Innovation in Language Learning

Strategic learning has been studied extensively in first and second language (L1, L2) acquisition and it is an issue that concerns methodology, didactics and pedagogy in general. This session deals with the theories behind strategic language learning and examples on the strategic use of ICT by non native speakers (NNS) of English in a class of doctoral students who developed academic writing.

Knowledge develops at the same time as the human being does. Similarly, a learner develops as he makes progress in education. In this scenario learners require to become aware of the strategies to succeed. Strategies may act and develop simultaneously and fluently among the participants in a community: teachers, students, and social contexts. When considering instructional design, strategies do not constitute isolated instances; they constitute a didactic choice. When considering the capacity to codify the experience of the world through language, strategies constitute cognitive and socio-cultural knowledge. My proposed theory of strategic learning is inspired by the following fields:

1) Information Processing Theory as a foundation to understand language and thought processes, 

2) The dimensions of literacy (linguistic, cognitive, socio-cultural and developmental^.,

3) Communicative Competence; and 4) Strategic knowledge.

The theories may help teachers decide how to investigate language acquisition and understand what they could do and enrich their practices. See, for instance: Oxford (2013) who offers models for conducting research on strategies.

The presentation will be illustrated with the syllabus of a course for interpreting and elaborating scientific texts in an L2 in which tools like wordle, Text-to speech, reference generators, templates, and Ted.com among others allowed Spanish speaking doctoral students, with an A2-B1 level, to prepare papers and presentations in English to disseminate their research.