Monday Session I
09:00-10:00 | Room: Al Khayma Monday Session I: 09:00-10:00 Room: Al Khayma Education: Learning, Teaching & Educational Structures Session Chair: Yvonne Masters 34272
09:00-09:30 | Room: Al Khayma
Converging the Curriculum Designers' Intentions into a Foreign Language Classroom Nobue Tanaka-Ellis, Tokai University, Japan
This research analyses how a foreign language class was constructed from two different perspectives: 1) how the curriculum shaped the class under study (macro-level analysis); and 2) how the environment formed the class (micro-level analysis). In my previous study, two English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes for Japanese science and engineering undergraduate students taught in two different environments (a computer room and a traditional classroom) were compared in terms of differences in on-task behaviours that were influenced by the learning environment, with an emphasis on the roles of computers. The results showed that computers facilitated learners to gather information they needed for conducting a collaborative task; however, the time that they used for target language interaction was very limited because they had a tendency to work individually on their computers. In this study, drawing from a Actor-Network Theory point of view, each of the human actors (i.e. students, the teacher) and non-human actors (i.e. computers, syllabus) were mapped to make the connections and influence they had between them more apparent at two different levels – a curriculum level and a class level. These maps showed that the blueprint of course goals that the curriculum designers laid out was altered both by the teacher and the students due to the presence of computers. 34465
09:30-10:00 | Room: Al Khayma
The Flipped Experience: Perspectives on Using Mobile Learning Tools for Grammar Instruction Zeina Hojeij, Zayed University, UAE Pinar Ozdemir Ayber, Zayed University, UAE
There is limited research on the practices, opportunities and quality of instruction in flipped classrooms, and on the role of the teaching faculty as well as the learners in these types of classes. This presentation will highlight the results of a research project addressing the effectiveness of flipped grammar classrooms using mobile technology. It will suggest alternative ways of employing mobile learning tools to address time constraints and mixed student abilities in classes. In addition, it will identify the changing role of the teacher and the learner and suggest appropriate variations to the traditional classroom setting. Mention will also be made of the current necessity in education to use various digital tools and mobile resources and to also develop need-based e-content materials. It is hoped that this presentation, which intends to make use of mobile learning resources, will provide sufficient input for participants to reflect on ways they can incorporate mobile technology tools into their lessons in order to promote student autonomy and accountability. Practical tips and ideas will be shared with the participants on various mobile technologies that are used in this research project, such as ibooks, widgets and web-based programs that can bring alternative approaches to teaching in classes.
IAAB Spotlight Session 10:00-10:30 | Room: Al Khayma
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PST Online: Catering to a Changing Educational Landscape Through Enhanced Teacher Education Yvonne Masters, University of New England, Australia Sue Gregory, University of New England, Australia Stephen Grono, University of New England, Australia
Change is constant, particularly in education; the crucial element is to embrace those changes that can lead to improved outcomes for students. Virtual schools, often wholly online with no physical space, are assisting students who might otherwise be restricted in their educational opportunities to access education in new ways in order to achieve better outcomes. These students include rural students, those in hospitals, those imprisoned and those from highly mobile families such as the military. Teaching has been augmented for a long time by technology, and pre-service teachers required a new range of skills to meet this change. While teaching “with” technology is currently addressed in Australian higher education institutions, the different techniques required to teach solely online, where some students may be in the same space as each other or the teacher, but the majority will not, are not part of the teacher education courses. PST Online is a website developed to assist both pre-service and in-service teachers to gain an understanding of virtual teaching and the requisite skills for this form of education delivery. In this presentation the conceptual underpinning of the need for changes in teacher education will be considered. The perceptions of pre-service teachers in terms of their preparedness for virtual teaching, ascertained through a survey, will then be presented, followed by a description of the development of the PST Online website, a repository of online resources that are part of a funded project. IAFOR Dubai 2017 | IAFOR.ORG | 39