Agile Kommunikationskompetenz: Herausforderungen und Loesungsansaetze fuer den Fremdsprachenunterricht an Hochschulen durch Interaktion in neuen Medien. [Agile communicative competence: Challenges and solutions for foreign language teaching in higher education via interaction in new media]
This article examines the discursive construction of social presence and identity in a bilingual ... more This article examines the discursive construction of social presence and identity in a bilingual collaboration between tertiary distance learners of German in New Zealand and Academic English students in Germany. Drawing on positioning theory, this small-scale study investigated the collaborative practices of a group of students, whose synchronous online interactions were analyzed for manifestations of social presence and discursive strategies to project or resist identity positions through bilingual means. The findings showed the enactment of a 'work & play' identity, where formal monolingual discourse patterns alternated with playful and creative uses of humour and translanguaging strategies. The learners developed a rich interactional structure supported through multiple layers of cohesive ties which helped build a productive learning community embedded in social interaction and facilitated by social presence. 'shared space and a sense community-centred identity and belonging' (Darhower, 2008, p. 86). Learning communities tend to be emergent and come into existence through active construction, rather than enculturation into an existing community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). As a catalyst for interaction and participation, social presence is of critical importance for successful online collaboration, community building and learning. Interactions with
Spanish in the Antipodes : diversity and hybridity of Latino/a Spanish speakers in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand
The Antipodes is a way of referring to Australia and New Zealand mainly from a northern hemispher... more The Antipodes is a way of referring to Australia and New Zealand mainly from a northern hemisphere perspective. It is commonly used by North Americans and Northern Europeans to refer to Australasia and the South Pacific. As authors we are mindful of the term representing an “outsider” lens, not commonly used by Australians or New Zealanders themselves. Its adoption here aims to reposition the notion of antipodean to de-emphasize the idea of a centre/periphery relationship and, instead, underscore the meaning of a southern “counterpart”, a region with its own voices, identities and practices. Although relatively minor in terms of speaker numbers, antipodean Spanish-speaking communities maintain richly diverse cultural and linguistic practices and, importantly, in geographical isolation from the northern hemisphere and its sociolinguistic landscapes
Translanguaging: Affordances for collaborative language learning
New Zealand studies in applied linguistics, 2018
Globalisation, digital technologies and mobile learning have created unprecedented opportunities ... more Globalisation, digital technologies and mobile learning have created unprecedented opportunities for language learning across space and time, while various 'turns' in applied linguistics are impacting on traditional conceptualisations of language and language learning. The emergence of bi/multilingual perspectives in particular has led to a re-evaluation of dynamic and hybrid language practices in educational settings, resulting in new explanatory concepts such as translanguaging and calling into question monolingual underpinnings of language scholarship and practice. In the light of shifting thinking about language learners as emergent bi/multilinguals, what are the affordances of translingual language practices? Drawing on affordance theory and Galley et al.'s (2014) community indicator framework, this article presents a small case study of bilingual learners (English/German) in an international online exchange. An examination of translanguaging patterns in the learner...
Bilingualism in German-born immigrant children in New Zealand : a case study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. in Second Language Teaching at Massey University
Oh, du lieber augustin, alles 1st hin: but let's not lose the language!
In New Zealand, we often distinguish between community languages and foreign languages. But what ... more In New Zealand, we often distinguish between community languages and foreign languages. But what is a foreign language to one child may be a community language to another and a heritage to a third. The Deutsche Kinderklasse, the German language Saturday school in Palmerston North, was started as an initiative supported by the local branch of the Goethe Society. The society had already offered German language evening classes to adults. The author is the teacher and co-ordinator of these but became aware of a need for German beyond that for foreign and second language learning. With inquiries for children's classes increasing from families who had emigrated to New Zealand and were looking for a way to assist their children in keeping their first language, a new approach was needed to cater for those first language needs. This article describes the nature of these classes as well as problems encountered and progress made. It is hoped that the practical classroom applications descri...
This paper discusses the potential of blogs for bilingual adult migrants to appropriate new socia... more This paper discusses the potential of blogs for bilingual adult migrants to appropriate new social spaces, develop multiple literacies and (re)construct bilingual identities. It does so against a broader context of significant conceptual shifts: (1) the emergence of more equitable and empowering pedagogies where learning is conceptualised in the context of identity, language and literacy (Norton and Toohey 2004; Mantero 2007); (2) the reconceptualisation of new literacies/multiliteracies (multimodal and increasingly online) as rooted in social practice (Gee 2002; Coiro et al 2008); and (3) construction, presentation and communication of knowledge increasingly mediated through web-based media, resulting in redefined notions of text and authorship and presenting new opportunities for digital self-presentation. Positioning theory (Davies and Harre 1990; Pavlenko and Blackledge 2004) provides an explanatory framework for instances of identity construction through bilingual means in pers...
Migration entails adjustment and change, a process crystal l ized in the way language use pattern... more Migration entails adjustment and change, a process crystal l ized in the way language use patterns, proficiencies and identifications change. Although migrants are often bil multilingual, their language proficiency tends to be associated with fluency in the host language. S uch a monolingual approach is fundamentally at odds with the ethnolinguistic diversity in migration contexts and has prevented a more holistic approach to the dynamic realities of bilmultilinguals. It has also perpetuated a view of linguistic proficiency as technical skill, judged according to idealized monolingual norms. Little is known of speakers' own notions of proficiency in their existing migrant languages (ML) and the impact on their social psychological makeup as their linguistic repertoire undergoes changes in use, function and status. This research investigated proficiency as a matter of conceptualization through its users, including its role for migrants' continued sense of self in the face of...
Agile Kommunikationskompetenz: Herausforderungen und Loesungsansaetze fuer den Fremdsprachenunterricht an Hochschulen durch Interaktion in neuen Medien
From target language to translingual capabilities. Harnessing plurilingual repertoires for language learning and teaching
Language Education and Multilingualism – The Langscape Journal, 2021
Language teaching in the 21st century has undergone a rapid transformation, marked not only by th... more Language teaching in the 21st century has undergone a rapid transformation, marked not only by the impact of digital technology, but also by shifting ideas about language learning and the nature of language. Drawing on a case study of a New Zealand/German bilingual online exchange (telecollaboration), this paper introduces two teachers’ attempts to create new and authentic learning opportunities aimed to accommodate the curricular demands for the two ‘target’ languages German and English, along with a broader objective to foster plurilingual proficiencies. The idea of language learning as achieving “a monolingual-like command of an additional language” (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) may not serve the needs of contemporary learners, who are increasingly faced with fluid language practices, particularly in online encounters. This view is evident in the increasing recognition of language acquisition as a process of becoming bi/multilingual and, importantly, of learners’ plurilingual repertoires as a resource, rather than deficit (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). The case presented here exemplifies how plurilingual practices can be facilitated and help leverage learner community building.
Sprachunterricht im 21sten Jahrhundert hat rapide Veränderungen durchgemacht, was sich nicht nur im Einfluss digitaler Technologien äußert, sondern auch durch ein sich änderndes Verständnis von Spracherwerb und Sprache. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert eine Fallstudie eines neuseeländisch-deutschen bilingualen Austauschs online (Telekollaboration) und schildert die Bemühungen zweier Lehrkräfte, neuartige and authentische Lernanlässe zu schaffen, um die Erreichung der Lernziele for die Zielsprachen Deutsch und English zu unterstützen sowie plurilinguale Kompetenzen zu fördern. Heutzutage treffen Sprachlernende zunehmend auf fluiden Sprachgebrauch, besonders in Begegnungen online, wobei die Vorstellung vom Spracherwerb als „monolinguale Beherrschung einer zusätzlichen Sprache“ (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) den heutigen Bedürfnissen von Sprachlernern nicht dienen mag. Spracherwerb wird zunehmend als Prozess der Zwei- bzw. Mehrsprachigkeitsentwicklung betrachtet, und damit einhergehend die Anerkennung von bilingualen Repertoires als sprachliche Resource statt Defizit verstanden (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). Die dargestellte Fallstudie veranschaulicht wie plurilinguale Praktiken ermöglicht werden und die Entstehung einer Lerngemeinschaft fördern.
The paper explores the discursive construction of social presence in an international online coll... more The paper explores the discursive construction of social presence in an international online collaboration of distributed language learners from different cultural, institutional and linguistic backgrounds. It utilizes and extends Galley et al.’s (2014) ‘community indicators’ as an explanatory framework relatively new to the second language acquisition context. Tentative findings from this research in progress highlight the prominent role of discursively constructed social presence as a building block in constructing and maintaining cohesive social ties. It is argued that collaborative floor and playful conduct are key contributors to cohesion and the development of community.
Agile Kommunikationskompetenz: Herausforderungen und Loesungsansaetze fuer den Fremdsprachenunterricht an Hochschulen durch Interaktion in neuen Medien. [Agile communicative competence: Challenges and solutions for foreign language teaching in higher education via interaction in new media]
This article examines the discursive construction of social presence and identity in a bilingual ... more This article examines the discursive construction of social presence and identity in a bilingual collaboration between tertiary distance learners of German in New Zealand and Academic English students in Germany. Drawing on positioning theory, this small-scale study investigated the collaborative practices of a group of students, whose synchronous online interactions were analyzed for manifestations of social presence and discursive strategies to project or resist identity positions through bilingual means. The findings showed the enactment of a 'work & play' identity, where formal monolingual discourse patterns alternated with playful and creative uses of humour and translanguaging strategies. The learners developed a rich interactional structure supported through multiple layers of cohesive ties which helped build a productive learning community embedded in social interaction and facilitated by social presence. 'shared space and a sense community-centred identity and belonging' (Darhower, 2008, p. 86). Learning communities tend to be emergent and come into existence through active construction, rather than enculturation into an existing community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). As a catalyst for interaction and participation, social presence is of critical importance for successful online collaboration, community building and learning. Interactions with
Spanish in the Antipodes : diversity and hybridity of Latino/a Spanish speakers in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand
The Antipodes is a way of referring to Australia and New Zealand mainly from a northern hemispher... more The Antipodes is a way of referring to Australia and New Zealand mainly from a northern hemisphere perspective. It is commonly used by North Americans and Northern Europeans to refer to Australasia and the South Pacific. As authors we are mindful of the term representing an “outsider” lens, not commonly used by Australians or New Zealanders themselves. Its adoption here aims to reposition the notion of antipodean to de-emphasize the idea of a centre/periphery relationship and, instead, underscore the meaning of a southern “counterpart”, a region with its own voices, identities and practices. Although relatively minor in terms of speaker numbers, antipodean Spanish-speaking communities maintain richly diverse cultural and linguistic practices and, importantly, in geographical isolation from the northern hemisphere and its sociolinguistic landscapes
Translanguaging: Affordances for collaborative language learning
New Zealand studies in applied linguistics, 2018
Globalisation, digital technologies and mobile learning have created unprecedented opportunities ... more Globalisation, digital technologies and mobile learning have created unprecedented opportunities for language learning across space and time, while various 'turns' in applied linguistics are impacting on traditional conceptualisations of language and language learning. The emergence of bi/multilingual perspectives in particular has led to a re-evaluation of dynamic and hybrid language practices in educational settings, resulting in new explanatory concepts such as translanguaging and calling into question monolingual underpinnings of language scholarship and practice. In the light of shifting thinking about language learners as emergent bi/multilinguals, what are the affordances of translingual language practices? Drawing on affordance theory and Galley et al.'s (2014) community indicator framework, this article presents a small case study of bilingual learners (English/German) in an international online exchange. An examination of translanguaging patterns in the learner...
Bilingualism in German-born immigrant children in New Zealand : a case study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. in Second Language Teaching at Massey University
Oh, du lieber augustin, alles 1st hin: but let's not lose the language!
In New Zealand, we often distinguish between community languages and foreign languages. But what ... more In New Zealand, we often distinguish between community languages and foreign languages. But what is a foreign language to one child may be a community language to another and a heritage to a third. The Deutsche Kinderklasse, the German language Saturday school in Palmerston North, was started as an initiative supported by the local branch of the Goethe Society. The society had already offered German language evening classes to adults. The author is the teacher and co-ordinator of these but became aware of a need for German beyond that for foreign and second language learning. With inquiries for children's classes increasing from families who had emigrated to New Zealand and were looking for a way to assist their children in keeping their first language, a new approach was needed to cater for those first language needs. This article describes the nature of these classes as well as problems encountered and progress made. It is hoped that the practical classroom applications descri...
This paper discusses the potential of blogs for bilingual adult migrants to appropriate new socia... more This paper discusses the potential of blogs for bilingual adult migrants to appropriate new social spaces, develop multiple literacies and (re)construct bilingual identities. It does so against a broader context of significant conceptual shifts: (1) the emergence of more equitable and empowering pedagogies where learning is conceptualised in the context of identity, language and literacy (Norton and Toohey 2004; Mantero 2007); (2) the reconceptualisation of new literacies/multiliteracies (multimodal and increasingly online) as rooted in social practice (Gee 2002; Coiro et al 2008); and (3) construction, presentation and communication of knowledge increasingly mediated through web-based media, resulting in redefined notions of text and authorship and presenting new opportunities for digital self-presentation. Positioning theory (Davies and Harre 1990; Pavlenko and Blackledge 2004) provides an explanatory framework for instances of identity construction through bilingual means in pers...
Migration entails adjustment and change, a process crystal l ized in the way language use pattern... more Migration entails adjustment and change, a process crystal l ized in the way language use patterns, proficiencies and identifications change. Although migrants are often bil multilingual, their language proficiency tends to be associated with fluency in the host language. S uch a monolingual approach is fundamentally at odds with the ethnolinguistic diversity in migration contexts and has prevented a more holistic approach to the dynamic realities of bilmultilinguals. It has also perpetuated a view of linguistic proficiency as technical skill, judged according to idealized monolingual norms. Little is known of speakers' own notions of proficiency in their existing migrant languages (ML) and the impact on their social psychological makeup as their linguistic repertoire undergoes changes in use, function and status. This research investigated proficiency as a matter of conceptualization through its users, including its role for migrants' continued sense of self in the face of...
Agile Kommunikationskompetenz: Herausforderungen und Loesungsansaetze fuer den Fremdsprachenunterricht an Hochschulen durch Interaktion in neuen Medien
From target language to translingual capabilities. Harnessing plurilingual repertoires for language learning and teaching
Language Education and Multilingualism – The Langscape Journal, 2021
Language teaching in the 21st century has undergone a rapid transformation, marked not only by th... more Language teaching in the 21st century has undergone a rapid transformation, marked not only by the impact of digital technology, but also by shifting ideas about language learning and the nature of language. Drawing on a case study of a New Zealand/German bilingual online exchange (telecollaboration), this paper introduces two teachers’ attempts to create new and authentic learning opportunities aimed to accommodate the curricular demands for the two ‘target’ languages German and English, along with a broader objective to foster plurilingual proficiencies. The idea of language learning as achieving “a monolingual-like command of an additional language” (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) may not serve the needs of contemporary learners, who are increasingly faced with fluid language practices, particularly in online encounters. This view is evident in the increasing recognition of language acquisition as a process of becoming bi/multilingual and, importantly, of learners’ plurilingual repertoires as a resource, rather than deficit (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). The case presented here exemplifies how plurilingual practices can be facilitated and help leverage learner community building.
Sprachunterricht im 21sten Jahrhundert hat rapide Veränderungen durchgemacht, was sich nicht nur im Einfluss digitaler Technologien äußert, sondern auch durch ein sich änderndes Verständnis von Spracherwerb und Sprache. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert eine Fallstudie eines neuseeländisch-deutschen bilingualen Austauschs online (Telekollaboration) und schildert die Bemühungen zweier Lehrkräfte, neuartige and authentische Lernanlässe zu schaffen, um die Erreichung der Lernziele for die Zielsprachen Deutsch und English zu unterstützen sowie plurilinguale Kompetenzen zu fördern. Heutzutage treffen Sprachlernende zunehmend auf fluiden Sprachgebrauch, besonders in Begegnungen online, wobei die Vorstellung vom Spracherwerb als „monolinguale Beherrschung einer zusätzlichen Sprache“ (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) den heutigen Bedürfnissen von Sprachlernern nicht dienen mag. Spracherwerb wird zunehmend als Prozess der Zwei- bzw. Mehrsprachigkeitsentwicklung betrachtet, und damit einhergehend die Anerkennung von bilingualen Repertoires als sprachliche Resource statt Defizit verstanden (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). Die dargestellte Fallstudie veranschaulicht wie plurilinguale Praktiken ermöglicht werden und die Entstehung einer Lerngemeinschaft fördern.
The paper explores the discursive construction of social presence in an international online coll... more The paper explores the discursive construction of social presence in an international online collaboration of distributed language learners from different cultural, institutional and linguistic backgrounds. It utilizes and extends Galley et al.’s (2014) ‘community indicators’ as an explanatory framework relatively new to the second language acquisition context. Tentative findings from this research in progress highlight the prominent role of discursively constructed social presence as a building block in constructing and maintaining cohesive social ties. It is argued that collaborative floor and playful conduct are key contributors to cohesion and the development of community.
Linguistic Diversity as a Bridge to Adjustment: Making the Case for Bi/Multilingualism as a Settlement Outcome in New Zealand. (2011). In C. Hélot and M. Ó Laoire (eds.) Language Policy for the Multilingual Classroom Pedagogy of the Possible.
Immigration to New Zealand has been a major contributor to the country’s cultural and linguistic ... more Immigration to New Zealand has been a major contributor to the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity. Yet, with three quarters of the population speaking English as their only language, New Zealand remains a predominantly English-monolingual society. The dominance of English is also reflected in New Zealand’s settlement policy, which aims to enhance socio-economic integration and participation through improved English language proficiency among migrants. While this is an important goal, it also highlights a disparity between the official discourse of diversity and what is essentially a monolingual approach to settlement, which tends to overlook migrants’ bi/multilingual needs in the settlement process. This chapter explores the case for linguistic diversity as a strategic settlement outcome, based on empirical data which illustrate the importance of migrants’ languages (ML; those other than English) in the construction of a bi/multilingual sense of self, which affords continuity and belonging at a time of change.
The role of community in preserving Spanish in New Zealand: a Latin American perspective. (2011). In K. Potowski & J.Rothman (eds.) Bilingual youth: Spanish in English-speaking societies. John Benjamins (pp. 331-354).
Over the last two decades, immigration to New Zealand has resulted in increasing cultural and lin... more Over the last two decades, immigration to New Zealand has resulted in increasing cultural and linguistic diversity. Despite New Zealand’s diverse ethnolinguistic makeup, the country remains a predominantly English-speaking society, where 74% of the population speak English only (Statistics New Zealand 2007b). Spanish is one of the lesser spoken minority languages in New Zealand, and among its 4.2 million people fewer than 6000 were born in Latin America (Statistics New Zealand 2007a). The small size of the local hispanophone speech community and the lack of an overall language policy or consistent support for ethnic languages present difficult conditions for maintaining Spanish intergenerationally. This chapter introduces a case study of three Latin American families’ efforts to respond to this challenge and to carve out a space for Spanish in an English-dominant context. The study suggests a key role for the Latin American community in providing opportunities for shared linguistic practices and affording a sense of continuity, belonging and identity.
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Papers by Ute Walker
Sprachunterricht im 21sten Jahrhundert hat rapide Veränderungen durchgemacht, was sich nicht nur im Einfluss digitaler Technologien äußert, sondern auch durch ein sich änderndes Verständnis von Spracherwerb und Sprache. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert eine Fallstudie eines neuseeländisch-deutschen bilingualen Austauschs online (Telekollaboration) und schildert die Bemühungen zweier Lehrkräfte, neuartige and authentische Lernanlässe zu schaffen, um die Erreichung der Lernziele for die Zielsprachen Deutsch und English zu unterstützen sowie plurilinguale Kompetenzen zu fördern. Heutzutage treffen Sprachlernende zunehmend auf fluiden Sprachgebrauch, besonders in Begegnungen online, wobei die Vorstellung vom Spracherwerb als „monolinguale Beherrschung einer zusätzlichen Sprache“ (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) den heutigen Bedürfnissen von Sprachlernern nicht dienen mag. Spracherwerb wird zunehmend als Prozess der Zwei- bzw. Mehrsprachigkeitsentwicklung betrachtet, und damit einhergehend die Anerkennung von bilingualen Repertoires als sprachliche Resource statt Defizit verstanden (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). Die dargestellte Fallstudie veranschaulicht wie plurilinguale Praktiken ermöglicht werden und die Entstehung einer Lerngemeinschaft fördern.
Sprachunterricht im 21sten Jahrhundert hat rapide Veränderungen durchgemacht, was sich nicht nur im Einfluss digitaler Technologien äußert, sondern auch durch ein sich änderndes Verständnis von Spracherwerb und Sprache. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert eine Fallstudie eines neuseeländisch-deutschen bilingualen Austauschs online (Telekollaboration) und schildert die Bemühungen zweier Lehrkräfte, neuartige and authentische Lernanlässe zu schaffen, um die Erreichung der Lernziele for die Zielsprachen Deutsch und English zu unterstützen sowie plurilinguale Kompetenzen zu fördern. Heutzutage treffen Sprachlernende zunehmend auf fluiden Sprachgebrauch, besonders in Begegnungen online, wobei die Vorstellung vom Spracherwerb als „monolinguale Beherrschung einer zusätzlichen Sprache“ (Ortega, 2009, p. 5) den heutigen Bedürfnissen von Sprachlernern nicht dienen mag. Spracherwerb wird zunehmend als Prozess der Zwei- bzw. Mehrsprachigkeitsentwicklung betrachtet, und damit einhergehend die Anerkennung von bilingualen Repertoires als sprachliche Resource statt Defizit verstanden (Narcy-Combes et al., 2019). Die dargestellte Fallstudie veranschaulicht wie plurilinguale Praktiken ermöglicht werden und die Entstehung einer Lerngemeinschaft fördern.