Tan, Chee Lay

This paper reports a pilot study on mobile-assisted language learning that focused on both creative learner output and seamless learning. In learning Chinese idioms, students proactively used smartphones on a 1:1 basis to take photos in their daily lives, subsequently in-class or online sharing and discussions took place, enhancing the students’ understanding in the proper usage of the idioms. Our analysis of the student artefacts in both product- and process-oriented aspects reveals the students’ cognitive process and learning strategies during the course of content creation. The students’ ongoing, open-ended, personal-to-social meaning making process and learner-created authentic content have indeed shown some indicators of seamless language learning and induction-based peer learning that has the potential of transforming language learning into an authentic learning experience.

In recent years, we witness the rise of communicative and contextualized language learning approaches that is concomitant with developments of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL). Im this study, we present a pilot study in MALL that emphasizes "creative learner's output" and contextualized meaning making. In learning Chinese idioms, students used smartphones on a one-device-per-person basis to capture photos of the real-life contexts pertaining to the idioms, and to construct sentences with them. Subsequently, in-class or online discussions took place, which would enhance the students' understanding in the proper usage of the idioms. The learning design is grounded in the seamless learning model that encompass in-class formal learning and out-of-class informal setting, and personal and social learning spaces. The students' ongoing, open-ended, personal-to-social meaning making process and artifacts have indeed shown some indicators of "seamless language learning" that has the potential of transforming language learning into an authentic learning experience.

本报告讨论了新加坡模块化小学教科书在新加坡汉语作为第二语言教学中的适用性和实用性。