Affective Grammar, Effective Grammar

Or how to have fun whilst preparing for the exam

Marina Rabadn-Gmez
Languages @ LeedsMet

Affective Grammar, Effective Grammar

1. Setting the context: HE 2. The affective domain: motivation vs anxiety 3. Our goal: to learn, to have fun, to pass the exam! 4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

5. Sharing our experiences

1. Setting the context: Higher Education

(Higher) Education Dicotomy
Tradition
Grammar Translation Cognitive LOs Summative Assessment FTUGs

Innovation
Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) Affective LOs Continuous Assessment Adult Learners (PTLP)

2. The affective domain: motivation vs anxiety

Blooms taxonomy (1956) Cognitive domain Affective domain Psychomotor domain

2. The affective domain: motivation vs anxiety

Arnold (1999) aspects of emotion, feeling, mood, or attitude which condition behaviour (p.2) motivation, after all, is better guided by a move towards pleasure () than by a move away from pain. (p.2)

2. The affective domain: motivation vs anxiety

2. The affective domain: motivation vs anxiety

1.

Table 5.1. The Factors That Promote Intrinsic Motivation.

Fantasy

Learners use mental images of things and situations that are not actually present to stimulate their behavior.

2.

Factor Challenge

Description 1.
People are best motivated when they are working toward personally meaningful goals whose attainment requires activity at a continuously optimal (intermediate) level of difficulty.

Related Guidelines 2. 3. 4.
Set personally meaningful goals. Make attainment of goals probable but uncertain. Give enroute performance feedback. Relate goals to learners' self esteem.

3. 1. Competition
Learners feel satisfaction by comparing their performance favorably to that of others.

2. 3.

1. Curiosity
Something in the physical environment attracts the learner's attention or there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills and what these could be if the learner engaged in some activity.

2.

Stimulate sensory curiosity by making abrupt changes that will be perceived by the senses. Stimulate cognitive curiosity by making a person wonder about something (i.e., stimulate the learner's interest).

4.

1. Cooperation
Learners feel satisfaction by helping others achieve their goals.

2. 3.

1. Control
People have a basic tendency to want to control what happens to them.

2.

3.

Make clear the causeand-effect relationships between what students are doing and things that happen in real life. Enable the learners to believe that their work will lead to powerful effects. Allow learners to freely

4. 1. Recognition
Learners feel satisfaction when others recognize and appreciate their

2.

Make a game out of learning. Help learners imagine themselves using the learned information in real- life settings. Make the fantasies intrinsic rather than extrinsic. Competition occurs naturally as well as artificially. Competition is more important for some people than for others. People who lose at competition often suffer more than the winners profit. Competition sometimes reduces the urge to be helpful to other learners. Cooperation occurs naturally as well as artificially. Cooperation is more important for some people than for others. Cooperation is a useful real-life skill. Cooperation requires and develops interpersonal skills. Recognition requires that the process or product or some other result of the learning activity be visible. Recognition differs

Okan (2003)

What is a game?
Wright et al. (2006) game to mean an activity which is entertaining and engaging, often challenging, and an activity in which the learners play and usually interact with others. A testing question might be: Would the learners be happy to do this activity in their own language? (p.1)

Why using games?

Okan (2003) Good games are fun, intrinsically motivating, and offer just the right amount of challenge () Games which succeed in facilitating learning have the additional characteristic of improving skills or knowledge. (Lepper & Malone, 1987; Malone, 1980; Malone, 1983; Malone & Lepper, 1987; Malouf, 1988)

Why using games?

Okan (2003)
Research suggests that gaming in its various forms can: 1. motivate and interest learners (Dempsey, Lucassen, Gilley
& Rasmussen, 1993)

2. increase retention of subject material (Dempsey et al.,

1994; Jacobs & Dempsey, 1993; Pierfy, 1977)

3. and improve reasoning skills and higher order thinking

(Mayland, 1990; Rieber, in press; Wood & Stewart, 1987)

3. Our goal: to learn, to have fun, to pass the exam!

Elements to take into account: Syllabus Cohort profile Students profiles Environment Motivation

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

Practical examples

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

ERROR ANALYSIS - A1 -

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

TABOO - B1 -

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

WORD FORMATION - B2 -

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

FALSE FRIENDS - C1 -

4. Playing in the system: examples of good practice

5. Sharing our experiences

1. What type of games / quizzes / contests do you use in your language class? 2. When and what do you use them for? 3. Can you think of an example of grammar-focused game or ludic activity you use / would like to use in class?

Affective Grammar, Effective Grammar

Grammar
Short Ludic Contextualized: Motivating
Extrinsic

focused

significant learning

motivation: linguistic and academic

results Intrinsic motivation: challenging and positively competitive

They

work!!

Bibliography

Arnold, J. (1999) Affect in Language Learning. CUP. Bloom, B.S., Engelhart, M.D., Furst E.J., Hill, W.H., & Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals; Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. New York: Longmans, Green. Malone, T. W. (1981). Toward a Theory of Intrinsically Motivating Instruction. Cognitive Science, 5(4), 333-369. Malone, T. W., & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making Learning Fun: A Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivations for Learning. In R. E. Snow & M. J. Farr (Eds.), Aptitute, Learning and Instruction: III. Conative and affective process analyses (pp. 223-253). Okan, Z. (2003) Edutainment: is learning at risk? British Journal of Educational Technology, 4 (3) 255-264.