Reviewing the ‘user experience’ of language learning in schools
Maybe it’s time to look to language-learning apps for inspiration
As a trainee teacher, in 2013, I specialised in primary education and the use of technologies to support language acquisition. I researched the following question as I had a strong desire to see more language learning happening in the classroom:
‘How can technologies be used to support the ‘non-specialist’ and the language specialist in introducing the 3 core strands of the framework for languages?’
The study involved:
- A class of 30 children with different learning needs
- London state school
- A class who had never studied French before
- 6 lessons — taught using technology — IWB (interactive whiteboards, videos & audio clips)
I wanted to see how technology could be used as a vehicle to motivate and encourage children to acquire new language skills as well as see the value and importance of learning languages in a global setting.
By the end of the 6-week project, all pupils could introduce themselves to a partner and had learnt to read and write a few phrases. Children were motivated and produced a book to celebrate their progress in French.
The conclusions that were drawn from this research were:
- Technology can be a powerful tool if the teacher has the right subject knowledge
- Digital resources can be shared, saving on resource preparation time
- ‘Good teaching using the IWB requires a sound pedagogical underpinning so that the teacher remains in control.’ (Gray et al, 2007:44)
- ‘ICT…works as an excellent scaffold for learning, it is user friendly and extremely interactive-it’s VAK*!’ (Lisle, 2012: 158)*Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic
- Technologies can overpower teaching & learning if subject knowledge is poor
It was clear to me at the time that technologies could not replace authentic language learning experiences, like living abroad, listening to music or watching movies. I was also certain that technologies could not replace teachers, but that they could help to move language learning forward and plug the deficit that English schools had been battling with for far too long. I saw a system failing students by not preparing them for a global market and doing very little to find alternate ways to make MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) an important part of the National Curriculum. In short, language learning needed an overhaul.
Sadly, in 2021, it seems that we find ourselves in a worse situation, where the study of MFL is rapidly declining in schools. ‘BBC analysis shows drops of between 30% and 50% since 2013 in the numbers taking GCSE language courses in the worst affected areas in England’. In addition to this, Brexit has also added fuel to the fire by creating uncertainty around studying abroad whilst at university. The Guardian reported that ‘the study of modern languages at university has fallen by 38% in 10 years’.
Today, contemplating my research project 8 years on and now studying UX (user experience), I realise that the questions we ask around language learning need to change again. Like design iterations, should we be questioning the course of the curriculum more? Can we improve language learning by looking at the user journey? What inspires language learning? What motivates learners to learn languages? What are learners’ pain points?
Looking at learning through the lens of user experience could open up fresh debates around how teaching and learning should look today.
Schools could look to language apps for some of these answers. Even with restrictions placed on travel during the pandemic, apps such as Duolingo and Busuu have seen an incredible increase in users. The UK is said to be ‘leading the way in use of language-learning apps’. This comes as somewhat of a shock considering the low uptake of MFL in schools.
So, why is this happening?
Duolingo’s UK manager Colin Watkins believes that “Since Covid, there’s been a huge increase in people wanting to learn for a whole variety of reasons — whether that is for [helping with] school, brain training or culture. We have all wanted to do something positive with our time.” [source]
Perhaps, that’s just it, people learn languages ‘for a whole variety of reasons’. Rather than seeing technology as the main proponent of language acquisition, maybe we should see technology as the catalyst for reigniting language learning, for shifting mentalities and making it a positive experience. That’s where the real magic lies.
After all, language learning is not just about words and phrases. It is about stepping into someone else’s shoes, unpicking your own cultural biases; it is about working with a level of ambiguity. Technology can open doors to all of these opportunities. With improved accessibility to devices, technology can make language learning more equitable by equipping individuals to learn anywhere at any time. Technology could also provide different ways for accessing learning content that would meet the needs of a larger group of users or learners.
So, maybe, technology can help us stop seeing MFL as ‘a difficult subject’ and reshape it as an opportunity to: communicate, learn about others and their cultures without the costs or restrictions placed upon travel; a chance for learners to see the world through a different lens and, most importantly, for learners to grow in empathy.
After the last 18 months, the education system, like many other businesses, must now reconsider the learner and their needs. What has the pandemic taught schools? What have we learnt about learners? Online learning is booming and technology may just be the secret ingredient for the revival of language learning in schools. 2013 soon became 2021. Let’s make sure that the next 8 years tell a different story.
