Roam around the world…… Study abroad, culture and language learning

Study abroad and the L2  Ask a partner, “What are some factors that predict improvements in language skills when students go abroad?”  Think back to the articles we’ve read; Martinsen, Brecht et al (Russian), Georgetown Consortium etc.

Study abroad and the L2  Ask a partner, “What are some factors that predict improvements in language skills when students go abroad?”  --Brecht et al.,  more time spent speaking exclusively in Russian made greater gains  Lower initial level = greater gains.  Be a man, you’ll learn more Russian.

Study abroad and the L2  Ask a partner, “What are some factors that predict improvements in language skills when students go abroad?”  --Martinsen, Who does he think he is?  What did he say?  The more culturally sensitive before the program  The more lang. improvements

Study abroad and the L2  Ask a partner, “What are some factors that predict improvements in language skills when students go abroad?”  -Georgetown Consortium study  Be a woman, you’ll learn more.  Study abroad for more than a semester  Content course taught in the target language NOT A Learn Spanish class  More time with host family=more improvement in language skills.  Pre-departure orientation with culture

Hmmm….  - Rigoberto was raised a monolingual English speaker and has never been outside the U.S.  His only significant exposure to the language other than the Taco Bell Chihuahua has been his 4 semesters of college Spanish through which  He has reached the intermediate mid level in Spanish according to the ACTFL guidelines.  After spending a semester in México with a traditional study abroad program where would he likely end up on the ACTFL scale?  -What if his name was not Rigoberto, her name was Lulu or Michelle or Sandra?

Culture learning; Study Abroad style  What kind of culture learning takes place in study abroad? Think about an article by Seelye that you read but we have not yet discussed.  -Big C culture, What is it?  -Little C culture, What is it?  -Which type of culture learning has been focused on in the readings?  Larger debate about purposes of university lang. learning

Culture learning; Study Abroad style  Think about an article that we’ve read Martinsen, Wilkinson, Georgetown Consortium etc.  Ask a partner, What factors predict culture learning in Study Abroad?  Martinsen, (This guy is everywhere) (Who makes their students read their own stuff???? Wackjob).  What did he say about culture learning?

Culture learning; Study Abroad style  More interaction leads to greater gains in cultural sensitivity.  Always?????

Interacting with native speakers, good for you  W/O intervention, students abroad generally have superficial and infrequent interactions with native speakers.  Think back on the articles that we’ve read, Isabelli, Pellegrino, Wilkinson etc. and with a partner come up with two reasons “Why?”  --Turn to a partner and say “Hablame en Español”  --How did that go?

Interacting with native speakers, good for you  W/O intervention, students abroad generally have superficial and infrequent interactions with native speakers.  Think back on the articles that we’ve read, Isabelli, Pellegrino, Wilkinson etc. and with a partner come up with two reasons “Why?”  Wilkinson,  --Students take the conversation patterns of the FL classroom with them  --There is no communicative purpose.  --It’s always hard to meet new people, especially if you have no connection with them other than, gosh I’d like to meet some Brazilians.

Interacting with native speakers, is like eating vegetables  --What did Pellegrino and Aveni say about our psychology and why we don’t learn more abroad?  self-construction in L2 learners?  Sense of status –  When it’s threatened self image is weakened.  Control over interaction –  Lack of validation –  Safety is in jeopardy –

How to change one’s self image in the L2?  Improve L2 skills  Realize Mistakes are OK  Strategies  Self Talk  Interaction prep.

Discussion  With your vast knowledge of study abroad research Try to answer this question.  If you were planning study abroad what activities or experiences would you create?  Similarly, as a program director, how will you approach study abroad differently now that you have read these articles??