Teaching Spanish in 3D Environments: A Second Life Case Study

1. - TISLID'10 - Dafne González Universidad Simón Bolívar TEACHING SPANISH IN SECOND LIFE: A CASE STUDY

2. Virtual Worlds and LT • 3D Environments • Example: Second Life (SL) • Avatars • 3D Interactive objects • Replicating places

3. Our Study - Context • Languagelab.com • British private company • Previously teaching English in SL • Sim especially designed for ELT • Spanish course • Spanish for travel • Level beginners • 10 weeks

4. Our Study - Methodology • Case study: a macro-vision of all the process of an Action Research. Qualitative research • Guiding questions: • How can Spanish be taught in Second Life? • How can we design a course to be delivered in SL? • Which language approach to teaching is the most appropriate for SL? • How do the affordances of SL impact on all of the above? • Objectives of the research • To design a course of Spanish for beginners in SL • To implement the course • To analyze all the components of the course and its appropriateness in SL • To reflect on the interactive, social and language learning potential of SL • Researchers:

5. Our Study – Action Research (AR) Phases suggested by Kemmis & McTaggart (1988) -fundamentals for each of the cycles of AR: • Plan (designing the course), • Action (implementation or intervention), • Observation of the effects of the action, • Reflection, which is the base for future actions or cycles of the research.

6. ActionResearch - Planning • Collaborative work : teachers, coordinator, languagelab staff, invited participants • Teaching method: communicative paradigm: • Whole language approach • Task-based instruction • Functional-notional • Total Physical Response • Authentic activities – real-world tasks • SL resources – 2D & 3D interactive objects • Evaluation: continual – based on class performance & interviews

7. Action Research - Implementation • Class walk-trhough • 10-week beta course • 90-minute classes twice a week (new language / enabling tasks • 8 invited participants • all teachers • Total and false beginners • Evaluation: • Weekly feedback surveys • teachers logs • Indicators of Engaged Learning • How Interactive are YOUR Distance Courses?

8. Action Research - Observation • Weekly meetings (teachers + coordinator) • Discuss classes using the data collected during implementation • Make changes to future classes based on data collected. • Online focus group sessions (T-C-P) • First group meeting - videoed for further analysis. • Other meetings- researchers took individual notes and then compared them). • Interviews with individual students.

9. Action Research - Reflection • Reflections on the observation cycle .... • Provided invaluable information on the feasibility of the course • Highlighted changes that needed to be made for the final product: • The use of team teaching to facilitate the teaching of beginners. • A change of approach from aural approach to a 4-skill approach. • The inclusion of an SL skills session for the students prior to course start. • The creation of a virtual city especially designed for this course. • The use of web-based resources (wiki, podcasts, interactive online exercises). • A need for self-access materials to reinforce class sessions.

11. Slideshow: Class 1 – Introducing the program & teaching helpful vocabulary http://photopeach.com/album/18hm5cy

12. Slideshow: Week 2 – Countries + Hotel vocabulary http://photopeach.com/album/tfad2f

13. Thanks for your attention! Dafne González dygonza@yahoo.com