Learning Histories to YouTube: Learners' Lives as Curriculum. Issue 2 (21st May 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Murphey, Tim
• Is Part Of: TESOL journal. Volume 4:Issue 2(2013:Jun.)
• Page Start: 370
• Page End: 381
• Publication Date: 2013-05-21
• Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Periodicals; 428.007
• DOI: 10.1002/tesj.79
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1056-7941

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en" id="tesj79-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>The article describes the agentive development of a group of first‐year Japanese university students. They first individually wrote their language learning histories to grasp what they had been through in their junior and senior high school English education. They then analyzed the histories in small groups, discussing what motivated and demotivated each person, what students and teachers might learn from their experiences, and what the Ministry of Education (Monbusho) might do to support their learning more. The small groups wrote reports and sent their findings to the Ministry of Education at the end of the year along with a 3‐min YouTube video of the major findings. Their reports concluded that Japanese students endure too much test‐focused grammar and lectures in their junior and senior high school education and would prefer to learn more from a more orally interactive curriculum with complementary teaching methods. This agency‐inviting process that the students progressed through is similar to Weinstein's (<xref ref-type="link" rid="tesj79-bib-0015">2006</xref>) conception of "learners' lives as curriculum, " echoing Freire's (<xref ref-type="link" rid="tesj79-bib-0003">1970</xref>) and Dewey's (1938/1963) participatory and experiential learning and community involvement, which invites and encourages more agency from students.</p> </abstract>