Learner Commitment Theory: It Works!

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Learner Commitment Theory It Works!

• Fernando Silva, UPTC
• autores_at_trailstoenglish.com

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The New Language Institute at the UPTC

• No classes Students attend on a
  self-selected schedule to follow a study plan.
• No groups At any time the room is occupied by
  students of any career and any level.
• No blackboard, no teacher control. One or more
  tutors are present at any time to wait on
  students as they demmand attention.

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Physical Description

• The Institute is a large study room for about 80
  students with a cafeteria-type arrangement.
• Students come and go as they wish, and when they
  come, they do so to study, to seek assistance or
  to take tests.
• Students end up learning the same or more than
  they learn in a traditional classroom.
• How can this happen?
• Put an s on your list of Ts

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The Nature of Learning

• Learning is a change in the state of awareness,
  knowledge or ability of a person. It comes about
  as a result of his own experience or involvement.
  
• Learning can happen without a teacher, and it
  often doesnt happen when there is one
  (constructivism).

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Teacher Self-Test

• Are you a conscientious teacher?
• Do all your students learn everything that you
  teach in class?
• Do some of your students learn only part of what
  you teach?
• May some of your students learn little or nothing
  of what you teach in class?
• Might someone learn what you teach and more
  without your teaching them? (SDL)

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The Nature of Learning

• Real-life learning is (always) the result of two
  variables
• Exposure
• Engagement (commitment)
• The teacher is not a necessary variable.
• School learning should be the result of two
  variables
• Adequate, carefully selected exposure.
• Intensive, carefully encouraged, sustained
  commitment.
• The teacher may be a valuable catalyst or a
  hindrance.

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Learner Commitment Theory

• Can a student learn English on his own?
• Can he learn otherwise?
• Can he become engaged in a classroom with the
  teacher using 20, 80 or 100 of the class?
• The role of the teacher is not to teach
• It is to select adequate subsets of English for
  the students to be optimally exposed.
• It is to design and sustain adequate engagement
  on the part of the student.
• The Teacher is an accessory to learning, not the
  VIP.

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Institute of Languages UPTCProcedural
Description

• On arrival for the first time the student reads
  and signs a contract.
• The contract is binding. It states that the
  tutors will give him or her a pass when s/he
  demonstrates a given conduct.
• The materials contain all the instructions, the
  contents, and the pass criteria.
• The students are not motivated by the teacher
  They are challenged by a course program. They can
  choose to sink or swim. (Most swim through) .

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Penalty

• Any learner who refuses to adopt the necessary
  commitment levels for any given unit and fails to
  present the established evaluation events will
  not pass the given unit, and a student who passes
  fewer than four out of six units fails the level.
  
• Most students pass.

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Principles

• Any student can learn anything that s/he sets his
  mind to. Even English.
• Learning happens on two necessary and sufficient
  conditionsle2
• The learner is exposed to the language.
• The learner becomes engaged with the learning
  task.
• The learner cannot avoid learning.
• Not learning is the sole responsibility of the
  unengaged learner. Corollary It works.

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The Episodes Theory

• An episode is a very specific, life-like event
  that centers on a communicative purpose
  describing everyday objects.
• It takes a lifetime to learn a language (6 6
  4 ...), but it takes two weeks to master an
  episode (/- 16 hours of student work)
• Episodes pile up towards proficiency.

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Theory Fad

• The episodes model is
• Task based
• Student centered
• Self-determined
• Communicative
• Competence oriented

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The Episodes Learning Unit

• Target behaviors (like CEF) 3/10/80
• Required input (exposure)
• Lexicon
• Sentence models
• Achievement indicators
• Required action (engagement)
• Study, learn, practice to required level
• Testing event
• Demonstrate required competence

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Episodes Application

• Trails to English is a secondary school version
  of this approach that is totally viable in the
  classroom. (Selling price 14, Grades 6-11,
  Susaeta Quito)
• ABC English is the series used by the Institute
  but is fully applicable in the ESP
  classroom.(Selling price 8, levels 1-4, UPTC
  Language Institute)

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How to reach usautores_at_trailstoenglish.comdsusa
eta_at_ide.edu.ec

• Susaeta Editores
• Thank you