Innovation in Language Learning
When to Pull Back the Curtain: Approaches to Inductive and Deductive Language Instruction in an e-Learning Setting
Benjamin P. Keller, Rosetta Stone, Arlington, Virginia (United States)
Abstract
Rosetta Stone is a language-learning software company with years of experience offering a wide variety of instructional design types for learners of various kinds and at different proficiency levels. In our experience teaching language online, we have discovered that the diversity and sheer number of discrete objectives that learners face in the process of acquiring a language suggest that not all learning objectives are best achieved using a single approach.
This perspective is supported by research in second language acquisition like that of DeKeyser (2005), who identified several variables associated with the potential benefits of implicit and explicit learning. Of great significance for any curriculum designer, he describes the distinction between inductive/deductive learning and implicit/explicit learning as “orthogonal,” creating a 2x2 matrix containing up to four discrete taxons for approaches to instruction. Additional variables to be considered include the difficulty and salience of rules or concepts, among others.
In the classroom, teachers can attempt multiple teaching approaches depending on how instruction is received by learners in real time. By contrast, delivering e-learning content means making a conscious commitment to a specific approach for a particular type of objective, proficiency level, or learner type. How do we decide on the right approach for a particular objective or set of objectives? The choice must be made thoughtfully to ensure the best experience for the widest range of learners. In this presentation, we will share our experiences using both inductive- and deductive-based approaches, developed in the context of software and other institutional priorities and constraints, in the service of making language learning available to an ever-greater number of learners.
Keywords: e-learning, inductive, deductive, curriculum
DeKeyser, R. (2005). Implicit and explicit learning. In C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long Editor (Eds.), The handbook of second language acquisition (Vol. 27) (pp. 313-348). John Wiley & Sons.
