I don’t think CLL had any real links to sociology, but rather to a humanistic philosophy. And although task-based learning shares some things in common with RMM, it too has its roots elsewhere.

Ken

We found many of the contractors highly skeptical that anyone could learn to use the laptop with as little as the workshop taught, initially, about things like file structure and the machine’s internal workings.

This is a bit tangential to your main thread, but my point is that we sought a new model for classroom instruction: demonstrate, then observe as the learners worked through job-related examples with realistic data — and, by the second day, with live data from their own jobs.

Your communities of language learners have different motivations (travel, reading, business), and your approach leads to a rich array of resources from which people can draw what makes sense to them.

Indeed, as I’ve seen for myself, there’s nothing like speaking French regularly after years of non-practice to make me voluntarily open a review book and review conditionnel passé. Starting with that, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to offer much satisfaction.

I could be way off target here because I haven’t read the book, but what you are talking about shares similarities with community language learning (CLL), cooperative learning, and especially task based learning. In looking for the new might you be ignoring the old?

Task based learning has a strong pedigree in EFL circles and teacher training is a good example of where task-based learning can both affect our attitude about teaching and be effective as a learning tool.

Granted it is quite difficult to design tasks but this difficulty should be balanced against the documented power of tasks to engage, motivate, and focus attention.

Interesting, I am detecting a slight move in your interests away from the “unconnected single learner” to the “connected learner situated in a purposeful group”.

I’m surprised that wikis are not used more in these environments. A wiki needs to be excellently managed, both technically (configuration, maintenance) and socially (facilitators, admins, helpers), otherwise newcomers will flounder and old hands will yawn. Maybe that’s why. Maybe Web 2.0 people want to hit the install button and have something up already, and wikis don’t quite work that way. What a shame, though. A wiki is such pure web2.0 and it directly addresses the kinds of social aspects that you’re talking about. Maybe users these days don’t like that particular kind of interaction or something, I really don’t know.

I’m also very interested in FrenchPod, especially since our French/English province is abolishing early French immersion in school. There may be significant uptake in this offering from New Brunswick. When do you expect to launch?