Betsy Lavolette
About
aka Elizabeth, aka Kyosan Betsy Professor, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Kyoto Sangyo University https://betsylavolette.com/Sessions
Panel The Future of Language Teaching: What Still Matters (and Why) more
Against the backdrop of social changes, including fewer language majors, increasingly useful AI tools, and the popularity of language learning apps, what will language teaching look like in 5, 10, or 25 years? Four experts provide their predictions and advice from diverse perspectives. Betsy Lavolette predicts that extrinsic motivations, such as travel or work, will no longer drive enrollments. Rather, intrinsic motivations, which cannot be fulfilled by AI tools, will dominate, and our teaching should shift focus to accommodate this. Dennis Koyama argues that AI creates a new baseline for how the value of language learning is measured. Accordingly, assessments must make non-AI competencies visible, with an emphasis on critical thinking and creative rhetorical design, evidenced through communicative agency, mediation, and collaborative competence. Noriko Hanabusa reflects on the traditional role of teachers in the classroom and considers what language educators should focus on to coexist with AI. To promote autonomous learning, teachers should devote more time to designing individualized learning and providing personalized instruction. Bruno Vannieu argues that foreign language learning will stay relevant if we can help students feel that they are exercising their brains and experiencing how languages shape the way humans think.
Panel COIL in Japan and beyond: Current status and future directions more
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), defined by Rubin (2022) as a type of collaborative online exchange embedded in existing courses at educational institutions in different geographical regions, increased in popularity in Japan during the COVID19 pandemic as an alternative to study abroad programs. This panel of COIL practitioners and researchers focuses on the state of COIL in Japan and beyond, discussing how we can ensure COIL prevails as a sustainable pedagogical approach. The panelists share the principles underpinning their COIL projects and address the challenges they have encountered in adapting COIL to fit their contexts. Furthermore, they discuss benefits for COIL practitioners and students, and share best practices for COIL sustainability. Specifically, Oana Cusen provides the background to COIL in Japan and discusses the current challenges COIL faces. Elizabeth Lavolette shares warnings and encouragement based on her failures and successes. Mahboubeh Rakhshandehroo and Kristin Ziegner-Llewellin examine lessons learned from their three-year Japan-Germany COIL partnership. Finally, Matthew Claflin discusses working on the borders of COIL, while Keiji Fujimura introduces a different style of COIL project. The panel concludes with a moderated Q&A session, during which the audience is invited to share their COIL experiences as we consider future directions together.
