Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Speak English: A Collaborative Language Learning System Using Design Thinking in Second Language Education An exegesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design Massey University Wellington New Zealand Sue Ollerenshaw August 2019 i Abstract The desire to communicate and converse in a second language is often hampered by students’ lack of confidence, low motivation, passivity, unwillingness to take risks and/or over-reliance on contrived teacher-directed activities. This aim of this project, therefore, is to design a learning system that addresses these difficulties and thus helps English language learners improve fluency. The project highlights a clear connection between design thinking and cooperative language learning, with both pedagogies promoting collaborative, real-life, team-based approaches. This, in turn, suggests that incorporating design thinking into educational design can help learners overcome the obstacles identified above and thereby become more fluent and confident when conversing. Given this, the project involves designing and prototyping a cooperative language learning system drawing on the pedagogies of design thinking and design thinking for education. This Speak English system is based on a process of ‘problem framing’ that aims to improve communicative English competence through the motivational, risk-taking, ideational and iterative aspects of design thinking . The final design system consists of prototyped examples of instructional language learning materials, including an app, a learners’ booklet and worksheets. An accompanying explanatory poster and an animated overview of Speak English illustrate how the system works and how communicational language learning activities are initiated. As it stands, the initial Speak English system provides the basis for future integration of design thinking concepts (such as problem framing) into language learning pedagogy and materials design. ii Acknowledgements Gratitude to the following people: Patrick Whittle for patience, wisdom, enthusiasm, help and encouragement. My supervisors, Brian Lucid and Jacquie Naismith for their ideas, guidance and inspiration. My fellow students at Massey University for their support and feedback. Caroline Campbell for additional support. Alex MacCreadie for professional advice and comments. Poppy Alice Whittle for positivity. Carrie and the students at Elite Management School for giving their time. Bronwyn Forsyth for Bagz. iii “Jiamin. Tell me why you chose this website.” We are in a design workshop at a university in China and I am teaching design theory in English to a class of Chinese students. Jiamin looks at me in startled horror but does not reply. She turns to her friend Xin who translates my request into Chinese. Jiamin answers in Chinese without looking at me. Finally, Xin turns and gives me Jiamin’s response in English. Later, I return to the pair and ask Xin a question in English. The earlier scenario is repeated, only this time Xin retreats in panic into Chinese while Jiamin translates and answers in English. And this is not unique to this pair; time and again, students avoid directly conversing in English, relying instead on the intermediary of a friend. As I discover first hand, despite all Chinese tertiary students studying English at school and at university, communicating readily in English during lessons is almost impossible. This standard classroom behaviour, though. contrasts markedly with a rare English-speaking encounter with Chinese students on a train journey. “How come your English is so good?” I ask one of my friendly interlocutors. “Me and a group of friends practice every day before class,” he replies. If students like Jiamin and Xin could be encouraged to overcome their fears and practice speaking like this, then they too would be able to communicate more freely in English. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background and Context 1 1.2 Project Aims and Objectives 2 1.3 Chapter Overview 2 Chapter 2: Design Thinking and Language Learning 2.1 Design Thinking and Design Thinking for Education 4 2.2 Theories of Language Acquisition and Language Learning 4 2.2.1 The human focus - design thinking and cooperative language learning 5 2.3 Design Thinking in Education 6 2.4 Relevant Process Phases of Design Thinking 8 2.4.1 Problem Finding 9 2.4.2 Problem Framing 9 2.4.3 Empathy and Risk-taking 10 2.4.5 Ideation 11 2.4.6 Iteration 11 2.5 Language Learning Systems 12 2.5.1 Coursebook-based Language Learning Systems 12 2.5.2 E-learning Platforms and Online Language Learning Systems 13 2.5.2.1 New Horizon College English 13 2.5.2.2 MyELT 15 2.5.3 Individual Language Learning and Self-Study Systems 16 2.6 Relevant Design Criteria 18 2.6.1 Appeal 18 2.6.2 Usability 18 2.6.3 Interactivity 19 v 2.7 Summary 20 Chapter 3: Designing the Speak English System 3.1 Speak English Design Research - Background and Context 21 3.2 The Speak English System: Initial Development 22 3.2.1 The Phases of the Speak English Process. 22 3.2.2 The Speak English Phase Terminology 23 3.3 The Speak English System: Progressive Development 23 3.4 Scaffolding 28 3.5 Speak English from a Learner’s Perspective 29 3.5.1 Brainstorming and Sharing Ideas 30 3.5.2 Speaking Help 31 3.5.3 Turn-Taking to Team Talk 32 3.5.4 Team Build 33 3.5.5 A Learner Led Journey – Problem Find 33 3.5.6 Different Views 34 3.5.7 Simplify 34 3.5.8 Suggest 35 3.5.9 Reflect 35 3.5.10 Summary 36 3.6 The ‘look’ of the Speak English System 36 3.6.1 The theme 37 3.6.2 The App 38 3.6.3 Booklet and Worksheets 47 3.6.4 Animation and Posters 47 Chapter 4: Conclusions 49 References 51 vi List of Figures Fig.1. Design thinking benefits to cooperative language learners 8 Fig.2. Phases of the design thinking process 8 Fig.3. The phases of design thinking with problem framing emphasised 10 Fig.4. Selected pages from Headway Student’s Site (Oxford University Press) 13 Fig.5. New Horizon College English - Book 1 Unit 1 cover 14 Fig.6. New Horizon College English – Book 1 Unit 1 ppt download 14 Fig.7. My Elt. “Introduction to My Elt” 15 Fig.8. Duolingo, “Greetings” 16 Fig.9. Duolingo, “Learn” 17 Fig.10. Fandom.com, “Duo” 17 Fig.11. Learner needs 21 Fig.12. Design thinking and cooperative language learning process combination 22 Fig.13. Speak English phases 23 Fig.14. Visualisation 1 - wide and narrow thinking, and repeated tasks 24 Fig.15. Visualisation 2 - key questions and a central core 24 Fig.16. Core process with additional elements 25 Fig.17. Core process with method tools, language strategies, assessment 25 Fig.18. A ‘What to do’ example page showing an earlier stage in the evolving process 26 Fig.19. Final speak English ‘what to do’ page 27 Fig.20. Speak English share ideas and team talk scaffolding 27 Fig.21. The benefits of Speak English inspired by design thinking 28 Fig.22. Phases and key activities 29 Fig.23. Brainstorming and sharing ideas 30 vii Fig.24. Turn taking cat 31 Fig.25. Help characters (the ‘thinking’ mouse and dog) and help starter sentence examples 32 Fig.26. Recording icon 32 Fig.27. Simplify phase worksheet 34 Fig.29. Section of the Speak English process tree diagram 36 Fig.30. Character development 37 Fig.31. Four animal characters 37 Fig.32. App start page 38 Fig.33. App map showing the six Speak English phases and activities 39 Fig.34. The initial Speak English overview – six phases, activities and tools (team build phase) 40 Fig.35. Informational icon examples (3) and navigation button 41 Fig.36. Top navigation 41 Fig.37. Changes to the final design: bubble shape, buttons, text heirarchy and characters 41 Fig.38. Paper prototyping 42 Fig.39. Iterative development 43 Fig.40. Development of scrolling page format to ‘step by step’ format 44 Fig.41. Speech bubble box example and information 45 Fig.42. Brainstorm animation illustrations 46 Fig.43. Mediated communication 46 Fig.44. Upload to the team profile 47 Fig.45. The learning team 48