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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Clare Hooper, Dr Anne Preston, Dr Madeline Balaam, Professor Paul SeedhouseORCiD, Dan Jackson, Cuong Pham, Dr Cassim Ladha, Dr Thomas Ploetz, Professor Patrick OlivierORCiD
Ubiquitous computing technologies have traditionally striven to augment objects and the environment with sensing capabilities to enable them to respond appropriately to the needs of the individuals in the environment. This paper considers how such technologies might be harnessed to support language learning, and specifically Task-Based Learning (TBL). Task-Based Learning (TBL) involves doing meaningful tasks in a foreign language, emphasising the language’s use in practice. TBL is seen as a highly engaging and motivating approach to learning a language, but is difficult to do in the classroom. Here, learners typically engage in activities that only simulate ‘real-world’ tasks, and as such only rehearse language use, rather than applying the language in practice. In this paper, we explore how an instrumented, context-aware environment whose design is grounded in pedagogical principles can support TBL. We present the French Kitchen, an instrumented kitchen for English speakers who are learning French, and describe a 46-participant evaluation of the kitchen. Based on the evaluation, we provide a set of design recommendations for those building instrumented systems for TBL.
Author(s): Hooper C, Preston A, Balaam M, Seedhouse P, Jackson D, Pham C, Ladha C, Ladha K, Ploetz T, Olivier P
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp)
Year of Conference: 2012
Pages: 193-202
Date deposited: 17/10/2012
ISSN: 9781450312240
Publisher: ACM
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2370216.2370246
DOI: 10.1145/2370216.2370246
