Innovation in Language Learning

Fostering learning to learn strategies and autonomy is deemed to be a cornerstone for lifelong learning and a challenge for the learning of foreign languages. Therefore, in the panorama of English language acquisition, it is critical to implement a “pedagogy for autonomy” (Jiménez Raya, Lamb & Vieira, 2007; Manzano Vázquez, 2015), and new technologies provide an ideal scenario to develop cognitive and metacognitive strategies and foster independent learning of students.

To put in practice these principles, a teaching innovation project aimed at university students of English as a foreign language was designed. Five Spanish Faculties and 20 university teachers were involved in the design or implementation of the pedagogical intervention. To scaffold the improvement of self-regulated learning strategies of students, an itinerary of learning for English language acquisition was created, based on the hypothesis that better control of cognitive and metacognitive strategies would lead to self-improvement (Paris & Paris, 2001) and more effective learning (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002). The itinerary considered the development of two dimensions: self-awareness and self-regulation, and focused on the improvement of three processes: planning, evaluation and monitoring. A set of digital instruments were created for attaining these goals. To improve the dimension of self-awareness, a questionnaire for detecting learning to learn strategies (CEVEAPEU, 2009), and an English placement test were conducted and discussed with the students. The development of the dimension of self-regulation was supported by designing instruments for the fostering of the processes of planning (an inventory of tasks for students and a wide repository of online resources); evaluating (online self-assessment questionnaires-checklists and rubrics for self-assessment), and monitoring (complexion of a reflection document). The itinerary of learning was monitored through Campus Virtual, where students uploaded their tasks, carried out the process of self-assessment, and accessed tests, questionnaires and the repository of online resources.

Students’ perceptions gathered by a Likert type questionnaire revealed that the itinerary of learning helped students to organize their learning process, to improve their self-assessment strategies and contributed to improve their level of English, particularly, their productive skills, vocabulary and grammar.