On December 4, 2024, Dr. Linh Phung, Founder of the Eduling Speak app, shared insights about her innovative application designed to facilitate task-based language learning to Dr. Hoa Nguyen’s class on technology and language learning at Columbia University's Teachers College.
Dr. Phung began by discussing her professional journey, highlighting her passion for creating opportunities for authentic language use for learners. She explained how her Eduling Speak app addresses the challenges of implementing TBLT by offering tasks that connect learners for meaningful interactions. These tasks include:
Picture-based tasks: Finding differences between pictures, sequencing processes, and describing items.
Input-based tasks: Listening to recordings and performing actions like moving words to pictures.
AI-based tasks: Engaging learners in decision-making, storytelling, and games with AI partners.
She emphasized that the app promotes interaction and meaningful content to engage learners, moving away from traditional mechanical exercises. Recent updates in the Eduling Speak app include courses for IELTS, TOEFL, Research Writing, Pronunciation, and U.S. citizenship preparation, as well as a course for teachers titled Developing Communicative Tasks.
Questions and Answers
During the session, several key questions were raised about the features and functions of the Eduling Speak app, and Dr. Linh Phung provided detailed answers.
One question focused on how the app incorporates negotiation of meaning in learner interactions. Dr. Phung explained that tasks in the app inherently promote negotiation of meaning by requiring learners to collaborate to solve problems. She highlighted that the variety of tasks available encourages more complex language use and fosters richer interactions among learners.
Another question asked whether the app's tasks were limited to information-gap activities. Dr. Phung clarified that the app goes beyond this single type, offering a wide range of task types such as decision-making activities, input-based tasks, dictogloss, and collaborative tasks like solving crossword puzzles. This diversity allows learners to engage in various forms of language use.
When addressing how the app provides assessment and feedback, Dr. Phung described its ability to deliver instant feedback on task completion, such as identifying correct or incorrect answers. Additionally, the app uses AI to provide feedback on learners’ language, including content, organization, grammar, and vocabulary use. Dr. Hoa Nguyen noted that transcriptions of recordings act as implicit feedback for pronunciation, helping learners identify discrepancies between their spoken output and intended pronunciation.
A question about low-saliency language forms, like the third-person singular, prompted Dr. Phung to emphasize the importance of rich and comprehensible input for acquiring such features. She acknowledged that learners might not acquire these forms immediately, but feedback becomes important at more advanced stages of learning to address persistent errors.
Finally, the global use of the app was discussed. In response to a question about its users, Dr. Phung shared that learners preparing for exams like IELTS and TOEFL frequently use the app. Additionally, educators in countries such as Vietnam and Mexico incorporate the app into their teaching to help students practice speaking, complete tasks, and prepare for language proficiency tests and other purposes.
Concluding Remarks
Dr. Phung offered free or discounted premium access to the app for interested educators, emphasizing her commitment to expanding its use and gathering feedback for further improvements. Dr. Hoa Nguyen thanked Dr. Phung for her engaging presentation and encouraged participants to explore the app's potential for innovative language teaching and learning.
About the author: Dr. Linh Phung is a language educator, researcher, and creator with a track record of directing successful educational programs and developing impactful technology applications and language learning materials. She is the Founder of the Eduling Speak app, which offers specialized English courses based on communicative tasks and games. As an author, she has published four language learning books and three children's books. Her author's profile is HERE. As a researcher, she has her research published in high impact journals. Her professional experience also involves serving as an English Language Specialist with the U.S. Department of State in 2023, working at Shorelight as a senior research analyst, and being Chief Learning Officer of Pangea Chat (current).
Commentaires