Examining SelfAccess

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Examining Self-Access

• Thomas N. Robb
• Kyoto Sangyo University

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Purpose Of Computer Access

• Structured practice
• Free communication
• Synchronous
• Chat/Video conferencing
• Asynchronous
• E-mail
• Bulletin boards/Threaded discussion lists
• Tool
• Word-processing, etc.

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• language is best learned by using the language
  to communicate with others. (Steele, 2002)

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• The recent trend is toward free communication
  at expense of structured practice.
• Should a balance be maintained between these two
  approaches?

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Why tracking is important

• Sites without a means for the instructor to know
  who has done what, and with what success can only
  be used for self-access, not as an integral part
  of a course.

An example of a site which is more useful with
tracking
Passport Online
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Types of Access

• Access as a class
• Self-Access

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Problems

• Access as a class
• Counter to one main advantage of computers self
  pacing, freedom to study without an instructor
• Most structured learning does not require the
  presence of teacher
• Waste of human resources
• Self-Access
• Great for autonomous learners but most of our
  learners are not!

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Five characteristics of the autonomous learner

• Ability to...
• identify what has been taught.
• formulate their own learning objectives.
• consciously select and implement appropriate
  learning strategies.
• monitor their own use of strategies.
• self-assess their learning.
• Dickinson, Leslie. Talking Shop Aspects of
  Autonomous Learning. ELT Journal, v47 n4 (Oct
  1993) p330-36. ERIC abstract EJ 474 538

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Revised Types of Access

• True self-access
• Recommended self-access
• Required self-access
• Class access

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Discussion of what works when teaching online

• The first semester that I taught the course, I
  was overwhelmed with the amount of work because I
  had students sending me too many things to
  correct. Since then, I have streamlined and made
  more activities self correcting by providing the
  answers online. I dont think this is the best
  way for the students because many of them ignore
  the activities and exercises and only submit the
  graded assignments. When I had them submitting
  everything to me, I gave them points for each
  activity and because of that, I got a much better
  response. However, it took far too much time to
  correct and respond to each student. (TESLCA-L
  posting, Sat, 16 Mar 2002 191936 EST)
• Adato states For the motivated, self disciplined
  student who really wants to improve, I feel that
  independent exercises are valuable..and offer a
  degree of flexibility that cant be provided in a
  classroom setting. (Personal communication, Sun,
  17 Mar 2002)

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So if the students dont want to study, why force
them to?

• Responsibility as educators. Parents/Governmen
  t paying tuition, not students. They want
  results!
• Reputation of our programs
• Expectation of students

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• Adult educators who expect learners to plan,
  conduct, and evaluate their own learning are
  accused by some learners of abdicating their role
  and responsibility (Candy 1991)...
• ...Rather than asserting that all adults are
  self-directed and that self-direction is a
  hallmark of adulthood, it may be fairer to say
  that SDL is a lifelong phenomenon in which adults
  differ from other adults and from children in
  degree some people are or are not self-directed
  learners some people are or are not in different
  situations.
•  (Kerks, Sandra, Myths and Realities
  Self-Directed Learning).

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Culture-Dependent Attitudes

• If the teacher doesnt check the homework, then
  it isnt worth doing.

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Online activities appear to be useful

• Witness the number of teachers creating online
  activities with Hot Potatoes, Quia.com and other
  quiz/activity making programs

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CALL and the responsibilities of teachers and
administrators

• Recommendation 1
• (We need to) recognize that students can only
  learn from computers with the instruction and
  supervision of teachers CALL will not be
  effective without this essential interaction of
  teachers and students.
• Jones, Jeremy F., CALL and the responsibilities
  of teachers and administratorsELT Journal, v55
  n4 (Oct 2001) p360-67.

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References

• Adato, Marcia, "Teaching Online", TESLCA-L
  posting, Sat, 16 Mar 2002 191936 EST
• Dickinson, Leslie. Talking Shop Aspects of
  Autonomous Learning. ELT Journal, v47 n4 (Oct
  1993) p330-36. ERIC abstract EJ 474 538
• Jones, Jeremy F., CALL and the responsibilities
  of teachers and administrators, ELT Journal, v55
  n4 (Oct 2001) p360-67.
• Hot Potatoes, (Software) http//web.uvic.ca/hrd/h
  alfbaked/
• Kerka, Sandra, Myths and Realities Self-Directed
  Learning, Available http//www.sit.edu/lcc/sd_lea
  rn.html
• Passport Online (website). Available
  http//www.oup-passportonline.jp
• Quia.com (website) Availble http//www.quia.com
• Steele, John H., "Herding Cats A Descriptive
  Case Study Of a Virtual Language Learning
  Community," Ph.D. Dissertation. Available
  http//netdial.caribe.net/jhsteele/catsch1.html

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The End

• trobb_at_cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp
• http//www.tomrobb.com