How to apply the deep approach of foreign languages and cultures to teaching Vietnamese

These elements are key to active participation, capacity building and accountability within learning communities. This article provides the storyline of an experience in the creation of online resources within a Deep Approach to Turkish language and culture; it illustrates processes that could be used to create similar resources for Vietnamese.

ÁP DỤNG HƯỚNG TIẾP CẬN CHUYÊN SÂU

VỀ NGOẠI NGỮ VÀ VĂN HÓA TRONG GIẢNG DẠY TIẾNG VIỆT

François Victor TOCHON, Isabelle C Druc-Tochon

Trường Đại học Wisconsin - Madison, Hoa Kỳ

bền vững và ñòi hỏi một phong cách giảng dạy khác

biệt Một số nhà nghiên cứu ñã tiến hành khảo sát việc

chuyển ñổi từ khái niệm chuyên sâu về học tập theo

hướng tiếp cận chuyên sâu sang việc giảng dạy và học

tập ngôn ngữ (Tochon & Hanson, 2003; Tochon,

Ökten, Karaman & Druc, 2008; Tochon, 2014) Đào tạo

chuyên sâu ñòi hỏi phải duy trì việc tự học Học tập có

tính chất quan trọng ñối với việc hiểu biết sâu sắc; hệ

thống học tập chuyên sâu cần trải rộng xuyên suốt các

lĩnh vực chuyên ngành; học tập chuyên sâu cung cấp

năng lượng và không vắt kiệt sức lực của giáo viên, nó

không gây hại cho môi trường; chất lượng của phương

pháp này liên quan ñến sự ña dạng nhiều hơn là các

hình thức biểu ñạt chuẩn; giảng dạy chuyên sâu tôn

vinh quá khứ và phát triển trí tuệ cho tương lai Những

yếu tố này ñóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc ñạt ñược

sự tham gia chủ ñộng, nâng cao năng lực và trách

nhiệm giải trình trong các cộng ñồng học tập Báo cáo

này cung cấp kinh nghiệm trong việc xây dựng các

nguồn lực trực tuyến theo hướng tiếp cận chuyên sâu

ñối với ngôn ngữ và văn hóa Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ; các quá trình

có thể ñược sử dụng trong việc tạo ra các nguồn lực

tương tự cho Việt Nam cũng sẽ ñược minh họa

Abstract: Deep learning is sustainable and requires

a different style of teaching Some researchers have started working on the transfer from a deep conception

of learning towards a Deep Approach to language teaching and learning (Tochon & Hanson, 2003; Tochon, Ökten, Karaman & Druc, 2008; Tochon, 2014) Deep education requires self-sustainable learning Learning has to matter for deep understanding to happen; the deep learning system must spread across disciplinary domains; deep learning is energizing and doesn’t burn out teachers, it doesn’t harm the environment; quality is linked to variety rather than standardized forms of expression; deep teaching honors the past and develops wisdom for the future These elements are key to active participation, capacity building and accountability within learning communities This article provides the storyline of an experience in the creation of online resources within a Deep Approach to Turkish language and culture; it illustrates processes that could be used to create similar resources for Vietnamese.

HOW TO APPLY THE DEEP APPROACH

OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

TO TEACHING VIETNAMESE The challenge of creating a curriculum for a

Deep Approach to the language

What can depth in language teaching mean?

Within the current academic structures, when

asked what could be deeper in their teaching,

language instructors express various clues such as

extensive readings of short novels, work on video

tele-novellas, field trips and video correspondence,

but they do not have a solid framework that would

legitimate new forms of deep practices When we ask teachers what could be deeper, they recognize that slicing contents through grammar topics and exercises does not lead to a sense of deep learning and situated proficiency, and the communicative approach as well seems insufficient to stimulate deep learning

Teaching methods have been compelling in making teachers believe that they could apply certain methods to reach certain goals, and the

framework was supposed to be neutral Specifying

goals for schools and for classroom learning

implies value choices Evaluating results is all

about valuing certain tasks and devaluing others

Many teachers have become ‘instrumentalists’ in

the sense that they never question the underlying

framework for the methods they enact They just

have to apply the ‘right’ methods to reach the

‘right’ results, they are told Nobody questions the

philosophy behind assessments However,

restricting the motives of action to technical

rationality is unrooted thinking, which may have

problematic side-effects Instruments, methods,

strategies do not suffice to reach higher humane

goals Philosophy and theoretical wisdom must

guide reflective practice, and only then should we

start thinking about what instruments might be

appropriate

Depth is not an absolute, it describes an

orientation that contrasts with existing practices in

the world language area Often while visiting

language classes one can witness a series of short

slices of activities, for example sequenced on the

principle of Overview-Prime-Drill-Check (Knopp,

1980), which keeps students alert on the principle

that, if they are not constantly stimulated by

frequent and careful feedback loops, they will lose

the necessary focus The whole system is based on

extrinsic motivation

The motivation, needs, and learning reflections

of students must be part of the learning process

This is a challenge for instructional designers

because most designer models try to predict every

learning step Advanced learning—whether

individualized or group project–based—cannot be

really predicted by instructional materials; an open

pedagogy model must be proposed This is the key

challenge that most instructional materials must

face: the best structured materials may imprison

learners’ autonomy and motivation The

instructional materials must be planned so that

many pathways are open to diverging ways of

using the materials in real classroom situations

We need to go from a performance orientation to

one emphasizing situated competencies The linguafolio logic is consistent with an open learning approach, as is the use of film Film can

be watched, reviewed, and reflected upon individually or in a group, at a distance or on-site

It can be accompanied by questions, or it can support project-based learning This approach offers a valuable alternative to currently available language materials, which often seem deprived of creativity and do not make use of the potential for individualized learning

In the project described in this article, we worked on a framework that facilitates the former kind of deep learning and orientation; and tried our best to materialize it into instructional materials that would permit a totally new approach to language teaching and learning Right from the start, it is important to distinguish the approach from the instructional materials A teacher who cannot conceptualize a more meaningful “deep” approach to language learning, and who has not been trained in the Deep Approach may not use the instructional materials

we propose in a way conducive to deep learning

A teacher who can conceptualize such a more meaningful “deep” approach to language learning, approaches teaching from a deep philosophical perspective focusing on the process rather than the outcome, and who has been trained in the Deep Approach may/will use the instructional materials we propose in a way conducive to deep learning

This article follows the four-year IRIS Title VI research and development of new ways of stimulating deep learning in a less-commonly-taught language and culture (Tochon, Ökten, Karaman, & Druc, 2012) It describes the creation, study, implementation and impacts, within the project, of instructional materials that take a

“Deep Approach” to language acquisition Ours is

an immersive, learner-centered, technology-rich, and project-based approach designed for institutions of higher education in the U.S and elsewhere that offer programs in language and culture, cultural studies, and international studies

Overview of the Theory Behind The Deep

Approach

Deep understanding characterizes deep

learning (Akbar Hessami & Sillitoe, 1990) The

concept of a deep approach emerged from

phenomenographic studies in higher education, to

define a deeper way of reading texts for learning

(Ramsden, 1992) Atherton (2005) contrasted

deep and surface approaches in terms of

meaningfulness The deep approach is

significantly related to an intention to understand

deeply The focus is on what is signified and the

arguments proposed, with a linking process to

prior information and to everyday experience

(Morgan, 1993) Deep processing involves a

reconceptualization of reality through a linking

process with prior experience and a form of

identity-building discussion with the self that is

increased in a team (Bradford, 2001) In contrast,

surface learning is task-oriented and based on

extrinsic motivation Deep learning defines a

situation in which the teacher is not the only source

of inspiration and knowledge (Rhem, 1995)

Researchers have started working on the

transfer from a deep conception of learning to a

deep approach to teaching One such transfer has

been made under the label of sustainable

education (Warburton, 2003) Sustainable

development is transdisciplinary and requires a

reflective approach that characterizes

transformative education in contrast to

transmissive education Traditional transmissive

education is instrumental; its linear,

information-focused training is oriented to products and based

on facts and skills In contrast, transformative

education is about concepts and capacity building;

it is intrinsically motivated and constructive, and

grounded in relevant knowledge for local

ownership Being process-oriented, it involves

iterative and responsive world-view reframing

(Sterling, 2001) It promotes group work on

real-life situations and real-world problems

Existing online instructional resources for most

less-commonly taught languages, while providing

some interactive exercises and limited authentic linguistic contexts, often lack coherence and the kind of fully interactive approach that facilitates mediation of learners’ language construction This was the attempt here Among the technologies used are streaming videos and multimedia, PowerPoints, and the integration of current technologies into instructional modules, such as glogs, blogs, chats, forum, etc The article is the story of the integration of authentic Internet-based materials into less-commonly taught language courses, on the basis of experimentations associated with a forum among instructors, Skype conversations and interviews, and classroom experiences The online resources proposed to the students were scaffolds to help them create their own projects

Heilman and Stout (2005) indicate possible stages that can help language instructors get a sense of structure and stimulate the creation of educative projects among their students: (a) Generate ideas together and outline a project – what groups will be formed, what will be the role

of each one? Teachers should not accept projects’ duplication (b) Groups need to visualize their anticipated projects and prepare possible scenarios (c) Internet search, multimedia exploration and strategic skimming of data; inquiry and summary writing For interviews: practice among peers contact, warming up, interviewing and closing, before the actual experience (c) Refining projects for the report phase; preparing and rehearsing presentations (e) Presenting the individual, peer

or group projects, which can be done using various media; self- and peer-assessment as preps for instructional assessment (f) Post-active reflection on the work done; students should reflect on what they learned, the amount of use of the target language, and the strategies that could have improved their action

In-depth projects should have a focus, a pivot

or a major inquiry question The end concept should be clarified through negotiation, with a critical discussion on the possibilities and the best

strategies for the optimal result It requires

listening skills and clear communication of the

perceptions related to the project, its contents, and

the way it will be publicized The rationale for

action should be clear to everyone before starting

Quality is the goal Students are

curriculum-builders: they have choice, decision-making, and

voice Projects lead to creation, action, and

experience: there is thus a transdisciplinary

principle Project-based apprenticeship enhances

the quality of student learning compared to other

approaches; it affects positively problem solving

and decision-making capacities (Thomas, 2000)

Projects tend to reduce learners’ anxiety and

emulate positive attitudes toward the discipline

Principles Adopted to Create "Deep"

Instructional Material

Trying to create instructional materials based

on the principle that the student is the curriculum

builder and determines his or her own progression

(or Zone of Proximal Development) may sound

like a catch-22 situation How can we anticipate

what cannot be anticipated? Then came the idea of

templates: providing templates to students, and list

of themes, with possible tasks that they could

gather into projects like a Lego game Obviously

the analogy was much too structuralist, yet there

was an innovative concept here: that we could

inspire students through some organizational

patterns that they could quickly assimilate, which

would allow them to be relatively free in the

assembly mode, if the resources were multimodal,

authentic and varied enough, allowing a maximum

of flexibility

It took quite a while for this concept to be

understood by teachers who were not accustomed

to such curricular freedom: the Deep Approach

was not a matter of applying the material provided

on PDF, multimedia, video films, internet links etc

from A to Z We were providing food for thought,

such that students could quickly transcend the

material and create their own stuff There could be

banks of modules to which students and teachers

would contribute The idea was not to use them all

The idea was to go very deeply into a few modules that were chosen because of the right fit with the student’s interest and intrinsic motivation Thus the apparent paradox is that we created materials that serve as thresholds, examples or models for students to go beyond and to be inspired to do more or do something different, as soon as they understood the principle The superstructural principle framing the curriculum and the series of templates is that projects connect disciplinary knowledge to interdisciplinary themes through transdisciplinary action (Tochon, 2013) This interconnectedness explains that what was proposed was not a “textbook,” but a whole hyper-textbook with a high level of connectivity through links that are conceptual, strategic, and interpersonal as well as transpersonal to reach depth in action

To sum up, the instructional material we created for one specific less-commonly-taught language, which was Turkish was based on principles of relativity, connectivity, agency and complex systems dynamics, such that it was not a goal in itself but material to be transcended to become effective in its ability to stimulate deep learning Getting rid of the model even, at some point, was among the demands of its successful accomplishment Therefore guidance is paradoxically needed for instructors who might think that we created this material for it to be applied, as is Any material has its limitations Instructors need guidance on how not to guide When the wise man designates the moon, only the nạve contemplate the finger The instructional material in this analogy is the finger, it is pointed toward something else: deep learning, which requires autonomy for the learner We are just at the beginning of this adventure for language learning It is a revolution in the fields of Second Language Acquisition and World Language Education What seems ‘natural’ now will easily

be seen - with a little open-minded reflection - to

be the contrary; whereas the Deep Approach emerges easily from what students already know and respond to

Deep Pedagogy: Teachers as Coaches and

Resource Persons

One of the major problems that language

instructors face who have been used to controlled

approaches is that they need to develop some

receptivity to bottom-up impulses coming from

their students There should be time and space for

discussion, and a real curriculum negotiation

Often language instructors are afraid of not

succeeding with such an open approach They fear

that they might not be able to “do” their semester

curriculum The problem emerges from the

perception that only controlled environments

could succeed This wrong perception has created

a tradition of surface learning in K-12 and

collegiate teaching In contrast, deep teachers

favor depth over coverage (Paul & Elder, 2009)

Course Description And Classroom

Procedures

This section clarifies what the language

instructor and the deep learner do using the

instructional material we have created

RATIONALE The Deep Approach is based on

self-directed projects, which link together various

disciplinary contents within a self-actualizing,

empowering perspective and small group

achievement that target global issues and social

action (Tochon, 2009) Thus the disciplinary

Communication contents and Comparison tasks

are integrated into interdisciplinary Connections

within a broader transdisciplinary, Cultural and

Community framework At the same time, the

Deep Approach supports the 5Cs standards of the

American Council for Teaching Foreign

Languages

TOPICAL MODULES Instructional modules

are proposed for various possible projects

Students pick those of interest They are not meant

to be ALL realized in the course of a semester

Students must see how projects are created with a

balanced number of tasks in each task domains

LIFE GOALS Students are invited to discuss

their interests in life, and verify which topics

would best match their life goals This is the condition for intrinsic motivation to energize self-directed learning If none of the project topics are

a nice fit, students can adapt the structures of existing projects or create their own; then they articulate and list the tasks for each task domain themselves

SCHEDULE The instructor may decide to devote a number of in-class hours per week to projects Projects should be the main meal piece, NOT the side dish (Markham, Larmer & Ravitz, 2003) In addition, part of the work can be done as outside-of-class group tasks or individual homework Students choose a topic and map their project

ASSESSMENT The online instructional modules propose evaluation formats The project map can help create a rubric of student’s anticipated achievement in all task domains In the rubric, the tasks can be associated with deadlines and it then constitutes their instructional agreement or contract Students can collaborate in creating project-related tasks for their tests and examinations, which should focus on proficiency FLEXIBILITY Since the Deep Approach emphasizes the learning process over specific outcomes, rubrics and instructional agreement can

be re-negotiated as the project evolves This means that the instruction needs to be flexible in terms of deadlines and outcomes, as long as a clear intrinsically motivated energy moves the project ahead With practice, the instructor will learn how to conjugate various individual, peer and group projects having different deadlines within the institutionally required frame

EXAMPLE Groups may be organized cooperatively Imagine the ‘Me Project’ topic in one intermediate class Students have viewed an example, and acquired basic vocabulary through some readings related to the various tasks as pre-writing organizers Then students build a portfolio

on PowerPoint slides explaining who they are, what were the important events in their life, what they like, how they envision their future in

relation to the target country, culture and language

They write it in the target language The whole

group has been divided into smaller groups The

teacher may devote the first 30 minutes to

feedback on writing, while students compare their

portfolios and explain each slide to each other (for

15 minutes in their group and for another 15

minutes in jigsaw, recomposed groups) Thus the

teacher provides writing help and support,

possibly with an advanced student volunteering

for credit to assist in the projects of intermediate

learners She may notice some needs in terms of

language techniques, which can be reviewed on

streaming grammar videos in small groups

Students can decide to review these points at

home on multimedia afterwards Language focus

is project-related During the next 20 minutes, half

of the class can focus on a film on the topic of

their project and discuss it, while the teacher

meets the other half of the class for a conversation

on the film they viewed during the previous lesson

For that purpose, the students had to scaffold the

film conversation with their notes, using the film

vocabulary list and its summary in L2 For

optimal benefit, conversations with the teacher are

always scaffolded and optimally don’t happen

unprepared Thus a lot of emphasis is on pre-oral

activities, and the multimedias’ pedagogical

materials (vocabulary, transcriptions, culture tips,

questions-answers, summaries) are prepared with

this rationale in mind Culture is present in both

input and output as students must connect their

interests in their ‘Me Project’ with the target

culture The other ‘Cs’ are equally present:

students communicate, compare their works and

writings, connect disciplines, and relate to

biographies from the L2 community Advanced

students are proposed to be tutors in the

intermediate class They will help with projects,

stimulate oral exchange, give some feedback on

writing, and help analyze grammar issues

In the aforementioned example, what is

different from earlier conceptions of world

language education? What serves to define depth?

First, the approach makes it mandatory for the

teacher to change her role The teacher does not

“teach”; rather, she is the world language expert whom students can consult for all kinds of concerns that can be formal, but also cultural, historical, geographical, as well as grammatical The teacher must have thorough, experiential knowledge of the culture (both c2 and C2: popular culture and traditional ‘Culture’ including the arts, architecture, geography, history, and other social sciences, literature, music, religion, etc.) This allows the teacher to suggest complements to educative projects, guide the students in their explorations and realizations, and provide feedback on what they wrote, or reported The students are in charge of their own learning They are not spoon-fed by the teacher However, the teacher has a tremendous new job, which is to provide feedback on the details of the projects as they are realized Through projects, learning develops into a broad apprenticeship, as the students connect the dots across disciplines, skills, and resources The curriculum is built by the students from a huge pool of resources that are visual, cultural, textual, and discursive, as well as humane Thus, it fills the need for interdisciplinary connections (Capraro, Capraro & Morgan, 2010) Moreover, the humane dimension

is always foregrounded The project must have a transdisciplinary scope: it targets shared collaboration and experience for self-actualization and social action Then, the teacher helps the students refine their work until it is excellent, no matter which topic they have chosen By the time any evaluation of projects is done, they are as good as can be

The Deep Approach thus assimilates some principles of inquiry-based teaching Through their inquiries, students meet a number of task requirements to develop their projects The projects involve a balance of tasks specific to the various language domains Thus, deep pedagogy uses the best aspects of previous trends, and it adds one key dimension, which is the transdisciplinary, overarching philosophy, and it places the students as curriculum builders They

are in charge of their own distinct curriculum In

this respect, the Deep Approach is ahead of its

time and can be considered the next mainstream in

terms of teaching methodologies

Deep philosophy must NOT be reduced to any

particular, exclusive way of thinking Additionally,

different definitions of depth can be valid as long

as the humane dimension is present, and they

involve respect for other ways of knowing The

transdisciplinary aim is the icing on the cake of

methods; it changes their appearances and

meanings and gives a sense of completeness that

goes far beyond utilitarianism and social

reconstructionism

Shallow teaching places the learner in front of

pre-formatted curricula with extrinsic demands for

a specific series of minimal achievements Fear of

failing stimulates extrinsic motivation to get good

marks In contrast, deep learning requires

contextualized, holistic experiences in which the

identity narrative can expand with new life

meanings The Deep Approach has, for its purpose,

to stimulate deep learning Among the many

conceptions of learning, deep learning emphasizes

quality, relevance, and purposefulness rather than

rote learning Learning a new language is

understood as a process of cultural

accommodation and abstraction, which is tied to a

variety of subtle meanings and situational

elements that need to be related to perceive the

whole Such meaningful, intrinsically motivated

and active learning supports deep

re-interpretations of reality as being partly shaped by

cultural complexities

Research Methods Research Questions in this Study

How was the creation of instructional material

organized and managed process-wise?

The next section responds to this design

research question on the basis of the log that we

kept of our activities Francois V Tochon was

Principal Investigator for the project, as applied

linguisti and pedagogist, along with Celile Ökten

and Cendel Karaman, Turkish language specialists, with Isabelle Druc as Project Director who gathered the logs from which excerpts are storylined below Although the language developed in this project was Turkish, it is exemplary of processes that could be used to create similar online resources for Vietnamese

An Analytic Storyline of the Application

of Deep Approach Principles

in Instructional Resources

of a Less-Commonly-Taught Language Excerpts from Team Diaries

In 2009, PI Tochon created the templates for the modules from a model he had used for French previously The other members of the research team agreed to use the templates, which were improved throughout the project It was decided that all contributors to module contents would be co-authors under Tochon's supervision, whose name would appear last for his conceptual and formal contribution and feedback Thus all the modules that were created as resources are signed

by specific authors The first semester of the project (Spring 2009) PI Tochon focused on organizing the project conceptually and in terms

of module creation guidelines, template, format, logo, checklists, list of possible themes for which

we would need films, video footage and interviews, and scheduling Beside conceptualizing the Deep Approach and setting a first draft of guidelines for the project, PI Tochon was also responsible for logistics and relationships with the different universities participating in the project as pilot sites; as well as the very important task of obtaining the necessary Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals from every institution for the project He also was in charge of informing the faculty and members of the advisory board about the project and the videos Throughout the development of the project, PI Tochon kept a close watch on how things were evolving, managed the budget and demands from the various Institutional Review Boards (IRB) in the sites of experimentation, met regularly with

the Project Assistants (PAs), gave advice and

directions on how to improve the modules and

website, and provided conceptual support, training

videos, podcasts and texts The PIs were assisted

by a few gifted UW graduate students as PAs who

helped create modules, develop the website,

prepare the multimedia annotator files, and create

story grammar videos (see below) In addition to

module creation or revision, each assistant took on

a specific task, adding their creativity, motivation

and energy to the project Two faculty members

(Tochon and Druc) were involved at 40% and two

Project Assistants were involved at 50% of their

time for three years for the creation,

implementation and revision of the materials, plus

one year with PI Tochon and Director Druc with

only one PA at 40% Karaman and Ökten, the

language specialists, were involved full time for

two months each year and one month the last year

Crafting the Instructional Modules

PI Tochon had proposed a module structure,

which incorporated the Standards for Foreign

Language Learning in the 21st Century, known as

the five Cs (communication, culture, connections,

comparisons, communities) He also integrated

into the rubrics some elements compatible with

the Common European Framework of Reference

for Languages Tochon used an earlier structural

concept he had developed for French Tasks maps

translated initially as ORWriT (Oral Exchange,

Reading, Writing, Language Techniques) were

adapted to fit U.S current practices, yielding the

IAPI task domains (Interpret, Analyze, Present,

Interact), which integrate writing, reading, and

oral skills into project activities using authentic

audio-video materials For each module, 2 or 3

educative projects were proposed around a center

theme- for example, Food and Cuisine- depending

upon the module level and complexity of the texts

and video excerpts available For each project a

series of tasks was chosen that would help link the

different language modalities and culture aspects

of the approach to reach a deeper understanding

and proficiency of Turkish language and culture

The original media material was collected during three different trips to Turkey (see below: Videos and interviews)

The Intermediate and Advanced curricula created were designed for two 3-credit, 15-week college courses but are flexible in their utilization Thus the educative projects were proposed tentatively, approximating possible choices for the potential students willing to become proficient in the target language Compared to current language pedagogy, this seemed like a paradox, but since the Deep Approach is student-based, and the students are curriculum builders, the modules should then be considered food for thought, as inspiration for the students to create their own projects They are to be understood as a threshold

to self-directed learning, rather than ordered practices that should be followed like a textbook (here, a hypertextbook) In a similar way, it would seem somewhat paradoxical to propose a grammar curriculum when the DA treats grammar such that

it should be integrated and developed as the needs arise from actions within projects But we knew academic institutions would appreciate having a panorama of grammar points along all intermediate and advanced modules, which were developed in the form of grammar storytelling videos The idea was to suggest one possible curriculum that students and instructors could re-shape, reorganize and augment at will Thus, co-PI Ökten proposed a set of grammar points that would be distributed and reviewed in the modules,

12 for the intermediate and 12 for the advanced levels While creating the modules, each module developer would choose 1 to 3 grammar points that would be highlighted, in accordance with the texts and video transcriptions chosen for the different projects in the module

Tochon and Karaman had previously met with representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and they had received digital copies of some 250 films that the program could use without royalties for educative purposes They also were reviewed during Summer 2009, to select

themes that could lead to possible educative

projects, at the intermediate and advanced levels

Film excerpts were chosen for that purpose The

team also worked on the first modules and

PowerPoints (PPT) The crafting of the first

modules using PI Tochon’s original framework

was not an easy task It took Tochon, Ökten and

Karaman much energy and required multiple team

consultations, trials and errors One principle that

was applied in creating the modules was that

code-switching could help the learner develop

their self-directed or team-directed projects with

the resources we provided, that had to be

user-friendly We were proposing a post-communicative

approach Communication was integrated as one of

the standards, yet the connection between the first

and second language would support self-sufficient

learning Therefore we could propose English

abstracts, and transcriptions or translations No

two modules would be similar, based on the

principle that the similarity of structure present in

most textbook chapters has a boring effect on

learners Variety and creativity had to be

encouraged Each module would suggest slightly

different learning strategies

The project lasted 4 years: two years to create

the instructional materials and two years to

evaluate its implementation, train teachers and

improve the materials During the four years of

the project, work and tasks evolved in response to

internal and external feedback, and technical or

work constraints and needs During Fall 2009 and

Spring 2010 semesters, many adjustments to the

modules’ organization and look were made Due

to the amount of activities and educative projects

proposed in each module, the initial modules were

much too large, with too many pages It was

decided to create two separate PDFs, one focusing

on the cultural component and development of the

different skills (Oral Exchange, Reading, Writing,

Focus on Language); the other, smaller one, with

linguistic component developed in the Focus on

Language These PDFs are accompanied by videos

and PowerPoints The focus on language PDF is the

text version of the multimedia annotator, a

computer program created for another language project years before

The multimedia annotator is a tool that allows the study of a video clip in more depth, with annotations about culture, vocabulary, grammar, and a transcription of the audio It was initially developed by the Language Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison The multimedia annotator (MMLA) allowed us to annotate small video excerpts, giving information

on context, vocabulary, grammar, etc The first version used had many bugs and provided the feeling of an ‘old’ application -internet wise The new annotator, now called DIMA (Digital Interface and Multimedia Annotator), revamped the look of the program, brought new functions to

it In particular there is a slow-down button and the possibility to see the transcription of the video excerpt subtitled underneath the clip window; and

a full screen function compatible with the features

of current computers PA Alagöz entered content, checking workability, and in constant contact with Demirbilek, the computer programmer in this debugging and upgrading phase of the new software

By January 2010, 10 modules had been created Although these modules would be later revised, this initial work allowed further module creation

to go faster The groundbreaking work had been done, which involved not only creating the templates for the modules, but learning to work with the MMLA program, creating the website, and organizing the work to allow smooth progress

We had deadlines to meet, one of which was September 2010, to have all the material ready for Turkish instructors to start testing the approach: a total of 24 modules

Decisions were made regarding the nature of the contents The goal was to offer a broad and balanced view of local society The choices were non-partisan, in the sense that different trends and positions were present in the interviews, films and texts selected; and we wanted to make sure that this complexity would be represented, rather than

providing a simplified view of the multiplicity of

cultures and language varieties within the country

The principle was that our students need to deal

with this variety and complexity when they study

abroad or visit the country; and for this reason we

video-interviewed people of all ages, professions

and provenances in the different geographical

regions, and made these videos available to

students using the Deep Approach

During 2010, PI Tochon re-visited the Deep

Approach theory and presented new formats He

directed the efforts of the team with presentations

on the theory, guiding, advising, and reviewing

the final project output Tochon reviewed and

supervised the modules at different stages of their

creation and Druc kept editing the modules to

homogenize the finished products and prepare

them for the website Finally, where necessary,

copyright permissions to use some written

material were asked for and obtained The

permissions were posted on the Deep Approach

website

Another addition to each module proposed by

Tochon is a video clip presenting in a lively

narrative, the grammar points developed in each

“Focus on Language” section of the modules

Grammar story-telling, as Tochon named it (see

below) provides an opportunity for learners to

hear what native speakers think about certain

ways of using the language and its cultural

pragmatics The recording and editing of the

story-telling grammar videos were a fun but

time-consuming task that lasted two years This aspect

of the project suggests a need for more research It

was difficult to explain to native instructors

accustomed to teaching grammar that the

proposed practice was very different and how

these situated meanings would affect the form or

vice-versa: for this reason, we wanted stories with

language meanings in context

As we kept in close contact with the instructors,

and thanks to the implementation of the forum on

the website where feedback can be posted, we saw

the need to add four transitional modules as an

initial threshold to the Deep Approach for Intermediate learners In September 2010, as part

of our material evaluation phase, language instructors started to use the material and this prompted us to create a few modules to introduce the students to the Deep Approach and the material offered, especially at the start of the third semester of one study In addition, the differences between learners was realized to be important after a summer during which some students had forgotten everything they had learned during the first year, others had spent the summer in Turkey and arrived with a higher proficiency level, and heritage learners had joined the group as newcomers with their unique needs Thus we realized we needed a few appealing, simplified and short modules to help students grasp the potential of the Deep Approach as well as provide

a smooth transition at the start of the semester These modules are pre-intermediate ones, allowing for an easier transition between conventional teaching and the online material The vocabulary is simpler and there are fewer activities and projects offered, allowing the students to get accustomed to the flexibility of the deep, non-conventional program

The correction process of the modules lasted until May 2012, with continued revision and re-uploads onto the website Our Princeton University collaborator Erika Gilson had been hired 20% for Spring 2011 at UW to help with the project, reviewing the consistency of the modules and PowerPoints By May 2012, 4 pre-intermediate, 12 pre-intermediate, 12 advanced and one Azeri modules had been created In addition,

57 grammar videos were edited; and PowerPoints, movies and interviews accompany each module

A new multimedia annotator, the DIMA, is now in place and fully operational Brochures, Prezi presentations, communications, and workshops help disseminate the approach Implementation into classes is evaluated and interest in the Deep Approach keeps rising