Search results for " Foreign language learning"
showing 8 items of 8 documents
Translating EU text in the English BA programme: exploring teachers' views and practices
2014
Recent research into using translation as a communicative and functional activity in foreign language learning and teaching has pointed out a wide range of benefits for advanced language learners. The research reported in this paper involved teachers teaching translation in the EU-specialisation module integrated into the English bachelor’s degree programme in Hungary. The survey set out to explore teachers’ instructional practices as well as their views and experiences regarding translation. Results indicate that translation in this pedagogical setting is used not merely as a tool to develop language competence and other generic skills, but is regarded as a useful skill in its own right. T…
The Early Bird gets the Word
2019
Success in an increasingly globalized world sets requirements for versatile communication skills and understanding about other cultures. One of the keys to success is versatile language skills, on which the European Commission spoke out as early as in 1995, recommending that every European citizen should learn two foreign languages in addition to their mother tongue. Now, more than twenty years later, the launch of early A1 language teaching that is to begin in the first grade in Finland, in January 2020, is a significant step towards this goal. Studies show that early foreign language learning needs to be carefully carried out in order to achieve positive effects and the effects that have …
Learning French in the UK setting : policy, classroom engagement and attainable learning outcomes
2019
Due to the contemporary dominance of English as global lingua franca, all other “foreign languages” face a number of challenges in formal education. This paper describes the recent evolution of policy and practice regarding foreign language education in England, with a particular focus on early language learning. Evidence from a classroom study of French as foreign language is used to illustrate primary school instructional practices and children’s engagement in this setting, and their learning outcomes. Conclusions are drawn concerning sustainable approaches to the teaching of languages other than English in the early school years, in an English - dominated linguistic landscape. peerReview…
Does vocationally oriented foreign language teaching meet the needs of Finnish and German vocational school students?
2019
This article is based on upper secondary vocational school students’ interviews made in Finland and in Germany in 2016 and in 2017. The study results suggest that in both countries, English language skills are seen as the most important foreign language skills and the students would like to have more vocationally oriented English language classes with focus on authentic spoken language communication. The differences in the educational systems of the two countries might result in differences in students‘ perceptions of whether and to what extent they will actually need foreign languages in their future working life. nonPeerReviewed
Musical experiences in learning English as a foreign language
2009
Musiikki on osa ennen kaikkea arkipäivän elämää, mutta käytössä toisinaan myös kielten oppitunneilla. Kielen oppimisen tutkimuksessa musiikkiin ei kuitenkaan toistaiseksi ole kiinnitetty paljonkaan huomiota. Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää millaisia kokemuksia ja ajatuksia englannin oppijoilla on kielen oppimisesta musiikin kautta ja siten tarjota näkökulmia musiikin roolista vieraan kielen oppimisessa. Materiaali koostuu neljän suomalaisen nuoren aikuisen haastatteluista. Tutkielmassa vastataan kysymyksiin: 1) Miten musiikki on ollut läsnä haastateltavien englannin oppimisen historiassa? 2) Millaisia kokemuksia oppijoilla on vieraan kielen, erityisesti englannin, oppimisesta mu…
Rituals, myth and art for English language class : cultural meanings in foreign language teaching : interpretive anthropological and sociocultural pe…
2013
Kielipedagogiikan muuttuessa oppimiskeskeisemmäksi on vuorovaikutuksen merkitys vieraitten kielten ja niihin olennaisesti liittyvien ‘vieraitten kulttuureiden’ opetuksessa korostunut. ‘Kulttuurin’ opetuksessa on kuitenkin yleensä keskitytty tarjoamaan taustatietoa ‘kohdekulttuurimaista’, kun taas vuorovaikutus on metodologisessa mielessä usein ymmärretty melko kapea-alaisesti puheen tuottamisena tai ryhmätöinä. Tähän tutkielmaan liittyvä materiaalipaketti perustuu laajempaan semioottiseen viitekehykseen, jossa korostuu vuorovaikutuksen luonne merkitysten luomisena, jolloin se on ennen kaikkea monimuotoista symbolista toimintaa. Pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastellaan, kuinka kulttuurisia merk…
Interrelating agency, autonomy and identity in foreign language learning
2014
Foreign language (FL) learning is increasingly examined in terms of the language learning person’s agency, autonomy and identity. What agency refers to in FL learning and how it relates to autonomy and identity nevertheless remains unclear. As theoretical discussions about the interconnections are ambiguous, more empirical evidence is needed. The present article addresses this need, contributing to a fuller understanding of the three notions in FL education. The article explores one student’s FL learning in a general upper secondary school for adults (GUSSA), analysing her language narratives, which refer to her storied, FL related experiences. The findings suggest that agency can be concep…
The Early Bird Gets The Word Games and Play: Creating a Context For Authentic Language Learning
2022
Early foreign language teaching has recently been made compulsory in Finland, making this an area open to development and innovation where policy - makers and teachers play a significant role in creating new kinds of learning environments, operating cultures, and pedagogy for foreign language learning. This article discusses the early foreign language learning landscape in the context of early foreign language learning theory, initial education pedagogy as well as functional foreign language learning. The cornerstone of this study is the Contextual Pedagogical approach to Learning, which creates a bridge between the theory and practice of early foreign language learning, creating an inspiri…