KEYNOTE: Hayo Reinders 'Learn English or Die'

[Carol Rainbow]

17 Sept, 3am SL | 10am GMT

 

RECORDING: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p43uj7bkmrh/

ABSTRACT

Learn English or Die: The Effects of Digital Game Play on Interaction and Willingness to Communicate.

In recent years there has been a lot of interest in the potential role of computer games in education (see Gee 2003). Playing games is said to be motivating to students and is said to benefit the development of social skills such as collaboration and metacognitive skills such as planning and organisation. Also in the language classroom, computer games are becoming increasingly popular. However, the pedagogical approach underlying such games is often not clear and learners are often given little guidance in how to move from entertainment to education. In addition to pedagogic issues, there is very little research to back up the claims made for using computer games in language education. In this presentation I will first present these claims before reporting on an empirical research project designed to investigate the effects of an online multiplayer gaming environment on L2 use and acquisition by young (18-22) Thai learners of English. Hayo will show that the computer game did indeed affect L2 interaction patterns and contributed to L2 acquisition, but that this depended, like in all other teaching and learning environments, on learners’ ability to draw on the affordances offered in the game. The implication of our study is that teachers (and materials designers) who wish to build on more informal tools such as computer games, need to think carefully about how they will develop learners’ ability to benefit from them. 

BIO

Hayo Reinders, (Middlesex University, UK) is crazy in love with learning and teaching languages. He regularly roams the world to work on projects in the areas of learner autonomy, self-access, and technology and has designed several online learning environments for language learning, which are currently supporting thousands of students in their language studies.

Hayo is also excited about the potential of technology as an agent of change in the way education is delivered. He is an active supporter of open education initiatives and aims to make most of his own work available for free to others, thus avoiding to pay taxes. Technology will enable developing countries, and individuals within them, to empower themselves and to become truly autonomous, in all the meanings of that word.

Hayo works in London for most of the year, as Head of English Language and Learning Support, but does set aside a small amount of time to supervise PhD students, teach graduate or staff development courses, either face-to-face or at a distance. He is sometimes available for projects in the development, implementation of or staff training for the use of technology in education