Deivis D. Pothin

Wednesday is traditionally the “day off” of the AILA conferences but the morning was very well spent at the meeting of the research network on autonomy in language learning. The ReN, as it is called, focused on the links between identity, motivation and autonomy. There were a variety of papers, most of them focusing on the Asian context. It was a great opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world interested in the area.

PS.: Afternoon off.

Tuesday has been so far the greatest moment of this conference for me. The symposium on language learning strategies (LLS) I attended was mediated by Karen Schramm and Rebecca L. Oxford. Rebecca is one of the greatest authorities on LLS and I used mostly her work to support my undergraduate end-of-course dissertation, back in 2003 in Brazil. Her presentation on digital age learning strategies linked perfectly with my interest in both fields – computer assisted language learning (CALL) and language learning strategies (and autonomy language learning in a broader sense). Rebecca used Prensky’s terminology (2005) to point out that digital natives use different learning strategies when compared to digital immigrants. Digital natives here being the generation who was born with access to ICT from a very early age, as opposed to digital immigrants who witnessed the implementation and use of technology in people’s everyday life. Rebecca highlighted the ability of multitasking, seeking multisensory learning and social networking with people from around the world. Finally, she claimed that “young learners are not only able to describe their learning strategies but can (and should) actively learn new ones” and encouraged the participants to be involved in more research on technology-enhanced L2 learning strategies.

The day ended with the Beijing night at the University of Essen, where AILA presented the next conference venue in 2011. The most applauded part was certainly the host’s statement that buildings will be within 5-minute walking distance from one to the other, unlike Essen’s two different venues located in opposite sides of the city.