It's all about logbooks, dummy.

A paradigm for language teaching, with logbooks as the essential ingredient.

by Frank Lacey, teacher

I believe that the use of logbooks is central in foreign language (FL) teaching. The paradigm which I shall describe in this article is the result of three years of action research in my own classes under the supervision of my mentor Leni Dam[1]. I am convinced that successful language teaching must include six elements:

·   Communication

·   Democracy

·   Autonomy

·   Differentiation

·   Authenticity

·   Motivation

These six elements are unified by one important tool: a student logbook written in the target language.

Communication

Since the 80's it has generally been agreed that foreign language teaching should be based upon communicative strategies.

Much of the communication conducted in many language classrooms has, however, been inauthentic. The target language may well be spoken in the classroom, but often the students are answering questions to which the teacher or their partner knows the answer, or they are involved in artificial communication situations. That it is nevertheless possible to learn the target language is demonstrated by my own teaching practices over the past 20 years.

However, if we go back to basics and say that communication is essential, then we have to ensure that there is a communication gap. The student has to be in possession of knowledge which the teacher or the peer partner doesn't share, so that the student has something meaningful and important to communicate. This is the case in an autonomous class where student logbooks provide a convenient way of transmitting this knowledge. Students use their logbook to record (Leni Dam, Autonomy):

–  What are they doing?

–  Why are they doing it?

–  How are they doing it?

–  With what results are they doing it?

Only the student knows the answer to these questions, and the teacher and the peer students want to know the answers.

Democracy

A "simple" way of achieving authentic communication is to allow the students to work autonomously. If each student is working with his/her self chosen topic, the teacher, to fulfil his/her professional obligations, needs to engage in an active and enquiring dialogue with the student, to establish just what the student is doing and how much progress he/she is making.

Communication can only exist in an atmosphere of respect. The teacher has to see the student as an individual, capable of making choices about his/her learning. In other words, the communication has to be based on democratic principles. Funnily, even in so-called democratic nations, teaching scenarios often bear more resemblance to dictatorships than democratic forums. Logbooks allow students to give expression to their individuality.

Autonomy

If we believe in the individual's right to make decisions on his/her own behalf, we are obliged to allow students to work autonomously. Students working in an autonomous class are afforded the opportunity to invest in language learning as part of their identity. In the post modern hyper-complex society we are constantly redefining our identity. In the freedom of the autonomous class the student is allowed choose his/her own approach to the target language. The student is allowed to redefine his/her identity to include the target language and define him/herself as a global citizen.

Autonomy is not possible without the use of logbooks. Autonomy without logbooks (in which the student can document his/her learning) risks descending into anarchy, since the student and teacher would otherwise lose track of progress in the students' learning.

Differentiation

My own personal experience is that through autonomy I have been able to achieve a degree of differentiation way beyond anything I have known before. In the autonomous class the weak student is no longer exposed. He/she can now work with materials which are adapted to his or her level. The weak student no longer needs to be on the periphery of (or perhaps even excluded from) the learning experience but can now, like all other class members, work with his/her self chosen topics which allow him/her to achieve progress at a level or speed with which he/she can cope.

Authenticity

Authenticity is a term coined by the American psychologist Deci. People want to be the authors of their own actions. They want by nature to act authentically, in other words autonomously. Authenticity can only be achieved in a language classroom that allows for a very high degree of differentiation. Students can only be authentically present in the FL situation when the academic and personal differences between the students are not only allowed but even encouraged.

The students' use of logbooks in the language classroom allows them to achieve the authentic communication of which I spoke earlier. The students in the autonomous class are also freed from the constraints of more traditional classes where they are forced to play the role of language learner, following a script composed by the teacher. Autonomous students have the opportunity to express their learning aims authentically.

Motivation

Both Dörnyei and Ushioda claim that intrinsic motivation is founded upon the ability to choose. This is something an autonomous class provides. If the student is to move beyond choice motivation (a desire to learn something) to executive motivation (desire accompanied by the self-discipline required to learn something) it is essential that he/she feels in control. If this is not the case, he/she will be extrinsically motivated. The autonomous class allows the students to take responsibility for their learning and thus to achieve intrinsic motivation – a motivation which is a prerequisite to successful communication.

Conclusion

In an autonomous class, student logbooks provide a real and convenient way of transmitting knowledge. This genuine communication is only achieved in a democratic atmosphere, where logbooks allow students to give expression to their individuality. Autonomy allows individuals to grow in cooperation. A move from the teacher-centred classroom to autonomy opens up for unheard levels of differentiation, a differentiation which encourages authenticity. The students' subsequent use of logbooks in the language classroom allows them to achieve authentic communication to give expression to their ideas and to explain their learning projects. When students are authors of their own learning, they have a greater chance of achieving intrinsic motivation, and it is this which drives them to learn and to spend time recording and documenting their learning in their logbooks.

And thus, the circle closes. After three years of research in my own language classes, it is my belief that the paradigm for which I argue here is interdependent. No element can be removed without demolishing the paradigm. All elements are interdependent and unachievable without each other. And central in the paradigm is the use of student logbooks.

Frank Lacey

Copenhagen 28 October 2007

Bibliography

Dam, L. (1995a) Autonomy from Theory to Classroom Practice. Dublin: Authentik.

Dam, L. (2003) "Developing Learner Autonomy: the Teacher's Responsibility". In Little, D., Ridley, J., Ushioda, E. (eds.)". In Learner Autonomy in the Foreign Language. Classroom Teacher, Learner, Curriculum and Assessment. Dublin: Authentik.

Dam, L. (2004b) "Logbøger og elevmapper i sprogundervisning". In Sprogforum No. 3. Copenhagen, pp.44-50.

Deci, E. (1995) Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation (the Dynamics of Personal Autonomy). London: Penguin Books.

Dörnyei, Z. (2001b) Teaching and Researching Motivation. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Dörnyei, Z. (2003) Questionnaires in second language research. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Publishers, pp.36-39 and 96-136.

Ushioda, E. (1996) The Role of Motivation. Dublin: Authentik.

Rasmussen, J. (1997, 2.udgave) Socialisering og læring i det refleksivt moderne. Copenhagen: Unge Pædagoger.

Little, D., Ridley, J., Ushioda, E. (eds.) (2003) Learner Autonomy in the Foreign Language Classroom. Dublin: Authentik.

Ushioda, E. (2006b) "Language Motivation in a Reconfigured Europe: Access, Identity, Autonomy". In Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development Vol. 27(2). St. Francis Xavier University, Canada, pp.148-161.

Ushioda, E. (forthcoming) "Motivation, Autonomy and Socio-cultural Theory". In Benson, P. (ed) Learner Autonomy: Teacher and Learner Perspectives. Dublin: Authentik.

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[1]  Leni Dam is perhaps the founder of autonomy in FL in Denmark and is internationally renowned for her work on autonomy in language teaching.