Chapter 3

The research framework

 

3.1 – Aim, objectives, hypotheses

 

General aim

The aim of this study is to observe, describe and examine the language and social interaction inside a class during the English lessons performed in the multimedia lab where Internet based activities and projects are carried out involving the use of different online resources and tools. 

Specific Objectives

·        Evaluating the language skills practised and improved

·        Examining the interaction occurring between students and teacher and among the students

·        Evaluating the students’ involvement and autonomy

·        Evaluating the managerial issues related to using computers in the specific context of a multimedia laboratory 

Research Questions

How do Internet based activities and projects integrated in the English language curriculum promote foreign language learning?

How do they promote interaction, motivation, and involvement?

 

3.2 - The environment of my research

Among the ICT- based activities and projects I have been doing this year with my seven classes I have decided to observe, analyse and discuss the work carried out in one of my classes during 4 weeks. It is a first year class of 27 14-year-old students of the Liceo Scientifico Tecnologico course, who take part in a forum activity, an email exchange with a class from the USA and a content-based module of English and Maths. They have three hours of English a week. Every week they have a lesson in the multimedia laboratory in which they read and reply to messages both to their email correspondents or on the forum that is part of an educational site specifically built for students who learn English as a foreign language. Another English lesson a week consists of an hour of Maths and English, sometimes in the classroom and sometimes in the multimedia lab.  They work individually on their email correspondence, as each of them has an individual partner, and in pairs when working on the forum. On the forum they choose a favourite topic, read the messages on it, choose one or two of them and write replies, or start a new discussion thread. They have to complete their work some minutes before the lesson finishes so that I can pass through the workstations and rapidly check what they have written, then post the messages or send the email. While writing they use also an online dictionary so that the work is almost completely autonomous either in the reading phase, or in the writing phase. This Web resource allows them to complete the work in the limited time they have (about 40-45 minutes) considering the time it takes to arrive at the lab, switch the computer on, open the dictionary page and open the forum page. If they write letters they produce a Word document and save it into the class folder; if they do not finish their letters at school they complete them at home and send them to me via email. I correct the letters at home (the corrections in red), then print them including the red words so that at school the students can see them; at last I send the letters to the teacher of the partner school  . Usually because the letters arrive once a month and not all at the same time, the students who are not engaged in email writing during the lesson take part in the forum.

Something about the letters is also done in class, as on the day they get the letters with the corrections about half an hour is spent in discussing the mistakes (grammar and use of words and expressions) and commenting on the letters.

They also use some specific Web resources of Maths inside a collaborative module carried out in English. The module is about Mathematical and verbal languages and consists of “translating” mathematical expressions and equations into “stories” (word problems) and vice-versa.  The Websites we use mainly present online exercises (word problems or algebraic expressions/equations) to be resolved online or to be used as bases to create imaginary stories from “numbers” and mathematical operations. Some of these stories will be published on the school Website.

During the year the students build a portfolio made up of the letters received and written, messages produced, and all the materials they use and produce to develop the topics they deal with in the letters or in the English/Maths module.

The level of the class is elementary on average, with a few excellence peaks and some weaker students. Except for two or three of them, their attitude towards English language learning can be defined positive.

The students have a differentiated level of IT skills, however all of them are able to cope with the task related to the English activities accomplished in the multimedia laboratory. To facilitate their use of computers, every new procedure is usually described in steps in printed handouts they receive at the beginning of the session, so that each student or pair can follow the instructions at their own pace and can individually ask the teacher for the necessary explanations.