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Technology with a Human Touch Distance Learning in Persian and Pashto Ajmal Sherzuye

Technology with a Human Touch Distance Learning in Persian and Pashto Ajmal Sherzuye Homeira Bahadorani. Foreign Service Institute Primary training institution for the U.S. State Department. School of Language Studies

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Technology with a Human Touch Distance Learning in Persian and Pashto Ajmal Sherzuye

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  1. Technology with a Human Touch Distance Learning in Persian and Pashto Ajmal Sherzuye Homeira Bahadorani

  2. Foreign Service Institute • Primary training institution for the U.S. State Department

  3. School of Language Studies • Teaches approximately 70 languages to American diplomats and eligible family members • Develops distance learning courses in several languages such as Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Persian, and Pashto.

  4. Distance Language • Learning Students • Located at over 300 posts worldwide • Have full-time jobs • No mandated training time

  5. A 28-week course divided in 2 parts • Self-paced course • Students spend average of 4-6 hours a week

  6. Main Features • Course Materials on CD-ROM • Language presented via audio, text, photos, video • Bilingual Glossary: Pashto, English

  7. Course Structure • Present material through readings and dialogues • Practice material through a variety of activities • Produce language responding to prompts and • talking to the Mentor on the telephone

  8. Flow of Contents in Each Unit UnitObjectives Reading and Dialogue/Video Reading Activities Grammar Activities Lexical Activities Culture Notes Glossary Language Resources

  9. Pashto Distance Learning

  10. Alphabet

  11. Dialogue

  12. Additional Features • Cultural notes • Language Resources • Weekly session with Mentor over telephone

  13. Basic Greetings

  14. Presentation of the Verb to be

  15. Fill in the Blank

  16. Directions

  17. Drag and drop activities

  18. Persian Introductory Course • Students not only spend time studying CD-ROM-based content… • …but they are also mentored by native speaker FSI instructors

  19. Communicating with Students • Telephone • E-mail • Forum • Chat • Weekly e-mail to students

  20. Chat

  21. Forum

  22. E-mail • Weekly group e-mail

  23. Purpose of Telephone Calls • Directed practice (students are given work ahead of time to prepare) • Review of past material • Conversation practice • Role-playing exercises • Student progress/level evaluation • Motivational

  24. For some students, the phone call from the mentor is the only time during the course that they will converse with a native speaker of the language.

  25. Telephone Calls are very helpful in: • Providing immediate feedback to students. • Allowing students to self-assess their language ability (based on what they are able to say). • Giving structure to the course of study. • Helping the students pace themselves during the course. • Helping mentors assign students appropriate follow up work. • building a community of learners

  26. Purposes of Telephone Calls • Directed practice (students are given work ahead of time to prepare) • Review of past material • Conversation practice • Role-playing exercises • Student progress/level evaluation • Motivational • Providing immediate feedback to students • Allowing students to self-assess their language ability (based on what they are able to say). • Giving structure to the course of study • Helping the students pace themselves during the course • Helping mentors assign students appropriate follow up work • Students will converse with a native speaker of the language.

  27. Mentors Take the Initiative to Keep Students on Track Using various communication tools

  28. Coaching Strategies for Mentors • Praise and encourage • Offer help • Address student by name • Nudge without nagging; prod without pushing • Use “active listening” strategies • Engage the student – follow up with a question or a task • Nurturing positive feedback that keeps students engaged

  29. Praise and encourage • Offer help • Address student by name • Nudge without nagging; prod without pushing • Use “active listening” strategies • Engage the student – follow up with a question or a task • Nurturing positive feedback that keeps students engaged

  30. The Results • 80% of the students completed the pilot session • Students gave positive feedback concerning the mentoring…

  31. Student Feedback What was most helpful about the course? 85% of students responded: The mentor

  32. Student Feedback • “The assistance of instructor, [Name] who kept me motivated, answered all my questions, and worked around my often changing schedule. She sent exercises by e-mail that specifically addressed pronunciation and conjugation problems I was having, and she sent rapid rote lists that are extremely valuable .”

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