Conference Agenda

In the realm of education, the recognition of the pivotal role of policy in the reform of English as a Second Language (ESL) textbooks within government agencies takes on heightened importance. The criteria established by the government must serve as the bedrock for evaluating candidates in their reading, writing, and oral communication skills. However, to truly enact effective reform, it is essential to delve deeper into policy analysis ensuring that it aligns seamlessly with language materials and instructional strategies (Johnson, 2013). The reform journey necessitates a profound understanding of curricular theories and pedagogical approaches. My work ventures into realms of structuralist and constructivist theories, as well as learner-centered and learning-centered methods. These theoretical foundations not only guide our mission to design new curricula but also illuminate the path towards aligning policy with language materials and instruction. There has been a meticulous examination of the inadequacies intrinsic to the current curriculum to serve as the impetus for the development of our new textbook which can surmount these limitations. This was done by understanding the principles and criteria upon which government policies are built and aligning these policies seamlessly with language materials and instructional approaches to enhance the overall learning experience. The primary objective of this research is to cultivate a profound understanding of the critical significance of curriculum reform and creating this alignment to allow for appropriate implementation and enactment. This comprehensive approach, which necessitates a detailed comparison of the current curriculum with its upcoming replacement, is essential in highlighting the compelling need for substantial transformation, reiterating the importance of aligning learning materials with the needs of learners. This not only enhances their language acquisition process but also fosters a more engaging experience with the second language, ultimately meeting the overarching goal of enhancing language proficiency as mandated by government policy.

The University of Limerick strategy for internationalisation of the curriculum (2022-2027) aligns with European Commission policies and programmes seeking to promote blended learning. This includes integrating a combination of physical and virtual forms of mobility into the curriculum in Higher Education (O’Dowd, 2021) and reflects calls for more equitable and inclusive approaches to learning (UN Report, 2015). Moreover, the European University Association (2020) stresses the importance of actively encouraging initiatives such as Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE), commonly known as Virtual Exchange (VE), and states that the potential of technology should be explored to ensure that international learning experiences remain transformative, while also being sustainable.

In this paper, we report on Erasmus Speaks, an innovative, transnational project set up in 2020 to accommodate a virtual mobility period for undergraduate language students across six European universities. In a post-pandemic context, this VE project acts as a complement to the study-abroad period. It requires students to interact, collaborate and co-construct knowledge within a multi-modal, task-based framework. Our study draws on quantitative and qualitative data gathered from student feedback questionnaires, reflective portfolios and tutor observations to evidence that the project is meeting its objectives in increasing target language exposure, facilitating cross-cultural dialogue and building transferable skills. Findings show that this learning approach leads to increased student engagement and offers a suitable learning environment where transformative language learning can occur (Leaver et al., 2021).

Writing in second language classrooms is often presented as decontextualized activities that are disconnected from students’ lives, experiences, emotions and personal histories. In fact, the types of writing that students are often invited to engage with at post-secondary levels are the dominant essayist literacy approaches such as argumentative, persuasive and expository genres (Kalan, 2021). This type of writing pedagogy does not allow for writing for healing and reflection for war-affected refugees. This paper reports on the results of a practitioner inquiry (Cochran-Smith & Lyttle, 2009) carried out in an ESL programme in Montreal, Canada. In response to moments of dissonance (Ballenger, 2009; Pincus, 2001), the educator involved in this inquiry took steps to modify the delivery of the writing curriculum by mobilizing Weekly Musings (adopted from Cameron, 2002; Ogilvie & Fuller, 2016) as a class activity, a space where students could write without preoccupation about form, genre or grammar. The project is situated within a critical expressivist framework (Roeder & Gatto, 2015) which encourages places the writer at the center of its theory and pedagogy and prioritizes the writer’s imaginative, psychological, social, and spiritual development. The findings indicate that Weekly Musings served as a powerful outlet where students could safely express a range of difficult emotions including disappointment, sadness, fear, hope, and joy. The findings also indicate that Weekly Musings led to the formation of organic writing practices (Kalan, 2021) characterised by translanguaging, multimodality and strong emotional language. The results have implications for the writing classroom, suggesting that curriculum developers and educators should decentre dominant writing pedagogies and create low-stakes writing activities as spaces where war- affected students can write for reflection and healing.