![]() Vol. VIII No. 1 October 1995
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![]() Learning as process- a key theme for a variety of educational strategies in today's classrooms and the theme for this issue of Le Lien. As was stated in a recent editorial for the Canadian Modern Language Review "Educators are becoming increasingly aware that learning is not simply a matter of WHAT we learn but HOW we learn." Many current articles in field of second language learning reinforce the importance of process and not simply product. At one time, evaluation was considered almost necessarily a final outcome-based aspect of learning- a summative view of what had been accomplished during a certain learning period. Educators are now putting more emphasis on formative sorts of evaluation in order to obtain a diagnostic, process-oriented, and more complete view of the learning taking place. Evaluation is no longer a separate entity from learning, rather it is an integrated part of the process. The trend towards "portfolios" is another example of the focus on process-oriented learning objectives. Portfolios visibly demonstrate the steps along the path of learning and point specifically to a learner's strengths and weakness. "The key to developing a meaningful portfolio is to choose those evaluations which provide a broad, representative sample of performance over a period of time." (Dicks & Rehorick, 1996) A recent publication, developed by Professors Rehorick & Dicks, entitled the "Maritime Oral Communication Assessment Portfolio" is an evaluative method based on the portfolio. Featured in the "Teacher's Ask" section of this issue of Le Lien, this package provides teachers with a prototype for formative performance-based evaluation techniques. The assessment items focus on what the learner can DO versus what they KNOW. The experiential approach to learning also stresses the value of these performance type learning objectives. The experiential approach can be seen as cyclical process with the "doing" phase as an essential component. "Experiencing, Publishing (e.g., sharing, reacting, observing), Processing (e.g. discussing, making sense), Generalizing, and Applying" describes the 5 phases of the "experiential learning cycle" (University Associates, Inc.). Experiential learning is yet another example of a current methodology focusing on process and learner centred educational goals. The National Core French Study also emphasizes this need for a process approach to the teaching of language. The experiential syllabus demonstrates the need for active involvement in learning and the general language syllabus demonstrates the need for reflection on both the language and the learning. Teachers of second language are therefore encouraged to treat the learning of a second language both a reflective and active educational experience. The writing of journals is one way of focusing on learning as a reflective activity. Many teachers use learning journals to allow learners to "think aloud" with respect to their personal learning. A journal can give the teacher an idea of where students are in the process. Learning journals will be another topic featured in this newsletter. Finally, an article by Jacinthe Robichaud, a grade 4 immersion teacher in District 18, will offer some insight into a specific process in language learning- writing. The process writing approach clearly demonstrates the integrative, reflective, experiential, communicative, formative nature of language learning. |