Engaging the Student in the Language Class in the 90’: 
From seduction and entertainment, to guidance, facilitation, organization of learning
 (In Vanier College Focus, #3 Vol. 7, 1997)
Marcel Pérez PhD Lang. Ed.

Motivation was identified very early by researchers as a key factor in language learning. Means to trigger motivation have evolved considerably along with the various trends in language education. One could say that we went from “seduction and entertainment” to “guidance, facilitation, organization of learning”.
Task structuring appears to be a key factor to promote engagement, especially with our new student population, in a compulsory French course context.

In the sixties, the typical language curriculum was form-oriented, and the approach, strongly behavioral. The focus was on product and form (mainly phonetics and grammar).
Because of the austere nature of the curriculum, the language teachers had to seduce and entertain the learners in order to produce motivation.

During the seventies and the eighties, under the influence of early cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, the curriculum became more content oriented. The focus was on the learner’s needs and interests, on product, meaning and meaningfulness of the learning activities. Students’ motivation was attained by carefully selecting attractive and meaningful contents, tightly related to learner’s needs.

In the nineties, under the influence of the present trends in cognitive psychology, the language curriculum is strategy oriented. The focus is on the learner, on form as well as on content, on process as well as on product. Metacognition, explicit learning, being key words. In this context, problem (1) solving and strategy training are considered good means to engage students.

Most of the French courses that I teach are based on these principles.

1. Material is chosen according to students’ language needs and interests. The selection is regularly evaluated by them and modified accordingly. Relevance is the key word.

2. Material is presented in problem solving  activities as often as possible - always in some B courses.  Experiential learning is aimed at. Classes are task oriented.

3. Metacognition is crucial: learning strategies are verbalized and shared.

4. Activities are of various types but always contain a problem to be solved. For example:
    • Risk taking activities, also called deep end strategy activities, where, before starting a learning unit, students are asked to do things that they have not yet mastered, supported by peers and the teacher. The student’s productions are the starting point of the learning activity.
    • Activities where material pose problems and where the completion of tasks depends on the completion of other tasks. Very often used to initiate a strong reading purpose.
    • Information gap and content gap activities, where material has been altered or split and distributed in such a way that action and cooperation is needed to attain a solution, and in which students either in small groups or in plenary sessions, are naturally led to engage in questioning, making links, analyzing, synthesizing.
    • Strategy training activities where students are trained to recognize and share and use their writing and reading strategies.

5. Students are continuously monitored by the instructor. Help goes from heavy to light, ensuring autonomy (Ex.: Double correction, using correction code in the first part of the semester. Then, single correction).  

6. Constant feedback on achievement is given. Ex.: The portfolio approach. Student’s written productions are all stapled one to the other so that instructor’s remarks and most common mistakes can be checked before handing in a new assignment. Progress (...or lack thereof...) is made apparent. Criteria for correction are known by the students.

7. Models are often built or attained by the students guided by the instructor, rather than merely given by the latter. For instance, the starting point in studying the stucture of text types (ex.:  a typical scientific text; an argumentative text), is always students’ productions. Two or three texts written by students that are studied by all, analyzed, modified, improved from the students’ point of view, and, then only, compared to authentic texts of the same type. A grid is then built  by the class that will be used as a model for new written productions, as well as in reading comprehension.

Designing and teaching such courses is not particularly easy (You must sharpen your skates every day) but it is very stimulating.
It is not overly complicated to find attractive and relevant material that match the learning needs as well as the interests of most students. Of course, content must be relevant. Atmosphere in the classroom must be good. Humor is important. But in a context of courses that became compulsory only a few years ago, it would often not be sufficient for the students to be very deeply engaged in their learning.

I have come to believe strongly that the way tasks are structured in order to present content, is crucial.
The first questions I must ask myself when I select some material are: is it interesting for the students and from a linguistic point of view? Will it produce learning and help students reach the course objectives? But the final and key questions are: is this text a problem-posing text? What problem can I design that will include the use of this material in a natural and motivating way? Can I link it to other materials, so that the completion of some tasks will depend on the completion of others? This is the core of the matter.

A problem solving approach is not a mere technique, but rather a different way of looking at contents, a particular angle of attack. It is so rewarding that one can become addicted to it very easily.
Using a problem solving approach, along with guidance, constant feedback and focus on process as well as product, seems to lead to higher motivation as well as good learning. My goals are that students learn the language, learn how to learn, and become aware that they are learning and how they are learning. All the while, developing transferable skills.
Continuous course evaluation, and students’ feedback has been very encouraging so far. This approach is a truly dynamic one. Student-teacher interaction is maximized, providing for easy adjustment and possible improvement.

Note : (1) What is a problem ? In language education  based on cognitive psychology, a problem exists when there are obstacles that come between an initial state of things and a desired goal like a question to be answered or task to be realized, and when there is a need to determine a procedure to solve the problem.