Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration

The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies at the University of Nottingham hosted the fifth annual conference in the "Innovative Language Teaching at University" series. Under the heading "Enhancing participation and collaboration" the conference, organised by Cecilia Goria, Oranna Speicher and Sascha Stollhans, took place on 19 June 2015, and was attended by over 120 linguists, language teachers and language acquisition researchers from all over the world. This edited volume contains 15 selected short papers based on presentations from the conference, as well as Dr Jan Hardman's keynote address and a foreword by Prof. Zoltán Dörnyei. The following papers are included: (1) "Innovative language teaching and learning at university: enhancing participation and collaboration"--An introduction (Cecilia Goria, Oranna Speicher, and Sascha Stollhans); and (2) Opening-Up classroom discourse to promote and enhance active, collaborative and cognitively-engaging student learning experiences (Jan Hardman). Section 1: Fostering online collaboration: (3) Evaluating the effects of a "student buddy" initiative on student engagement and motivation (Anna Motzo); (4) "Show me where you study!"--An interactive project between German language students in Nottingham and St Andrews (Insa Hartung and Sandra Reisenleutner); (5) TANGO, an international collaborative bilingual e-learning project (Carmen Álvarez-Mayo); and (6) Open and anonymous peer review in a digital online environment compared in academic writing context (Salim Razi). Section 2: Exploring digital tools and online environments: (7) Students as producers and collaborators: exploring the use of padlets and videos in MFL teaching (Anna de Berg); (8) Can Facebook or wikis hook learners instead of the schoolbook? (Fakhreddine Brahmi); (9) "Become a reporter", the Four Skills News Project: applying and practising language skills using digital tools for level C1/C2 students (Hanna Magedera-Hofhansl); (10) Transmedia teaching framework: from group projects to curriculum development (James Reid and Filippo Gilardi); and (11) Overcoming navigational design in a VLE: students as agents of change (Marion Sadoux, Dorota Rzycka, Mizuho Jones, and Joaquin Lopez). Section 3: Beyond the language classroom: (12) From widening horizons to widening participation: transmitting the experience of global citizenship to the school classroom (Cathy Hampton and Ariane Demeure-Ahearne); (13) Intercultural communicative competence: creating awareness and promoting skills in the language classroom (Sandra López-Rocha); (14) Anything can happen out there: a holistic approach to field trips (Alessia Plutino); (15) The dichotomy of language and content in US and UK higher education--Implications for the development of intercultural competence and perspectives towards the target language (Elinor Parks); (16) We're all language teachers now: teaching subject discipline content through the medium of a second language (Neil Hughes); and (17) Challenges faced by Cantonese speakers in a UK university Mandarin course (Lan Lo). An author index is included. (Individual papers contain references.)