Change in the making : strategic and pedagogical aspects of technology integration in language teaching : towards multimodal language learning environments

The polycontextual nature of computer-supported learning – theoretical and methodological perspectives

This article discusses some theoretical and methodological problems and issues in the study of computer-supported learning activities with special reference to a discourse perspective in research. Special emphasis is laid on finding ways to reach the participant perspective in computer-supported collaborative learning projects, which are by nature polycontextual. By this term we refer to the diverse scenes and situations of learning activities that computer-supported learning involves. We will also address the issue of making claims on effective pedagogies, leaning on the theory of discourse as situated and constructive, which again sets special requirements on what kinds of assumptions and…

Oppimisen rajapinnoilla yliopiston viestintä- ja kieliopinnoissa

Artikkelin tavoitteena on luoda katsaus opiskelijoiden kokemuksiin yliopisto-opintojen eroista lukio-opintoihin verrattuna ja tunnistaa niistä erityisesti viestintä- ja kieliopintoihin liittyviä haasteita. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty vuosina 2012 ja 2014 kaikille Jyväskylän yliopiston opiskelijoille suunnatulla kyselyllä. Tätä artikkelia varten tarkasteluun on valittu kyselyn laadullisista osioista ne, jotka valottavat yliopistoopintojen kielellisiä ja viestinnällisiä haasteita. Aineisto on analysoitu laadullisen sisällönanalyysin avulla. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että haasteet liittyvät erityisesti tiedeyhteisön kielenkäyttö- ja toimintatapoihin sosiaalistumiseen. Työelämässä vaadittav…

Changing society - changing language learning and teaching practices?

Swift and unexpected changes have taken place in society over the past few decades: globalisation, increasing mobility, labour market changes and fast technological development have transformed society, making it multicultural, multilingual and multimodal. Education – and here above all language education – is at the centre of most societal activities and should be able to react to the changes quickly and flexibly. However, the changes in education are slow, and the views of the parties involved in the various levels of education as to the changes and their consequences do not always correspond. The purpose of this article is to outline the field of language education in the midst of the cu…

Maailma muuttuu - mitä tekee koulu? : äidinkielen ja vieraiden kielten tekstikäytänteet koulussa ja vapaa-ajalla

Viestintä- ja kieliopintojen kehittäminen kansainvälistyvässä korkeakoulutuksessa

Viestintä- ja kieliopinnot (viekie) ovat osa jokaista suomalaista korkeakoulututkintoa. Näistä opinnoista huolehtivat kielikeskukset ja niitä vastaavat yksiköt. Kansainvälisesti tarkasteltuna suomalainen järjestelmä on ainutlaatuinen; monissa maissa Suomen kaltaista järjestelmää ei joko ole ollenkaan tai opinnoista vastaavat ainelaitokset, eikä niitä ole tavoitteellisesti rakennettu osaksi tutkintoja (Saarinen & Taalas, 2016). Ainutlaatuisuus ei kuitenkaan tarkoita, etteikö kehittämistarpeita olisi: niitä syntyy luonnostaan toimintaympäristön muutoksen myötä. nonPeerReviewed

Nordic language policies for higher education and their multi-layered motivations

Language policies have been drafted in Nordic higher education with the obvious, but unproblematised and unchallenged motivation caused by internationalisation. In this article, we analyse the various motivations for drafting language policies in Nordic higher education and the ideological implications of those motivations. We do this by approaching the question from multiple (macro, meso and micro) viewpoints, in order to make visible some of the undercurrents in higher education language policy. We are particularly interested in the explicit motivations for language policy change, and the explicit and implicit actors and action represented in our data. We will first discuss the background…

Towards new cultures of learning: Personal learning environments as a developmental perspective for improving higher education language courses

AbstractThis article provides readers with an understanding of the concept of the personal learning environment (PLE). It suggests that PLEs can be used in two complementary ways: as a developmental lens for integrating ICT and creating new pedagogical practices and digital literacies for academic language learning, and as a context in which learners can practise and develop core skills such as digital literacies, team and knowledge work, and interactional skills – skills that are needed for success in today’s knowledge economy. The article places PLEs within the broader development related to the cultural changes brought on by the proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies – participation, team…

Factors Constraining Teachers’ Wellbeing and Agency in a Finnish University : Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to undergo a sudden shift toward technology-enhanced teaching and learning, challenging their capacities for change in many ways. This study explores those factors constraining teachers’ wellbeing and agency that influenced their capacities as teachers in a Finnish university during the first year of the pandemic. Two sets of data were collected, with an online survey in the spring (n = 297) and autumn (n = 246) of 2020. At both times, challenges with workload, time management, and interactions with colleagues were found to be the most constraining factors. Difficulties with work–life balance and home office facilities seemed more of an issue in the spr…

Sustainable CALL development

The rapid pace of technological development, along with the uncertainty and unpredictability that characterise the knowledge society, have brought to the fore the issue of sustainability and sustainable development on various international, national and local educational research and policy agendas. Sustainability is a complex concept that gives rise to many definitions and interpretations. In this chapter, we draw on environmental/ecological definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, as well as system theories, to propose a multidimensional framework for sustainable CALL development. Following a definition of sustainability that employs systems theories and ecological econo…

Voices of pedagogical development: an introduction

Special issue on Insights into Applied Linguistics: Languaging, agency and ecologies : Editorial

Monimuotoinen oppiminen, opetus ja ohjaus Jyväskylän yliopistolla

Pandemianaikaiset opetusjärjestelyt ovat synnyttäneet runsaasti keskustelua pandemianjälkeisistä opetus- ja opiskelumuodoista. Tässä julkaisussa esittelemme Jyväskylän yliopistolla kehitettyä tutkimuspohjaista mallia monimuotoiselle oppimiselle, opetukselle ja ohjaukselle. Sitä voi hyödyntää suunniteltaessa opettajien ja opiskelijoiden yksilölliset tilanteet huomioivia joustavia ratkaisuja. Teaching arrangements during the pandemic have generated a lot of discussions on post-pandemic modes of teaching and learning. In this publication, we present a research-based model for blended learning, teaching and supervision, created at the University of Jyväskylä. The model can be used when planning…

Voices of pedagogical development: an introduction

Toimijuus ja asiantuntijaksi kasvaminen monimediaisessa kielenopettamisessa

This case study investigates the role of agency in the development of two students’ expertise during their participation in the year-long KOO-KIT program (Language Technology for Language Teachers) for pre-service language teachers at the Centre for Applied Language Studies of the University of Jyväskylä in the 2000s. The curriculum of the program was organized around project-based learning, with theoretical and pedagogical lessons and hands-on technology courses alternating with practical team work in web-based design. The data consist of the teachers’ observations and narrative assessments of the students’ performance, and the students’ self-reports during the one-year course. The finding…

Monimediaisen kielten opetuksen tutkimus : teknologian integroinnista pedagogiseen kehittämiseen

This article offers an overview of multimodal language pedagogies as a research domain. The review starts with a chronology of the development, explores different approaches to the research and offers a sample of key studies in the field. The main focus in these key studies is on interaction, expertise and pedagogical design in multimodal environments. The overview is complemented with a discussion of the perspectives in the studies presented, and finally suggestions for future directions for development are proposed. peerReviewed

Opetuksen uudistaminen: face-liftejä vai kriittistä ajattelua ja todellista toimintaa?

Yliopistojen kielikeskukset - monikielisyys ja muuttuvat toimintaympäristöt

Koulutuksellisen tasavertaisuuden idean mukaisesti kielikeskusjärjestelmä on 1970-luvun lopulta mahdollistanut kaikille yliopisto-opiskelijoille opinnoissa tarvittavan ja työelämän kannalta oleellisen kielitaidon hankkimisen. Tarkastelemme tässä artikkelissamme, miltä tämä tasavertaisuus tänään näyttää ja miltä kielikeskusten tulevaisuus vaikuttaa suomalaisessa korkeakoulukentässä. Artikkelia varten keräsimme kirjoittamisen taustaksi ajatuksia eri yliopistojen kielikeskuksista. nonPeerReviewed

Media landscapes in school and in free time – two paralel realities?

This article is based on an extensive research project (Towards Future Literacy Pedagogies, ToLP1 ) that deals with the literacy practices of Finnish and immigrant pupils, mother tongue (MT) and foreign language (FL) teachers. The overall aim of the project is to explore and interpret literacy practices both in school and out-of-school contexts by employing large-scale quantitative research approaches as well as qualitative classroom observations and teacher and pupil interviews. In this article, we will report findings of the comprehensive survey, our specific focus being on the materials and media the teachers and pupils use in school and in their free time. We are interested in exploring…