Language Centres at a Crossroads

Introduced in the first version of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (Council of Europe, 2001) and later elaborated in its updated version (known as the CEFR Companion Volume with New Descriptors, Council of Europe, 2018), the action-oriented approach (AoA) marks a paradigm shift in foreign language education (Piccardo & North, 2019). It advocates social language learning based on collaborative group work and discovery learning and requires engaging language learners in purposeful communication while performing open-ended and authentic tasks. Such tasks have both linguistic and non-linguistic goals and therefore add more complexity in foreign language education. The tasks based on the AoA are also a move away from a longstanding textbook-defined practice usually based on syntactic syllabuses, which is detrimental to both language learners and educators themselves (Jordan & Gray, 2019). The approach is also superior to communicative approach, as it typifies a more meaningful language learning.

Given these ideas, the author of the article devised a multifaceted collaborative project for university students attending the course of English for Specific and Academic Purposes (C1 level). The project required that learners find and address any real-life question related to their major by conducting research on it. Working in groups of 3-4, they had to collect data by doing both literature review and conducting online surveys. The project had to culminate in two types of public products – reports and infographics presenting their findings.

The aim of the study was to determine language learners' perceptions of such an action-oriented task. Data was collected through an online survey administered via Google Forms. While the tool itself analyzed quantitative data, the author applied a qualitative approach for open-ended questions and looked inductively for the recurring themes in students' responses. The task appeared to be useful for the development of a wide range of competences, including both general and communicative language competences. The learners experienced most difficulties with social or collaborative aspects of the task. Despite the finding that the majority of students considered such a task to be of decent difficulty for them, their level of satisfaction differed significantly. This points to the need to carefully consider various aspects while shifting to more meaningful language learning with the increased demand for collaborative and cognitive efforts, which is similar to the implementation of more active learning methods in education in general. As the AoA remains under-researched, it is anticipated that both the detailed presentation of the project and students' reflections on it will help to increase the awareness of other language educators seeking practical action-oriented solutions.

Veikos atlikimu paremtas užsienio kalbų mokymas yra toliau skatinamas atnaujintoje Europos kalbų mokymosi, mokymo ir vertinimo metmenų versijoje (Europos taryba, 2018). Remiantis šiomis rekomendacijomis, straipsnio autorė straipsnio pasiūlė kalbos mokymosi bendradarbiaujant projektą studentams, kurie toliau studijavo anglų kalbą (C1 lygiu) universitetinėse studijose. Tyrimo tikslas buvo nustatyti besimokančiųjų požiūrį į projektą ir tokį kalbos mokymosi būdą. Duomenys buvo renkami pasitelkus internetinę apklausą, paruoštą naudojant „Google" formas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad tokia mokymosi veikla buvo naudinga įvairių gebėjimų tobulinimui, tiek bendrųjų, tiek komunikacinių kalbinių. Besimokantieji teigė, kad daugiausiai sunkumų buvo susiję su projekto socialiniais arba bendradarbiavimo aspektais. Jei dauguma studentų nurodė, kad projekto sudėtingumas atitiko jų lygmenį, jų pasitenkinimas tokia užduotimi stipriai išsiskyrė. Tai rodo, kad reikia labai atidžiai apsvarstyti daugelį aspektų, susijusių su kalbos mokymu remiantis veiklos atlikimu, nes tokias atvejais užduotys turi ne tik daug aspektų, bet ir tampa sudėtingesnės kognityviniu požiūriu bei reikalauja papildomų pastangų, susijusių su bendradarbiavimu.

References:

• Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Council of Europe. (2018). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Companion Volume with New Descriptors. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Retrieved from https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989
• Jordan, G., & Gray, H. (2019). We need to talk about coursebooks. ELT Journal, 73(4), 438-446.
• Piccardo, E., & North, B. (2019). The action-oriented approach: a dynamic vision of language education. Multilingual Matters Limited.

For the last 14 years, Dr. Evelina Jaleniauskienė has been working as a lecturer of English at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. She holds a PhD degree in Education, Social Sciences. Her PhD research focused on the implementation of the AoA by engaging learners in problem-solving activities and merging of learning a foreign language with the development of problem-solving skills. She is a council member of Language Teachers' Association of Lithuania. Her current research interests lie in technology-enhanced language teaching, re-envisioning language education in higher education and development of problem solving and other most important 21st century skills in language classes. Over the last five years, Jaleniauskienė has conducted a number of seminars on the application of digital tools for the language classes both in national and international higher education institutions.