28.5324, Review: Applied Linguistics; Language Acquisition: Seedhouse (2017)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-28-5324. Fri Dec 15 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.5324, Review: Applied Linguistics; Language Acquisition: Seedhouse (2017)

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Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 14:41:33
From: Bruna Sommer [brunasommer at email.arizona.edu]
Subject: Task-Based Language Learning in a Real-World Digital Environment

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/28/28-1184.html

EDITOR: Paul  Seedhouse
TITLE: Task-Based Language Learning in a Real-World Digital Environment
SUBTITLE: The European Digital Kitchen
SERIES TITLE: Advances in Digital Language Learning and Teaching
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing (formerly The Continuum International Publishing Group)
YEAR: 2017

REVIEWER: Bruna Sommer, University of Arizona

REVIEWS EDITOR: Helen Aristar-Dry

SUMMARY

Due to its innovative implementation of a digital kitchen that affords foreign
language learning through a task-based approach, the book ''Task-based
Language Learning in a Real-world Digital Environment: The European Digital
Kitchen'' is a valuable addition to the series designed by Bloomsbury to
account for Advances in Digital Language Learning and Teaching. Paul Seedhouse
is both the editor and the author of many chapters of the book, which is
dedicated to describing and explaining the development, implementation and
research which resulted from learning practices in the European Digital
Kitchen. The author is right in pointing out that the ''real-world, pervasive
digital environment'' (p. 3) created by the EDK is an original endeavor in
technology-mediated task-based language teaching (TBLT) since the context
consists of learners performing a multimodal task by cooking a dish while
learning both language and culture in a kitchen equipped with sensors, and
photo and video tools. Although the volume describes projects developed
successfully with European Languages, a chapter on the Korean Digital Kitchen
demonstrates the potential to expand the framework to other languages. So far,
the system has been adapted for seven languages and used in five countries. To
explain the stages of the project’s development, the book is consistently
organized into four parts: Background, Design, Implementation and Conclusions.

In Chapter 1, which stands for the ''Introduction'', the author Paul Seedhouse
explains the core argument of the book. By relying on the assumption that
technology changes rapidly, the well-written article delineates principles of
a model that can be implemented in different settings depending on the task
students are required to accomplish. This assumption aims to account for new
tasks that might become relevant in the future; thus the project's principles
seek to avoid obsolescence of the European Digital Kitchen’s endeavor. The
chapter is concluded by a general outline of the book's structure along with
an explanation of how each chapter contributes to the book’s purpose.

Chapter 2, entitled ''Locating the EDK in Its Research Context'', is written
by Sandra Morales. The chapter connects Communicative Language Teaching (CLT),
TBLT, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Assisted Language Learning
(CALL) for SLA in teaching and learning through a thorough and situated
theoretical review of pedagogical principles linked to these approaches. The
chapter clearly articulates how the EDK draws its model heavily from TBLT,
with special attention to the connections established on Table 2.1 on page 24.
Likewise, the concepts of multimodal CALL play a crucial role, since it
locates EDK as a mixed-context multimodal design and points to a new field of
studies. The project also claims to contribute to fulfilling the gap of
technology-mediated TBLT research, although it does not draw from previous
studies on the topic to state the gap. Nonetheless, the extensive explanation
of theories underlying the project’s design and implementation poses this
chapter as essential for an applied-linguist audience interested in
technology-mediated instruction and research. 

The second part of the book is entitled ''Design'' and is devoted to explain
the pedagogical and technological design of the project as well as discuss the
interaction between human and system.

In Chapter 3, ''The Pedagogical Design of the Digital Kitchen'', Paul
Seedhouse describes the project as innovative since it proposes that learning
takes place not in the classroom but in a real kitchen setting. The
naturalistic approach of a digital kitchen ''engages the sense of smell and
taste as well, delivering a vivid, kinesic language learning experience'' (p.
47). As a core aspect of the TBLT approach, the manner each of the three-stage
learning stages as operationalized in the kitchen is examined. First, the
pre-task prepares the learner for carrying out the actual cooking through
activating existing language knowledge and providing new vocabulary required
to perform the task. The during-task phase is the moment when learners use the
L2 to complete the culinary task, while the post-task reflects on the
during-task performance. Elements of conversation analysis (CA) illustrate how
activities are carried out by the students in each task phase. This
theoretical framework enables micro-analysis of student interaction, which is
valuable to help the reader understand what is expected from learners as well
as how their positioning towards their peers and the system actually take
place. Data revealed that incidental focus-on-form occurred although students
were highly concentrated in their cooking performance. 

Chapter 4 is entitled ''The Technology behind the European Digital Kitchen for
Language Learning'' and is also written by Paul Seedhouse. The chapter focuses
on materials design to outline how the technology is integrated into the
kitchen environment. The most technical chapter of the book answers practical
questions about the sensor-based technology that affords learning in the
kitchen, thus benefitting mostly materials designers. Most importantly,
instructional design expertise seems imperative for the successful
implementation of the system, since there has to be a clear and well-organized
plan of the order of actions the sensors are supposed to detect for the
correct accomplishment of the task cycle. Special attention is given to the
“authoring tool”, a user-friendly interface designed to assist instructors and
curricula designers in creating their own tasks

Chapter 5 is called ''The Human Viewpoint and the System's Viewpoint'' and was
written by Natacha Niemants and Gabrielle Pallotti. The fifth is the last
chapter dedicated to the Design portion of the book. Drawing from
transcriptions made with the software ELAN, the complexity of human-computer
interaction data is analyzed with Conversation Analysis (CA) as the guiding
theoretical framework. The chapter shows how the multimodal aspect of data
produced by sensor logs and cooking sessions in the video recordings affects
decisions regarding data transcription. Reflections on the status of the
system as a participant of the interaction are also presented. The excerpts of
interactions of humans and system analyzed through CA's framework aid the
readers to have a better idea of benefits and limitations of the system, e.g.
help is conditioned by pre-programmed stages, which might not coincide with
students' needs. The arguments draw from transcription conventions developed
by CA to problematize why, how and what to transcribe in multimodal data such
as that from the Italian Digital Kitchen discussed in the chapter. One of the
most interesting aspects was related to levels of transcription and its
implications for research, e.g. the decision to include sensor logs or not,
since it generates an emic perspective of the system's functioning. The
pictures provided are key to make readers understand how ELAN and the levels
of multimodal transcription work, however, the small size and the relatively
low-quality of pictures, including its black-and-white color pattern,
jeopardize reading and interpretation.

The third part of the book presents studies on the Implementation of the EDK
project in different settings.

Chapter 6 is entitled ''Assessing and Promoting Language Development in an
Interactive Learning Environment'', and was written by Jana Roos, Nina
Reshöft, Lea Hartung and Johanna Bubwinkel. Their study examines both
vocabulary learning and listening comprehension as central skills developed by
the EDK. Transcriptions from interactions of students learning German through
cooking English and German dishes exemplify how they dealt with new
topic-related vocabulary. Also, the chapter evaluates students' listening
comprehension levels according to descriptors developed by LanCook and the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This study is an
important addition to the book since it addresses assessment and shows how EDK
can be adapted to different levels of linguistic competence. While
interpreting proficiency levels in the light of CEFR facilitates rating
receptive skills of participants, this association has the potential to
clarify how the degree of help provided to students scaffolds task stages for
different proficiency levels. This aspect could have been explored in more
depth.

Chapter 7 is named  ''Cooking, Interaction and Learning: The Finnish Digital
Kitchen as a Language Learning Environment'' and its authors are Salla Kurhila
and Lari Kotilainen. The chapter contributes to the book by pinpointing the
learner's central role in autonomous learning in a pervasive digital
environment. The authors argue that specific mechanisms carried out by
students promote their learning of Finnish, such as repetitions and
negotiation in peer interaction. This is one of my favorite chapters, since it
aims to show how learners ''add a 'linguistic layer' onto the performance of
physical actions (p. 176) when they orient to specific words or grammatical
items as learning topics

Chapter 8, entitled '''The More I Cook, the More I Learn': Tracing Ava's
Learning Itinerary through Her Participation in Four Cooking Sessions'', is
written by the authors Dolors Masats, Marta Juanhuix and Javier Albines. Their
chapter details different manners in which Ava, a French learner of Catalan
and Spanish in Barcelona, interacts with the system and with different
partners. The case study's narrative draws on interesting passages to
illustrate how Ava’s learning process is constituted of both an individual
stance and a social practice. An intriguing example is how she ratifies the
system as a participant depending on how effective the given instructions are.
The chapter seeks to demonstrate how inextricable language and culture
learning are in this environment. 

In Chapter 9, ''Vocabulary Learning in a Real-World Digital Environment'', the
authors Gabrielle Pallotti, Natacha Niemants and Paul Seedhouse report on
vocabulary gains measured by two studies. The first study found statistically
significant evidences of vocabulary gains after a cooking session in the
English Digital Kitchen. As the delayed post-test presented an even higher
rate than the post-test, questionnaires were added to the research design as a
means to investigate other possible influences that could have contributed to
vocabulary retention, such as their experiences in the second language setting
outside the classroom. The second study did not reach statistically
significant measures, but also demonstrated vocabulary knowledge gains as
evidenced by the scores of individual words of the Italian Digital Kitchen.
According to the authors, these results might be affected by the difference in
research design: the IDK did not conduct delayed post tests, had students cook
two different dishes, and tested a two-set counterbalanced group of words.
Illustrating vocabulary measurement by these two different protocols appeared
complementary and useful to understand how different approaches to teaching
vocabulary in a digital pervasive environment can be effective.

Chapter 10 ''Sight and Touch in Vocabulary Learning: The Korean Digital
Kitchen'' is written by Jaeuk Park and Paul Seedhouse. With research questions
built from the previous chapter's project, the study investigates the effects
of sight and touch in vocabulary learning in the Korean Digital Kitchen. The
chapter does not follow strictly the other chapters’ organization, since it
presents a longer introduction with recapitulation of previous findings. The
explanation of mixed methods and quasi-experimental design principles was
valuable, but too extensive, since the previous chapters presented more
situated literature reviews. Resulting tests turned out to be statistically
significant for both reception and production of vocabulary gain by students
manipulating objects in the KDK in comparison with students manipulating
pictures of objects in a regular classroom setting. Episodes analyzed through
CA conventions shed light on differences happening in both environments.
Students’ perceptions were a happy addition to the overall set of data, which
contributed to a different perspective on experiential learning and the role
of physically manipulating the objects.

Chapter 11 concludes the book as ''Conclusions and Future Developments'' and
is also written by Paul Seedhouse. The author acknowledges important points
that were present in my mind throughout the book, especially the high cost and
time required to install and maintain this sort of technology. Nonetheless,
Seedhouse pinpoints the fact that the framework presents a methodological
model for pervasive environments research, thus suggesting possible future
projects. In this sense, framing the EDK as a pilot model that can be
replicated in other real-world learning situations is in accordance with the
rationale of the book. The chapter does a good job in revisiting the main
concepts and summarizing the main points of each chapter. Finally, the
holistic nature of EDK's design and assessment is clear due to the organized
outline provided.

EVALUATION 

Overall, the volume represents a valuable addition to project- and task-based
research scholarship in digital settings. Research on the role of
multimodality in foreign language instruction has looked at both synchronous
and asynchronous CMC, the effects of tools such as webcams, and the use of
digital games, digital storytelling and video-conferences as spaces in which
learning can occur. However, research on pervasive digital environments has
not been extensive. In this way, the EDK demonstrates that research on
pervasive environments has certainly found a niche that can positively afford
language learning. If TBLT influences students to forget they are performing a
task for learning purposes (Ellis, 2003), the EDK project's rationale seems to
fulfill its role successfully. The way the sensors are set up and provide
interactional opportunities for the learners, both with other learners and the
system, seems to be in accordance with what Chapelle defines as language
learning potential. For the author, the technology can be used to not only
provide  linguistic support and feedback, but also employ language examples
that afford comprehension, production, and ultimately learning (Chapelle,
2014). Focus on form seems to occur incidentally while students are involved
in reaching the final task goal.

The fact that the research-oriented chapters with empirical data analysis can
be read separately is positive, since it opens possibilities to reach
researchers with varied interests in a more straightforward manner. This
structure is consistent with the book’s rationale since it provides an
overview for those interested in designing and implementing similar
environments. Nonetheless, the organization makes extensive reading necessary
for an audience interested in the EDK design and implementation specifically,
which can become repetitive since concepts are reiterated in every chapter to
solidify the theoretical construct. Consequently, the first chapters foster
curiosity, since key concepts of the project, such as how the tasks are
implemented and how the technology affords interaction, are explained in
further chapters. Nonetheless, connecting the concepts in every chapter
strengthens the project as an innovation in Chapelle's (2014) terms: the
complexity of the innovator's role consists of demonstrating a solid
understanding of theories to advance learning rather than just testing new
technologies in the classroom.

Although the chapters responded to a vast array of research questions raised
by the digital kitchen as a pervasive environment, e.g. vocabulary learning
and assessment, I still feel that a chapter analyzing the development
intercultural competence would have strengthened the book. Even though culture
is embedded in the linguistic practice of culinary activities, a more
methodologically oriented chapter could unveil how the tasks afford the
development of (inter)cultural awareness. Additionally, more context on how
the digital kitchen lessons were integrated into a language curriculum would
shed light on curriculum design perspectives, thus presenting a more
pedagogically-oriented contribution to EDK's implementation.

Need for improvements was noted in the images. Despite the well-designed
diagrams, they could be presented in larger formats; in some cases they are
difficult to read due to small fonts or tight layouts for the provided amount
of information. Some pictures could have a better quality to assure an easier
interpretation of the action scenes in the kitchen as well.

Graduate students and researchers with background in applied linguistics
interested in implementing projects in pervasive digital environments are
certainly benefited by this book. The authors claim it is a useful model for
application in different environments in the future, and the model seems
consistent since it is heavily grounded in TBLT. Due to its innovative design
and careful implementation research agenda, the volume offers insightful ideas
and perspectives to those interested in using real spaces to afford foreign
language learning. For this reason, the book contributes to carry CALL and
technology-mediated TBLT forward. 

References: 

Chapelle, C. A. 2014. Afterword: Technology-mediated TBLT and the evolving
role of the innovator. Technology-mediated TBLT: Researching technology and
tasks, 323-334. 

Ellis, R. 2003. Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Bruna Sommer is currently a PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and
Teaching at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States. She is
also a Graduate Associate in Teaching of the Department of Spanish and
Portuguese at the same university. Her main research interests comprise corpus
and genre-based approaches to additional language learning and teaching, and
materials and curriculum design.





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