Diversity in learner support
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Publication Details
Author list: Reinders H., Darasawang P.
Publisher: Hindawi
Publication year: 2012
Start page: 49
End page: 70
Number of pages: 22
ISBN: 9781139060981; 9781107016347
ISSN: 0146-9428
eISSN: 1745-4557
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
Abstract
Introduction This chapter deals with language support, or resources and systems for facilitating language learning outside the classroom. Language support encompasses institutional support mechanisms such as self-access facilities and online materials provision, but also refers to a pedagogical approach to learning that places the individual at the center of a lifelong learning process with the aim of developing learner autonomy. In this way, language support lies at the heart of the notion of diversity. In this chapter we will discuss the rationale for language support and show how technology has played a key role in the development and implementation of a pedagogy for out-of-class language learning. Next, we will describe a case study from a university in Thailand to show how online language support can be used in practice and draw implications from this for future development in this field. Overview and general issues Language support is a term that describes efforts on the part of teachers or institutions to help students develop their language ability and their language learning skills. This usually involves out-of-class opportunities for language (self-)study, such as self-access, language advising, informal opportunities for language practice, the provision of (online) resources, as well as links with more formal language education. The provision of language support is based on the idea that classroom teaching alone is not sufficient to develop lifelong learning skills, or simply not practically feasible due to the enormity of the task (as a case in point, a recent study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand established that approximately 12,000 of its students needed some form of language help; clearly, this would be at the very least a major challenge to provide through traditional teaching [Reinders, 2007]. ฉ Cambridge University Press 2012.
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