Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Looking Back

LOOKING BACK | 報告2019 PanSIG Learner
Development SIG ForumReflections
Robert Morel
LD SIG Programs TeamThis year’s PanSIG Learner Development Forum atKonan University in Nishinomiya had a selection ofthought-provoking presentations related tosecondary and post-secondary education. Theforum kicked off with Stacey Vye’s presentation“University Students Bring Us to Their Secondary
English Classrooms in Japan,” addressing student
perceptions of their secondary-school English
classes. Next, Anita Aden illustrated the importanceof giving students space for out-of-class Englishcommunication in “Developing Communicative
Competence in Socio-Cultural Settings.” In the thirdand final presentation, “Draw Out Your Goal:
Autonomous Goal-setting in an English Self-directed
Course,” Ivan Lombardi and Christopher Hennessy
showed the potential of a structured, self-directed
learning course to increase student autonomy. The
forum ended with an open discussion of ideas andlearner-development issues related to thepresentations that continued well into lunchtime.
As a member of the LD SIG programs team, theonly downside was the small number of attendees.
It is somewhat frustrating to have a small crowd forsuch well-researched and put together
presentations. Drawing more attendees to the LD
SIG forums at PanSIG and JALTCALL conferences, atleast those outside of Tokyo, remains a challenge
we are trying to address.
On a personal note, the most interesting
experience for me was after the conference. Since
the three presentations seemed to flow into one
another so well we decided to write a paper basedon the forum. This, my first time working on a paperwith a team, has been a great learning experience—
juggling not just schedules, but (over the summer)
time zones. I am lucky to have had a great group ofpeople to do this paper with. It speaks to what I feelis one of the strengths of the LD SIG, and JALT ingeneral: the supportive and constructive ways inwhich people get involved and collaborate. It makes
me happy to be in a profession and field wherecollaboration and helping colleagues, as well asstudents, is the norm.

Stacey Vye, University Students Bring Us to
Their Secondary English Classrooms inJapanAt the Kobe PanSIG Forum, I was interested in thecontrasts between the learners in my study who did
not experience a self-directed curriculum and thelearners described in the other two Forumworkshops who were provided supportive learnerdevelopment. Forum participants Chris Hennessey
and Ivan Lombardi, and Anita Aden both offeredscaffolded frameworks for university students toexplore their learner autonomy and engaged in
active measures to support learners tocommunicate in English at the learners’ specificinterest level. My mini-Forum workshop
retrospectively detailed eight learners’ perceptions
about their secondary school experiences in theirEnglish classrooms before they entered university.
These learners explained their classes were tightly
controlled by the teachers, were not learnercentered, and primarily taught in the Japanese withfew opportunities to communicate or use English in
English. Their perceptions about their secondary
English learning experiences to different degrees
negatively impacted their perceptions about theirEnglish proficiency.
When preparing for the LD SIG Forum, I
envisioned that I would bring out more theindividual voices of the participants. However, thequestions that came up in the forum discussions
related to the general concerns, the perceptions ofthe learners in the study, and my recommendations
based on the research changed my focus.
Therefore, I provided more details first about how
the students and I identified independently that
their learning materials and classroom activities
were not, for the most part were aligned with

Newsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <http://ld-sig.org>

67

Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (1): Looking Backlearner-focused communication. Second, I reported
Anita Aden, Developing Communicativethat the learners wanted more opportunities toCompetence in Socio-Cultural Settings
communicate in English, which would be in closer
keeping with the Ministry of Education in Japan’s
Among the positive takeaways that I experienced
2020 curriculum reforms. Third, I advocated forfrom taking part in the PanSIG LD forum weremore teacher-training in size and scope, with ample
insightful discussions with LD SIG colleagues andmaterials for teachers and students to facilitate
conference attendees on the theme of autonomous
active communication. More effort on alanguage learning. We discussed current conditions
considerable scale is needed by the Ministry torelated to university students’ needs for more
boost metacognitive learning, robust learner andlanguage output opportunities, citing specificteacher self-efficacy, and positive epistemic
applications of autonomous language learning inopportunities for students learning English toStacey Vye’s research findings on students’
reduce potential foreign language learning anxiety
perceptions of their language competency, andin secondary schools. Subsequently, I have been
Chris Hennessy and Ivan Lombardi’s emphasis on
working on papers and projects that highlight theactive learning tasks in a self-access setting. Thesevoices of the learners in the study because theypresentations combined well with my own
went at great lengths to communicate in English.
socioculturally informed project of creating an outAfter presenting, I learned about two invaluableof-class space during lunch breaks for university
frameworks where university students engage instudents to talk about their personal interests. I
learning English based on Anita’s, and then Chris’s
shared about the benefits of preparing a semiand Ivan’s Forum presentations. Anita has been
structured plan that can be easily adapted tofacilitating meaningful and authentic social
whoever participates in the lunch session. Feedback
interactions by promoting communicativefrom students through anonymous surveys at thecompetence via out-of-class lunch exchanges withend of each session strengthened their voice tospeakers of English. Speaking with international
express points for improvement and satisfaction
students and teachers by all indications has boosted
with the lunchtime format.
the learners’ efficacy and self-confidence throughFrom the professional development discussions
the experiences. Chris and Ivan detailed a selfduring the LD SIG forum, I walked away with new
directed learning course where the students have aideas of how to collaborate more with university
dedicated class to learn English that takes into
students, such as adding QR codes to lessons foraccount the learners’ preferences in a self-accessfeedback and linking follow-up activities tocenter. The well-thought-out activities Chris andassignments for further study. Specific toIvan suggested for their students were chosenautonomous language learning, the emphasis on
based on learner interest and were categorized byincreasing students’ opportunities to communicate
the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, andin English needs further discussion. I believe
writing. At the conclusion of the course, thestudents need more communicative competencestudents reflected on their learning goals andstyle chances to use English in their daily lives
created elaborate and colorful posters that detailed
during university. Encouraging students to find ways
their learning journey for further study. When I
to use language out-of-class helps them become
attended both presentations, I wished theautonomous learners.
university students in my research could havejoined Anita’s and Chris's and Ivan’s English courses.
to experience autonomous and authentic language
learning.

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <http://ld-sig.org>

68