Dr. Gleason (M.A. Linguistics, Ph.D. Applied Linguistics and Technology) is the Coordinator of the Lower Division Language Program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Florida. Her research interests include: discourse analysis, instructional technology, and systemic functional approaches to language and learning. At UF, she teaches courses on language learning methods and Spanish. Phone: 352 273 3742 Address: Office: 241 Dauer Hall
Email: jgleas@ufl.edu
Mailing address:
Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
University of Florida
P.O. Box 117405
Gainesville, FL 32611-7320
As courses that once regularly met face-to-face are increasingly offered in blended or fully onli... more As courses that once regularly met face-to-face are increasingly offered in blended or fully online formats, questions have been raised about the comparability of instruction, teacher and student roles, and overall quality of the learning experience. The present study offers a five-inference interpretive argument ) that may be used to guide the design and implementation of blended language curriculum and instruction in which tasks are viewed as microformative assessments. An example compares the language practiced and produced by students during three language tasks that were carried out both online and in a classroom setting. Finally, suggestions to guide the gathering of validity evidence for blended language course design are offered.
Rapidly advancing technology continues to change the landscape of blended foreign language educat... more Rapidly advancing technology continues to change the landscape of blended foreign language education. Pinpointing the differences between blended language (BL) learning environments and understanding how stakeholders experience such spaces is complex. However, learner experiences can provide a roadmap for the design and development of BL courses. Using a multiple case study approach, this paper reports on stakeholders' experiences and comparisons of two different types of blended Spanish courses, one that harnesses ample technology and another that uses it much less. Using ethnographic data triangulation and systemic functional discourse analysis, four conflicting themes were constructed with respect to two types of BL courses and online versus face-to-face (f2f) classes. The first type of dilemma pertained to (a) the time commitments and (b) relationships developed in each course. The second type of dilemma surrounded the capacity of online and f2f classes for fostering (c) speaking skills development and (d) student understanding. Implications of these four conflicts of opinion for BL course developers, teachers, and researchers are discussed.
The present study addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants regarding the ro... more The present study addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants regarding the role of language learning tasks using Wimba Voice (WV) in aiding the improvement of their second language (L2) oral skills. It specifically examines how this asynchronous computermediated communication (CMC) technology can foster the development of these learners' L2 selves. According to , the more clearly learners can envision their future L2 selves, the more motivated they will be to achieve their L2 goals. With increased planning of oral production, access to instructor and peer feedback, and additional opportunities for selfreflection, asynchronous CMC technologies have been found to enable L2 learners to express their thoughts at their own pace and feel more relaxed and confident than in more threatening face-to-face situations . The findings suggest that learners have a variety of opinions regarding the role of asynchronous WV tasks in motivating them to develop their L2 oral proficiency. Also, many may prefer oral CMC environments that facilitate interaction and meaning negotiation. Results were inconclusive concerning the effect of WV-based tasks on students' perceptions of their future L2 selves; however, this may have been due to the short time frame in which these activities were employed.
How can systemic functional theory help shed light on the tasks that are teachers using to teach ... more How can systemic functional theory help shed light on the tasks that are teachers using to teach their blended foreign language (FL) courses as well as how learners perceive of these as learning tools? This paper attempts to answer this question using a functional analysis of participants' texts. Triangulation of data collection methods included online and direct participant observation, in-depth interviews, and textual documents. Using two complementary frameworks anchored in SFL, (a) the Knowledge Framework (Mohan, 1986) and (b) social practice theory (Mohan, 2011), this paper examines participants' theories about and practices during online and face-to-face FL learning tasks. Findings include theoretically anchored insight into how blended FL tasks can be understood and explained. This study holds implications for teachers, course developers, and researchers in the fields of SFL, applied linguistics, and computer-assisted language learning.
The following descriptive study aims to illustrate several types of common errors for L1 Spanish ... more The following descriptive study aims to illustrate several types of common errors for L1 Spanish speakers of English. It describes four common phonetic distinctions that cause such speakers difficulties in English, including /p/ versus /b/ in a word-initial position, /i/ and /ɪ/, /ɔ/ versus /ow/, and the final voicing distinction between /t/ and /d/. Targeted errors were chosen based upon their relative functional load as well as the tendency to be problematic for Spanish-speakers of English. Data in the form of short read texts and a free speech activity is examined from two different international teaching assistants at a large, North American university in order to ascertain whether they exhibited such problems as well as to diagnose other pronunciation difficulties. Results showed that while the initial /p/ versus /b/ and /ɔ/ versus /ow/ errors were less problematic, the /i/ versus /ɪ/ and final voicing distinction between /t/ and /d/ were most difficult for the speakers in this sample. The latter type of error in addition to those involving other final-position consonant clusters, is argued to be of the highest priority for pronunciation teaching at the advanced level, as it tended to be the factor that most influenced the intelligibility and comprehensibility among the high-proficiency speakers examined here.
The present study, conducted at a large research university in the United States, addresses the p... more The present study, conducted at a large research university in the United States, addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants (ITAs) regarding the role of asynchronous oral computer-mediated communication (CMC) tasks using Wimba Voice (WV), for developing their second language (L2) oral communication skills. With increased planning of oral production, access to instructor and peer feedback, and additional opportunities for self-reflection, asynchronous CMC technologies have been found to enable L2 learners to express their thoughts at their own pace and feel more relaxed and confident than in more threatening face-to-face situations . The findings of this study suggest that learners have a variety of opinions regarding the role of WV tasks in aiding them with their L2 speaking development, which may be a result of individual differences among them. Learners were also found to prefer the use of asynchronous WV-based tasks for interaction between peers rather than for their provision of opportunities to focus on form and meaning, which paradoxically, was a large part of the methodological rationale for the inclusion of such activities in the course curriculum.
ways of thinking, talking, writing, and problem solving-is an important goal of our school system... more ways of thinking, talking, writing, and problem solving-is an important goal of our school systems, and subject-based literacy is critical for students to succeed both academically and professionally. Given that language is the primary means through which teaching and learning is carried out, teachers need strategies to ensure that they can develop these skills in all their students. This article describes a noncommercial heuristic called the knowledge framework (KF), which provides a springboard for developing classroom tasks that aim to bridge language and thinking skills so that students can learn content and academic language simultaneously. We present selected work that has been carried out on the KF for more than twenty years and offer ideas for thematic units as an illustration of how to implement the KF.
Task-Based Language Teaching in Foreign Language Contexts: Research and Implementation is a colle... more Task-Based Language Teaching in Foreign Language Contexts: Research and Implementation is a collection on how task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been researched and practiced in different English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts around the world. Divided into two main sections (Different variables affecting learners' interaction/performance and contextual adaptations of TBLT for implementation), it includes 13 studies, six from Japan, two from China, and single studies from France, Korea, Turkey, Spain, and Venezuela.
As courses that once regularly met face-to-face are increasingly offered in blended or fully onli... more As courses that once regularly met face-to-face are increasingly offered in blended or fully online formats, questions have been raised about the comparability of instruction, teacher and student roles, and overall quality of the learning experience. The present study offers a five-inference interpretive argument ) that may be used to guide the design and implementation of blended language curriculum and instruction in which tasks are viewed as microformative assessments. An example compares the language practiced and produced by students during three language tasks that were carried out both online and in a classroom setting. Finally, suggestions to guide the gathering of validity evidence for blended language course design are offered.
Rapidly advancing technology continues to change the landscape of blended foreign language educat... more Rapidly advancing technology continues to change the landscape of blended foreign language education. Pinpointing the differences between blended language (BL) learning environments and understanding how stakeholders experience such spaces is complex. However, learner experiences can provide a roadmap for the design and development of BL courses. Using a multiple case study approach, this paper reports on stakeholders' experiences and comparisons of two different types of blended Spanish courses, one that harnesses ample technology and another that uses it much less. Using ethnographic data triangulation and systemic functional discourse analysis, four conflicting themes were constructed with respect to two types of BL courses and online versus face-to-face (f2f) classes. The first type of dilemma pertained to (a) the time commitments and (b) relationships developed in each course. The second type of dilemma surrounded the capacity of online and f2f classes for fostering (c) speaking skills development and (d) student understanding. Implications of these four conflicts of opinion for BL course developers, teachers, and researchers are discussed.
The present study addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants regarding the ro... more The present study addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants regarding the role of language learning tasks using Wimba Voice (WV) in aiding the improvement of their second language (L2) oral skills. It specifically examines how this asynchronous computermediated communication (CMC) technology can foster the development of these learners' L2 selves. According to , the more clearly learners can envision their future L2 selves, the more motivated they will be to achieve their L2 goals. With increased planning of oral production, access to instructor and peer feedback, and additional opportunities for selfreflection, asynchronous CMC technologies have been found to enable L2 learners to express their thoughts at their own pace and feel more relaxed and confident than in more threatening face-to-face situations . The findings suggest that learners have a variety of opinions regarding the role of asynchronous WV tasks in motivating them to develop their L2 oral proficiency. Also, many may prefer oral CMC environments that facilitate interaction and meaning negotiation. Results were inconclusive concerning the effect of WV-based tasks on students' perceptions of their future L2 selves; however, this may have been due to the short time frame in which these activities were employed.
How can systemic functional theory help shed light on the tasks that are teachers using to teach ... more How can systemic functional theory help shed light on the tasks that are teachers using to teach their blended foreign language (FL) courses as well as how learners perceive of these as learning tools? This paper attempts to answer this question using a functional analysis of participants' texts. Triangulation of data collection methods included online and direct participant observation, in-depth interviews, and textual documents. Using two complementary frameworks anchored in SFL, (a) the Knowledge Framework (Mohan, 1986) and (b) social practice theory (Mohan, 2011), this paper examines participants' theories about and practices during online and face-to-face FL learning tasks. Findings include theoretically anchored insight into how blended FL tasks can be understood and explained. This study holds implications for teachers, course developers, and researchers in the fields of SFL, applied linguistics, and computer-assisted language learning.
The following descriptive study aims to illustrate several types of common errors for L1 Spanish ... more The following descriptive study aims to illustrate several types of common errors for L1 Spanish speakers of English. It describes four common phonetic distinctions that cause such speakers difficulties in English, including /p/ versus /b/ in a word-initial position, /i/ and /ɪ/, /ɔ/ versus /ow/, and the final voicing distinction between /t/ and /d/. Targeted errors were chosen based upon their relative functional load as well as the tendency to be problematic for Spanish-speakers of English. Data in the form of short read texts and a free speech activity is examined from two different international teaching assistants at a large, North American university in order to ascertain whether they exhibited such problems as well as to diagnose other pronunciation difficulties. Results showed that while the initial /p/ versus /b/ and /ɔ/ versus /ow/ errors were less problematic, the /i/ versus /ɪ/ and final voicing distinction between /t/ and /d/ were most difficult for the speakers in this sample. The latter type of error in addition to those involving other final-position consonant clusters, is argued to be of the highest priority for pronunciation teaching at the advanced level, as it tended to be the factor that most influenced the intelligibility and comprehensibility among the high-proficiency speakers examined here.
The present study, conducted at a large research university in the United States, addresses the p... more The present study, conducted at a large research university in the United States, addresses the perceptions of international teaching assistants (ITAs) regarding the role of asynchronous oral computer-mediated communication (CMC) tasks using Wimba Voice (WV), for developing their second language (L2) oral communication skills. With increased planning of oral production, access to instructor and peer feedback, and additional opportunities for self-reflection, asynchronous CMC technologies have been found to enable L2 learners to express their thoughts at their own pace and feel more relaxed and confident than in more threatening face-to-face situations . The findings of this study suggest that learners have a variety of opinions regarding the role of WV tasks in aiding them with their L2 speaking development, which may be a result of individual differences among them. Learners were also found to prefer the use of asynchronous WV-based tasks for interaction between peers rather than for their provision of opportunities to focus on form and meaning, which paradoxically, was a large part of the methodological rationale for the inclusion of such activities in the course curriculum.
ways of thinking, talking, writing, and problem solving-is an important goal of our school system... more ways of thinking, talking, writing, and problem solving-is an important goal of our school systems, and subject-based literacy is critical for students to succeed both academically and professionally. Given that language is the primary means through which teaching and learning is carried out, teachers need strategies to ensure that they can develop these skills in all their students. This article describes a noncommercial heuristic called the knowledge framework (KF), which provides a springboard for developing classroom tasks that aim to bridge language and thinking skills so that students can learn content and academic language simultaneously. We present selected work that has been carried out on the KF for more than twenty years and offer ideas for thematic units as an illustration of how to implement the KF.
Task-Based Language Teaching in Foreign Language Contexts: Research and Implementation is a colle... more Task-Based Language Teaching in Foreign Language Contexts: Research and Implementation is a collection on how task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been researched and practiced in different English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts around the world. Divided into two main sections (Different variables affecting learners' interaction/performance and contextual adaptations of TBLT for implementation), it includes 13 studies, six from Japan, two from China, and single studies from France, Korea, Turkey, Spain, and Venezuela.
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