A popular idea in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is to use multimodal annotated texts, with annotations typically including embedded audio and translations, to support L2 learning through reading. An important question is how to create the audio, which can be done either through human recording or by a Text-To-Speech (TTS) synthesis engine. We may reasonably expect TTS to be quicker and easier, but humans to be of higher quality. Here, we report a study using the open-source LARA platform and ten languages. Samples of LARA audio totaling about three and a half minutes were provided for each language in both human and TTS form; subjects used a web form to compare different versions of the same item and rate the voices as a whole. Although human voice was more often preferred, TTS achieved higher ratings in some languages and was close in others.
Introduction: This paper focuses on the issue of teaching verb tenses in Slovak lower and upper secondary schools – in particular, on teaching three grammatical tenses (Present Simple, Present Continuous, and Simple Present Perfect) and the learner’s ability to use them. It also identifies the mistakes made by the learners in the research sample, causes of their mistakes, and suggests ways of eliminating these errors.Methods: The paper presents the research data collected using quantitative (questionnaire and achievement test) and qualitative (lesson observation and semi-structured interview) methods. The data are analysed, compared, and conclusions for school practice are drawn.Results: The main research findings show how the three tenses are taught, identify the impact of the ways they are taught on the ability of lower and upper secondary school learners to use them, and outline the errors they commit. The authors seek to explain the errors and suggest possible ways of eliminating them.Discussion: The current study is compared to research data presented by Gadušová and Harťanská (2002), Hlava (2012) and Lojová (2016). All of them consider the practical application of grammatical functions significant in spontaneous and meaningful communication.Limitations: Regarding the limitations of the research findings, the research sample of five interviewed teachers is too small either to make generalizations or to claim that the conducted research is fully reliable.Conclusions: The research findings demonstrate that teaching the verb tenses in lower and upper secondary schools lacks sufficient contextualised communicative activities for practising the discussed grammar items.
The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that selected wordless picture book Sidewalk Flowers (2015) by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith develop social-emotional skills to learners in primary level of education in English lessons using specific teaching tools suggested by Mikki Rogers (2020) such as character emotion charts, the character tree, the mood meter, character charts and the ruler approach. These tools are gradually implemented during six consecutive 45 minutes English (virtual) model lessons. The first three lessons primarily support learners' emotional development. The following three lessons are concentrated on the development of positive feelings and their impact on social relationships, social-emotional development of young learners. Based on the qualitative character of the study, we suggest to use a narrative approach and to use the methods of observation, individual interview and a test as a research tool for data collection. Lessons oriented towards social-emotional development of young learners may possibly contribute to the art of noticing which definitely helps the learners to improve the quality of their social contacts, to verbalize and justify their positive and negative emotions, to increase their vocabulary, to foster their self-regulation at school and outside of it and it teaches them to be emotionally resilient. These lessons should be, therefore, an essential part of the school curriculum because they shape cognitive and affective dimensions of the learners.
We present a study in which multimedia alphabet books were constructed for ten languages using the Learning And Reading Assistant (LARA) platform. We describe the alphabet books we built, the different design features they instantiate, and an initial evaluation using an anonymous online questionnaire. Links are provided to the books themselves, which are freely available on the web.
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