Assignment 3— Critique of visual modalities in meaning making in FL education Critically engage with research and professional literature and determine implications of visuals and visual literacy for...

Critique of visual modalities in meaning making in FL education                1
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 Critique of visual modalities in meaning making in FL education    
Introduction
It is extremely important to learn foreign language for most people. Because of globalisation, the opportunities that are available for individuals has increased to a large extent. Jobs in different parts of the world, many that would pay a lot better than traditional jobs in the country of origin. Foreign languages also look good on the Curriculum Vitae or resume, which is also another extremely important reason for learning the language as well. It is important to note that the language also has been known to have improvements in the brain, and can slow down brain degradation to a large extent. Thus, it is extremely important for people to learn a foreign language. However, learning a foreign language is not an easy task. There have been many aids in the past that have helped with foreign language learning, Some of the aids are visual aids, which include films, memory charts, card games, posters etc. Visual aids are often combined with auditory aids and technology in order to get the best out of the system as well. The following paper looks at some of the literature surrounding them, and provides a critique of some of the visual aids.
Literature Review
Motivation and age are two factors that are important to consider when learning a foreign language. Age is one of the biggest issues when teaching a foreign language, since the older the person, the harder it can be for them to memorise the language and the content of the class. Motivation is also an important factor (Kormos, & Csizér, 2008). If the student is not motivated in learning the language, then it can be very difficult for them to learn the language as well. Hence, this is also a factor that should be given attention to when learning or teaching a foreign language. The paper, “Age‐Related Differences in the Motivation of Learning English as a Foreign Language: Attitudes, Selves, and Motivated Learning Behavior”, looks at the age related differences in motivation, and how they are related to age. One of the factors that is considered is the absence of visual, behavioural cues that are related to the learning of the language. Most people of a certain age would not be able to understand the visual cues that have been provided in order to understand a foreign language. If, for example, a picture or poster was shown on the computer to a person of certain age, they would not be able to understand it (Kormos, & Csizér, 2008). This would result in the person losing motivation to learn in the class as well. These are important factors that have to be considered when teaching a foreign language class. In the study, data had been collected from 623 Hungarian students in their motivation to learn the English language. The research is important, as it looks at how most international students perceive English as a foreign language (Kormos, & Csizér, 2008). It also looks at the visual cues that the students provide in order to understand the language, and how this has been linked to motivation in learning the language.
As mentioned earlier, technology often has a huge effect in the teaching and learning of a foreign language. There are portals, such as Duolingo, that offer the teaching of the language on a web or app-based platform. Duolingo allows people to learn many major foreign languages at quite a cheap rate. Social networking also brings people who are from different countries in contact with each other, and many web-based foreign language websites use the same in order to teach different people a foreign language (Stevenson & Liu, 2010). The paper titled, “Learning a Language with Web 2.0: Exploring the Use of Social Networking Features of Foreign Language Learning Websites”, looks at some of the social networking features of a foreign language learning website. The website is primarily based for people who do not have the proximity of a physical class, or do not have the time to go to a classroom either. One of the major features has been the presence of visual cues (Stevenson & Liu, 2010). The internet has made it extremely easy to access many things, such as movies in various languages, posters and even news sites of various countries. This also makes it possible for the people who are teaching and learning the language to find a way to learn the spoken and written aspect of the language faster. In terms of visual and written cues, there are people who have provided worksheets to trace and write for free on the site. The paper has conducted an online survey to look at the platform and the website (Stevenson & Liu, 2010). However, since it is an online survey, in many cases, the results of the survey can be unreliable as well. This makes it especially hard for further research into the topic as well. However, the research is still important, because of the importance of technology in the present world.
The learning style of the individual can have significant impact on their experience learning a foreign language. For people who are visual learners, the idea of sitting in a classroom and listening to audio tapes and repeating pronunciation for hours on end would have little appeal. They would rather be looking at a film or the dictionary to learn to pronounce it, since they are visual learners. Getting an auditory or experiential learner to look at a poster or card game and get the language and the context would also fail, since their preferred learning styles are different (Gilakjani, 2011). The paper, “Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic learning styles and their impacts on English language teaching”, looks at the effect that learning styles have on the teacher and their method of teaching English. In most cases, teaching English to foreign language students is difficult, since the pronunciation, spelling and nuances of the language are different from that of most other languages. Thus,...