Language Centres at a Crossroads

In the ideal language classroom, just like in a yoga studio, students are busily engaged, totally engrossed in their task, completely dpisregarding any outside distractions, being in the here and now. This is a state for which Csikszentmihalyi in mid 1970s coined the term flow experience, i.e. "focused attention on a limited stimulus field containing challenges matching or marginally higher than the person's skills, and it is sought out by people because the state is an enjoyable one that they wish to experience again and again" (Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura, 2018). This, in essence, is what inspired the authors to try to lead the students to achieve in the Legal English classroom.

The first foray into applying this concept to learning of languages, carried out by Egbert in 2003, confirmed that flow indeed exists in the foreign language classroom and if induced successfully by the teacher, it can lead to powerful and effective learning experience. Similarly to the well-researched and well-established concepts of motivation (Dörnyei, 2019) and creativity (Jones, Richards eds., 2016), it can help students achieve the desired learning outcomes without apparent hardship or difficulty.

The potential of flow experience is yet to be fully, theoretically, explored in the realm of Language for Specific Purposes (LSP), though it shows considerable promise. Being essentially learner-centred and profession specific, LSP lends itself to fostering practical skills for the world of work, thus accentuating aspects of experiential learning and deep engagement in the topic pertinent to the learner.

In this workshop, the participants will have a chance to experience the scenario set up for law undergraduates to achieve the flow experience. This can be done by satisfying the following conditions: clear goals, immediate feedback, and the right level of difficulty. In order for it to work, it needs to be a well-planned and finely tuned challenge. To use the yoga analogy again, it would be unwise for a novice yogi to attempt an advanced Asthana class or for an experienced one to join a class for beginners, for learning can be as easily hampered by anxiety as by boredom. The yoga pose of Upward-Facing Dog will challenge you to lift and open your chest, our workshop will challenge you to re-think the classroom experience – or simply go with the flow.

Tento workshop umožní účastníkům na vlastní kůži vyzkoušet Csikszentmihalyiho koncept flow, t.j. ponoření se do úkolu, který člověka natolik pohltí, že nevnímá okolí, a snaží se ze všech sil dosáhnout svého cíle. Je to natolik příjemný prožitek, že jej člověk touží zopakovat. Joy Egbertová v roce 2003 prokázala, že tento koncept lze úspěšně aplikovat na jazykové vzdělávání. My se nyní pokusíme o totéž v oblasti výuky odborného jazyka, konkrétně právnické angličtiny.

References:

• Jones, R. (Ed.), Richards, J. (Ed.). (2016). Creativity in Language Teaching. New York: Routledge.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M., Nakamura, J. (2018). Flow, Altered States of Consciousness, and Human Evolution, Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 25, Numbers 11-12, 2018, pp. 102-114(13)
• Dörnyei, Z. (2019). Towards a better understanding of the L2 Learning Experience, the Cinderella of the L2 Motivational Self System. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 19-30.
• Guilloteaux, M. J., & Dörnyei, Z. (2008). Motivating language learners: A classroom-oriented investigation of the effects of motivational strategies on student motivation. TESOL Quarterly, 42(1), 55-77.
• Egbert, J. (2003) A Study of Flow Theory in the Foreign Language Classroom The Modern Language Journal 87, 501-5018.

Barbora Chovancová, Štěpánka Bilová and Alena Hradilová teach English for Legal Purposes at Masaryk University Language Centre. They are interested in material design, creativity, experiential learning, task based learning and student autonomy. Currently, they are a part of team working on a book on Legal English for Czech lawyers, law students and other law enthusiasts.