Naslov
Croatian as a Foreign Language: The Inquiry Approach

Autori
Blagus, Vlatka ; Kranjec, Valentina

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, ostalo

ISBN
978-953-8115-65-3

Skup
Međunarodna znanstvena i umjetnička konferencija Suvremene teme u odgoju i obrazovanju – STOO 2019

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 15.11.2019. - 17.11.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Recenziran

Ključne riječi
educational trends ; foreign language teaching ; personalized learning ; Task-Based Language Teaching

Sažetak
To answer the demands of the 21st century complexities, teachers need to design learning experiences that are personalized and globally interconnected. The inquiry approach to teaching and learning is one of the most popular practices in international schools, connecting personal interests with global relevance. Despite the popularity of inquiry among international educators, a search with inquiry as a key word within SLA literature shows that the inquiry approach has not yet been recognized. At the same time, analysis of the inquiry principles shows strong alignment with the principles of the popular SLA theory of language instruction—Task- Based Language Teaching (TBLT). Inquiry refers both to the nature of learning, as well as to the disposition of the teacher who challenges the learner as an active participant in the learning process that demands high-order thinking (Murdoch, 2015). The teacher designs learning opportunities that make learning more meaningful and therefore engaging for each student, as well as transferable to various situations beyond a specific context. In the language classroom, the teacher’s goal is to help students develop a conceptual understanding and acquire both language and nonlanguage skills by tapping into their interests and motivation. The aim of this paper is twofold: to introduce the concept of inquiry as an efficient instructional approach in the Croatian educational context, and to explore a model of inquiry from the perspective of two teachers who taught Croatian as a foreign language (FL). First, the principles and practical implications of the inquiry approach and TBLT will be compared. Then, examples of instructional methods, tasks, skills integration, assessments, and students’ achievement in grades 3, 4, and 5 from the American International School in Zagreb will be displayed. Finally, the interdependence among key features of inquiry learning will be explained and their challenges discussed. This overview of language inquiry with authentic examples from practice in the Croatian FL context will add to the understanding of inquiry as one of the most influential trends in education with the hope to initiate further discussions and advanced applications.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Pedagogija, Filologija, Kognitivna znanost (prirodne, tehničke, biomedicina i zdravstvo, društvene i humanističke znanosti)

POVEZANOST RADA