LEARNINGLEARNING『学習の学習『学習の学習』』

Newsletter of the Learner Development SIG
ISSN 1882-1103 | LL 31(2) | Spring 2024

CONTENTS

CONTENTS
i. Greetings and News Updates

In this issue: Learning Learning, Volume 31, Issue 2
Ken Ikeda
President’s Greetings for Spring 2024
James Underwood

58ii. Mini-Profiles

Kayo Okada12

iii. Members' Voices

Toward Learner Development: Embracing Adaptation and Exploration in a Japanese Educational
Environment14
Prumel Barbudo

iv. Stories of Learning and Teaching Practices

Questioning Monolingualism and Native-Speakerism through Students’ Action 
Kayo Okada
Mini-interview on Learner Development with Shannon Saruwatashi
Shannon Saruwatashi with Ivan Lombardi

v. Research & Reviews

First-Year Medical Students and Their Motivation to Study English
Angus PainterBook Review: From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How Scholarship Becomes Common
Knowledge in Education
Ellen Headvi. Free SpaceInterview with Larissa Borges About the Complexity of Autonomy Development
Larissa Borges with Andy Barfieldvii. Looking Back

18
20

25
31

37

Hosting a ‘Learning Cafe’: Shaping My Views of Teaching Positionality
46
Ken Ikeda
Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG Survey49

CONTENTS

viii. Looking Forward
LDSIG Get Togethers Plan for the Year64
LD-SIG Forum: Stories of Learning, Learning from Stories
64
LD-SIG Forum: AI: Benefits, Challenges, and Issues for Learner Development
65
The Learner Development Journal Issue 8: Exploring Grassroots, Innovative, and Creative
Approaches to Language Learning Materials Development Through Inclusive Practitioner-Research 66
Anna Costantino, Assia Slimani-Rolls, Nour Bouacha
The Learner Development Journal Issue 9: Engaging With and Exploring Autonomy, Creativity,
and Well-Being for Learner Development
67
Stacey Vye, Robert Moreau, Amelia Yarwood, Ivan Lombardi
ix. SIG Matters

Learner Development SIG Financial Report September 2023 to March 2024
69
Patrick Kiernan
Writing for Learning Learning70

Learning Learning「学習学習」31(2) | Spring 2024

GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATESi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATESKen Ikeda
LL31.2 Lead Editor
lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com

In this issue: Learning Learning, Volume 31, Issue 2
今号についてMy name is Ken Ikeda and I am pleased to serve
as lead editor for another issue of the Learning
Learning (LL), numbered as the second issue ofVolume 31 (LL 31.2). The 31.1 issue was published in
February as the LD 30th Anniversary Conference
Post-Conference Publication, edited by Tim
Ashwell, one of the LL editorial team members.
This issue was a set of reflections and reports bypresenters at the LD30 Conference.
Featured in this issue are two pieces by Kayo
Ozawa. The first is her mini-profile in which shetells how she became interested in autonomy
and has been working to develop students’autonomous practices.
I am pleased to tell you that this issue features
two pieces by those who teach English to tertiary
students in professional fields. The Member’s
Voice piece has been written by Prumel Barbudo
who works with engineering students. He explains
the challenges of nurturing their autonomy,
notes the limitations of student feedback, andwrites how he has adapted movement-based
activities and translanguaging to help shapea responsive language environment. Anotherpiece that focuses on students in a professionalsetting is Angus Painter’s research study withmedical students. He conducted a questionnairewith 50 students on their English language
learning predispositions, in part to understand
why a substantial percentage of these students
have high absentee rates compared to otherdepartments in university. The survey results
have given him a more nuanced picture of thepressures on student language learning.
We have two Stories of Learning and Teaching:
the first is Kayo’s second piece, which focuseson how a lesson she taught on endangered

languages to university students inspired themto write essays understanding the importance of
these languages on human rights. Kayo tells how
the Drops app enables students to be exposed
to endangered languages, such as Ainu. The
second is an extended interview between
LL editorial team member Ivan Lombardi and
Shannon Saruwatashi. In it, Shannon shares her
puzzle on how to motivate students who are
English majors to study English and has tried tocreate more interactive tasks.
Ellen Head reviews Jack Schneider’s 2014 book
From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How
Scholarship Becomes Common Knowledge in
Education which analyzes how four theories(Bloom’s taxonomy, multiple intelligences theory,
project-based learning and direct instruction)
have caught on in the education system in the
United States. Ellen brings up Schneider’s four
aspects of research that a theory needs in order
to be successfully implemented into classroom
teaching: 1) be perceived as significant, 2) fit
with what most teachers believe, 3) can be usedeasily, and 4) is simple and accessible.
We have another interview, between Andy Barfieldand Larissa Borges who teaches in the Federal
University of Pará in Brazil. Larissa provides a very
readable explanation of her Complex Dynamic
Model of Autonomy Development (CDMA), whichgrew out of her English learning experiences aswell as her university learners. Closing out theoriginal articles section is Ken Ikeda’s reflection of a
Learning Cafe presented at the LD30 Conference.
This issue presents SIG announcements andrelated matters. We present the results of the
LD SIG Membership Survey. Next, we have
two LD Forums this year: the first is the PanSIG

5LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATES

2024 held at Fukui University of Technology
May 24th-26th, which features four speakers,
and the second is JALTCALL at JALTCall: Meijo
University Dome Mae Campus in Nagoya: (May17-19 2024) with three speakers featured.
We have two reports on LD Journal (LDJ) issues:
The first is Issue 8 on the theme of “Exploring
Grassroots, Innovative, and Creative Approaches
to Language Learning Materials Development
Through Inclusive Practitioner-Research”,
scheduled to be published at the end of 2024.
The other presents LDJ Issue 9 which is on
the theme of “Engaging With and Exploring
Autonomy, Creativity, and Well-Being for Learner
Development” which is on schedule to be
published at the end of 2025. Finally, this issue
closes with the LD SIG Financial Report.
I would like to take a moment to tell you of twochanges. One was the decision to revert theemail address to lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com
and I am pleased to tell you that this address
will remain the same for the foreseeable future.
Second, the LL editorial team has taken the
momentous step of giving contributors theoption of having their articles either open or
blind peer reviewed. We have taken this action,
because we’ve learned that in the past, some
contributors have had their published articles
not accepted by institutions because they did
not go through a blind review process. We will
follow the Learner Development Journal steeringgroup’s peer review guidelines of the LD Journal,
which presents “a choice between blind peer
review and open peer review”, and states “(t)he
intention in either blind or open review is to offer
serious, fair and, above all, supportive feedback
to writers to help them to develop as teachers,
researchers, and learners.” While open reviews
are the norm of LD publications, the LL editorial
team respects the wishes of contributors.
As always, we continue to depend on contributions
from our readers. We accept submissions
year-round, even those in the beginning stagesof writing. For those interested in submitting
their writing, please refer to the Information forContributors at the end of this issue.
We hope your teaching will blossom well in the
new academic year.
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)Ken Ikeda, lead editor, for the rest of the LL
31.2 editorial team: Lorna Asami, Tim Ashwell,Mike Kuziw, Ivan Lombardi, Hugh Nicoll, Jamie
Thomas, Megumi Uemi.
この号の内容：学習の学習、第31巻、第2号

学習の学習（LL）第 31 巻の第 2 号（LL 31.2号）を担当す
ることになりました Ken Ikeda と申します。
31.1号は、LL
編集部メンバーの一人である Tim Ashwell が編集を担当
し、LD30 周年記念会議のポストコンファレンス・パブリケーションとして2月に発行されました。
この号は、LD30 年
大会の発表をされた方々による反省と報告をまとめたものです。
この号で紹介されているのは、Kayo Ozawa による2つの記事です。
1つ目は、彼女がどのようにして自律に興味を持
ち、学生の自律的な実践を発展させるために取り組んできたかを語るミニ・プロフィールです。
今号では、専門分野
で英語を教えている方々の作品を 2つご紹介します。
会員の声は、工学部の学生を指導する Prumel Barbudo によるものです。
彼は、学生の自主性を育てることの難しさを説明し、学生からのフィードバックの限界を指摘し、反応する言語環境を形成するために、動きに基づいた活動やトランスランゲージングをどのように適応させたかを書いています。
ラーニングとティーチングのストーリーにおいては、２つの記事が紹介されています。
1つ目は Kayo さんの2つ目の作品で、絶滅の危機に瀕している言語について大学生に教えた授業が、人権における言語の重要性を理解するエッセイを書くきっかけになったという内容です。
Kayo
は、Drops アプリによって、学生たちがアイヌ語などの絶滅危惧言語にどのように触れることができるかを語っています。
もうひとつは、LL編集部メンバーの Ivan Lombardi とShannon Saruwatashi とのロングインタビューです。
この中で Shannon は、英語を専攻している学生に英語を勉強する意欲を持たせる方法について彼女のパズルを紹介し、よりインタラクティブな課題を作ろうと試みています。
専門職の学生に焦点を当てたもう一つの作品は、Angus
Painter による医学生を対象とした調査研究です。
彼は50人の学生を対象に英語学習の素質についてアンケートを実施しましたが、その理由のひとつは、これらの学生の他の学部生に比較して、かなりの割合が高い欠席率であることを理解するためでした。
この調査結果から、彼は学
生の言語学習に対するプレッシャーについて、より微細なイメージを得ました。
Ellen Head は Jack Schneider の 2014 年の著書 From
the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How Scholarship
Becomes Common Knowledge in Education をレビューしています。この本では、ブルーム分類法、
多重知能理論、
プロジェクト学習、直接指導がアメリカの教育システ
ムにどのような影響を与えたかを分析しています。Ellen
は、理論が教室での授業にうまく導入されるために必要な研究として、Schneider の4つの側面、
すなわち、1）重要であると認識されること、2）多くの教師が信じていること

6

GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATESと一致すること、3）簡単に利用できること、4）シンプルで利用しやすいこと、を挙げている。
Andy Barfield とブラジルの Federal University of Pará
で教鞭をとる Larissa Borges のインタビューも掲載されています。
Larissa は、彼女の英語学習経験や大学での学習経験から生まれた「自律性発達の複雑な動的モデル（CDMA）」について、非常に読みやすい説明をしています。
オリジナル記事の最後を飾るのは、LD30 カンファレン
スで発表されたラーニング・カフェについての Ken Ikedaの考察です。
本号では、SIGからのお知らせと関連事項もご紹介しています。
LD SIG 会員アンケートの結果を発表いたします。
そして、今年開催される二つの LD フォーラムですが、一つは 5月 24日〜26日に福井工業大学で開催される
PanSIG2024で、4名のスピーカーが登壇します。
もう一つは、名古屋の名城大学ドーム前キャンパスで開かれる
JALTCALL at JALTCall（2024年 5月17〜19日）で、3人の講演者が紹介されます。
LD ジャーナル（LDJ）については2つの報告があります：ひとつは、2024年末発行予定の第8号「包括的実践者研究による言語学習教材開発への草の根的・革新的・創造的アプローチの探求」
です。
もうひとつは、2025 年末発行予定の LDJ 第 9号「学習者育成のための自律性・創造性・幸福感の探求」を紹介する。
最後に、今号は LD SIG の会計報告で締めくくります。
この場を借りて、2つの変更点をお伝えしたいと思います。
ひとつは、Eメールアドレスを lleditorialteam@gmail.
com に変更したことです。
このアドレスは、当分の間、変更されることはありません。
第二に、LL編集チームは、投稿者の論文について、
オープ
ン査読かブラインド査読かを選択できるようにするという重大な措置をとらせて頂きました。
というのも、過去にブラインド査読プロセスを経なかったために、掲載論文が教育機関に受理されなかった投稿者がいたことを知ったからです。
私たちは、Learner Development Journal の運営グ
ループの査読ガイドラインに従い、「ブラインド査読かオープン査読かの選択」を提示し、「ブラインド査読でもオープン査読でも、
その意図は、執筆者が教師、研究者、学習者
として成長するのを助けるために、真摯で、公正で、何よりも支持的なフィードバックを提供することである 」
と述べ
ています。
LD 出版物ではオープン・レビューが一般的です
が、LL編集部は投稿者の意向を尊重します。
これまで同様、読者の皆様からの投稿を心よりお待ちしております。
私たちは皆さまの記事の投稿を通年受け付けて
おり、書き始めの段階のものでもOKです。
ご興味のある方
は、巻末の「寄稿のご案内」をご覧ください。
新年度における皆様のティーチングが、実り多き一年であることをお祈りしております。

Call for Contributions toMembers’ Voices | メンバーの声

Send to lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com byAugust 31, 2024
#1: a short personal profile of yourself as
a learner and teacher and your interest in
learner development (about 500 to 1,000
words)

学習者・教員としての自身のプロフィールと学習者の成長に関する興味 (約 2,000 字-4,000 字）#2: a story of your ongoing interest in,and engagement with, particular learnerdevelopment (and/or learner autonomy)
issues (about 500 to 1,000 words)

学習者の成長や学習者の自律に関する興味や取り組み (約 2,000 字4,000 字）#3: a short profile of your learnerdevelopment
research interests and how you hope todevelop your research (about 500 to 1,000
words)

学習者の成長に関する研究内容と今後の研究の展望(約 2,000 字-4,000 字）#4: a short profile of your working context
and the focus on learner development/
learner autonomy that a particularinstitution takes and/or is trying to develop
in a particular curriculum (about 500 to
1,000 words)

教育環境の紹介、所属機関やカリキュラムにおける学習者の成長や自律に関する取り組み (約2,000 字4,000 字）

主編集者：Ken Ikeda
LL31.2 編集チーム：Lorna Asami, Tim Ashwell,Mike Kuziw, Ivan Lombardi, Hugh Nicoll, Jamie
Thomas, Megumi Uemi.

7

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATESJames Underwood
LD SIG President
jamesmichaelunderwood[at]gmail[dot]com

President’s Greetings for Spring 2024
Welcome to the Spring issue of the LD SIGs
newsletter, Learning Learning. Thank you verymuch to all who contributed, not forgetting, ofcourse, the LL editorial team who worked hard
to make this happen.
Since the Autumn issue, the LD SIG has worked
hard through the winter. It held a forum at the
JALT International Conference and later an online
AGM, as well as publishing Learning Learning
31.1, the LD30 post-conference publication.
The LDSIG forum at the JALT International
Conference, “Thinking in different ways: Perspective
taking for growth,” explored how considering
alternative perspectives while seeking new
information about language learning pedagogies
and practices benefits learners and teachers
alike. It was held in the poster presentation areaon the ground floor and thus attracted a wide
range of participants who were interested inhearing how perspective shifting can aid thedevelopment of learner autonomy and language
learning. Daniel Hooper presented his findings
from a longitudinal ethnographic study of alearning community within a Self Access Centre(SAC), which found how a group of learners
worked together to overcome various sourcesof anxiety, such as gaps in language skills
which resulted from the exam focused nature of
their secondary education which emphasised
test-taking rather than communicating. Michelle
Jerrems shared how she encouraged her
students to adopt a ‘reflective learning style’through student-led inquiry, critical thinking,learner autonomy and reflective learning that
supported the development of academic skills.
Patrick Kiernan reported on how he designed
an academic writing course that raised learners’
awareness of genre and encouraged them todevelop their voices through different writing
tasks. Lastly, Steve Paton showed how various
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)techniques can be used to encourage learners
to take action in the language learning classroom
to become more involved and engaged in thelearning process. Thank you very much to all who
participated and presented, and also to Amelia
Yarwood for organising the forum.
At the AGM, which was held online, on November
24th 2023, we decided what the LD SIG would
do in 2024. First of all, we decided to offer
three conference grants of ¥40,000 this year
so that successful applicants who do not haveinstitutional funding can take advantage ofthese to attend PanSIG, JALTCALL or the JALTInternational conferences; thank you to Kio
Iwai, Masayo Kanno, & Sami Yoshimuta forreviewing the applications. Secondly, we choseto organise three LD SIG forums this year ateach of the conferences mentioned above, andAmelia Yarwood and Blair Barr will be working
together to organise this. Thirdly, we plan tohold a mini-conference at the end of the year
in the form of a CCLT, more details about thiswill follow soon. Lastly we decided to redesign
the LD SIG website and Nicolas Emerson iscoordinating the update.
Over the New Year and Winter break Tim Ashwell,and the external reviewers: Ivan Lombardi,
Amelia Yarwood, Henry Foster, and Lynda-Gay
McFarlane, worked with the 18 contributors to gettheir contributions ready for Learning Learning,
LL31.1, the 30th Anniversary Conference PostConference Publication: Learning for Change
and Action, Making a Difference for the Future.
It featured thought-provoking articles split into
the following 5 sections: Projects Beyond theClassroom, Course Development, Teacher
Research, Student Presentations & Reflections,and the diverse range of articles did well toreflect the diversity and vibrancy of the LD SIG

8

GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATES

as it included articles from both teachers andlearners.
Looking forward to the rest of the year, the
LD SIG forums at JALTCALL and PanSIG
have been organised. The LD SIG forum “AI:
Benefits,Challenges, and Issues for Learner
Development”, will be held at JALTCALL May
17-18, and feature presentations from Blair
Barr, Mart Christine Johnston and myself.
In these presentations, Blair Barr will share
grading schemes of writing assignments which
encourage students to focus on their own writing
skill. Mart Christine Johnston, will report on how
her students have been using AI tools (such as
Chat GPT) to improve their writing, as it helped
them to notice their common errors and correct
them. Lastly, I will examine how guidelines relating
to the use of AI can be negotiated between
students and teachers to ensure that AI tools
promote language learning.
Following JALTCALL, there will also be a LD SIG
forum at PanSIG, May 24-25. This forum “Stories
of Learning, Learning from Stories” will featurepresentations from Anita Aden, Mike Nix, Robert
Moreau, and Tomoko Hashimoto. Anita Aden will
present on “Learner Chronicles: A Compilationof Student and Teacher Perspectives on Learner
Growth.” Mike Nix will talk about “Staying withthe trouble: Learning through stories aboutminoritized groups.” Robert Moreau will share
his story on “Learning from Learners, Learningfrom Research: An Ongoing Story of Professional
Development.” Lastly, Tomoko Hashimoto will talkabout “The Emotional Rollercoaster of a MotherLearner-Teacher.”Wishing you all a great start to the Academic year!
James Underwood
LD SIG President (at the February Executive
Board Meeting it was decided that the English
and Japanese for the leading roles in all SIGs
would be changed to President（部会代表))

LD SIG ニュースレター『Learning Learning』春号へようこ
そ。
寄稿してくださった皆様はもちろんのこと、
これを実現するために一生懸命働いたLL編集チームの皆様に、心から感謝申し上げます。
秋号以来、LD SIGは冬の間、様々な取り組みに勤しんで参りました。
JALT国際会議でフォーラムを開催し、その後オンラインで年次総会(AGM)を行い、LD30ポストカンファレ
ンス出版物を出版しました。
JALT国際会議でのLDSIGフォーラム「異なる考え方：成長のための視点の転換」
では、言語学習の教授法と実践について新しい情報を求める際に、代替的な視点を考慮することが、学習者と教師双方に利益をもたらすことを探求しました。
このフォーラムは1階のポスタープレゼンテー
ションエリアで開催され、視点の転換が学習者の自律性と言語学習の発展をどのように助けるかを聞きたいと思う参加者を幅広く引き付けました。
Daniel Hooper は、セルフアクセスセンター(SAC)内の学習コミュニティについての長期的な民族誌的研究からの発見を発表し、一連の学習者が言語スキルのギャップなど、さまざまな不安の源を克服するためにどのように協力し合ったかを明らかにしました。
これの言語スキルのギャップは、彼らの中等教育がテストの受験に重点を置いていたために生じました。
Michelle Jerrems は、学生が「反省的な学習スタイル」を採用するように奨励した方法を共有し、学生主導の問い合わせ、批判的思考、学習者の自律性、および学術スキルの発展をサポートする反省的学習を通じて、Patrick
Kiernan は、ジャンルに対する学習者の意識を高め、異なるライティングタスクを通じて自分の声を発展させるよう奨励するアカデミックライティングコースをどのように設計したかを報告しました。
最後に、Steve Paton は、学習者
が言語学習の教室でより関与し、学習プロセスに積極的に参加するようにするために使用できるさまざまな技術を示しました。
参加し、発表してくださったすべての方々、そしてフォーラムを組織した Amelia Yarwood に、心から感謝申し上げます。
2023年11月24日にオンラインで開催されたAGMでは、2024年にLD SIGが行うことを決定しました。
まず、今年は¥40,000の会議助成金を3つ提供することにしました。
これにより、機関からの資金提供を受けていない成功
した応募者が、PanSIG、JALTCALL、またはJALT国際会議に参加することができます。
申請書の審査を担当してくれた Kio Iwai、Masayo Kanno、そして Sami Yoshimutaに感謝します。
次に、上記の各会議で今年3つのLD SIGフォーラムを開催することにしました。
Amelia Yarwood とBlair Barr がこれを組織するために協力します。
三番目に、年末にCCLT形式のミニカンファレンスを開催する予定です。
詳細は近日中にお知らせします。
最後に、LD SIGのウェブサイトをリデザインすることにしました。
NicolasEmerson がアップデートの調整を行っています。
新年と冬休みを越えて、Tim Ashwell と外部レビュアーの Ivan Lombardi、Amelia Yarwood、Henry Foster、
そして Lynda-Gay McFarlane は、18人の寄稿者と協力して、『Learning Learning』、LL31.1、30周年記念カンファレ
ンスポストカンファレンス出版物：変化と行動のための学
習、未来のための違いを作る、の寄稿を準備しました。
こ

9

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATESの出版物には、教室外のプロジェクト、
コース開発、教師
研究、学生プレゼンテーション＆反省など、5つのセクションに分かれた刺激的な記事が掲載され、教師と学習者の両方からの記事がLD SIGの多様性と活力をよく反映していました。
今年の残りに向けて、JALTCALLとPanSIGでのLD SIGフォ
ーラムが組織されました。
JALTCALLでのLD SIGフォーラ
ム「AI：利点、課題、および学習者開発における問題」は、5月17日から18日に開催され、Blair Barr、Mart Christine
Johnston 、
そして私自身からのプレゼンテーションが特徴です。
これらのプレゼンテーションでは、Blair Barrが、学生が自分のライティングスキルに焦点を当てるように奨励するライティング課題の採点方式を共有します。
Mart
Christine Johnston は、彼女の学生がAIツール（Chat
GPTなど）を使用してライティングを改善してきた方法を報告します。
これは、彼らが一般的なエラーに気づき、それを修正するのに役立ちました。
最後に、私は、AIツールが言語学習を促進するように、学生と教師の間でAIの使用に関するガイドラインをどのように交渉するかを検討します。
JALTCALLに続いて、5月24日から25日にPanSIGでLD
SIGフォーラムが開催されます。
このフォーラム「学習の物語、物語から学ぶ」は、Anita Aden、Mike Nix、Robert
Moreau そして Tomoko Hashimoto からのプレゼンテー
ションを特徴とします。
Anita Adenは「学習者クロニクル：
学習者成長に関する学生と教師の視点のコンパイル」について発表します。
Mike Nixは「問題に留まる：マイノリテ

ィグループについての物語を通じて学ぶ」について話します。
Robert Moreau は「学習者から学ぶ、研究から学ぶ：
プロフェッショナル開発の継続的な物語」について自身の話を共有します。
最後にTomoko Hashimoto は「母-学習者-教師の感情的なジェットコースター」について話します。
学術年度の素晴らしいスタートをお祈りしています！
James Underwood
LD SIG 代表（2月の理事会で、すべてのSIGの主要な役割
について、英語および日本語の呼称を部会代表に変更することが決定されました）ュー

Send to lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com byAugust 31, 2024
#1: summaries and accounts of new
graduate research (1,200 – 2,500 words)

Call for Contributions for Free
Space | フリー・スペース

大学院での研究内容の要約やその振り返り (約2,400字-5,000字）

Send to lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com byAugust 31, 2024

#2: proposals for a joint project/joint
research (about 500 to 1,000 words)

協働プロジェクト・リサーチの提案 (約2,000
字-4,000字)#1: photographs, drawings, and/or
other visual materials about learnerdevelopment, and/or related to learnerautonomy#3: reports (of a conference presentation,
research project, particular pedagogic
practice, and so on, to do with learnerdevelopment) (about 500 to 1,000 words)

学習者の成長や自律に関する写真、絵、視覚資料#2: activities and tips for learnerdevelopment/autonomy (about 500 to
1,000 words)

レポート(学習者の成長に関する学会発表、研究 プ
ロジェクト、教育実践など)(約 2,000-4,000 字)

学習者の成長・自律を促す活動やヒントの紹介 (約1,000字-2,000字)#4: reports of research in progress (about
500 to 1,000 words)#3: some other piece of writing that you
would like to contribute and that is related
to learner development

研究中間報告(約 2,000 字-4,000 字)#5: book, website, article reviews (about
750 to 1,500 words)

その他の学習者の成長に関する執筆#4: poems… and much more

書籍、
ウェブサイト、論文の批評 (約 3,000 字-6,000
字)

詩、
その他。

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)Call for Contributions for
Research & Reviews | 研究 & リビ

10

MINI-PROFILESi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)MINI-PROFILES

Kayo Ozawa
Kyoritsu Women’s College
kozawa[at]kyoritsu-wu[dot]ac[dot]jp
I first learned about the Learner Development SIG (LD) SIG when I was a student at Teachers College
Columbia University in Tokyo when Dr. John Fanselow and Dr. Terry Royce were leading the program.
I took a class on autonomy, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized the importance of the concept,
as I have shifted from mainly teaching at a high school with many returnee students for over 35
years to teaching at private universities for over ten years, and more recently, to teaching in a study
abroad program for a year and a half. Autonomy is important because a fundamental purposeof education is to be able to interpret the materials given to you by the teacher, rather than justmemorizing or parroting what the teacher authority has said. Autonomy “has been central toEuropean liberal-democratic and liberal-humanist thought” (Lindley, 1986) and is not necessarily
a given concept in Asian societies. Returnees, especially if they have been educated in Englishspeaking countries and educational systems for a long time, will try to maintain if not improve theirEnglish without much outside pressure thanks in part to their ability to carry out self-directed learning.
However, in the more common Japanese teaching contexts, careful scaffolding is necessary to help
motivate students. In terms of improvement, I feel that the students’ writing skills have improved
dramatically over the past few years, amongst other skills. However, due to the collectivist andconformist nature of Japanese society, autonomy for individual students is still a very importantarea for the teacher to delve into. One of my puzzles in learner development is I wonder how muchscaffolding is necessary for introducing new vocabulary expressions and grammatical structures,
especially in projects involving speaking. Recently, I taught a Debate class in a highly proficientclass, and I was impressed with how “self-run” the debates could be after a few rounds of carefulscaffolding and videotaping. I am pondering how such autonomous practices can be incorporated
into my other university classes when they do projects expanding on various topics in their textbooks.
I have also recently picked up Prof. Phil Benson’s “Teaching and Researching Autonomy” to see if I
can gain some insight. I’m particularly interested in deepening my understanding of Vygotsky’s Zoneof Proximal Development, Dewey’s ideas regarding reflection, and how to incorporate self-organizedlanguage learning communities within the classroom.

REFERENCES

Benson, P. (2013). Teaching and researching autonomy (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Lindley, R. (1986). Autonomy. Macmillan.

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)12MEMBERS’ VOICESi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)MEMBERS’ VOICES

Prumel Barbudo
Matsue College of Technology
prumelb[at]gmail[dot]com

Toward Learner Development: Embracing Adaptationand Exploration in a Japanese Educational Environment
My journey toward fostering learner autonomy and development unfolds within the unique context
of a purely Japanese environment. Emphasizing the importance of English instruction conducted in
English, I have encountered numerous challenges along the way, yet I recognize these as integral
components of the academic journey.
I teach in one campus of the National Institute of Technology (“Kosen”), which is implementing a
new English curriculum as part of the Global Engineer Development Project. The ultimate goalof this project is the internationalization of the college and the production of engineers withstrong global competence. Among the 55 colleges, mine was among the few that the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) granted this project. In my position, I
prioritize the cultivation of practical communication skills. I teach classes such as Practical English
Communication and Practical Engineering English, which utilize active learning approaches such as
project-based learning, task-based learning, and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning).
In addition to my teaching role, I oversee the Global Commons, a place where I provide English
study support and assist students studying abroad. I also organize international exchange events
to promote cross-cultural understanding.
Upon joining this institution, my vision was clear: to instill a culture of English immersion, advocating
for an English-only policy to facilitate linguistic proficiency among students. However, navigating
this path in an environment entrenched in Japanese instructional norms presented significant
hurdles. Students, accustomed to hours of English instruction conducted mostly in Japanese, initiallystruggled to adapt to this paradigm shift. Their hesitancy to embrace English as the primary medium
of instruction hindered the realization of my goals, prompting a reassessment of my approach.
With 22 years of teaching experience in EFL and ESL contexts, I steadfastly avoid using students’native language (L1) for instruction, even with college-level students averaging 200 to 300 TOEIC
scores. My commitment to English immersion stems from the belief that L1 use diminishes language
acquisition effectiveness. I believe that students need sufficient exposure to and opportunities forboth receiving and producing English. The English classroom is the primary avenue for students toapply the language. Thus, instructors should prioritize establishing a linguistically immersive learning
environment. However, merely transitioning from the learners’ native language (L1) to the target
language (L2) does not address the challenge adequately (Shibasaki, 2020). Instead, instructors
need to shift from using Japanese to employing English as the medium of instruction. Additionally, if
instructors hesitate to utilize the target language, effective teaching and learning outcomes may becompromised. Therefore, creating English-rich environments fosters linguistic competence vital for
academic and professional success.
Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in my context poses a distinct set of challenges. For
one, in my context, English classes are predominantly taught using the grammar-translation method.
While the purpose is pragmatic, aiming to yield results in national and university examinations and to
facilitate classroom management, this approach proves detrimental to students’ English proficiency
in the long run. English instruction still reflects elements of traditional approaches, emphasizing
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)14MEMBERS’ VOICES

grammar, reading, and writing over productive English skills like oral communication. As a result,English teachers often rely heavily on Japanese in their instruction. Reforming this deeply entrenchedacademic culture is imperative, both in my context and nationwide.
Another challenge is the students’ varying English proficiency levels. In my case, where I teach40 students in a class, quality language instruction may be hampered, and thus students enter
ESP classrooms with diverse levels of proficiency. This heterogeneity demands adaptive teachingapproaches that cater to the individual learning needs of students, requiring instructors to employ
differentiated instruction strategies to ensure meaningful learning outcomes for all learners.
Compounding these challenges was the reliance on student evaluations, which often failed to capture
the nuances of effective teaching in a bilingual setting. Despite my frustration with the feedback, I
recognized the importance of constructive criticism in refining my pedagogical strategies. Feelingisolated in my advocacy for an English-only approach, especially amidst colleagues who predominantly
used Japanese in English classes, intensified my sense of professional solitude. Students tend to favor
instruction in Japanese rather than engaging in English-mediated communication, but I remained
resolute in my commitment to effecting positive change, even in the face of minimal support from bothcolleagues and administrators. As a newcomer, I have confronted significant challenges aligning withstudent expectations and adjusting my teaching methods accordingly. Reflecting on this, I recognize theneed to delicately balance tradition and innovation in my approach.
In response to the prevailing circumstances, I tried translanguaging as a pragmatic solution. Creeseand Blackledge (2015) adopt a common definition of translanguaging as an instructional strategy
in which two or more languages are used alongside each other, in this case, L1 (Japanese) andL2 (English). A recent systematic review of 10 eligible studies on pedagogical translanguaging
concludes that the efficacy of pedagogical translanguaging in enhancing language proficiency,
particularly in the target language, lacks clarity regarding its ability to demonstrate substantive
improvements in learning outcomes (Huang & Chalmers, 2023).
In the classroom, translanguaging represents a commonsense approach to language instruction.
However, I have noticed through official classroom observations of my colleagues that it is frequently
misapplied, with teachers relying excessively on Japanese rather than the target language during
instruction. While the use of the native language can serve as a bridge to comprehension, an
overreliance on Japanese may inadvertently hinder students’ immersion and fluency development inEnglish. Moreover, the direct translation of expressions from Japanese to English may lead to a loss ofnuance and cultural context, impeding students’ understanding of the subtleties and intricacies of the
English language. This practice poses a notable drawback, potentially leading students to disengage
from English instruction and prioritize comprehension solely in Japanese, thereby undermining the
primary objective of fostering English language proficiency.
Still, I recognized the need to meet students halfway while striving to maintain the integrity of mypedagogical philosophy. While this departure from my initial vision was met with internal conflict, I
witnessed tangible improvements in student participation as a result.
Amidst the compromises made, I found solace in the efficacy of certain adaptations. Integrating
movement-based activities into the curriculum proved instrumental in stimulating cognitive engagement
and bridging the gap between theory and practice. Likewise, establishing clear class routines andprocedures fostered a sense of security and belonging among students, enhancing their overall
confidence and participation.
Expanding upon the challenges and successes encountered in this journey, I find that the intersectionof cultural norms and pedagogical ideals provides a rich tapestry for exploration. The initial resistanceto an English-only policy highlighted the deeply ingrained nature of traditional instructional methods
within the institution. It became apparent that bringing about meaningful change would require anuanced approach, one that balanced ideological principles with practical realities.

15

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)MEMBERS’ VOICESIn grappling with the limitations of student evaluations, I came to appreciate the need for a more
holistic understanding of teaching effectiveness. While student feedback is undoubtedly valuable,
it must be complemented by peer observations, self-reflection, and objective measures of student
learning outcomes. By broadening the scope of assessment, we can ensure a more comprehensive
and accurate evaluation of pedagogical practices.
The adoption of translanguaging, albeit reluctantly, represented a pivotal turning point in my approach
to instruction. While initially perceived as a compromise, it ultimately proved to be a valuable tool for
bridging linguistic barriers and fostering inclusivity in the classroom. By embracing students’ native
language as a means of scaffolding learning, and not heavily relying on it, I was able to create a
supportive environment where all voices were heard and valued.
Looking ahead, I am optimistic about the transformative potential of ongoing collaboration and dialogue
within the educational community. By sharing insights, exchanging best practices, and embracing
innovation, we can collectively shape a more dynamic and responsive learning environment. While theroad ahead may be challenging, it is through perseverance, adaptability, and a shared commitment toexcellence that we can pave the way toward a brighter future for learner development in a Japanese
educational environment.

REFERENCES

Creese, A., & Blackledge, A.. (2015). Translanguaging and identity in educational settings. Annual
Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 20–35. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000233
Huang, X., & Chalmers, H. (2023). Implementation and effects of pedagogical translanguaging
in EFL classrooms: A systematic review. Languages, 8(3), 194. https://doi.org/10.3390/
languages8030194
Shibasaki, T. (2020). Appropriate L1 and L2 use in EFL classroom–Promoting greater second
language use. 言語メディア教育研究センター年報 , 49–56. https://www.kandagaigo.ac.jp/kuis/cms/
wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2020_03.pdf

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)16MEMBERS’ VOICESi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICESKayo Ozawa
Kyoritsu Women’s College
kozawa[at]kyoritsu-wu[dot]ac[dot]jp

Questioning Monolingualism and Native-Speakerism
through Students’ Action
What can I offer as an educator, when students can come in prepared with all the “right answers”
if I were to offer students access to the links to their textbook? How can students embrace theinformation that is in the textbook and make it their own? These questions have come to my mind
as I taught a class called Kokusai Eigo A at a women’s college. There were 25 women in this classof freshmen, and they belonged to L2 (Level 2), L1 being the highest and L3 being the lowest
level, after taking a Placement Test offered by the school upon entry. In the past few years, withthe spread of Chat GPT and online textbooks that promote flipped learning (Gerstein, 2013), and a
new type of visual learning instead of regular reading of texts, I have come to question my role as ateacher. For their textbook, I selected National Geographic Learning’s, World English 2 (Third Edition),and taught a unit on Endangered Languages. In the textbook, there is a passage that deals with
their Enduring Voices Project, mentioning how 7,099 languages were lost in the world when the
textbook was first created. Students also watched a video journal of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent
speaker of the Wukchumni language. The situation has worsened with COVID-19, as shown inarticles like Losing elders to Covid-19 endangers Indigenous languages.
The students were asked to do short presentations on the topic of languages. The majority of thewomen picked lost languages, such as the Hawaiian and Ainu languages in Japan. However, there
was also variety: the Yahghan language in Patagonia, the King’s English in the United Kingdom,
Ethiopian language, the Jeju language in Korea, and the Bo language of India. They also mentioned
endangered languages in the Japanese peninsula: the Amami language, the Hachijogo (Japan),and dead languages (languages that are obsolete in Japan). I was interested in why many students
chose Ainu and Hawaiian in particular, and what students wrote opened me to wide horizons intheir learning.
As part of their final exam for the semester, I had students write about why they chose particular
topics, and what they discovered through their research. They wrote about this as an essay in their
final exams. The prompts were given beforehand so that students could prepare over the winterbreak (December 2023~January 2024).
Drops: Language Learning Games makes me aware of how accessible language, even the dying
ones, has become to everyone through technology. To make this action research more formal,
further qualitative analysis of why they chose particular samples and quantitative analysis of the
distribution of languages is necessary. In their essays, there were simple answers such as “I like theanimation Golden Kamuy so I was interested in Ainu Culture.” Golden Kamuy is one of the bestselling and award-winning Japanese manga series. The story is basically about a veteran named
Saichi Sugimoto, of the early twentieth-century Russo-Japanese War, and the waning years of theTokugawa Bakufu era (Oliveros, 2018). The manga series is about the quest to find a huge fortuneof gold for the Ainu people, helped by a young Ainu girl named Asirpa. Specific focus is given to
the Ainu people, their language, and natural resources given by the Kamuy, a spirit that originated

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)18STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES

in the Ainu myth. This has shown me how manga truly is part of the younger Japanese culture, andhow it can be an impetus or window to learn new languages and to see beyond our limited worlds.
However, some essays were more sophisticated. Although I provide students with links to their
textbooks which give them the “right answers,” I have come to realize that as their teacher I canhelp them with critical thinking and analytical skills. They can reflect on why a particular language
is important to them. They can also see their use of English from a different perspective; they neednot shy away from mastering a foreign language because of the obstacle of “native-speakerism.”
These essays helped me to think of Prof. Ellen Head and Prof. Chie Tsurii’s fascinating review
of Patrick Heinrich’s seminal book, “The Making of Monolingual Japan: Language Ideology andJapanese Modernity” in The Learner Development Journal. Chapter 7 specifically focuses on “detailsof the linguistic and cultural losses in relation to Ryukyu and Ainu languages” (Head & Tsurii, 2021,
p. 127). They discuss how the idea of a monolingual identity through the Genbunitchi Undo connectswith the idea of “native-speakerism.” Students of minority cultures were sometimes punished forbeing different, and forced to assimilate since the Japanese governors could not communicate
with the local population (p. 130). The two authors further discuss how the belief in the monolingual
identity ties in with the ambivalence that the Japanese have in learning a foreign language in general.
In sum, through the action research, the students seem to have moved beyond the comprehensionof English passages in their textbooks to foster their awareness of other languages and cultures.
Furthermore, this action research will help them question monolingualism. I hope that such action
research will foster students’ awareness of other languages and cultures and that it will help themquestion monolingualism in Japan as well as native-speakerism, and take a positive attitude towardmastering English as a tool in the globalized world. One student mentioned how during the Meiji era,
the Ainu language was prohibited by the government since “there was no merit” other than to speak
Japanese to get jobs and to assimilate. Another student mentioned that the Jeju language needs tobe protected since the 8,000 people killed in the Jeju uprising in Korea would be forgotten. Finally,a student mentioned how endangered languages are important because “it has the memory and thewisdom of the people who have taken root there.” It is part of our world heritage, and like other bits ofmemory, if it is not recognized, it will be obliterated from history. I would like to end this article with an
insightful quote from Head and Tsurii that we need to keep thinking about as educators.
I see a connection between learner autonomy and a way of teaching that is orientatedtowards noticing and valuing diversity. On the other hand, a monolingual ideal will always
tend to promote control by a central authority. If there is only one right way, students must
listen to the teacher. Of course, you can get trapped in a paradox where students say“I want you to teach me the one right way.” So, I suppose the question is, how do we talkto students who have been raised with these assumptions that Japan is monolingual, andperhaps with accompanying insecurities about the possibility of learning English? (p. 131)

REFERENCES

About Enduring Languages (2020, October 7). National Geographic. Retrieved February 2, 2024
from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/about-enduring-voices
AnimaxAsia. (2020, April 8). Golden Kamuy - trailer [video]. YouTube Trailer. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=6qPXz_ckN5s
Gerstein, J. (2013, April 3). A little more on the flipped classroom. User Generated Education.
https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/tag/flipped-classroom/
Head, E., & Tsurii, C. (2021). Book review and critical dialogue about The Making of Monolingual
Japan: Language Ideology and Japanese Modernity (Heinrich, 2012). In A. Barfield, O. Cousin,
Y. Imamura, & R. Kelly (Eds.), The Learner Development Journal 5, (125-135). https://ldjournal.
ld-sig.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LDJ5-09.pdf

19

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES

Langlois, J. (2020, November 14). Losing elders to COVID-19 endangers indigenous languages.
National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/losing-elders-to-covid19-endangers-indigenous-languages
Oliveros, M. (2018, April 27). The true history behind Golden Kamuy. Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-04-27/the-true-history-behind-golden-kamuy/.130932

Shannon Saruwatashi
Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University
saruwatashi[at]g[dot]n-junshin[dot]ac[dot]jp
Ivan Lombardi
Learning Learning editorial teamivan[at]u-fukui[dot]ac[dot]jp

Mini-interview on Learner Development with
Shannon Saruwatashi
Ivan writes: Shannon joined the LD SIG recently and kindly volunteered for a mini-interview early
this year. This was my first time interviewing someone for Learning Learning; I was nervous and myfirst email to her took very long to craft as a result. Little did I know that I was in for a treat. Shannon
wrote back with precise and engaging answers to all of my questions and responses. Through thisprocess, which ran from late February to mid-March 2024, we discovered common research interestsand experiences that I am sure many readers of this newsletter will relate to. I hope you will have thesame pleasure learning about Shannon through this mini-interview as I had!
*****Ivan: Hi Shannon, my name is Ivan, and I am a member of the Learning Learning editorial team.
Thank you so much for your interest in doing a mini-interview for our publication! I am excited toinitiate a dialogue that will be shared with other members of the LD SIG through our newsletter. If
that is OK with you, I would like to use the nine talking points below to begin our conversation.
1. Where you work
2. What kind of learners you work with
3. Something interesting or puzzling about your learners
4. A small story of surprise or change for you about learner development
5. What interests you about learner development in your work
6. Some enduring questions or puzzles you have to do with learner development

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)20STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES

7. Who (past teachers, different learners, particular writers, …) or what (certain incidents orexperiences, particular classes, certain pieces of writing or discussions with others, …) havebeen particularly important for you in developing your (learner development) practices and/or
your understanding of learner development
8. Particular discourses or theories of learning that you are interested in, and how they help youin thinking about and developing your practice
9. A reflection (incomplete, even) that you’d like to share about something to do with learningand learner development
Shannon: Hi Ivan, thank you for reaching out to me. This sounds like an interesting project, and I’m
happy to participate. Following are my answers to your questions.
Ivan: Before we begin the interview, would you mind me asking you a bit about yourself?
Shannon: I’m originally from the States. I first came to Japan as an exchange student, and found it
hard to stay away after that. I did part-time eikaiwa work until I decided it was time to do my master’s
degree online in Applied Linguistics. At the same time I was studying for my master’s, I started teaching
part-time at Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University, a small private university in the hilly outskirts ofNagasaki City.
Ivan: Where do you work now, and what do you do there?
Shannon: I currently work full-time at the same institution, for the Department of Language, Culture,and Digital Studies with English Communication majors. Specifically, I teach a freshman communication
class, seminar classes (4-skills, Cambridge test preparation), academic writing, graduation seminar (so Ihave advisees for 2 years who gear up for writing their theses in English and also learn presentation
skills), Global Project (online group work with overseas students – more on this later), English Reading,
Teaching English to children, and Practical English Interpretation.
Ivan: What kind of learners do you work with?
Shannon: I work mostly with university students. At our institution, we use the CEFR levels to place
our students into high-beginner or low-intermediate classes. Our majors usually fall somewhere in
the A2-B1 CEFR range, with a few A1 learners and B2 learners. We only have 15-20 students in each
grade, most of whom are motivated to work in English or overseas; about half of our graduates goon to work in a career that will utilize English to some extent. Every year we also have a handful of
students who lack motivation, struggle, and graduate at an A2 level (which is not ideal).
Ivan: What is something interesting or puzzling about your learners?
Shannon: Something interesting or puzzling is that our learners run the gamut when it comes tomotivation. We are a smaller school and sometimes not our students’ first choice. This naturally seems
to be one reason why some study with us but lack the motivation. Then again, I do think with COVID
the newer generation’s general motivation and work ethic seem to have changed over the years.
These students often skip class, fail to turn in homework, resort to using Japanese in class instead ofEnglish, are not as active in discussion or feedback, and just generally don’t participate as much. In
a lot of my classes I tailor content to students’ interests in order to get them more active. Sometimes
it works really well, and sometimes even with my extra effort the less-motivated students still don’ttake to the learning process, which makes it frustrating when I’ve put so much time and effort into it.
Here are some examples of times it went both well and poorly. The first example is where naturally
motivated students really benefited from the tailored learning, and the second example is where theless-motivated students still didn’t benefit from it.
I once taught a first-year general communication class. One student asked me if I could prepare somespecial lessons focused on suprasegmental features such as stress and pronunciation patterns. I
created a 5-week prosody course in conjunction with the vocabulary and grammar we were using

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES

in the textbook. After that semester two of the students in my class transferred into the English
department, and one even went on to become a high school English teacher. Success!
I had a four-skills class of the lowest level learners. I created lessons based on their requests(reading and pronunciation practice, specifically focusing on blending sounds), and even got theminto online conversation practice with a friend of mine back home, yet they rarely did their homeworkand often skipped class.
Ivan: Is there a small story of surprise or change for you about learner development that you would
like to share with us?
Shannon: The story about the students who switched over into the English department is still mybest and happiest story. I like to think it was partly due to that five-week course, but those students,and especially the one who became an English teacher, were just incredible go-getters. In otherexamples, one of our strongest students to date became our first official B2 proficiency level student
this winter and will go on to be a high school English teacher this April. It makes my colleagues and I
so pleased. Two of my graduate seminar students last year both went on to graduate school, one inEnglish and one in child rights, but which requires a lot of English knowledge. I’m tremendously proudof them both.
As for learner development specifically, everything about this field is a surprise at this point as I’ve justjoined the LD SIG and have decided I need to focus more on this particular area. I should mention that I
have a class every semester called Global Project. This class is an online collaboration with professors
and their preservice teaching students at several universities around the world. My students take theclass just for the language practice and experience, as it’s one of the few classes where they areconnected to other people using English as the lingua franca. The Global Project course is where
I find myself focusing most of my energy. It’s an amazing, yet difficult, opportunity for our students.
It’s a rare chance for them to use English in real conversation to work toward a common goal withpeers, but the level is pretty high as the overseas students are often almost fluent.
Ivan: What interests you about learner development in your work?
Shannon: I recently joined the LD SIG because I’m curious about how I can better help my learners
learn, and as such want to learn more about how to help motivate my students and give theminteresting activities and tasks in which they’ll want to become more involved. I really want to foster
better learner autonomy and give them more power over their own learning, so that they motivatethemselves and start to feel that learning is just part of their natural daily routine. To achieve this, I
need to learn much more. Up to this point I have commonly used task-based learning activities andinternational telecollaboration in my classes, and have been trying to incorporate more digital tools aswell (Canva for everything from presentations to posters to lesson plans, Google Classroom, YouTube
and YouGlish for listening practice and specific examples of vocabulary in real-life, and Padlet.)Ivan: What are some enduring questions or puzzles you have to do with learner development?
Shannon: I guess a big puzzler for me is always motivation. Learner development relies heavily on
autonomy (or so it seems) and so the never-ending question is how to help my students find intrinsic
motivation and unlock that “spark,” and how to maintain that motivation. I would say that a third of mymajors in any given grade refuse to regularly do homework or study outside of class. I can’t blame
them as “homework” is usually not that fun. I guess in writing this I’ve realized one way to motivate
students would be to develop more interesting homework tasks that are more interactive and lessone-sided. Another problem is that they get little exposure to language outside of school and evenfewer chances to practice it.
Ivan: Who (past teachers, different learners, particular writers, …) or what (certain incidents or experiences,
particular classes, certain pieces of writing or discussions with others, …) have been particularly

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)22STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES

important for you in developing your (learner development) practices and/or your understanding oflearner development?
Shannon: Having just completed my master’s degree in 2020, I would say a lot of modern “methods”
inform my teaching style. I use ideas from active learning, blended learning, and flipped classroom,for example, together with task-based learning. A better understanding of learner motivation, andsubsequently autonomy, has also been at the top of my to-do list. The online international collaboration
I previously wrote about has also become an integral part of my research base, and in conjunction
with this teacher training in general has as well. In addition, my colleagues and I are very close andwork off each others’ ideas quite a bit. If something is working well in their class, I might borrow it
for one of my classes. I am also often inspired by my daughters’ parent-observation classes atelementary school. Sometimes some of their simple, fun activities can be adapted for use at university,
too. For example, I once watched my daughter and her classmates (in the first grade) prepare aself-introduction worksheet at the beginning of the school year. They then had to walk aroundwith their worksheet, introduce themselves with the material prepared, and get a sticker from aclassmate who listened to them. I now use this with my students at the beginning of each year incommunication classes!
Ivan: Are there any particular discourses or theories of learning that you are interested in, and how
do they help you think about and develop your practice?
Shannon: I started reading up on Mezirow’s transformative learning theory through the Global Projectclass. Other than that, I am new to the learner development field. I would gladly take suggestions
and advice!
Ivan: Is there a reflection (incomplete, even) that you’d like to share about something to do withlearning and learner development?
Shannon: Last year I did a course on Exploratory Action Research, which is action research plus areflection component. This means identifying a problem that needs to be addressed among thelearners, reflecting on why it’s happening, and then introducing a solution or making a change. Then,
this is repeated as long as necessary, perhaps even never-ending. I think I felt connected to thisconcept because it not only looks at learner development, but teacher development. I feel I can’t help
my students with their own development unless I’m working on my own at the same time. I hope that
this conversation helps me jumpstart some tasks for myself as well as my students so that we can all
grow in the process!
*****
Ivan: Thank you, Shannon, for providing such good, well-thought-out answers to each point. Having
this dialogue together was supremely enjoyable, and I look forward to meeting you at one of themany LD and JALT events in the near future!
Shannon: It was my pleasure. At first I wasn’t sure what would come out of this interview, but was
intrigued by the idea and am now so glad I participated. I can look back at this to reflect on myown goals and struggles as well as to inform my upcoming class preparations. This is such a fun,informative, and creative way to approach learner development. I look forward to meeting you andother members at future events, too.

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWSi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWS

Angus Painter
Kyushu University
painter[dot]university[at]gmail[dot]com

First-Year Medical Students and Their Motivation to
Study English
ABSTRACTThis research originated from challenges in teaching medical students in Japan. Expecting motivated students, I
found similarities with other non-English majoring Japanese students: absenteeism and cases of low motivation.
I administered a questionnaire to better understand whether these issues resulted from teaching practices orother factors, exploring the gap between my expectations and classroom reality. This research indicates a clear
justification for incorporating English classes into the curriculum for first-year medical students at university level.
The perceived needs of the students support this inclusion, and with suitable adjustments to the syllabus, aconducive and favorable learning environment can be established.
Keywords: motivation, medical students, questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

I have been teaching English to first-year medical students in Japan for fifteen years, and it has been
a positive experience characterized by a range of student attitudes and enthusiasm towards English
conversation classes. This corresponds with Winke’s (2005, p. 2) observation. Rubin (1975, p. 42)
stated, ‘The good language learner is said to depend on at least three variables: aptitude, motivationand opportunity’. Some students enter the classroom with a palpable eagerness, approaching
language acquisition as an exciting bridge to global medical interaction and an important tool for
their career path. Conversely, in most classes, there may be a small number of students who lackmotivation even though they have a higher English ability compared to other university students andare aware of the obvious benefits that it provides in a medical career.
Prior to having taught these medical students, I had my own preconceived notions about what awaited
me in the classroom, namely extremely motivated and conscientious students. The medical students
at any tertiary institution are of great importance, for status as well as the economic impact they
have on the school, be it through tuition fees (tuition for public medical schools is about 500,000
yen (ca. US $3,800) annually, whereas for private medical schools it is about 3–7 million yen (US$23,000-$54,000) annually, see Suzuki et al., 2023, p. 2) and/or family donations. This is certainly
the case at the institution in which I have conducted this research. Medical students are extremely
important, but in some cases, learning English is not a priority for them. A consensus emerged
among English teachers at the university that, even though the medical majors are considered
the brightest and best of the student cohort, paradoxically they also seem to be some of the least
motivated. I soon discovered that some of these medical students had much in common with someother classes that did not major in English. That is, there were cases of absenteeism combinedwith insufficient motivation towards homework or classwork. This was surprising because failinga class in the first year of medical school resulted in re-taking the first-year again at obvious great
expense. How could this apathy among some students be explained?
Over the years, I have tried various methods to understand the medical students’ motivation regarding
English and have adapted the classes for a more positive experience. First, I often used surveys orquestionnaires to gather information about their background, interests, and attitude to studying English.
These tools helped identify individual preferences and intrinsic motivations.

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWS

Second, observing the students in the classroom setting provided valuable insights into their engagementlevels, participation, and reactions to different teaching activities. For example, using Kahoot! for quizzes
was more popular than traditional handwritten quizzes, and enrolling students in Quizlet provided study
cards for necessary vocabulary topics (hospital departments, medical equipment, speaking to patients,etc.) and gave easy access to weekly vocabulary. Also, finding which class topics were particularly
popular for the students because of interest and the perceived benefit to themselves created better
motivation in class.
Additionally, analyzing the academic performance and progress offered clues about the effectivenessof instructional methods and helped tailor approaches to meeting learners’ needs. Pairwork, projects
and group work also played a role in understanding motivation, as learners often drew inspirationand enthusiasm from their peers.
Finally, regular communication with the students created a supportive environment, allowing me
to address concerns and adapt teaching strategies accordingly. For example, listening to concerns
about their deadlines for important medical classes, homework and tests and then trying to set myclass quizzes to a time when there wasn’t a major medical exam, helped to create a more positiveclassroom atmosphere.
However, even with new adaptations to lessons every year to create a better student learning experience
for the students, I wanted to try and get a deeper understanding of the reasons for different attitudes
among the medical students in class and to appreciate why my preconceptions were so out of stepwith the classroom reality.
*****
I set out to discover how to improve both the classroom atmosphere for the participants as a whole
and learning outcomes for individual students. For the less enthusiastic students, I gave a more
active role in class, sympathized with their high workload as medical students, so was flexible on
deadlines and kept the classes active with various activities. The medical students appeared tobe motivated to learn English for their career, but in reality, didn’t put in as much effort when they
were required to do so. Also, their general English ability was higher than other students in different
departments. I speculated whether the medical students needed more or less class content tailored
towards their major. Or perhaps they simply did not want to study medical English. The researchdetailed below is an effort to answer this conundrum.

METHODS

The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions regarding the students’ motivation and enthusiasm
towards English as a subject for medical students.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included 50 students aged between 18 and 28. The majority were men (64%), and all
the students had completed at least 12 years of education. The students were allocated for myclasses by the university.

PROCEDURE

Two classes were involved (one in the first semester and one in the second semester). The students
were invited to participate in a questionnaire at the beginning of the semester to assess their attitude
towards English classes.

1. The Students

During their first year, the students take eight compulsory English classes, four in the first semester,and four in the second. After the first year, they are no longer required to take English classes. From a
total of approximately 100 students in the first year of the medical program, the two classes surveyed
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)26RESEARCH & REVIEWS

in this study consisted of 26 and 24 students each. Both classes were conversation classes, but thecontent was decided by myself. I focused on improving conversation ability and medical vocabularythat young doctors may encounter if treating an English speaker in Japan.

2. The Teacher

In total, I have worked at my current university for 8 years. During this time, I have taught medical
students at least once a year at this institution, along with students from a wide range of otherdisciplines such as economics, sports and foreign languages. I tend to believe that student motivation
is class-specific. Each class is different and the classroom atmosphere often depends on a few highlymotivated or highly-unmotivated students to set the tone for the whole class of 25-40 students.

3. The Questionnaire

I created a 13-question survey (labelled alphabetically from A to M) for the students to fill out on
their first day of English classes, prior to having attended any English classes at the university at all.
I hoped to tease out the students’ feelings and perceptions before the influence of the teachers
and their peers took hold.
The thirteen questions, listed in the Appendix along with the student’s responses, were provided
in English, along with a Japanese translation. Most of the questions required a rating. Generally,
the questions were rated from 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest, or least favorable rating, and 5 being thehighest, or most favorable rating for each particular question.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Questions A, B, C, D, I and J in the survey all relate to the students’ basic predisposition towards
studying English and to the conversation class in particular. 34% of 50 students indicated that they
did not like English, while 66% found it enjoyable. However, 45 out of 50 students deemed the classhighly important, and 46 believed English was necessary for their future careers. These findingsalign with research from Tokyo Medical University emphasizing the recognition of the importanceof medical English education. Kanazawa et al. (2006, p. 107) stated that students regarded medical
English education as important and they want to study in university classes. The responses suggest
a gap between the apparent importance students place on English and their actual attendance
behavior. Out of 50 students, 68% expressed enthusiasm for speaking activities with high ratings,
while 32% showed indifference or reluctance. Regarding making positive contributions in class, 82%
responded affirmatively, but 18% indicated a likelihood of being less active contributors.
Question E focuses on the motivation for this particular class. In response to the question, about
80% of the students expressed positive sentiments, indicating a strong drive. However, a notable
20% gave a 3-rating or lower, suggesting uncertainty or potential lack of motivation.
Regarding studying, this was covered in Question F. While 54% of students expressed a strong
commitment to regular study, evidenced by ratings of 4 or 5, 46% appeared non-committal, providing
a rating of 3 or lower. This split indicates a potential divergence in students’ dedication to consistent
study habits, highlighting a need for strategies to foster widespread engagement and enthusiasm
with those students who are less motivated in the class.
Regarding the question on aspiring to study medicine in an English-speaking country (Question G),
42% of students, specifically 21 out of 50, expressed a desire to pursue medical education abroad.
This inclination suggests a substantial motivation among students to enhance their English proficiency,
likely driven by aspirations to broaden their medical training, experience diverse medical practices, andimmerse themselves in an English-speaking academic environment, showcasing a strong link between
language proficiency and career goals in the medical field.
Question H looks into students’ score expectations, revealing that 32% are content with a C or D grade(pass), showcasing varied academic goals. However, potential language nuances in the translation may

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWS

contribute to this result. In contrast, Question K gauges motivation, with 76% expressing high motivation
for a good score.
While 74% of students initially expressed a preference for studying medical English (Question L), thesubsequent query (Question M) revealed a contradiction, with 94% leaning towards daily conversational
English. This inconsistency suggests a potential misunderstanding in the survey design or language
nuances. A clearer formulation, such as directly asking students to choose between medical andconversational English, might have mitigated ambiguity.

CONCLUSION

Motivation is a problem for students in the classes detailed here. Despite positive intentions, classattendance was inconsistent, with 13.4% absenteeism and frequent lateness, notably higher thannon-medical classes. There could be many reasons for this, ranging from a heavy class schedulein their first year, pressure from medical courses, and possibly too many other English courses
in their first year (Ryan, 2009, p. 39). It is also possible that students were not getting enoughconversational English in their classes, or not enough of what they had expected. Also, thisdivergence might be attributed to cultural differences in the perception of university educationin Japan. In Japanese universities, the emphasis often extends beyond academic pursuits toencompass social development. Engaging in club activities is highly valued, viewed as essential
for acquiring and practicing skills crucial for both university life and future careers. In this context,
regular classes may not be perceived as the primary focus. The apparent lack of enthusiasm might
be a cultural nuance, possibly misunderstood by myself who might interpret it as a disinterestin studying. Recognizing and bridging this cultural gap could be essential for a more accurate
understanding of student motivation and engagement in the academic setting.
Although there were issues with motivation in some aspects, students clearly stated in the questionnairethat they had a positive attitude towards contributing in class and towards speaking activities (Questions
I and J) and these attitudes were borne out by performance in class. Pair work and group work werevery popular among the students in class. It provided them with active roles in their language
development, allowed students to practice language skills in a supportive and interactive setting,fostered communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. Students appreciated thesocial aspect of working together that not only enhanced language proficiency but also created apositive and enjoyable learning experience for students. To build on this could be to use near-peer
teaching. Two recent publications (Pinter et al., 2021, Hoshina et al., 2023, pp. 276–277) found thatnear-peer teaching in medical classes led to higher levels of “motivation, curiosity, initiative, selfefficacy and student development.” However, actions over the term, such as inconsistent completionof assigned homework by 30% of students, indicate a misalignment between professed motivation
and actual behavior. External factors like exams in other classes or medical priorities may explain this,underscoring the need to explore the complexities of student motivation and performance beyond
questionnaire responses. The discrepancy between stated goals and observed behaviors highlights
the importance of nuanced assessment strategies and consideration of external factors influencing
academic engagement.
Despite the mixed responses, it is evident that the majority of students favour incorporatingsome common medical themes into conversational English lessons. Aligning the curriculum withthis preference could enhance student engagement, emphasizing the importance of adapting
language education to students’ desires and expectations for a more effective and targetedlearning experience. Also, I recommend that teachers who have medical students provide English
courses that prioritize conversational English, especially in classes conducted by native speakersof the language. This supports Kanazawa et al. (2006, p. 83). However, the syllabus should
include some medical aspects such as medical vocabulary (e.g., hospital departments, various

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)28RESEARCH & REVIEWS

illnesses and their symptoms, etc.) and various questions that a doctor may ask a patient in certain
scenarios.
In terms of future research, it is now necessary to ascertain whether students in the medical
program have altered their expectations or motivation by the beginning of the second semester.
The students may be over-taxed with so many English classes, especially so many in their first yearof studies, and therefore might be even more disinclined to be as studious or motivated then. I willconduct a similar questionnaire at the commencement of the second semester to see if there areany differences or changes. I will look at the differences that the first and second semester results
may imply and if there is any apparent increase or decrease in motivation by semester. Personally,
my preconceptions about student motivation in English classes for medical students have changed.
Initially attributing attendance issues solely to disinterest, I now recognize cultural nuances, especiallyheavy student schedules, and varied expectations as contributing factors. Furthermore, the distinct
preference expressed by students for collaborative learning and the development of a syllabus
tailored to their needs has significantly influenced my approach to teaching medical students.

REFERENCES

Brophy, J. (2004). Motivating students to learn (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dörnyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom. The Modern
Language Journal, 78(3), 273–284.
Hoshina, Y., Limeisa, Takaiso, H., Maki, H., Yoshino, T. and Shikino, K. (2023), Impact of near-peer
teaching on medical English learning motivation among medical students and residents. Journalof General and Family Medicine, 24: 276–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgf2.629
Kanazawa, N., Patrick Barron, J. P., Breugelmans. R., & Yamamoto, K. (2006). Student attitudes
toward medical English as shown by questionnaire. The Journal of Medical English Education,
5(2), 99–106.
Pintér, Z., Kardos, D., Varga, P., Kopjár, E., Kovács, A., Than, P., Rendeki, S., Czopf, L., Füzesi, Z.,& Schlégl, Á. T. (2021). Effectivity of near-peer teaching in training of basic surgical skills – arandomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Education 21, 156. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-02102590-2
Rubin, J. (1975). What the “good language learner” can teach us. Vol. TESOL Quarterly, 9(1), 41–51.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3586011
Ryan, S. (2009). Self and identity in L2 motivation in Japan: The ideal L2 self and Japanese learnersof English. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp.
120–143). Multilingual Matters.
Suzuki, Y., Tsunekawa, K., Takeda, Y., Cleland, J., Saiki, T. (2023). Impact of medical students’socioeconomic backgrounds on medical school application, admission and migration in Japan:
A web-based survey. British Medical Journal Open 2023, 13:e073559. https://doi.org/10.1136/
bmjopen-2023-073559
Winke, P. M. (2005). Promoting motivation in the foreign language classroom. Centre for Language
Education and Research, 9(2), 1–11.

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWSAPPENDIX

Medical Questionnaire – Total Results for 1st and 2nd Semester
1 = lowest
5 = highest
A. Do you enjoy studying English? (英語の勉強を楽しんでいますか。
)
1 ( 1 ) 2 ( 3 ) 3 ( 13 ) 4 ( 13 ) 5 ( 20 )B. Do you aim to attend every week for this class? (毎週このクラスに出席しようと考えていますか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 0 ) 3 ( 1 ) 4 ( 9 ) 5 ( 40 )C. How do you rate the importance of this class? (このクラスはどれくらい重要だと思いますか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 1 ) 3 ( 4 ) 4 ( 17 ) 5 ( 28 )D. Do you believe English is necessary for your future job? (あなたが将来就く仕事に英語は必要だと思いますか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 1 ) 3 ( 3 ) 4 ( 18 ) 5 ( 28 )E. How much motivation do you have for this class? (このクラスに対してどれくらいのモチベーションを持っていますか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 3 ) 3 ( 7 ) 4 ( 20 ) 5 ( 20 )F. Do you plan to study regularly for this class? (このクラスのために定期的に勉強するつもりですか。
)
1 ( 2 ) 2 ( 5 ) 3 ( 16 ) 4 ( 13 ) 5 ( 14 )G. Do you hope to study medicine in an English speaking country in the future? (将来、英語圏の国で医学について学びたいと思いますか。
)
1 ( 6 ) 2 ( 9 ) 3 ( 14 ) 4 ( 11 ) 5 ( 10 )H. If to get a good score you need to make equivalent effort, what score are you aiming for? (いい成績を得るにはそれに見合った努力が必要です。
あなたの目指す成績はどのくらいですか？)
an A pass ( 25 ) / a B pass ( 9 ) / a C pass ( 8 ) / just enough to pass ( 8 ) / don’t care ( 0 )I. Are you looking forward to participating in speaking activities? (英会話のアクティビティの参加を楽しみにしていますか？)
1 ( 1 ) 2 ( 7 ) 3 ( 8 ) 4 ( 13 ) 5 ( 21 )J. Do you plan to make a positive contribution in class? (積極的に授業に参加するつもりですか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 1 ) 3 ( 8 ) 4 ( 16 ) 5 ( 25 )K. Are you motivated to get a good score in this class? (このクラスで良い点数を取ることに向けてやる気になっていますか。
)
1 ( 0 ) 2 ( 2 ) 3 ( 10 ) 4 ( 17 ) 5 ( 21 )L. Would you most prefer to study medical English? (医学英語を勉強することを最も望んでいますか。
)
Yes ( 37 ) / No ( 13 )M. Would you most prefer to study daily conversation English? (日常的な英会話を勉強することを最も望んでいますか。
)
Yes ( 47 ) / No ( 3 )LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)30

RESEARCH & REVIEWS

Ellen Head
Miyazaki International College
ehead[at]sky[dot]miyazaki-mic[dot]ac[dot]jp

Book Review: From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse:
How Scholarship Becomes Common Knowledge in Education
Schneider, J. (2014). Harvard Education Press.

It’s ten years since the publication of Jack Schneider’sthought-provoking study of four influential theories
in the USA education system, namely, Bloom’s
taxonomy, multiple intelligences theory, projectbased learning and direct instruction. His central
question, “What characterizes the scholarly ideasthat actually become classroom practice?” seems
to me more relevant than ever right now. It is areminder that every theory that becomes common
classroom practice in some part of the world, is theresult of a particular story. Schneider teases out
the threads of those stories in extraordinary detailand makes a good argument that understanding
the backstory is important. He calls himself “theeducation historian.” I was attracted to his bookbecause he tackles the question of the researchpractice divide in a head-on way, contrasting
four ideas which have become part of teachers’common knowledge, and four “ideas without afoothold” (p. 141), theories which are just as valid
in terms of research, but had only a fraction of the
impact at classroom level.
I read the book in 2022 while looking for works thatwould shed light on the theme of “challenging theconventions of research into learner development”,
to build my understanding of the theme of the Learner Development Journal 7, for which I was oneof the editors. In this short reflection, I’ll offer an outline of the book and hopefully the reader will
get some idea of why it might be important. Actually, the events of the intervening years in the USA
have been dramatic. In 2015, the “No Child Left Behind” act, which mandated state-run achievement
testing in national secondary schools, was adjusted by a new law which handed back some of thepower to institutions at district level (Hess, 2022). Moreover, struggles over school-related issues
between progressive and traditionalist factions across the states have been in the news in relation
to issues such as race and gender equality, the banning of books from school libraries, and teachingon evolution among others. Schneider’s latest book, co-written with Jennifer Berkshire in 2023, wasentitled “A Wolf at the School House Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of
School”, and “The Education Wars: A Citizens’ Guide and Defense Manual” is coming out in July.
When I picked up Schneider’s 2014 book, I had no idea that he was such a well-established figure

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWS

in American educational scholarship nor that the conflict between progressive and traditionalist
factions would become so heated. “From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse” just seemed toencapsulate something I wanted to know about.
In the introduction, Schneider describes four aspects of research which he believes need to be present
in order for it to transmit to the classroom. The first aspect is that the new idea has to have “perceived
significance” for teachers, that it seems to deal with what Schneider calls “research that matters” (p.
7), “offering a big-picture understanding rather than merely a small piece of a larger puzzle.” (p. 8).
His second criterion is “philosophical compatibility”. In other words the research or theory needs to
fit in with what a majority of teachers believe to be true. He paints a picture of the school system inwhich teachers have a “common core of interests, anxieties, and values, distinct to them as a group,”
qualitatively different from those of university-based researchers, not least due to working a 52-hour
week in the US. (p. 8). Schneider’s third point is that to gain traction in the minds of teachers, an idea has
to be able to be implemented easily, which he calls occupational realism. Thus, ideas which encourageteacher innovation within or alongside the existing curriculum tend to flourish more than ideas which
need a completely new set up at prefectural level (p. 9). The fourth criterion he claims to have identified
is transportability, meaning simplicity and accessibility: “A concept made up of five simple elements… is
far more likely to move across settings than one made up of fifty, or even fifteen, richly described parts.”(p. 9). There is no rocket science in his account, but as he demonstrates in the subsequent chapters, theprocess of applying these criteria allows the discussion to move beyond the idea that certain methods
become widespread because they are simply better or based on more valid research.
Perhaps this is the right place to admit that I was interested in the book not least because it takes themultiple intelligences theory of Howard Gardner as an example of an idea that took hold in Americanclassrooms. A few years into my teaching career, I was having problems with a learner in an exam
focused class, who often fiddled with his belt or took off his shoes and sat cross-legged during class,staring down at his lap instead of at the teaching material or other members of the class. I happened
to attend a workshop on learning styles at which I heard that there were learners who were kinesthetic
types and who might be experiencing the lesson differently from others, without intending to be
disrespectful or lazy. This idea helped me to understand and find more options about how to teachthe student. After I stopped trying to make him behave in a more conventional way, he wrote me along letter explaining that he wanted to study sports science at university and become a professional
footballer or coach. This experience seemed to me evidence that there are indeed different kinds ofintelligence. So when multiple intelligences theory was said to have been discredited, (e.g., Rousseau,
2021) I felt there must still be some truth in the idea that not everyone has the same kind of intelligence.
Schneider explains that multiple intelligences theory was propounded by Gardner as a result ofresearch into cognitive processing which was reacting against the use of “one size fits all” intelligencetesting. As the chair of a foundation investigating brain research from 1972, Gardner was in a good
position to research and develop his ideas. Moreover, teachers in independent schools, who felt theirrole and professionalism was undermined by standardized testing, gained a new sense of mission fromthe idea that it was up to them to help their students to find their particular kind of intelligence and makeconnections between various kinds of intelligence and how they could be realized and developed.
This kind of idea was enthusiastically taken up by private teacher training companies and textbook
authors as well as teachers. However, some of these authors pushed the implications farther than
Gardner ever intended. Gardner was against the learning styles movement, meaning the use of aparticular sensory system to engage a particular learner, which was what I had heard about in theworkshop. Gardner’s point was to help learners find their strengths, rather than that teachers should
try to re-orientate the curriculum by, for example, creating chants to memorize verb forms. Schneidershows how multiple intelligences as an idea had vast appeal and Gardner’s attitude at least initially of
not controlling or policing its implementation, allowed it to be spread by other people and become an
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RESEARCH & REVIEWS

influential movement. At the same time this meant that the idea was sometimes misused or distorted
and so there was no simple answer to whether a teacher claiming to use multiple intelligences theory
would have better outcomes in their class.
This theme, that the success of a theory cannot actually predict educational outcomes, comes out
even more clearly in Schneider’s chapter on project work. According to Schneider, the widespreaduse of projects as a learning activity took off with the publication of an article by William Heard
Kilpatrick, a professor at Columbia University Teachers College, in 1918. Kilpatrick was quite
consciously seeking to make his mark as “an original thinker”, as he wrote in his diary (p. 81). Originallyused to describe a task requiring the application of integrated skills in vocational education, theproject was re-branded by Kilpatrick as a task in general education, which was to be adapted tothe interests and abilities of the individual student, and connected to real life in some way (p. 89).
Drawing on the theories of John Dewey, Kilpatrick was able to bridge the gap between progressive
educational theory and practical implementation, by appealing to teachers whose students seemed
to need something other than a conventional curriculum of memorized facts and drills. The debate
of project work versus exam style work was linked to lively political controversy through the middleof the twentieth century. However, project work could be done alongside the existing curriculum. It
was a flexible and adaptable concept and it was intuitive to teachers, to encourage students to develop
their own interests. Interestingly, Japan made project work part of the school curricular guidelines
in 2017-2018 (Mikouchi et al., 2018), in a bid to increase relevance to local issues as well as learnerautonomy. Schneider is quite non-committal as to the effectiveness of project work (p. 105). In contrast
with the standardized achievement testing which was mandated by the US government’s “No Child
Left Behind” act from 2002 to 2014 (Hess, 2022), the holistic skills and qualities such as autonomy
are harder to measure.
In relation to Japan, we might want to think about the tension between prioritizing progressive education,with its focus on autonomy, and traditional education, focused more on standardized tests. The pendulum
has swung in a somewhat different direction from the US and a comparison of how university researchers
influence schools in the US and in Japan is beyond the compass of this article. Kuramoto & Koizumi (2015)
offer a good summary of the issues in large-scale educational assessment in Japan until about ten
years ago. My experience of talking with high school teachers in Japan has generally been thatthey are strongly connected to the world of research. However this is based only on conversations
with teachers I have met at conferences and professional development events, so they may not be
wholly typical. But in fact, three of the papers in the Learner Development Journal 7 were based on
research done in high schools. Takagi, Tanaka, and Minami worked with a high school teacher toanalyze the benefits of doing practitioner research, while Kawasaki implemented action researchin her own classroom, and Morioka reflected on a completed research project to re-interpret data
about his class. I feel their papers provide evidence of vibrant links between the Ivory Tower andthe Schoolhouse in Japan.
Although Schneider’s chapters on Bloom’s taxonomy and the Direct Instruction method are very
thought-provoking, perhaps the most original aspect of “From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse”
is the contrast which he draws between ideas which became “common knowledge” and “ideas
without a foothold.” In chapter 5, Schneider makes direct comparisons, between Bloom’s taxonomy
for the cognitive domain and Krathwohl’s taxonomy for the affective domain, between multiple
intelligences theory and Sternberg’s “Triarchic Mind” theory, between project methodology andWittrock’s Generative Intelligence theory, and the method of Direct Instruction versus Applied Behavior
Analysis. The discussion makes it clear that the theories which catch on need to be expressed in simple
language, (so “Triarchic Mind” was at a disadvantage), have clearly defined components (Krathwol’s
taxonomy’s elements were at a disadvantage there) and be easy to implement alongside the existing
curriculum. They also need to have a positive role for teachers. Direct Instruction methodology, which
forced teachers to follow a rigidly scripted routine with students, was unappealing to most teachers

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but they followed it as a method of last resort for the benefit of students who needed remedial
work on basic skills. Direct Instruction is the “odd man out” of the successful theories, since it
depended more on the will of prefectural government, and was strongly associated with the politicaldevelopments following the “No Child Left Behind” act of 2002. Applied Behavior Analysis was still
more mechanical, in that teachers were required to praise students and give out tokens for good
behavior. Schneider’s point seems to be that “occupational realism” was a deciding factor. Teachers
were persuaded to get on board with Direct Instruction because it would help students, while Applied
Behavior Analysis not only undermined teacher autonomy but was also tricky to implement because
it required detailed observation of each child and the actual physical provision of tokens.
Schneider’s conclusion is that “We must develop systems and structures that make it easier forhigh quality scholarship to possess those characteristics [of perceived significance, philosophicalcompatibility, occupational realism and transportability].” (p. 190). He suggests there is a choice atpolicy level, between a system which depends more on centrally-organized research establishments
to disseminate good practice, or a more locally-based model which emphasizes practitionerleadership and teacher self-development. He points out that even if not all researchers are teachers,
having strong links between those who are doing research and those who are teaching is the only
way of ensuring that innovations in practice are sufficiently context-sensitive. (p. 193). The translationof theory into curricula and lesson plans is the crucial step. If we are interested in learner autonomy
and curriculum development for learner autonomy, this brings us back to the idea of reflective
teaching and sharing in our own grassroots networks. If we are interested in influencing others,
it may be quite handy to bear in mind his four criteria as we go about the business of planning,teaching, reflecting and tweaking our courses and research projects for the new academic year. By
paraphrasing his criteria, I have come up with the following questions, which I think could apply toteaching as well as research.
Questions for reflection, based on Schneider’s criteria:• Is this important? (=significance)• Does this further my aims and the values which I believe in as a teacher? (=philosophicalcompatibility)• Can I actually do this? What resources do I need? (=occupational realism)• Can I explain the underlying ideas in simple terms?
• Is it going to work in my context? Would it work for other people too? (=transportability)
Schneider’s work is interesting because it offers insights into why we do what we do. One of
his conclusions is that reform tends not to work without discussion and a degree of consensus.
There are powerful lessons in his book for anyone who is involved in curriculum development,
research or teaching. I hope that this review will stimulate further discussion about these issues ofconsistency between beliefs and practices, connections between personal history and teaching
methods/research.

REFERENCES

Hess, F. (2022, September 21). It’s been 20 years since No Child Left Behind. What’d we learn?
Forbes Magazine. https://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickhess/2022/09/21/its-been-20-yearssince-no-child-left-behind-whatd-we-learn/?sh=625957896331
Kuramoto, N., & Koizumi, R. (2016). Current Issues in large scale testing and assessment in Japan:
Focus on national assessment of academic ability and university entrance exams. Assessmentin Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 25(4), 415–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695
94X.2016.1225667
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)34RESEARCH & REVIEWS

Mikouchi, A. K., Akita, K., & Komura, S. (2018). A critical review on project-based learning in Japanese
secondary education. Bulletin of the Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo, 58,
373–385.
Rousseau, L. (2021). “Neuromyths” and multiple intelligences (MI) theory: A comment on Gardner,
2020. Frontiers, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720706
Stapleton-Cochoran, J. (2023, January 25). Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. University
of Illinois Chicago, Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence. https://teaching.uic.edu/
blooms-taxonomy-of-educational-objectives/

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)RESEARCH & REVIEWSi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

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Larissa Borges
Federal University of Pará, Brazil
larissadant[at]gmail[dot]com
Andy Barfield
Chuo University, Japan
andybarfieldchuo[at]gmail[dot]com

Interview with Larissa Borges About theComplexity of Autonomy Development
Larissa Borges is an Associate Professor at the School of Modern Foreign Languages (FALEM)
and the Graduate Program in Creativity and Innovation in Methodologies in Higher Education(PPGCIMES), at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil. She is the head of the research group CARE
(Collaboration, Autonomy, Reflection and Empathy in Language Teaching) and of the Language
Teaching Laboratory (LAEL), both focused on language teacher education. Her research interests
include autonomy, empathy, and wellbeing in language teacher education within the framework ofcomplexity paradigm. Larissa developed the Complex Dynamic Model of Autonomy Development(CDMA), drawing on her own and her learners’ experiences and practices, as well as on researchand theory in the wider field.
In this interview, conducted over email in February 2024, Larissa shares the story of developing
the CDMA model and of using it to guide reflection, self-awareness, and autonomy managementwith different groups of students that she teaches.
Keywords: autonomy in language learning and teaching, complex dynamic model, reflection,
collaboration, negotiation*****
Andy: Hello Larissa — many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for this issue of Learning
Learning. It’s a pleasure to meet you and learn about your work, which I became interested inthrough reading your 2022 Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal article on A complex dynamic
model of autonomy development (CDMA).
At the time I was reading other articles (Edsall et al., 2023; Paiva & Braga, 2008; Sockett & Toffoli,
2012; Yunita, 2023) using complex dynamic models about the development of learner autonomy, and I
became interested in how the CDMA model is so closely connected to classroom practices, conditions,and processes that are often significant for teachers and learners in developing learner autonomy.
In the next page is a static view of your model (Figure 1). The model and short YouTube videos (e.g.,
Borges, 2019a: Complex dynamic model of autonomy development; 2019b: Esther’s autonomization
process; 2019c: Fabio’s autonomization process; 2019d: Gabriela's autonomization process; and,2019e: Marília's autonomization process) are fascinating, and I started thinking that readers of
Learning Learning would find your work on understanding autonomy development really appealing
and interesting, hence the invitation to you for this interview.

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Figure 1. The Complex Model of Autonomy Development (Borges, 2019f, p. 59)
Before focusing more on the CDMA model itself, I wanted to begin by asking from the practice side
what puzzles you originally had as you worked with different learners about developing learnerautonomy. What particular moments or incidents stand out for you as you look back? What questionsin practice took you towards imagining modeling the development of learner autonomy in a complex
dynamic way in your research?
Larissa: Many thanks for the invitation, Andy. I’m very happy to receive your feedback on my research.
I’m thrilled to collaborate for the spring issue of the Learning Learning newsletter and to share moreinsights about my autonomy model. It will be a great opportunity to account for the complexity of
autonomy development.
Autonomy has been a driving force in my academic trajectory. To answer your questions, let metake you back to my roots as a language learner. I’ve always been drawn to foreign languages, but I
only started learning English when I chose to take a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
course at the Federal University of Pará. In college, the great majority of my classmates were alreadyfluent English speakers and I was a real beginner. Faced with this challenge, I had to develop my
autonomy in the first place to learn English the fastest I could, establishing my own study agenda,
using diverse learning strategies, and asking for the collaboration of more experienced classmates topractice the target language. Investing in my autonomy proved fundamental to fulfill my goals andto graduate successfully in 2003.
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Fast forward three years, I find myself in the dual role of a temporary instructor and a graduate student
at the same university where I started my academic journey. Naturally, autonomy was my theme in
my master’s research. By that time, I had learned autonomy was a linear process, in which learners
were guided by predetermined steps already described in the literature then. However, my teachingexperiences, coupled with more recent studies, revealed autonomy to be a dynamic and non-linear
process developed in a personalized way for each student, and it puzzled me. It prompted me to
explore autonomy development further.
My involvement in a university research group focused on autonomy, motivation, and language
learning advising provided a fertile ground for expanding my understanding of these concepts andexploring them in my teaching practice. It was during this period that I was introduced to complexity
theory, a paradigm shift that transformed my perspective about language learning and teaching.
Suddenly, everything seemed to click into place. Embracing the interconnectedness inherent inlanguage learning autonomy, I began my doctoral research, investigating autonomy development
through the lens of complexity.
Living in the Brazilian Amazon, I have long been fascinated by the connections and reciprocity observedin nature. Just as nature operates within a network of mutual influence, I sought to capture thecomplex web of relations influencing autonomy development within the framework of my model.
Since 2009, I have had a tenured position in the TEFL program at the Federal University of Pará,marking a significant achievement in my academic trajectory. Being a language teacher educator
has been a fulfilling experience since I’ve always believed in the transformative power of education
on society. Teaching and researching in this context, I have had diverse, enriching experiences thatsurely expanded my understanding of autonomy and contributed to the elaboration of the Complex
Dynamic Model of Autonomy Development (CDMA).
One of these experiences is the course “Learning to Learn Foreign Languages,” which I have beenteaching to first-year students as part of the TEFL program. This is the main context in which I havebeen exploring the model as a tool to guide reflection, self-awareness, and autonomy management.
Andy: What a challenging journey you went on when you first started learning and using English atuniversity — I was also struck by the fact that when you later focused on learner autonomy in your
Master’s studies, you had seen autonomy as a linear process with predetermined steps, but thatwas now changing. It didn’t match with your experiences as a teacher at that time and what you
were learning from more recent work on learner autonomy — and that prompted you to dig further.
Things shifted for you also through participating in the university research group and trying tounderstand the complex interaction of relations and processes in learner autonomy development.
How did you begin to create the framework for the CDMA model? And what were some pivotal
moments for you as you delved further?
Larissa: As I discussed earlier, autonomy has been a focal point for me, both in my academic andprofessional pursuits. I’ve had the opportunity to explore autonomy from various angles as a learner,
teacher, adviser, researcher, and mother. Over the years, there’s been a notable evolution in how
autonomy is perceived within the field of Applied Linguistics. Initially, autonomy was predominantly
viewed as an individual phenomenon, which emphasizes the learner’s independence. Afterwards,
there has been a notable evolution towards a social perspective, which highlights the learners’
interdependence and their involvement within their social communities. Nowadays, there’s a growing
emphasis on the complex perspective of autonomy, which acknowledges the intricate interplay
between individual and social dimensions, both influencing and being influenced by the contexts
in which learners operate (Borges, 2019f). In my dissertation, I sought to illustrate these shifts
in perspective, using an animation to visually convey the complex nature of autonomy (Borges,
2019g: https://youtu.be/JO43peOfYBc). From my standpoint, recognizing the interaction between
individual and social aspects that influence autonomy development is crucial in understanding the39

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complex nature of this process. Consequently, I tried to integrate the complex perspective into theframework of my CDMA model.
Before developing the CDMA model, I extensively explored theories of language learning autonomy
and existing models of autonomy development. These models presented autonomy development
as a linear progression (Nunan, 1997; Scharle & Szabò, 2000), as a cyclical process (Benson, 2001,2011), and as a dynamic process (Tassinari, 2010, 2012). Then, I wanted to contribute to the field byproposing a complex and dynamic model that comprehensively captures the wide web of manifold
components that interact in autonomy development.
Concurrently, I engaged in data generation with participants of my PhD research, comprising four
TEFL students who entered the course as English beginners. Over a period of four years, spanningthe duration of the TEFL course, they provided valuable insights through learning diaries and a final
interview on how autonomy evolved over time. Through data analysis, I aimed to better comprehend
their autonomy trajectories, particularly examining factors that enhanced or inhibited autonomy
development, according to the learners’ perspectives. I was also interested in observing how they
improved their social participation within academic contexts during the TEFL course, exercising theirautonomy. The journey with these students was truly enlightening. It became clear that autonomy isinfluenced by a myriad of factors. Sometimes, what enhanced autonomy for one participant could
inhibit it for another, highlighting the complexity inherent in autonomy development.
Thus, theoretical insights and empirical data informed the development of the CDMA model. By
integrating theory and practice, my aim was to contribute to a deeper understanding of autonomy
development and its implications for learners in diverse educational settings. Ultimately, I view autonomy
as a lifelong process, subject to moments of advancement, stability, and setbacks involving the interaction
among a large number of processes, elements, agents, and other subsystems (Borges, 2019f).
Andy: It’s such a fascinating fusion of experience, practice, reflection, and research. Following yourstudents’ trajectories over four years from their own perspectives and mediating your emerging
understanding with theoretical perspectives must have been so compelling.
Moving to the model itself, you conceptualize the development of learner autonomization “as a complex,
dynamic, and fluctuating process in which a point of arrival cannot be defined, as it is experienced ina non-linear and continuous way throughout life, with moments of advances, stability and setbacks,
involving the interaction among a large number of processes, elements, agents, and other subsystems”(Borges, 2022, pp. 203-204). As you take us further through the key components in the model, I findit helpful to keep in mind your observation that “The primary movements of autonomy development
suggested in the model, illustrated in green, do not occur in a sequence nor do they represent a
formula to be followed with a guarantee of success. Due to the complexity and unpredictability ofthis process, autonomization takes place in a unique way for each learner.” (Borges, 2022, p. 205) .
Larissa: The concepts you have quoted align with the inherent dynamism, non-linearity, unpredictability,
and lifelong nature of autonomy development. Autonomy is not a fixed state to attain, but a continuous
journey requiring ongoing investment to sustain its dynamism across varied contexts; without suchinvestment, the autonomization process may stabilize or even suffer setback. Due to its sensitivity tocontext and influence by various factors, outcomes for each student are inherently unpredictable.
In my analyses, one participant admitted to lacking time for English studies beyond their college
classes. The lack of engagement with learning strategies and available resources resulted in theloss of energy in her autonomy system, and after the fourth semester she dropped out of college.
Conversely, another participant, despite facing significant challenges like being a wife, homemaker,
and pregnant with twins during college, demonstrated remarkable resilience. She consistently
reflected on her learning, asked for the collaboration of a language adviser, negotiated strategies
to be used, and constantly evaluated her progress. She invested in her autonomy and achieved
her dream of graduating and becoming an English teacher.
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)40FREE SPACEThe CDMA illustrates the complexity of autonomization by showing a large number of processes,
elements, agents, and subsystems involved. The lines that connect the whole system emphasize thepotential mutual influence among its components. At certain times, some interrelationships are moreevident than others, and new behaviors that may emerge from them is what prevails. In addition,
the context – represented in a fluid way through the dotted outline in gray – plays a pivotal rolesince this is where all relationships are developed, encouraging or inhibiting autonomous behaviors.
The contextual aspects encompass the agents with whom learners interact, the affordances of theenvironment, and the attractors, patterns of behaviors preferred by the system along its trajectory.
Reflection is considered a supra-dimension illustrated at the top of the model.
And collaboration and negotiation are also fundamental processes to support the autonomy development,
represented at the base of the model.
Thus, the primary movements of autonomy development outlined in the CDMA — reflection, planning,actions, emergence, empowerment, transformation, and evaluation — are mobilized in a personalized
way for each student along their trajectories. Reflection may facilitate conscious choices, effectiveplanning, actions, and evaluation, besides contributing to the emergence of new autonomous
behaviors. Empowerment leads learners to take on more central roles within the academic community,
exercising their autonomy. Transformation involves adapting and applying acquired knowledge tobroader contexts — a typical feature of autonomous students. All these movements of autonomy
development require reflection and investment from learners, underscoring the importance ofemphasizing and integrating them into educational environments.
As an open system, autonomy also interacts with various subsystems represented in the CDMA,such as motivation, identity, beliefs, affect, and others over time. While some interactions may
enhance autonomy development, others may hinder it. In the CDMA, rather than quantity, thequality of interactions is paramount in driving changes in autonomy development. For instance,
the interplay between autonomy and affect can either foster dynamism or contribute to dynamic
stability. In complexity theory, dynamic stability does not mean stagnation; it is a state in which few
changes happen in the system. Larsen-Freeman and Cameron (2008) also refer to it as “stability
in motion.” As an example, emotional challenges experienced by a participant initially led to dynamic
stability, but proactive engagement with available resources and the use of new strategies negotiatedwith her teacher and her adviser promoted changes in her system that triggered the dynamism ofautonomy again. In the realm of complexity theory, change is a central concept, as it can lead tothe emergence of new states (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008). Therefore, fostering a dynamic
environment conducive to change is essential for sustaining and enhancing autonomy development.
Andy: Thank you for taking us through the model so succinctly, Larissa. You mentioned earlier thatyou have been exploring the model as a tool to guide reflection, self-awareness, and autonomy
management with the undergraduate students that you are teaching. Could you share with us someexamples of how you do this, and of how different students have responded to understanding theirown learner autonomy trajectories in such presumably new, complex, and dynamic ways?
Larissa: Sure. The course “Learning to Learn Foreign Languages” I teach for first-year TEFL students
stands on the pillars of reflection, negotiation, and collaboration — aspects that are also emphasizedin the CDMA. Throughout the course, I engage in negotiation with learners on key elements such as
goals, the schedule of activities, the assessment instruments and criteria, among others. Empowering
students to share control over decision-making fosters a sense of responsibility for their learningjourney. The teacher serves as a role model, embodying the autonomous behaviors she aims toinspire in these future teachers. I believe that in teacher education programs, collaboration andnegotiation should be massively emphasized and experienced by future teachers, aiming at theimplementation of these processes in their future classrooms. The course structure comprises fourmain units: self-knowledge, theoretical foundations, career planning, and a final project. Each unit

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blends theory and practice through classroom discussions and activities. Let’s discuss the first twounits here.
The first unit centers on self-knowledge and reflection regarding learning experiences. Students
explore their learning profiles, identifying their styles, strategies, and character strengths. Additionally,
they write a narrative reflecting on their language learning journey, encompassing the first contact
with the target language, difficulties, strengths, and aspirations. This journey of self-discovery
broadens students’ perspectives, potentially catalyzing the development of new autonomous
behaviors throughout their academic journey.
The second unit delves into theoretical background, particularly the process of autonomization andits individual, social and complex dimensions. Here, we discuss the CDMA model, and it is elucidated
by the trajectories of four research participants. Despite being first-year students, autonomy is studied
through the lens of complexity theory, enabling learners to be aware of the innumerable factors
influencing their autonomy development. It is an enlightening moment for learners, when they begin tounderstand the connections within their autonomy systems, empowering them to play an active role intheir academic journey. Here are reflections from two students on the CDMA model:This model will help me in my acquisition of English, because from it I got to know
which elements interact with each other, how I can make them relate in a way that
benefits my learning, and I learned the effect of knowing my identities, beliefs and not
excluding the affective side of this process. (...) By holding all this knowledge, not only
will I benefit from it, but in the future, I will drink from these waters to help my students
in the classroom. (Fernanda)
The theory contributes with the notion that I must keep my learning system always
in movement, that I must always seek strategies and do my best with the available
affordances, even if they are the most adverse, I must observe myself and see how
the elements behave, adjusting what is effective for my learning as a student or forthe learning of my students, in the future, when I am in a teacher position. (Danilo)
These reflections highlight that theoretical insights into autonomy may enhance language learning
management. Students demonstrate awareness of factors influencing autonomy and proactively
make choices to sustain its dynamism. Moreover, they indicate their aspirations to cultivate autonomy
within their future classrooms.
Over the years, integrating autonomy reflection and practice has yielded significant results among
first-year students in the “Learning to Learn Foreign Languages” course (for more information, see
Borges & Magno e Silva, 2024). Early exposure to theoretical concepts empowers learners to
identify their needs and make informed decisions, thereby fostering dynamism in their autonomy
systems. Therefore, access to CDMA may raise learners’ awareness and encourage reflection on
the factors that affect their personal learning trajectories.
Recently, I explored the CDMA model with a diverse group of graduate students enrolled in the
Graduate Program in Creativity and Innovation in Methodologies in Higher Education (PPGCIMES)
where I work at the Federal University of Pará. They were taking a course entitled “Autonomy in
Learning and Teaching Contexts.” Below, I share the insightful feedback provided by two of theparticipants:
I am confident that this model will enhance both my academic and professional
career, as it has broadened my comprehension of the interconnected factors andmovements influencing autonomy. Through this greater awareness, I feel empowered
to make more autonomous decisions across various facets of my life. (Paulo)

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Beyond its personal impact on my journey towards autonomy, this model has
contributed to carrying out my research while maintaining a balance among myvarious identities. Moreover, it has significantly enriched my perception about therelationship between autonomy in the teaching and learning processes, intertwinedwith the cultivation of essential life skills. (Letícia)Their feedback underscores the model’s potential to enrich the learning experience across various fields
of expertise, fostering reflection and awareness regarding the complexity of autonomy development.
These graduate students moreover expressed a keen interest in applying the concepts they learned
to diverse areas of their lives.
Andy: It’s great that both first-year students and graduate students find such value in using the model
to reflect on their own histories and practices, understand their trajectories in new ways, and see
different possibilities for continuing to develop their autonomy in the future.
Your work is both enlightening and inspiring — a big thank you to you, Larissa, for being so generous
in taking part in this interview and sharing your work and research.
Larissa: Thank you so much, Andy, for your interest in my research. It’s been a pleasure to explore
the complexity of autonomy development with you and the Learning Learning readers. As both ateacher and researcher living in the Amazonian context, I’m continually inspired by the transformative
power of autonomy in students’ lives. As a teacher educator, I see myself as one of the componentsof this wide system, contributing to the autonomy development of future language teachers andtheir future students, hopefully catalyzing a ripple effect of positive change. I hope CDMA may also
inspire learners and teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds to explore autonomy from a complex,
dynamic, and lifelong perspective.

REFERENCES

Benson, P. (2001). Teaching and researching autonomy in language learning (1st ed.). Longman.
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and researching autonomy in language learning (2nd ed.). Longman.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833767
Borges, L. D. R. (2019a). Complex dynamic model of autonomy development [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeSMJu95fi8
Borges, L. D. R. (2019b). Esther’s autonomization process [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=PGJXYLRILhc
Borges, L. D. R. (2019c). Fabio’s autonomization process [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=stDktGGrLYc
Borges, L. D. R. (2019d). Gabriela’s autonomization process [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=jB-qiYTA0_I
Borges, L. D. R. (2019e). Marília’s autonomization process [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=WNCXGIE6MC8
Borges, L. D. R. (2019f). The autonomization process in the light of complexity paradigm: A study ofthe learning trajectories of TEFL undergraduate students [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].
Federal University of Pará, Brazil. http://repositorio.ufpa.br:8080/jspui/handle/2011/11219
Borges, L. D. R. (2019g). Trajectory of autonomy studies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=JO43peOfYBc
Borges, L. D. R. (2022). A complex dynamic model of autonomy development. Studies in Self-Access
Learning Journal, 13(2), 200–223. https://doi.org/10.37237/130203
Borges, L. D. R., & Magno e Silva, W. (in press). Learning to learn foreign languages: Empowering
pre-service EFL teachers. In M. J. Raya, B. M. Vázquez, & F. Vieira (Eds.), Pedagogies for autonomy

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in language teacher education: Perspectives on professional learning, identity, and agency.
Routledge. Publication date: June 2024.
Edsall, D. G., with Head, E. & Hayasaki, A. (2023). Towards complexity in challenging learner autonomy
research conventions: A wider view on learner development. The Learner Development Journal, 7,
157–179. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTSIG.LDJ7-9
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford University
Press.
Nunan, D. (1997). Designing and adapting material to encourage learner autonomy. In P. Benson &P. Voller (Eds.), Autonomy and independence in language learning (pp. 192–203). Longman.
Paiva, V. L. M. de O., & Braga, J. de C. F. (2008). The complex nature of autonomy. DELTA: Documentaçãode Estudos Em Lingüística Teórica e Aplicada, 24, 441–468. https://doi.org/10.1590/S010244502008000300004
Scharle, A., & Szabo, A. (2000). Learner autonomy: A guide to developing learner responsibility.
Cambridge University Press.
Sockett, G., & Toffoli, D. (2012). Beyond learner autonomy: A dynamic systems view of the informal
learning of English in virtual online communities. ReCALL, 24(2), 138–151. https://doi.org/10.1017/
S0958344012000031
Tassinari, M. G. (2010). Autonomes Fremdsprachenlernen: Komponenten, Kompetenzen, Strategien.
Peter Lang. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/42391/9783631835296.pdf
Tassinari, M. G. (2012). Evaluating learner autonomy: A dynamic model with descriptors. Studies in
Self-Access Learning Journal, 3(1), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.37237/030103
Yunita, R. (2023). Investigating learner autonomy development through a complex dynamic systems
theory lens: An Indonesian context.The Learner Development Journal, 7, 32–58. https://doi.
org/10.37546/JALTSIG.LDJ7-3

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)44LOOKING BACKi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)LOOKING BACKKen Ikeda
LL31.2 Lead Editor
lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com

Hosting a ‘Learning Cafe’: Shaping My Views ofTeaching Positionality
I write about my experience about how hosting a Learning Cafe sparked insights and new pathways
to grapple with my ongoing concern on how to help students express positionalities in their academic
writing efforts.
I have been concerned with how to equip my students in their academic writings to ‘come out’ andexpress their positionality, which can be defined as their worldviews and positions they adopt about
their research in relation to their social content (Robinson & Wilson, n.d.). My concern has been
prompted in part by my teaching context in a department of English at a private women’s university
in Tokyo. The students in my department are required to submit a thesis in order to graduate.
My seminar focuses on Asians’ English identities in which I adopt a broad view that identity is multiple(Kanno, 2003) and is the sum of various social sub-groups which are related to language (Riley, 2007).
My interest in this topic goes beyond its use with the English language. My first love is history, throughwhich I have come to grips with my own parents’ experiences and their struggles to be acceptedbeyond being immigrants in the United States (Ikeda, 2022).
I have students state their positions to their topics in the introduction section of their reports andtheses. But often their statements seem inadequate to me, when they write they are students in a
women’s university and are Japanese. The notion of positionality appeals to me. Holmes describes
positionality as a researcher’s worldview which encompasses their assumptions or beliefs of how
they view social reality, the world, knowledge, human nature and interaction with people (2020).
Robinson and Wilson (n.d.) take Holmes’ statements which are directed to researchers to encourage
student writers to be reflexive so that they can “be able to examine and react to your own emotions,motives, and situation (para. 2)”. When I have brought up positionality to include in their reports
however, students seem to find it difficult to address their own. Part of this reticence may be due tothem being subjected through their educational experience which stresses uniformity and adherence
to norms of perfection. It may be that they wish to protect themselves, which may be an extension ofwanting to look as if they have no blemishes.
At the LD30 Anniversary Conference (October 21-22, 2023), I was inspired to do a session which
was categorized as a Learning Cafe. According to the conference website, a Learning Cafe isintended to be a session in which “the presenter shares a puzzle, research, or activity to promotechange in their students’ lives, local communities and beyond, and encourages participants toshare their perspectives” (italics mine). I looked forward to carrying out the Learning Cafe, mindfulthat my attempts to encourage students to express their positionality might be limited to my own
perspective. By having other educators share their own ideas and perspectives, I hoped to expand
my understanding into my teaching situation.
Originally, I had planned my Learning Cafe to take on more of a workshop to go through a number ofmini-sessions with activities that I have done with my seminar students. One activity I thought would
be enlightening personal and social identity wheels (maa1321, 2020), which are identity categories
arranged in circles. Students are encouraged to spot identity labels that are important to them.
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)46LOOKING BACK

Talking about these labels I thought would help students to reflect and express their positionality
and identities.
However, my prior notions of this session were shattered when I attended Devon Arthurson’s Learning
Cafe on the 1st day of the conference. Her session, titled “Exploring Our Identities in Our Communities”,
was conducted at a leisurely pace, with an open air, very much like a cafe. In such an atmosphere, weshared our various communities, which enabled her to share candidly one identity that I thought
was irrelevant because it did not fit the carefully cultivated professional profile we create as teacherresearcher-practitioners.
I was inspired by Devon’s session to make my Learning Cafe more free-flowing. I also came up with awarm-up activity that would bring up issues of positionality. I label this activity as “What’s in a Name?”.
I asked those who came to the session to share their personal or given names. The questions I
asked were:
1. Tell your personal name.
2. Tell what your personal name means.
3. What have people said about your personal name?
I asked these three questions as a conducive way to allow participants to tell about themselves andin doing so, reveal the communities and social ties in which their identities, and subsequently, theirpositionalities would be revealed. I thought that in time, I would be able to share my own answers
to these questions, that 1. “Ken” is not an American name, but given by my parents in memory of aJapanese pastor who helped my father secure employment in California; 2. The kanji character of myname 献 stands for “offering” and “dedication”; 3. I felt burdened to have a short name with no middle
initial, only feeling vindicated with my namesake who plays a starring role in the recent release of the“Barbie” movie.
I was surprised how much emotion and expression was released among participants through thisactivity. I recall that one shared how his name had Catholic roots and was given to honor past
relatives in his hometown. Another participant told how the changing of just one letter in her English
name spelling caused people to accept her name instead of associating it with a food. Her sharing of
her name in turn reminded me of how my sister hated her given name because people pronounced
hers as “Junk-o”, which she felt her name was synonymous with garbage, so she went instead as “June”.
The positive interaction sparked by this activity carried on for such a long time that I did not sharethe stories associated with my own name. In short, I was astonished by the synergy produced inthese Learning Cafes. I found the Learning Cafe experience to be exhilarating, not only for bringing
out emotions and experiences connected to histories and identities which lead to the articulationof positionalities, but also for building an excellent atmosphere among interactants.
This next year, I plan to have students continue to explore their identities and share those facetsthat they feel most comfortable. I had planned to continue using the identity wheel exercise. But
one 4th year student wrote in her reflection that her classmates were confused by this activity
because too many categories were presented, some which seemed to overlap (“gender” “sexual
orientation”). Her opinion helped me to be more aware that I should not quickly use ‘ready-made’
materials without first trying them out myself. The “What’s in a Name?” activity that I used in my
Learning Cafe could serve as a nutshell prompt to help students verbalize their personal and social
identities and awaken them to issues of their positionality.

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Arthurson, D. (2023). Exploring our identities in our communities [Learning Cafe]. LD 30 Anniversary
Conference, Gakushuin University, Tokyo.
Holmes, A. G. D. (2020). Researcher positionality – A consideration of its influence and place inqualitative research – A new researcher guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4),1–10. https://doi.org/10.34293/ education.v8i4.3232
Ikeda, K. (2022). Making sense of my father’s life and language traumas. Learning Learning, 29(1),12–15. https://ld-sig.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/29.1FreeSpace.pdf
Kanno, Y. (2003). Negotiating bilingual and bicultural identities: Japanese returnees betwixt two
worlds. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
maa1321 (2020, July 9). The “I” in identity series: Identity wheel self reflection. Northwestern.
https://sites.northwestern.edu/msaatnu/2020/07/09/the-i-in-identity-series-identity-wheel-selfreflection/
Riley, P. (2007). Language, culture and identity. Continuum.
Robinson, O., & Wilson, A. (n.d.). 1.2: A note on reflexivity and positionality. LibreTexts: Social Sciences.
https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Social_Work_and_Human_Services/Practicing_and_
Presenting_Social_Research_(Robinson_and_Wilson)/01%3A_Generating_and_Developing_
Original_Research_Ideas/1.02%3A_A_Note_on_Reflexivity_and_Positionality

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 1

Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG
Survey (February to November 2023) (N=28)
I. WHO TOOK THE SURVEY
1. Where

2. Work context

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 2

3. Highest degree

4. Years of teaching

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 3

5. Nationality

II. JOINING THE SIG, PARTICIPATION, INTERESTS
1. How long have you been a member of the SIG?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 4

2. What attracted you to the LD SIG?

3. How would you describe your membership status?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 5

4. Which of the following areas of the SIG's activities are you most interested
in?

III. GRANTS
1. Are you aware of the LD SIG grant opportunities offered as a part of yourmembership?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 6

IV. PUBLICATIONS
1. How often do you read our newsletter Learning Learning (LL), which is
published in the spring and autumn each year?

2. How often do you read the LD SIG’s Learning Development Journal (LDJ),
which is published in November or December each year?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 7

3. Learning Learning (LL) includes writing in various formats that relate topeople’s ideas, reflections, experiences, and interests to do with learnerdevelopment, learner autonomy, and teacher autonomy. Please share yourimpressions of the range of different writing in LL, and what you findparticularly useful or interesting about LL.
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Being an editor has challenged me to improve my editing skills and work withpeople to help them get their story in print. It is a very enjoyable publication.
One thing I like about LL is that you can feel the writers' voices. It has thefeatures of a newsletter, an academic journal, and a forum of sorts - I like that it
has a bit of everything for everyone, from hardcore researchers to language
practitioners.
I see Learning Learning as a community space for teachers and students
interested in learner development to write, share, and respond about practices,puzzles, and conundrums that they have experienced or experienced in theirlearning. LL has always encouraged many different kinds of writing, of different
lengths, and importantly has avoided becoming overly "academicised." A lively
space for engaged, reflective, stimulating, unexpected writing about manydifferent aspects of LD is how I see LL.
I enjoy reading this newsletter in general, but for me the most interesting parts
are related to the two main topic - Self-Access and students' autonomy at the
University level.
The feature articles are good. Members' Voices also make it easy to publish andkeep us feeling like there is a social side of the SIG.
There is always a topic of relevance or interest every time I read LL.
It's cute. I prefer to focus on the LDJ.
LL has changed since its inception with Naoko Aoki as bilingual. The conference
reflections are particularly useful.
I'm not sure because I don't really have time to read it now.
In JALT we need to have various gateways for people to get involved with theirwriting for publication, so by having Learning Learning and the Learner
Development Journal, the widest range of opportunities is created for the writers
and readers.
My involvement in LL has been to support both editors and writers, particularly
with the latter, to help them develop another scholarly voice that is not restricted
to the stereotypical impersonal clinical voice (one which I found has been in use
in a major UK graduate program).
I think it’s great.
There is a wide range of writing opportunities in the LL. Probably it should be
more stated publicly that the LL seeks a decidedly less formal academic writing
style that incorporates personal details in a 1st person voice with a degree ofself-disclosure that endears to readers rather than critical researchers.
Featured articles and conference reports
Still building a picture
I enjoy the variety itself, all the different kinds of contributions. The "Stories ofLearning and Teaching Practices" is always engaging and thought-provoking.
It's very well put together, but usually a newsletter is shorter. I wonder if more
people would read it if it was shorter and sent more often.

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 8

4. The Learner Development Journal (LDJ) is published once a year. Eachissue of the LDJ focuses on a particular learner development theme andfollows a Community of Practices approach over a period of approximately 18
months in which contributors work together, under the guidance of the editors,
to share, respond to, and develop their research and writing. Please shareyour impressions of the range of different writing in LDJ, and what you findparticularly useful or interesting about LDJ.
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Interesting publication venue.
I am impressed with the high quality of the publication and the talent of the editorsand contributors.
I really, really appreciate the open peer review setup that LDJ offers, and I promise
myself all the time to contribute with some writing as well. I think LDJ has strong
editorial leadership and could (should?) cater to wider audiences. The format that
LDJ offers (18-month development process, guidance, co-creation, etc.) iscoherent with the reality of academic research in the field of independent learning.
It should get more exposure, within the SIG and outside of it. Now, I feel LDJ is likea small hidden gem, and you need to look for it to know that it is out there.
LDJ is different from many other journals in its concept and aims. As one of thefounders of the journal I am grateful to all the editors, reviewers, contributors, aswell as members of the journal steering group, for all their work and contributions.
It is just amazing that we will soon (in May this year) launch a Call for a Theme andEditors for Issue 9 of the LDJ. The range of writing in LDJ is, I feel, one of its greatstrengths --- as is the LDJ's commitment to supporting writers in developing theirresearch and writing through a Communities of Practices approach.
The engagement over a period of a year is an amazing opportunity. Talking over a
piece of writing with colleagues and editors is challenging but extends the range ofinfluences you can come into contact with. The final product may not show all of
the discussions that went into it but it is a good quality journal.
LDJ in 2022 was insightful and timely.
The research is good, so I read it to get ideas.
Again, I rarely actually read it so it's hard to say, but I think the rotating,collaborative editorial teams dealing with issues each time is a good way to keep
the journal lively and engaged.
My interest in the LDJ depends on the nature of the issue. As a longtime memberof the LD, I prefer those issues edited by LD members but I do welcome the fresh
perspectives of the issues by guest editors.
My reading interest admittedly fluctuates depending on the issue's focuses. I
wonder with the guest edited issues, how much do these sync with the LD ethos.
I think LDJ is a forum in which people can experiment with different genres toexpress most authentically their practitioner research experiences. I hope LDJ
remains distinct from other teaching/learning journal by promoting research andwriting that captures the essence of exploratory practice and which leads to realprofessional growth.
Not sure yet
It is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, especially those new to research tosubmit their work.

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 9

5. Have you ever written for Learning Learning or The Learner Development
Journal?

6. If you chose one of the "yes" options, what was your experience like ofwriting for Learning Learning?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 10

7. If you chose one of the "yes" options, what was your experience like ofwriting for The Learner Development Journal?

8. Please write any feedback/suggestions/questions you have for our SIG
publications.
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Need DOI for all publications.
We need more editors in LL!
I think we need more advertising outside of the "usual circles" and, most importantly,
we need a unified website for announcements and publications.
Keep on going!
I will send you my feedback in a message; I am also interested in contributing for our
SIG publications.
Thank you for keeping me updated!
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for all you do for the LD SIG community.
I wish more of our members would contribute more regularly. I feel those who havenot published and are in need of writing opportunities, would be able to see that the
LD SIG editors (particularly that of the LL) endeavor greatly to help them publish anddo not revel in the role of being attack watchdogs, but work as encouragers.
Keep on saving archives! We had a gap for about 10 years, where we had to hunt
for the original pdf files with former editors or anyone who had them.
It would be good to give over a little time in the LD zoom meetings to discuss
publishing ideas. I haven’t published much and it would be good to get feedback frompeople with more experienceI think they do a great job. I really admire it. But sometimes I have the feeling they
have a tendency, I cannot express this exactly in words. I am interested but this is adifferent kind of community and communication style.
Thanks for the effort and hard work as the teams change each year.

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 11●●

Keep up the variety, maintain transparency, and when you come up with an
out-of-the-box novel conceptualization make sure you follow it all the way thru to an
acceptable stage of implementation that can be understood by editors and explainedin specific, concrete detail to authors so everyone is on the same page and no one isleft hanging.
Good to get information regarding learner development field.

V. EVENTS
1. What SIG events have you been previously involved in? (You may checkmultiple options.)

2. How often do you participate in SIG Events?

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 12

3. Would you like more sector or topic-focused events/ get-together/collaborations/ opportunities?

4. If you responded "yes" to the previous question, please share someexamples of what you think would be interesting for you and other SIG
members.
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I hope that CCLT will be able to continue.
My main interests are reflection and learning awareness - I hope these can be ofinterest to other members as well.
Content-based learning, project-based learning, critical literacy, and ... learnerautonomy
Topic not sector. The topics you wrote above look good. Global issues, CALL, CLIL,
ethnography, qualitative methodology, also interesting.
Not sure...since LD topics are often student-focused and practitioner-friendly
I think there needs to continue to be a "weaving" of sector-based andtheme/topic-based things held at the different events and then the presenters andaudience are drawn to what is available either (a) more specific to them, (b) moregeneral, or (c) possibly of less interest ... and that is ok... Only "generalizing"
somewhere in the middle of the field does not drill down specifically enough in someareas at some times/events. That balance of breadth and depth needs to be looked
at in the annual planning (something I also felt was well-managed at LD) and incollaboration between the different organizing chairs and sub-committees envisioning
the topics and format for the different events to maximize what is provided tomembers and the broader community.
- But this is already being done far better at LD than in many JALT SIGs (which I am
also a member of) …
Learner identities; post-study (i.e., after graduation) learning
Secondary education, learner autonomy

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 13
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learner-User identities, learning and using language(s) beyond school and into life
(includes autonomy)
I hope the Get-togethers can become more focused by asking individuals to make'mini-presentations' about their LD interests and for other participants to discuss andrespond to what they hear.
Interdisciplinary Learning Approaches, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,
Cultural Competence in Education, Student Well-being and Mental Health, Inclusive
Education Practices, Language Acquisition and Multilingualism, and Environmental
Education
I am interested in EMI and knowledge rich curriculum

5. Please write any feedback or suggestions you have for our SIG events.
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I appreciate the LD events as it is a gathering place to talk, meet other people, andbring my students. Thank you for the dedication of the LD officers and volunteers
who make it all possible. This SIG will always be my place to come back to within
JALT.
The main issue that prevents me from participating more is that having two - soon to
be three - kids that my evenings and weekends automatically become family time,
and the SIG events tend to be on those days and times (which I understand and is
the obvious choice, just unfortunately it rarely works for me)
Keep on going!
The Conference held at Gakushuin "Learning for Change and Action, Making a
Difference for the Future" was enlightening.
As it is an anniversary year, if there is a big event, the publicity, date setting
announcement of the date to other organizers in JALT, should have happened 6 to 10
months in advance of the event.// It would be nice to do CCLT maybe at Otsuma, andthat could be a small event. //Online events are cheaper and eco friendly and goodfor outreach but of course we miss the social aspect. //It would be nice to have a
conference dinner. If we don't want to organise it then collaborate with another SIG
who do want to organise it, but not one that is too big. Actually events with CUE weregood but it depends.
I've enjoyed them over the years because of the interaction.
There always seems to be a good vibe, with a group of people involved in theplanning and execution so that no one person feels (or seems!) burnt out and is thenlikely willing to carry on with another round and building familiarity, a chain ofprocesses to improve on, and a solid legacy to pass on to the next committee taking
on organizing... building a framework I think is important, more so in volunteer
organizations and that is where some underfunded, inactive, top heavy (with only thesame people doing everything all the time), same ol' same ol' for SIGs and theirprogram delivery routines suffer in attracting executive, events committees, andideas, and eventually active members at the events and "working on" the SIG itself.
Sustainability is important!
I did attend the CEGLOG conference and really enjoyed it! Extremely motivating
event and I appreciated that it was online.
Try to keep them hybrid and low to no cost as much as possible (especially forstudents and first-time non-JALT attendees).
The Get-togethers on Sundays 2-5 always are at the same time as the Kanda
Advising Certificate program. That's why I cannot attend. Having written this, I help
plan the LD SIG original get-togethers and we planned the date and time first, lol.
Thanks a lot! :)The LD SIG events are really stimulating and collaborative, but there is but ...

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Responses to the 2023 Learner Development SIG 14

VI. POSITIVE EXPERIENCES & MEMORIES WITH LD SIG
1. Share some of your positive memories with LD SIG here.

VII. TAKING PART
1. Is there anything holding you back from becoming more involved in SIG
activities?

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)62LOOKING FORWARD

i.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)LOOKING FORWARDLDSIG Get Togethers Plan for the Year
The Learner Development hosts get-togethers throughout the year. All members are welcome to shareand discuss their learning, teaching, and researching practices and interests with learner development inpairs and small groups. Each get-together typically starts with a catching-up session where members get
to reconnect and share the puzzles or research they are working on. Following this, one or two members
will give a mini-presentation, which we will all use as a focus point for the discussions that follow.
The first get-together of the 2024 year was on March 24th, attended by four people. For the springsemester term, we have scheduled meetings on April 21st, May 12th, & June 23rd. We will send out
reminders two weeks before, which will include a sign-form, further details, and the meeting link. There will
also be get-togethers in the autumn semester; we will let you know as soon as we have finalised the dates.

LD-SIG Forum: Stories of Learning, Learning from Stories

Amelia Yarwood, LD-SIG Programmes coordinator

The power of stories to transform how we view learner development is the theme of this year’s
LD-SIG forum at PanSIG. Held at Fukui University of Technology, our forum will host four speakers:
1. Tomoko Hashimoto from Tokyo Future University will share an inspiring story of a Japanesemother who pursued a postgraduate degree in English Education while working part-time asa teacher. She will explore how societal norms and expectations for working mothers posechallenges when it comes to lifelong learning. Inspiring and thought-provoking, this story isan emotional rollercoaster.
2. Stories of diversity and minorities within Japan are at the centre of Mike Nix’s presentation.
His students from Chuo University listen and learn from the stories of those within thesediverse communities to understand notions of domination and otherness, and to sit with thecomplexity of real, lived experiences. At the heart of this presentation is connection, empathy
and learning to trust others to find the solutions they know are best for themselves.
3. Anita Aden from Mukogawa Women’s University continues the focus on the classroom, inparticular, the conditions of gaining and demonstrating knowledge. She explores phases ofthe learning cycle and how each phase relates to perspective development for teachers andstudents. Discussions in this presentation are the foundations upon which academic andpersonal growth takes place.
4. From Meiji University, Robert Moreau brings us a personal narrative as a teacher who uses
Project-Based Learning (PBL) to engage his students in an exploration of learner autonomy.
Part personal reflection, part idea generation, this presentation invites attendees to share
their own reasons behind the pedagogical choices they make in the language classroom.
Join us at the LD-SIG forum to (co-)construct stories of learning for our own growth, thedevelopment of our learning communities and for the benefit of all.

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)64LOOKING FORWARD

LD-SIG forum details: The LD-SIG forum at JALT PanSIG 2024 Conference will take place on either
Saturday 25th or Sunday 26th of May, 2024 at Fukui University of Technology (福井工業大学) in Fukui.
The format is a 60-minute poster presentation.

LD-SIG Forum: AI: Benefits, Challenges, and Issues for
Learner Development
Blair Barr, LD-SIG Programmes coordinator
When/Where: May 17th to May 19th, 2024, at Meijo University Nagoya Dome Campus as part of the
JALTCALL 2024 conference: https://jaltcall.org/jaltcall-2024/
This forum will examine how advancements in artificial intelligence and new technologies can aid
or impede learner development.
Mart Christine Johnston will explore how Japanese university students can improve their writing
skills by using AI (such as ChatGPT) with a single prompt. The students in the study wrote a seriesof passages on pen and paper, in class over a number of weeks. They then corrected their spellingand grammar using a simple AI prompt before making notes of their most obvious/common errors.
Blair Barr will focus on how he has developed the grading schemes of writing assignments to keep
students focused on their abilities to produce English in presentations. At the end, a discussion will
be opened to the audience to explore how our approaches to evaluating writing have evolved withthe rapid development of AI tools such as ChatGPT.
James Underwood will examine how guidelines relating to the use of AI can be negotiatedbetween students and teachers to ensure that AI tools promote, rather than detract from, language
learning and enable learners to foster a sense of independence and autonomy. With theseguidelines, it is hoped his students will take an informed approach to using AI tools and use themeffectively to reach the goals described in their learning plans. At the end of these presentations,the audience will be invited to reflect on and share their perspectives on using AI tools to support
language learning with a focus on learner development.
Join us at the LD SIG forum to investigate together how advancements in artificial intelligence andnew technologies can aid or impede learner development.

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LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)LOOKING FORWARD

The Learner Development Journal Issue 8:
Exploring Grassroots, Innovative, and Creative
Approaches to Language Learning Materials
Development Through Inclusive Practitioner-Research
Editors: Anna Costantino, Assia Slimani-Rolls, and Nour Bouacha

The theme of Issue 8 of the Learner Development Journal is “Exploring Grassroots, Innovative, andCreative Approaches to Language Learning Materials Development Through Inclusive PractitionerResearch”. Here, the three editors provide an update on progress and a taster of what we can expect
to read about when the issue comes out later this year.
Issue 8 of The Learner Development Journal features five exploratory and practice-based inquiries
along with two narrative reviews that explore creative and learner-based approaches to language
materials development. Almost all contributors have submitted their third drafts, which are undergoinganother round of reviews.
The five practice-based contributions share a common concern with designing and implementing
learning materials that recognise multilingual identities in complex learning environments. Threestudies challenge monolingual biases and native-speakerism by identifying and harnessing classroomtranslanguaging practices.
Through ethnographic reflexivity, one of the inquiries looks at how an "only-English" traditional
communicative activity affected multilingual learners’ sentiment in a secondary classroom in Berlin.
Two other contributions investigate the potential of translanguaging practices for learner development
in Japan. One explores translanguaging practices in art-based pedagogy in higher education contexts
through a workshop series where performance poetry was used to bring about students’ full linguistic
repertoires. The other reflects on how translanguaging practices helped them to increase student
participation in learning activities in an all-girls secondary English conversation course.
In the fourth practice-based contribution, the writer offers insights into the complexity of multimedia
environments while designing and implementing language learning projects for a CLIL course aboutmanga at a Japanese university. The action research study reveals the endeavour and struggles indesigning and implementing multimodal materials based on the assumption that all language learners
have multimodal competencies.
The fifth and final contribution is an exploratory practice-framed study. The writers engage in an
autoethnography revolving around the idea that learning materials can be deployed as investigative
tools when understood as PEPAs (Potentially Exploitable Pedagogic Materials). They aim to dialogicallyunderstand how one English language teacher, supported by her mentors and co-authors, engages
in creating materials with a desire to expand and adapt the lessons with her students while exploring
the life of the classroom.
In the two narrative reviews based on practical experience, the authors aim to understand two areasof inquiry related to developing teaching materials: (1) how to be creative in designing materials
and (2) how to mentor language teachers in a community of practice where materials are used
for investigation. These reviews can benefit practitioner researchers and mentors as they provide
additional insights into the creative and developmental scope of pedagogic materials.
After completing the third round of review, we will continue to work with the writers towards their
finalised drafts across spring and summer. We foresee publication in autumn.
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)66LOOKING FORWARD

We hope readers will appreciate the classroom instances experienced and narrated by the contributors
and their endeavour to understand them through practitioner research.

The Learner Development Journal Issue 9:
Engaging With and Exploring Autonomy, Creativity,
and Well-Being for Learner Development
Editors: Stacey Vye, Robert Moreau, Amelia Yarwood, and Ivan Lombardi

We, the editors for Learner Development Journal 9 (LDJ9), share a mutual interest in autonomy,
creativity, and well-being as language teacher-researchers. For the nascent issue of the journal, weare ecstatic to have gathered a healthy number of proposals from practitioners worldwide who areeager to discuss reflective questions and puzzles related to exploring the learner development oflearners and teachers.
We started an inquisitive process prior to the LDJ9 call for proposal submissions that closed thispast February 2024 and posed the following questions:• What puzzles do you have about developing the interconnections between learner autonomy,
creativity, and well-being?
• How might you bring those pieces together in engaging projects and understand them in newways?
• What are your experiences as practitioners in such engagements with your learners?
• How do we/you/our learners break through into new practices, spaces, and ways of creative
participation in learning?
• What challenges and questions come up for you and your learners in these processes ofchange in learner development?
• What stories of practice would you and/or your learners like to share and develop to foster
autonomy, creativity, and well-being for learner development?
At the time of writing, the submitted proposals had been reviewed and the invitations tocontribute were sent. Our LDJ9 contributors hail from diverse areas of language education, bothinternationally and from Japan, focusing on practitioners’ and students’ stories and reflections. At
present, we are facilitating response communities based around common themes to support thecontributors. Coordinating online response communities across time zones will be challenging,but by exploring practice-related stories of autonomy, creativity, and well-being through inquiry,reflection, and research, everyone involved in LDJ9 will grow as writers, educators, and editorsfrom now until our expected publish date in the autumn of 2025.

67

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)SIG MATTERSi.

Greetings and News Updatesii.

Mini-Profilesiii.

Members’ Voices

iv.

Stories of Learning and Teaching Practicesv.

Research & Reviews

vi.

Free Spacevii. Looking Backviii. Looking Forwardix.

SIG Matters

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)SIG MATTERS

Patrick Kiernan
LD SIG Treasurer
jalt[dot]ldsig[dot]treasurer[at]gmail[dot]com

Learner Development SIG Financial Report
September 2023 to March 2024
The previous LL report came out just before the LD30 conference. At that time, I reported on thegenerous support and funding that we had received for the event and was cautiously optimisticthat we would be able to celebrate the SIG’s anniversary conference without any financial worries.
This was also helped by an unexpected windfall in the form of profit-sharing from PanSIG (¥160,000)
and the largest grant from JALT Central Office (JCO) (¥65,250) since the pandemic. We had also
already received the bulk of early bird payments, without yet paying any of the conference
expenses so the SIG account was looking particularly buoyant. Thanks to all the hard work of theorganizers, the wonderful energy of the presenters, and the active participation in the event bymembers like yourself, LD30 was a great success as a conference and things also came together
financially due to help from Gakushuin University, GILE-SIG, TD-SIG, KUIS (who paid the plenary
speaker Prof. Phil Benson’s airfare) and Phil himself (who waived his honorarium). Overall, after all
expenses were paid, there was a modest profit which allowed us to repay the contributions fromthe GILE-SIG and TD-SIG plus a little extra, leaving ¥28,000 profit overall for the LD-SIG. Muchlater, in January 2024, after we had introduced the proposed budget for 2024-2025 at the AGM,
we received a message from the Development Fund requesting that we repay the ¥100,000 that
we had received from them to support the conference. The request was apparently made on
the basis that the SIG’s funds had improved on the previous year, though the slight increase infunds was mainly due to the income from PanSIG and JCO mentioned above. A carefully preparedresponse from LD-SIG President James Underwood resulted in the withdrawal of the request, but it
was agreed that the LD-SIG would consider sponsorship of future JALT events.
Revenues: September 2023 – March 2024 /収入：2023 年 9月〜2024年3月

Events income (LD30) / イベント収入 (LD30)

136,500

Total revenue / 収入合計

136,500

Events (LD30 and JALT expenses) / イベント
（LD30及びJALT費用）

504,546

Total Expenses / 支出合計

518,006

Balance in bank account / 銀行口座残高

323,881

Expenses: September 2023 – March 2024 /支出：2023 年9月〜2024年3月
Admin. (website expenses/bank fees) / 管理費（ウエブサイト費用・銀行手数料）
SIG fund balance: March 31, 2024 /SIG資金残高：2024年3月31日
Reserve liabilities / JALT本部預け金

PayPal + PO account / ペイパル及びゆうちょ銀行アカウント
Cash in hand / 現金
Balance / 合計

13,460174,32200498,203

69

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)SIG MATTERS

Writing for Learning Learning『学習の学習』応募規定

Learning Learning is the Learner Development SIG newsletter and is published online bi-annually,in the Spring and Autumn. It has a specific ISSN number (ISSN 1882-1103), and features cuttingedge articles in various formats that relate to people’s ideas, reflections, experiences, and interests
to do with learner development, learner autonomy, and teacher autonomy. Many different SIG
members contribute to each issue of Learning Learning, and, by doing so, create a sense of sharedcommunity and learning together. Please feel free to contribute too and make connections within
the SIG and beyond. Contact the editorial team at lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com.

『学習の学習』はLD SIGのニュースレターで、年に２回（春と秋）オンライン出版されています（ISSN 1882-1103）。
学
習者の成長、学習者と教員の自律に関するアイディア、省察、経験や興味に関連したさまざま形式の原稿を収録しています。
SIGの多くのメンバーが『学習の学習』に寄稿し、共同体の意識を築き共に学習しています。
どうぞ奮ってご投稿され、SIG内でのまたそれを超えた繋がりを築いてください。

CONTRIBUTIONS
寄稿

We encourage new writing and new writers and are happy to work with you in developing your writing.
We would be delighted to hear from you about your ideas, reflections, experiences, and interests to
do with learner development, learner autonomy, and teacher autonomy.

これまでにない形式のもの、また新しい方々からのご投稿をお待ちしております。
内容についてもぜひご相談ください。
みなさまのご意見やお考え、ご経験、そして学習者の成長、学習者と教師の自律性に関することなど、ぜひお聞かせください。

For more details about formats and lengths (形式と長さ) of writing suitable for Learning Learning,please see below. To upload your writing to the editorial team of Learning Learning, please use thislink. Many thanks.
We welcome contributions for the Autumn issue of 2024, with the pre-publication deadline of August
31, 2024 for Learning Learning 31(3). Ideally, we would like to hear from you well before the deadline,
but in reality, the door is always open, so feel free to contact one of the editors when you are ready.

FORMATS AND LENGTHS
形式と長さ

Learning Learning is your space for continuing to make the connections that interest you. You
are warmly invited and encouraged to contribute to the next issue of Learning Learning in either
English and/or Japanese. In order to provide access and opportunities for Learner Development
SIG members to take part in the SIG’s activities, we welcome writing in different formats andlengths about issues connected with learner and teacher development, such as:『学習の学習』は会員の皆様に興味ある繋がりを築きつづけるスペースです。
次号の『学習の学習』への日本語（もしくは英語、及びニ言語で）の投稿を募集しています。
メンバーの皆様にSIGの活動にご参加いただきたく、形式や長さを問
わず、学習者および教師の成長に関する以下のような原稿をお待ちしております。

MINI-PROFILES: SHARING YOUR LEARNER DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS

ミニプロフィール：学習者ディベロップメントについての関心の共有

Here SIG members introduce themselves briefly (just 50 to 100 words or more), and write about
what interests, puzzles, intrigues them about learner development, and/or about a particular
LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)70SIG MATTERS

approach or project, or research that they are doing or plan to do, or simply share a shortreflection, to do with learner development (about 100 words or more)

ここでは、SIGメンバーの学習者ディベロップメント研究に取り組む原動力となる関心や課題とともに短い（200から
400字程度）自己紹介をお届けします。
特別なアプローチやプロジェクト、現在進行中の研究やその計画、さらには学習者ディベロップメントの取り組みに関する内省など、それぞれの思いや考えが寄せられています (約200-400字程度以上)SHORT ARTICLES ON ISSUES TO DO WITH LEARNER/TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
AND AUTONOMY
学習者と教師の成長・自律に関する小論#1: short individual articles (1,200 – 2,500 words)
小論（単著）(約3,600-7,500字)#2: short group-written articles (1,200 – 4,000 words)
小論（共著）(約3,600-12,000字)

REFLECTIVE WRITING ABOUT LEARNING FOR LEARNER/TEACHERDEVELOPMENT AND AUTONOMY
学習に関する省察 ー 学習者と教師の成長・自律を目指して#1: particular puzzles that you and/or your learners have about their learning, practices,development, autonomy, and so on, and inviting other Learning Learning readers to respond (1,000
words or more)

ご自身や学習者の悩み（学習、実践、成長、自律など）に関して、LL読者と一緒に考えましょう。
(約4,000字)#2: dialogue with (an)other SIG member(s) (1,000 to 2,000 words)
SIGメンバー同士の対話 (約4,000字-8,000字）

stories of learners becoming autonomous (about 500 to 1,000 words)
自律・成長する学習者に関する話 (約2,000字-4,000字)#3: stories of your learning and teaching practices: success and failure (about 500 to 1,000 words)
学習・教育実践の成功談・失敗談 (約2,000字-4,000字)

MEMBERS’ VOICES

メンバーの声#1: a short personal profile of yourself as a learner and teacher and your interest in learnerdevelopment (about 500 to 1,000 words)
学習者・教員としての自身のプロフィールと学習者の成長に関する興味 (約2,000字-4,000字)#2: a story of your ongoing interest in, and engagement with, particular learner development (and/or learner autonomy) issues (about 500 to 1,000 words)
学習者の成長や学習者の自律に関する興味や取り組み (約2,000字-4,000字）#3: a short profile of your learner development research interests and how you hope to develop
your research (about 500 to 1,000 words)
学習者の成長に関する研究内容と今後の研究の展望 (約2,000字-4,000字）#4: a short profile of your working context and the focus on learner development/learner autonomy
that a particular institution takes and/or is trying to develop in a particular curriculum (about 500 to
1,000 words)
教育環境の紹介、所属機関やカリキュラムにおける学習者の成長や自律に関する取り組み (約2,000字-4,000字）

71

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)SIG MATTERSLEARNERS’ VOICES
学習者の声

Learners share stories of their learning, reflections on their practices of learning, or report on a
project or research that they are doing or plan to do related to learner development (about 300 to
500 words)

学習者が自分の学習経験、学習の実践についての考察、
または学習者の成長に関連して行っている、もしくは計画しているプロジェクトや研究について報告します。(約1200-2000字程度以上)

RESEARCH & REVIEWS
研究 & レビュー#1: summaries and accounts of new graduate research (1,200 – 2,500 words)
大学院での研究内容の要約やその振り返り (約2,400字-5,000字）#2: proposals for a joint project/joint research (about 500 to 1,000 words)
協働プロジェクト・リサーチの提案 (約2,000字-4,000字)#3: reports (of a conference presentation, research project, particular pedagogic practice, and soon, to do with learner development) (about 500 to 1,000 words)

レポート（学習者の成長に関する学会発表、研究プロジェクト、教育実践など）(約2,000-4,000字)#4: reports of research in progress (about 500 to 1,000 words)
研究中間報告(約2,000字-4,000字)#5: book, website, article reviews (about 750 to 1,500 words)：書籍、
ウェブサイト、論文の批評(約3,000字-6,000字)

FREE SPACE

フリー・スペース#1: photographs, drawings, and/or other visual materials about learner development, and/or related
to learner autonomy
学習者の成長や自律に関する写真、絵、視覚資料#2: activities and tips for learner development/autonomy (about 500 to 1,000 words)
学習者の成長・自律を促す活動やヒントの紹介 (約1,000字-2,000字)#3: some other piece of writing that you would like to contribute and that is related to learnerdevelopment

その他の学習者の成長に関する執筆#4: poems… and much more
詩、その他。

Our publications door is always open, so feel free to contact one of the editorial team when you areready at lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com. Many thanks!

Submit your contribution to
Learning Learning 31(3) by

LEARNING LEARNING『学習の学習』31(2)72

AUGUST

31

THE LEARNING LEARNING EDITORIAL TEAM

Lorna Asami (editor)
Tim Ashwell (editor)
Ken Ikeda (editor, members’ voices, grant awardee essays)
Mike Kuziw (editor, research and reviews)
Ivan Lombardi (editor, layout & design)
Hugh Nicoll (editor, webmaster)James (Jamie) Thomas (editor)
Megumi Uemi (editor, translator)

Those working on Learning Learning share a commitment to working together in small
teams. We aim to learn together about writing, editing, responding, and/or translating, for
our shared personal and professional development. Some areas where we would like toencourage SIG members to take part and work together on Learning Learning include:• Layout and Design: working on the formatting and preparation of finalised content for
online publication• Members’ Voices (co-)coordinating: contacting news members of the SIG and working
with them to develop their writing in a variety of formats and lengths as a first step totaking part in the SIG’s publication activities;• Looking Back (co-)coordinating: working with contributors writing on events related tolearner development (conferences, forums, get-togethers, workshops, both face-to-faceand online) for publication in Learning Learning;• Research and Reviews (co-)coordinating: encouraging potential contributors to sendin summaries and accounts of research, as well as reviews (of books, journal articles,
materials, or web resources relating to learner development), and working with them todevelop their writing for publication in Learning Learning.
If you are interested in any of these areas of working together (and/or you have other areasof interest) and would like to discuss your interest and ideas, please email the Learning
Learning editorial team: lleditorialteam[at]gmail[dot]com.