enrich our learning, by engaging
the senses, emotions, imagination » (Gross, 1992 :
139).

Outline
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Research question and hypothesis
Theoretical framework
Research design
Method of analysis
Results
Discussion


Research

question
and

hypothesis

Experimentation

•  Led in 2011-2012 : showed that being confronted to
Pluralistic Approaches based upon Unknown
Languages (PAUL) develops students’ cognitive
skills (enhanced strategy use and metalinguistic
competence).


Research question

•  implementation of PAUL sessions can have an
impact on both individual and relational affective
factors (Arnold,1999).


Impact on individual factors

PAUL sessions : no learning goal.
•  language anxiety (Gardner and MacIntyre, 1993) can
be reduced.
•  Students review their attitudes (Lasagabaster, 2006)
•  Teacher is led to review his beliefs regarding
students’ abilities (Puchta, 1999)


Anxiety
•  Specific anxiety related to learning a second
language (Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986; Rubio,
2004).
•  Adolescent learners seek to transmit ‘mature ideas’
but can only resort to ‘immature’ language resources
=> impact self-esteem (Arnold, 2006).
•  Anxiety can be reduced through teacher’s attitude
(Dörnyei & Csizér,1998; K. Ellis, 2000)


Effects of self-esteem on learning
•  ‘Affective filter’ (Krashen, 1982): influence of negative
emotions.
•  Balanced self-esteem: competence and self-worth
(Mruk, 1999).
Responsibility of the individual but also of the social
context. In classroom, self-esteem and confidence can
be encouraged by teacher’s attitude.


Impact of teacher’s beliefs on learning/teaching

Puchta (1999): negative beliefs of teachers determine
students' expectations.
-  If expectations are limited, lower level of motivation =
confirmation of initial beliefs.
-  Need to work on current beliefs of teachers


Mixed methodology
Knowledge

Teacher

Learner

Didactic triangle (Chevallard, 1985)

•  Impact on teacher/teaching: action-research
•  Impact on learner/learning: quasi-experiment
Both qualitative and quantitative data


Participants
•  Teachers: N=9
•  Lower secondary school pupils, two target groups:
•  students from year 7 (12-13 year-old)
•  students from year 9 (14-15 year-old)

•  Observed students: N = 88 students from year 7 (22
groups)


Procedure

•  Three unknown languages: Dutch, Italian, Finnish
•  Two types of activities:
Ø  metasemantic activities
Ø  metasyntactic activities

•  Same model: give systematicity to a regular exercise


Corpus

•  Qualitative data (Nvivo):
–  Excerpts from 4 different teacher questionnaires
–  Excerpts from the transcripts of the action-research workshops
–  Excerpts from
–  Excerpts from post-experimentation pupil questionnaires

•  Quantitative data (ModaLisa): analysis of pupil
questionnaire

Variables and indicators
•  Teachers’ beliefs about students: vision of students’ knowledge, skills and
attitudes (questionnaire 3 + transcripts of workshops 1 and 2 + forum messages)
• 

Students’ beliefs:

–  Beliefs about unknown languages (analysis of transcript of metasemantic and
metasyntactic activities)
–  Beliefs regarding own abilities QII-5 and QII-6 : “Have you improved your ability
to find new information in a text?” “Have you improved your ability to identify
grammar elements?”
• 

Self-esteem: student questionnaire Q III-10: “Do you feel more intelligent?”


Impact on teacher’s way of considering
students (1/3)
Preconceptions regarding students’ knowledge:
–  P2 believes students will not have the same knowledge on unknown
languages as teachers had (excerpt 1).

Excerpt 1

–  P9 believes that because of lack of multilingual repertoire comprising
Spanish, students will not be able to access meaning (excerpt 1).

Excerpt 2

students (2/3)
•  Preconceptions regarding students’ skills:
–  P1 considers it necessary to attract attention of students on
instruction
–  P2 believes students will not comply with instruction

Excerpt 3

students (3/3)
•  Preconceptions regarding students’ attitudes:
–  P4 believes students will not feel like trying to retrieve their
metalinguistic knowledge. They might reject it as an additional
learning task (excerpt 4).

Excerpt 4


Evolution of teacher’s way of considering
students (1/2)
•  Only when working on third language (Finnish), does P4 seem
to believe in the students’ abilities to access meaning in an
unknown language (excerpt 5 from Forum):

Excerpt 5

Evolution of teacher’s way of considering
students (2/2)
•  Teacher final questionnaire shows amazement regarding pupils’
general abilities:
–  P1: « fascinantes, surtout celles des élèves en difficulté »
–  P2 : « surprenantes et enrichissantes »

•  Some view certain students differently:
–  P3 states the impact on their self-confidence: « cette expérimentation a permis
à certains élèves d’avoir plus confiance en eux car ils faisaient des remarques
judicieuses (qui les surprenaient eux-mêmes), ils ont découvert que faire
travailler son cerveau pouvait être intéressant ».
–  P1 underlines the impact on her vision of pupils with learning difficulties : « à
quel point des élèves en difficulté pouvaient retrouver le sourire et le goût quand
ils se sentaient en réussite ».

Students’ beliefs (1/2)
–  Beliefs regarding own abilities QII-5 : “Have you improved your
ability to find information in an unknown text?”


Students’ beliefs (2/2)
–  Beliefs regarding own abilities (QII-6) : “Have you improved
your ability to identify grammar elements?”


Anxiety and self-esteem
•  Development of metalinguistic competence (shown in previous
research), thus leading to an increase of self-esteem
•  Student questionnaire Q III-10: “Do you feel more intelligent?”


Attitudes towards languages
•  Transfer of skills to other languages and situations:
–  « Quand je suis partie en vacance j'ai pris un texte dans l'aéroport
et j'ai essayé de le traduire ».
–  « Sur les bouteilles d’eau, avec le texte en français et la traduction
dans une autre langue ».

•  Curiosity towards other languages: 24 other
languages.

Impact on teachers
•  Implementing Pluralistic Approaches based upon
Unknown Languages has enabled teachers of
English to consider students' abilities otherwise.
•  Benefits are not only cognitive but also related to
affect: students can adopt new role
•  Renewal and modification of teacher-student
relationship.

Impact on students
•  Developed self-esteem
•  Changed their attitude regarding the language object.
•  Developed interest in learning how to learn
•  Increased curiosity: students report having used the
methodology in another context. They also would like
to discover a large number of additional languages.

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References

Candelier, M. (2003). L’éveil aux langues à l’école primaire. Evlang  : bilan d’une innovation
européenne. Bruxelles: De Boeck.
Deyrich, M.-C. (2011). Exploration de la notion d’altérité dans la formation des enseignants
de langues   : pour une résonance des points de vue et des démarches. In Chini, D. et
Goutéreaux, P. Intégration de l’altérité dans l’apprentissage des langues: Formes
didactiques et procédures psycholinguistiques. Paris: L’Harmattan.
Díaz-Corralejo Conde, J. (2004). De l’étrangeté à la complicité. Didáctica (Lengua y
literatura), (16), 23–32.
Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Gross, R. (1992). Lifelong learning in the learning society of the twenty-first century. In In
Collins, C. & Mangieri, J. (Eds.), Teaching Thinking: An Agenda for the Twenty-First
Century (p. 137-154). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.
Guiora, A. Z., & Acton, W. R. (1979). Personality and language behaviour  : a restatement.
Language Learning, 29(1), 193-204.
Gutiérrez, X. (2011). Knowledge representations underlying covert metalinguistic activity: a
working hypothesis. Language Awareness, 20(3), 239-254.
Lasagabaster, D. (2006). Les attitudes linguistiques   : un état des lieux. Ela. Études de
linguistique appliquée., 2006/4(144), 393-406.
Mruk, C. J. (1999). Self-esteem: Research, theory, and practice. New York: Springer Pub.
Naiman, N. (1978). The Good Language Learner. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education.
O’Malley, J. M., & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language
Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Oxford, R. L. (2011). Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strategies. Harlow:
Pearson education.
Puchta, H. (1999). Creating a learning culture to which students want to belong   : the
application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming to language teaching. In In Arnold, J. (ed.),
Affect in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Underhill, A. (1999). Facilitation in language teaching. In In Arnold, J. (ed.), Affect in
Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

31

Thank you for your attention !
rebecca.dahm@unilim.fr


Video of first session on Dutch

Text in Italian

« Sono un topo molto famoso. Io sono piccolo, con grandi orecchie nere.
Indosso pantaloni rossi con grandi bottoni bianchi. I miei migliori amici
sono Paperino e Pippo e la mia bella ragazza di nome Minnie.
Mio padre è molto famoso: il suo nome è Walt Disney! 
Chi sono io? »

Text in Finnish
Päivi: " Rakastatko musiikkia?  
Timo: "Kyllä, minä rakastan. Lataan paljon musiikkia
Internetistä.  
Päivi: Soitatko musiikkia?  
Timo: "Kyllä, minä soitan. Soitan pianoa. Sisareni Eija
ei soita pianoa, mutta hän soittaa kitaraa.
Entä sisaresi Nina?  
Päivi: Sisareni Nina rakastaa rap-musiikkia.
Rakastaako sisaresi Eija myös rap-musiikkia?  
Timo: Ei, hän ei rakasta.

Example of a group sheet in Dutch

Example of a group sheet in Italian

Example of a group sheet in Finnish

Can pluralistic approaches develop whole-brain learning? R. DAHM

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