Pedagogy

In the pre-Internet days, language teachers and textbooks were the only means of learning an additional language (see Figure 1). For example, when Brett was learning Spanish in high school, he knew that if he missed a class he was going to fall behind. Señora Urff and her drill-and-kill exercises were the gateway to an imagined life on the beaches of Mexico.

Nowadays, thanks to globalization and technological advances, this is no longer the case. Learners are able to interact with additional languages in a variety of contexts (see Figure 2). For example, in a typical day a francophone CEGEP student may attend an English class in the morning, serve an Anglophone customer at work in the afternoon, then watch a streaming English television series before bed, all while Liking and commenting on English social media throughout the day. This ensemble of practices is what scholars refer to as a language learning ecology (Brown, 2000; Lai, Zhu, & Gong, 2015; Nardi & O’Day, 1999; Siemens, 2003).

Figure 1: A traditional additional language learning ecology: limited interactions

Figure 2: A diverse 21st-century additional language learning ecology: multiple interactions

Just as a healthy natural ecosystem is composed of a rich biodiversity, a healthy language learning ecology, like the one depicted in Figure 2, relies on various practices. Each practice in the 21st-century ecology makes its own complementary contributions to the whole. For example, a Spanish course may help a student to develop his linguistic competency, whereas a television series may provide him with opportunities to learn about sociocultural competency. This is known as diversity, and learners with multiple practices in their ecology are said to have diverse ecologies. Diversity in a language ecology is crucial to its long-term adaptability and well-being (Brown, 2000). If one practice disappears, another practice can compensate. 

Moreover, a diverse ecology attends to a variety of cognitive, social, affective, and identity needs. For example, streaming music in an additional language may be a great way to learn a new vocabulary, but it doesn’t allow for a lot of interaction. So, to meet a social need, a learner with a diverse ecology may turn to an online multiplayer video game or join a Meetup group. Learners’ needs are dynamic and shift with mood, experience, and proficiency level. A diverse ecology meets those needs, as well as providing opportunities for growth and self-discovery.

In short, as Cole and Vanderplank’s research shows, the days of teacher-as-gatekeeper are over. Students can – and do – learn additional languages without the benefit of a teacher. It is important to understand that classroom study and FSA are key practices among many in a diverse ecology and that they offer unique affordances to learn specific competencies and to meet different needs.