Page 47 - LanGuide Project: Research and Professional Insights
P. 47
What Kind of l s p Does LanGuide Propose?
the human beings involved in the language learning process. The main ob-
jective of c a l l is, in fact, to satisfy the needs of language learners and
teachers by means of computerized learning activities (Kohn, 1995, p. 5).
All the variables that define learners and teachers add yet another facet to
c a l l as a theoretical and practical construct. For example, a good c a l l
tool is tailored to the specific characteristics of individual learners: their
needs, their difficulties, or their learning style. When it comes to teachers,
they need c all applications clearly to define what they have to do in the
classroom (Chapelle, 2008, pp. 588–589). Apart from the individuals that
are involved in language learning in a hands-on way, c all is also shaped
by policy makers or institutions (Schulze, 2017, p. 302).
This focus on individuals or institutions brings another important factor
into the c all equation: culture. Since the c all tool under consideration
in this chapter is aimed at people who are to take part in a mobility pro-
gramme and hence to be exposed to a new culture, it was worth looking at
the concept of culture in more detail. Every person is born into a specific
linguistic and cultural context, whose nature shapes the person in all his or
her actions involving the action of learning a new language. Actually, ‘lan-
guage and consequently communication are essential elements of culture’
(Parmaxi & Zaphiris, 2016, p. 169).
For this reason, when learning a new language, one has to discover the
cultural specificities behind that language. As already confirmed by the lit-
erature review focused on this aspect, in order for a learner to be consid-
ered proficient in a language, being familiar with the culture of the com-
munity which speaks that language is just as important as the four skills
of reading, listening, writing and speaking. This is why it is important that
language learning experiences, the case of c a l l being particularly con-
sidered, should contain tasks, drills and exercises that include cultural and
socio-linguistic-pragmatic features of the contextual reality of the native
speakers of that language. Moreover, cultural aspects are relevant not only
for the content of learning activities, but also for the design of c a l l in-
terfaces (Parmaxi & Zaphiris, 2016, p. 169).
The importance of incorporating cultural elements into language teach-
ing materials is sometimes explicitly mentioned in state documents. For
instance, in the usa, creators of such materials are provided with a guide-
line that emphasises the inclusion of information about the speakers of
the target language and the contexts in which they speak that language.
This allows learners to become aware of linguistic and cultural aspects that
might be different from their own reality (Chapelle, 2010, pp. 71–72). In
47
the human beings involved in the language learning process. The main ob-
jective of c a l l is, in fact, to satisfy the needs of language learners and
teachers by means of computerized learning activities (Kohn, 1995, p. 5).
All the variables that define learners and teachers add yet another facet to
c a l l as a theoretical and practical construct. For example, a good c a l l
tool is tailored to the specific characteristics of individual learners: their
needs, their difficulties, or their learning style. When it comes to teachers,
they need c all applications clearly to define what they have to do in the
classroom (Chapelle, 2008, pp. 588–589). Apart from the individuals that
are involved in language learning in a hands-on way, c all is also shaped
by policy makers or institutions (Schulze, 2017, p. 302).
This focus on individuals or institutions brings another important factor
into the c all equation: culture. Since the c all tool under consideration
in this chapter is aimed at people who are to take part in a mobility pro-
gramme and hence to be exposed to a new culture, it was worth looking at
the concept of culture in more detail. Every person is born into a specific
linguistic and cultural context, whose nature shapes the person in all his or
her actions involving the action of learning a new language. Actually, ‘lan-
guage and consequently communication are essential elements of culture’
(Parmaxi & Zaphiris, 2016, p. 169).
For this reason, when learning a new language, one has to discover the
cultural specificities behind that language. As already confirmed by the lit-
erature review focused on this aspect, in order for a learner to be consid-
ered proficient in a language, being familiar with the culture of the com-
munity which speaks that language is just as important as the four skills
of reading, listening, writing and speaking. This is why it is important that
language learning experiences, the case of c a l l being particularly con-
sidered, should contain tasks, drills and exercises that include cultural and
socio-linguistic-pragmatic features of the contextual reality of the native
speakers of that language. Moreover, cultural aspects are relevant not only
for the content of learning activities, but also for the design of c a l l in-
terfaces (Parmaxi & Zaphiris, 2016, p. 169).
The importance of incorporating cultural elements into language teach-
ing materials is sometimes explicitly mentioned in state documents. For
instance, in the usa, creators of such materials are provided with a guide-
line that emphasises the inclusion of information about the speakers of
the target language and the contexts in which they speak that language.
This allows learners to become aware of linguistic and cultural aspects that
might be different from their own reality (Chapelle, 2010, pp. 71–72). In
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