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Ioana Mudure-Iacob,
Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca
One Does not Simply Learn English: 
Playing with Memes in the ESP Classroom
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Transcript

One Does not Simply Learn English: Playing with Memes in the ESP Classroom

Ioana Mudure-Iacob,Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Introduction

WHAT’S IN A MEME? MAPPING VISUAL LITERACY IN LANGUAGE LEARNING WITH IMAGE MACROS

BRACE YOURSELVES: IDIOMS AND NETSPEAK ARE HERE TO STAY. A CASE STUDY ON USING MEMES AND HUMOUR TO TEACH ESP VOCABULaRY

Conclusions

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

Efficient learning in the case of ESP requires a holistic approach

teaching and learning are mapped by disparities between digital natives and digital immigrants

Premises

Digital natives and specific learning needs- brains for games and visual

Pairing language acquisition with enhancement of 21st century skills

Stringency to reconfigure learning experiences and make assessment more engaging

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Memes and dual coding of information- visual literacy as canvas

Sketch scenarios for integrating memes in vocabulary teaching

  • Memes- from genes to replicability of meaning
  • Using memes instills a sense of belonging- in-group and participatory culture ( Jenkins et. al, 2006, p.4)

"a new replicator […] a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation" (Dawkins, 2006, p.192)

  • Building the affinity space in ESP classes

2. WHAT’S IN A MEME? MAPPING VISUAL LITERACY IN LANGUAGE LEARNING WITH IMAGE MACROS

  • Digital literacy in language teaching-learning- gap between learners and teachers

students as digital natives and teachers as digital immigrants

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Digital natives

Digital immigrants

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Affinity space

“prime space where people engage in 21st century teaching, learning, doing and being […] an affinity for solving certain sorts of problems that include things like media production, citizen science, fan-fiction writing, video games.” (Gee, 2017, p. 28)

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the use of gamification

creation of digital products as language content

digital content products can be memes, idioms in emoji code, digital stories, audio-video presentations

gamified quizzes emoji guess the word digital escape rooms

  • Image macros- subgenre of memes

other genres include reaction photoshops, photo fads, flash mobs, lip-synch videos, misheard lyrics, recut trailers, LOL cats, stock character macros or rage comics.

IMAGE MACROS AND LANGUAGE TEACHING POTENTIAL

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definition

artwork, photos or images with superimposed captions that become catchphrases

Purpose

convey a message or make a joke.

Potential

capacity to use humour and wordplay as creative tools

Usefulness

can be further reshaped into new digital products.

Affordances teachers can introduce intertextuality via puns, teach cultural referencing through multilanguage inclusion in the captions, use humour to set a more enjoyable learning environment

Challengesstudents being more accustomed to written text than visual literacy

students “tend to exhibit less comfort and skill with observing, interpreting, analysing and discussing visual information than they do with textual information” (Hattwig et. al, 2013, p. 65)

Multimodality can make language content more engaging for learners.To become literate viewers, language learners need to make use of their language skills, speaking and vocabulary, when analysing images.Pairing language learning and visual literacy can boost language and 21st century skills

“Two major approaches have been suggested for developing visual literacy skills. The first is to help learners read or decode visual images by practising techniques for the analysis of the visual. Decoding involves interpreting and creating meaning from visual stimuli. The second approach is to help learners write or encode visuals as a tool for communication.” (Westraadt, 2016, p. 185)

visual literacy for esp students

LOREM IPSUM

LOREMIPSUM

Source: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3s3i9g

encode visuals to communicate

decode image meaning

give meaning by pairing caption

Metacognitive strategies

Learners can be taught to use metacognitive strategies in decoding and processing image macros

o What is the purpose of this image? o Who are the characters and what are they doing? o What are the features of the setting (location, surroundings)? o What colours are predominantly used? o What is the origin of the image? (Famous movies, famous characters/ actors) o What is the intended context of the image?

scaffold subsequent meanings

o Is the text accurate (grammatically)? o How is the text relevant for the image? Is it in contradiction with the image? o Does the caption indicate any form of humour/ irony/ sarcasm? o Is there more than one language used in the text? If yes, does pronunciation change the meaning of the text? o Are there any cultural references embedded in the text? Do they change the meaning of the meme? o Can you trace any idioms, puns, spoonerisms, phonetic mix-ups in the caption? Why were they used?

3. BRACE YOURSELVES: IDIOMS AND NETSPEAK ARE HERE TO STAY. A CASE STUDY ON USING MEMES AND HUMOUR TO TEACH ESP VOCABUALRY

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Netspeak

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VISUAL LITERACY IN IDIOMS

visual translation can mean either the structure of an idiom (individual words) making the visualisation literal, or its figurative meaning

(Piekot, 2013, p. 187)

Idioms

allow for self-discovery and contextual learningfacilitate acquisition of operating /functional language

CHALLENGES learners' reluctance to learn and practice them require a lot of practice- often through tedious drill tasks

Netspeak

term coined by David Crystal, « as a blend between speech, writing and electronically-mediated features » ( Crystal, 2004, p.48)

Encapsulated in emojis, memes or gifs, as facets of virtual expression

Netspeak and idioms. a love affair

an instrument of introducing educational content in a more vernacular language,

STEP 1. raising awareness through recognition

  • pair each idiom/ phrase taught in classes with an Internet meme
  • the image macro illustration showed the literal meaning

retention of the structure and meaning of the idiom is improvedstudents started searching for new meme-illustrated idioms- affinity space in the ESP class

students were required to identify the correct idioms indicated by the memes by solving a matching task or by writing the correct idiom in a fill-in the blank task

Prior to solving the tasks, they had to provide descriptions for each meme and identify cues about the idiom

STEP 2. designing vocabulary practice activities- find the idioms

VIEW

Between cultural references and wordplay

Using demotivators to teach concepts

Demotivator usually includes a photograph […] which usually depicts situations in an undermining way or negates the absolute truth of the value mentioned in the headline

To decode a demotivator, students need to to consider the irony in caption lines and find the opposite meaning of the text

Suggested use: improve writing skills, as learners were asked to explain the meaning of the concept starting from the macro image, work with antonyms

Homophonic , homographic puns and malapropisms

  • Logic and critical thinking
  • learn multiple meanings of words

Digital Escape Rooms- create memes in which they illustrate either a topic or a concept

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Students proved understanding of concepts, use of irony, structure of image macros, use of key words/images

Students' memes were posted on Padlet and voted by peers

By getting feedback from their peers , learners mapped a valuable affinity space within the ESP class.

STEP 3. create your own memes in gamified assessment

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Students also answered a questionnaire regarding their attitude to using memes and the impact they felt

One member from each pair of students was invited to complete the form, which totalled a number of 16 questions and counted 63 responses (126 students having completed the gamified assessment scenario).

Did it work? a quantitative and qualitative analysis of learners' performance and perception

Students took an initial and final idioms quiz, prior to and after using the meme-based experiment of teaching vocabulary

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Idioms quiz results before the meme experiment

156 students with an average grade of 3.2/5

Idioms quiz results after the meme experiment

144 students with an average grade of 4.75/5

Quiz was administered at the end of the first semester, after a traditional type of teaching, based on worksheets and practice of idioms.

Quiz was administered at the end of the second semester, after a Netspeak-infused types of teaching, based on memes and image macros.

Memes were fun to use

use creativity pair work use of digital skills

Multiple skills used in meme creation

Do you consider that the use of memes can help in the language learning process?

How did memes help you with language learning?

  • It’s easier to remember a meme than a definition;
  • It can make learning a language easier because you are having fun while learning;
  • because you have to consider making the meme humorous for other reads as well, not just for you;
  • because it feels comfortable that your colleagues have similar knowledge about some topics;
  • it forces you to think of a definition or concept from a new perspective;
  • It stimulates creativity, both to create memes and to understand them;
  • Memes express so much more than just words;
  • I had to look up the meaning of some abbreviations and now I know more words;
  • It makes you more creative and you need to think outside the box and turn something you learned into an original digital product. It makes you feel you have more power and stronger capacities.

Students' perception regarding the use of memes

  • students are more motivated to learn
  • a web of additional skills is being built, from visual literacy skills, to digital skills, to critical thinking abilities and content creation capacities.
  • learners participate as active players in language acquisition

conclusions

  • IKEA effect theory
  • once given more empowerment and engaged more in the creative process, students develop stronger attachment to the learning outcomes.

Michael Norton, Daniel Mochon and Dan Ariely (2012, p.453), according to which consumers tend to develop positive feelings towards work/products if they are involved in the production process.

THANK YOU!

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