Call for Papers

ACTIVE TEACHING METHODS IN LANGUAGES FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

By their very name, “active” teaching methods refer to a set of pedagogical approaches and methods whose quality is to make learners actors in their own learning. Unlike transmissive methods of teaching, which establishes a strong hierarchy between a teacher, who holds the knowledge, and a learner, who acquiesces, active pedagogies favour authentic learning situations, which encourage the learner's agency (van Lier, 2008), usually inscribed in collective work with others. 

Active teaching methods are nothing new. The “learning by doing” approach of American philosopher J. Dewey (1859-1952) was fundamental to the creation of the “Dewey schools”, where this approach was put into practice with a reduced number of students. In France, the approach of C. Freinet (1896-1966) considers that human beings are, by nature, experimenters, that they proceed by trial and error, enabling them to build personalized knowledge from common knowledge. More recently, and in the context of language teaching and learning, the action-oriented perspective advocated in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) sees language learners as “social actors who have to accomplish tasks (which are not solely linguistic) in given circumstances and environments” (Council of Europe, 2001: 15). They often have to work together in teams, committing themselves to projects, responding to problems, and continuing to learn through practical experience.

Today's active approaches and methods for working in languages are thus manifold: project-based learning (Cosnefroy & Jézégou, 2013), problem-based learning (Levain, 2000), collective learning (cooperation, collaboration, discussion, sharing) (Georges, 2001) or experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). Furthermore, with relatively easy access to digital technologies, the practice of working remotely with others by creating communities of learning and practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) is becoming increasingly “normalized”, to use Bax's (2003) term.

As every teacher understands, the act of learning is complex, with each learner having his or her own preferences and learning strategies for decoding and processing information. These different ways of processing verbal and non-verbal information (Paivio & Caspo, 1969) call for different ways of teaching. Active teaching methods, more appropriate in a learner-centered approach, and more likely to appeal to all the senses (or even to multiple “intelligences” (Gardner, 1983)); complementing the teacher's pedagogical techniques, they enable learners to implement their own strategies, while diversifying the ways in which they learn, through confrontation with the learning methods of their peers. Learners carry out tasks collectively, in interaction with their peers, in the kind of simulated situations favoured by active teaching methods. These situations, which are intended to be as authentic as possible, promote situated learning - the acquisition of knowledge or the development of skills in a given situation (Lave & Wenger, 1991) - and thus reduce the gap between knowledge and the use of that knowledge.

In IUTs, since the reform of the BUT (Bachelor Universitaire technologique), with the competency-based approach, learning and assessment situations (situations d’apprentissage et d’évaluations - SAÉ) represent a significant part of training. These SAEs, which can take the form of simulations, projects or investigations, enable learners to deploy their skills by assuming various roles (experimentation, design, research) (Poumay and George, 2022). Cross-curricular SAÉs - which integrate languages into the realization of the SAÉ - facilitate the learning and use of language for specific or professional purposes in context. By proposing content related to the speciality, these situations are likely to engage students in foreign-language communication close to the realities of a professional context. The use of role-playing or serious games, often mentioned in SAÉs, encourages students to invest themselves fully in their learning. In so doing, they put into practice the “21st century competencies” or soft skills (communication, collaboration, creativity, autonomy...) (Lamri, 2018), sought after today by the companies that recruit our students.

The 44^th APLIUT Conference provides the opportunity for teachers and researchers to explore issues related to active pedagogies for languages for specific purposes (LSP). The first three themes below seek to explore the link between theory and practice. They could be an account of basic or applied research, a synthesis of existing research into the theories underlying active teaching methods, an epistemological reflection or a meta-analysis. 

Nevertheless, this year we would like to open up the conference to LSP teachers (non-researchers) to present a pedagogical practice that falls within the scope of active methods. This could involve didactic devices, teaching scenarios, resources used, examples of SAÉ, feedback from experience, in an IUT or teaching languages for specific, professional and academic purposes. The fourth theme below will thus have a purely pedagogical dimension.

Theme 1: Back to theory

• What are the underlying theories behind active teaching? 
• What do these theories have to offer in the field of LSP?
• How can they be applied to the learning of LSP? 

Theme 2: Putting it into practice 

• What pedagogical methods or approaches can be used to target the specific needs of learners of LSP?
• What skills can be developed in LSP using active teaching methods? 
• What support should be provided in SAÉs?

Theme 3: Thinking assessment 

• How can we assess learning based on active teaching methods?
• What performance or results can we expect from our learners, and how can we assess them?
• Are active teaching methods more effective for language learning? 

Theme 4: "Activating" languages for specific purposes

• This theme will focus on pedagogical practices with languages.
• Activities and resources should be based on active and/or innovative pedagogies within LSP classes.
• The speaker will present a session/sequence/activities that has been used, and will provide, if possible, lesson plans and teaching aids.

Selected bibliography

Bax, S. (2003). CALL — Past, present and future. System, 31(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00071-4

Conseil De l’Europe. (2001). Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues : apprendre, enseigner, évaluer. Didier.

Cosnefroy, L. & Jézégou, A. (2013). Les processus d’autorégulation collective et individuelle au cours d’un apprentissage par projet. Revue internationale de pédagogie de l’enseignement supérieur, 29(2) https://doi.org/10.4000/ripes.744

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligence. Basic Books.

George, S. (2001). Apprentissage collectif à distance, SPLACH : un environnement informatique support d’une pédagogie de projet. [Thèse de doctorat, Université du Maine].  https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/edutice-00000207/

Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning. Prentice-Hall.

Lamri, J. (2018). Les compétences du 21^e siècle. Dunod

Lave, J. et Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

Levain, J.-P. (2000). Apprentissage de schémas et résolution de problèmes. L’orientation scolaire et professionnelle, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.4000/osp.5816

Paivio, A., & Csapo, K. (1969). Concrete image and verbal memory codes. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 80(2, Pt.1), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0027273

Poumay, M. et F. Georges (2022). Comment mettre en œuvre une approche par compétences dans le supérieur ? De Boeck Supérieur.

van Lier, L. (2008). Agency in the classroom. In J. P. Lantolf et M. E. Poehner (dir.), Sociocultural theory and the teaching of second languages (p. 163‑186). Equinox.