Digital games and ELT : bridging the authenticity gap
(2013) p.133-155- Abstract
- In this chapter I will suggest that in cultural contexts such as Sweden where English is an integral part of young people’s everyday lives and is encountered and used in a range of out-of-school domains, a particular challenge facing teachers is not so much generating motivation to succeed in long-term competency goals, but rather engaging students in day-to-day classroom activities. Based on the idea that self-authenticity can have a motivating force (Gecas 1991; Vannini 2006; Vannini and Burgess 2009) and drawing on James Paul Gee’s recent work on affinity spaces (Gee 2005; Hayes and Gee 2010), I will argue that teachers of English need to create learning opportunities where students can experience the types of creative and self-relevant... (More)
- In this chapter I will suggest that in cultural contexts such as Sweden where English is an integral part of young people’s everyday lives and is encountered and used in a range of out-of-school domains, a particular challenge facing teachers is not so much generating motivation to succeed in long-term competency goals, but rather engaging students in day-to-day classroom activities. Based on the idea that self-authenticity can have a motivating force (Gecas 1991; Vannini 2006; Vannini and Burgess 2009) and drawing on James Paul Gee’s recent work on affinity spaces (Gee 2005; Hayes and Gee 2010), I will argue that teachers of English need to create learning opportunities where students can experience the types of creative and self-relevant interaction commonplace in digital gaming. This does not mean that teachers should look to leisure-time domains with an eye to the wholesale import of youth culture content into the classroom, but, rather, that greater scope should be given to aesthetic and personal expression in activity design. In arguing that there is a growing authenticity gap between the English students learn in school and the English they use outside, I will begin the chapter by looking at the sorts of things young people in Sweden do in their free time. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/f8a0c5df-2e54-4222-b9fd-cf3b279ae615
- author
- Henry, Alastair LU
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- motivation, Specific Languages, Studier av enskilda språk, language pedagogy, authenticity, digital gaming, language learning
- host publication
- International perspectives on motivation : language learning and professional challenges - language learning and professional challenges
- editor
- Ushioda, Ema
- pages
- 23 pages
- publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- ISBN
- 978-1-137-00089-7
- 978-1-137-00087-3
- DOI
- 10.1057/9781137000873_8
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- 2018-01-11T19:55:42.640+01:00
- id
- f8a0c5df-2e54-4222-b9fd-cf3b279ae615
- alternative location
- https://hv.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A638164&dswid=-1098
- date added to LUP
- 2023-09-06 08:53:11
- date last changed
- 2023-09-18 07:56:20
@inbook{f8a0c5df-2e54-4222-b9fd-cf3b279ae615,
abstract = {{In this chapter I will suggest that in cultural contexts such as Sweden where English is an integral part of young people’s everyday lives and is encountered and used in a range of out-of-school domains, a particular challenge facing teachers is not so much generating motivation to succeed in long-term competency goals, but rather engaging students in day-to-day classroom activities. Based on the idea that self-authenticity can have a motivating force (Gecas 1991; Vannini 2006; Vannini and Burgess 2009) and drawing on James Paul Gee’s recent work on affinity spaces (Gee 2005; Hayes and Gee 2010), I will argue that teachers of English need to create learning opportunities where students can experience the types of creative and self-relevant interaction commonplace in digital gaming. This does not mean that teachers should look to leisure-time domains with an eye to the wholesale import of youth culture content into the classroom, but, rather, that greater scope should be given to aesthetic and personal expression in activity design. In arguing that there is a growing authenticity gap between the English students learn in school and the English they use outside, I will begin the chapter by looking at the sorts of things young people in Sweden do in their free time.}},
author = {{Henry, Alastair}},
booktitle = {{International perspectives on motivation : language learning and professional challenges}},
editor = {{Ushioda, Ema}},
isbn = {{978-1-137-00089-7}},
keywords = {{motivation; Specific Languages; Studier av enskilda språk; language pedagogy; authenticity; digital gaming; language learning}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{133--155}},
publisher = {{Palgrave Macmillan}},
title = {{Digital games and ELT : bridging the authenticity gap}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137000873_8}},
doi = {{10.1057/9781137000873_8}},
year = {{2013}},
}