Action Research/Design Research: Using iPads to help teenagers design their own learning activities.

1. Using iPads to help...
...teens design
their own learning
Joshua Underwood
British Council, Bilbao
& LKL, IOE, London

2. • Class set of iPads
• 13, 13-14 year olds,
Basque & Spanish
• CEFR B2
• 3 terms, 2 evenings a
week, over 9 months

3. How can I get teenagers to think about
how they learn English and ways they
can use technology to help?
Design?Learning
Diana Laurillard (2012). Teaching as a Design Science: Building
Pedagogical Patterns for Learning and Technology, NY: Routledge.

4. Method: Design Thinking +
EoR
❖ Tablets for informal learning. LLT
17(1) (Chen, 2013)
❖ "iPads are marvelous tools to
engage kids, but then the novelty
wears off..." (Cuban, 2011) - regular
classroom use over 9 month
course.
❖ www.DesignThinkingforEducators.com
(IDEO, 2012)
❖ Ecology of Resources (Luckin,
2010): What? Why? Who can help?
What tools can help? Where?
When? How?

5. Learners' Designs
Gamified practice
Play Ludo.
To take a turn answer an FCE
Use of English question (on
Quizlet)
If you can't and another team can,
it's their turn.

6. Learners' Designs
'Edified' gaming
Play 'Clash of Clans'.
Note down and look up new
vocabulary.
Present what you learnt.

7. Learners' Designs
Songs+
Use LyricsTraining to find out the
lyrics to a song you like.
Note down and look up unfamiliar
vocabulary and/or structures.
Plan and sketch ideas for a lyric
video or write an alternative verse.

8. Learners' Designs
Create & share something
Find three or four Use of English
keyword transformations your
group can't do.
Find out the answers.
Create an amusing dialogue using
them.
Make a photo-story to illustrate
your dialogue.
Created using GoApps ComicBook

9. Changes...?
"Before, I thought the best way to improve... ...was just to do my
homework and study. But now I know more ways to learn and improve"
"The first thing is you have to want... If you want then you can start doing
things for it"
"I love using the iPads"
...Is it time already?
...I don't want to go home yet...
"Why don't you install it on your phone?"
"I haven't got enough space" ;-)

10. Moving forward
❖ Do it again :-) with a
modified design
challenge & prompts
❖ Continue to use &
adapt the activity
designs
❖ Explore opportunities
for apps inspired by the
designs
Think http://englishprofile.org

11. Summary
• Design got them thinking about how they learn
• They enjoyed it, came to class, engaged with the activities
• iPads made this much easier than it would otherwise have been
• But no evidence of behaviour change outside class
• What did I get out of it?
• Useful activities
• Ideas for apps
• A reminder of the importance of the why question!
• A fresh challenge for next year :-)

12. ?
Thanks
twitter: @joshuau | josh.underwood@gmail.com |
www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaunderwood
Want more? Come to the workshop for teachers at
Teachers Conference - British Council, Bilbao - 27
Sept

13. References
Chen, X. (2013). Tablets for informal language learning: student
usage and attitudes. Language Learning & Technology, 17(1), 20-36
Cuban cited in Hu, W. (2011). Math that moves: Schools embrace the
iPad. NYTimes.
IDEO (2011). Design thinking for educators toolkit.
Diana Laurillard (2012). Teaching as a Design Science: Building
Pedagogical Patterns for Learning and Technology, NY: Routledge.
Luckin, R. (2010). Re-designing Learning Contexts. London:
Routledge