Guiding Practice
Asynchronous Session
Creating Community: How Sending Postcards Connected Museum Interns Through Narrative Writing and Art-making View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Beatriz Galuban
This paper explores how an empathetic postcard writing method called (fe)mail was used for reflection and connection among graduate students interning at different museums throughout the city. Oftentimes museum internships and fellowships, whether connected to coursework or not, are completed in isolation from the rest of a student’s studies and course load. While reflections or evaluations are commonly assigned to students in these internship courses, they are not regularly given opportunities to truly connect with their peers and learn about other student's experiences. The paper addresses the following questions: 1. Can postcard writing be used as a tool for connection and empathy among students and 2. Can postcards serve as a space for vulnerable reflection of the internship experience? The paper provides a description of the internship course in which students exchanged postcards with one another and a theoretical basis for (fe)mail as a method. This is followed by my analysis of the postcards created throughout the semester along with images of their written components, examining how students bonded through similar experiences of self-doubt and professional growth. I also address ways in which the (fe)mail exchange provided a safe space for genuine reflection of the internship experience. I present feedback, discuss areas for improvement, and talk through the challenges of instituting such a method for a graduate level course. Finally, I provide suggestions for educators wishing to try this out with their own students, and museum education interns.
Exploring Hong Kong ESL Learners’ Thinking through Classroom Dialogue and Self-evaluation in Asynchronous Online Discussions View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Zenia Chan
Classroom dialogue has been widely recognised for its intricate relationship with learners’ cognitive development. Given the proliferation of technological advancements, studying the interactions among students and teachers learning ESL in a fully asynchronous online environment is deemed significant in extending teaching and learning beyond the confounds of the physical classroom. This qualitative study investigated how ESL learners in Hong Kong (HK) engage and think together in asynchronous online discussions using Padlet, a micro-blogging tool. A total of twenty-five students from a secondary school in HK shared their responses and reflections on news articles and conducted open-floor discussions on their opinions. Subsequently, they were invited to write self-evaluations to reflect on their discussion process. Five students were then invited to participate in semi-structured interviews, which aimed to gauge their thinking processes and responses during the asynchronous online discussions. The Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis was employed to code the online discussions, while thematic coding was used to code the interview transcripts. The findings indicated that online discussions enabled students to cogitate multiple viewpoints and explore other learning opportunities, enhancing the depth and breadth of their thinking. Participants were also able to internalise their co-constructed ideas and apply them in their own subsequent written responses. An increased self-awareness in evaluating their own understanding of the instructed content was also observed. The data thus shed light on the affordances of ESL instruction through asynchronous online discussions, as well as the potential of self-evaluation in developing and supporting students’ thinking.
Implementing Pedagogical Translanguaging in Higher Education: Students’ Views and Teachers’ Challenges View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Gema Gayete
The multilingual turn has established new multilingual pedagogies in education that go against language isolation. One example is pedagogical translanguaging, a teaching approach by which two or more languages of the students’ language repertoire are systematically used in instruction. However, the theoretical framework on pedagogical translanguaging is much more extensive than the number of studies that applied translanguaging pedagogies in the classroom context. Therefore, this study has implemented pedagogical translanguaging in a public university of Castelló (Valencian Community, Spain) where three languages (Catalan, Spanish and English) are offered as teaching languages, although actual classrooms still follow monolingual perspectives on language learning. In particular, 65 content teachers-to-be took part in the study, who have a crucial role in the future of the education system. Pedagogical translanguaging was applied during 8 sessions of 1 hour each within the English language subject from the first year of the preschool education degree. Through this multilingual approach, students’ language repertoire (Catalan and Spanish) was employed systematically to reinforce target language learning (English). After the pedagogical intervention, students participated in group discussions to reflect upon the effectiveness of the approach, and express their views towards it. Results showed that although some students conveyed positive beliefs about the multilingual approach and perceived its usefulness for English learning, some other students based their attitudes on traditional monolingual views. Several challenges were also found in the multilingual classroom, such as students’ initial reluctance in participating in multilingual activities and the lack of suitable multilingual materials and digital resources.
"Cultural Openness and Desire to Learn" Regarding Language Education: Systematic Review View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Beatriz Peña Acuña
This research critically addresses the intricate relationship between cultural openness and linguistic education from a perspective of the desire to learn, focusing on its impact in multicultural contexts and how it affects educational agents, specifically teachers. The evolution of cultural openness is emphasized as an inclusive practice crucial for the effective integration of diverse participants in the educational process. The systematic review delves into the complexities of this phenomenon, evaluating levels of education, educational environments, and the influence of external factors across various contexts, whether it be the native language (L1) or a second language (L2), foreign language teaching, or the role of the teacher in the process. The study employs a bibliographic methodological approach, finally selecting 20 relevant works for in-depth analysis. This methodology allows for a comprehensive and comparative synthesis of information, providing a holistic understanding of intercultural dynamics in linguistic education. The research goes beyond presenting the current state of the relationship between cultural openness and language teaching; it also aims to identify emerging patterns and gaps in the literature. This critical approach contributes to a continuous understanding of how cultural aspects impact education and how educational agents can adapt and enhance their pedagogical practices in multicultural environments.
