Title: Assistant Faculty Specialist in Language Technology
Department: Center for Language and Technology (CLT)
College/School: College of Arts, Language & Letters
Showcase Course: PORT 203 Intensive Intermediate Portuguese, SPAN 303 Spanish Conversation
Email: rmamiya@hawaii.edu
“Meaningful learning requires learners to be involved intentionally, actively, cooperatively, and authentically. These days, it is crucial that we focus on the transformative potential of our educational approaches and how we can shape learning through the experiences we create and the connections we help our learners make.”
Table of Contents
Showcase Video
Teaching Philosophy
Meaningful learning requires learners to be involved intentionally, actively, cooperatively, and authentically. These days, it is crucial that we focus on the transformative potential of our educational approaches and how we can shape learning through the experiences we create and the connections we help our learners make. This involves shaping learning experiences that are not only informative but also deeply impactful, and facilitating connections that enrich our learners’ understanding.
I am constantly looking for ways that technology can cultivate deeper, more impactful learning. In my courses, Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) has been a vehicle to foster more meaningful, collaborative, transformative learning with technology.
Teaching Practice
As an educator, my approach to teaching is rooted in the belief that language is not just a subject to be studied, but a vibrant means of connection, expression, understanding, and a tool for change. At the heart of my teaching practice is Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL). PBLL provides students with an engaging and immersive environment where language is learned through real-world projects and authentic experiences.
Quite simply, language is everything. It permeates all aspects of our lives and shapes and encodes our understanding. I believe that language is alive and extends beyond the confines of textbooks and classrooms. PBLL provides an immersive environment where students can engage with the language dynamically, connecting it to real-world scenarios and experiences. This approach can not only enhance linguistic proficiency but also foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. By working on projects that are relevant to their lives and communities, students find more meaning and motivation in their language learning journey.
My love of learning has kept me deeply engaged in teaching and research. In particular I have been working especially hard on the thoughtful integration of technologies both in and out of the classroom. Gaining a better understanding of how we learn in both multimedia and face-to-face environments, human cognitive architecture, and second language acquisition has helped me reshape my teaching practice. Namely, I have come to understand the importance of input, the use of clear visuals, the need for multiple means of representation and engagement, and leveraging the affordances of technology in my classroom.
Central to my projects is a steadfast commitment to social justice. Language learning is an excellent platform to explore and address issues of equity, identity, diversity, action, and inclusion. Through PBLL, I guide my students to not only become proficient in a new language but also to become culturally competent and socially responsible global citizens. We delve into projects that tackle real-world social issues, encouraging students to use their language skills as a means to understand and advocate for social change. This approach not only enriches their language capabilities but also instills a sense of empathy, ethical responsibility, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
And while I am no longer in the classroom, I continue to help faculty at UH and across the country in my faculty specialist role with the Center for Language and Technology. In this role, I have the opportunity to facilitate a variety of professional learning experiences for faculty which focus on PBLL, online teaching and learning, instructional design, and the integration of technology. I strive to create a learning environment where we see students not just as language learners, but also as innovators, thinkers, and change-makers, equipped with the skills and consciousness to navigate and contribute positively to an increasingly globalized and complex world.
Impact
Portuguese 203 : Ebook Project
This is an example of a PBLL project from one of my courses. The context for this project was my intensive, intermediate Portuguese language course at UH Mānoa. My class collaborated virtually with two English language classes from the Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia in Cruz das Almas, Brazil to produce a bilingual children’s ebook (in English and Portuguese) that celebrates Black heroes from Brazil, the U.S., the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Mexico, and Portugal.
The multilingual, multimodal ebook that the students produced, O ABC da História Negra/The ABCs of Black History, has had a far-reaching, real-world impact. The eBook has been a significant educational tool, reaching over 1200 young readers in 22 countries, and its success is reflected in the adoption of similar projects by institutions like the University of Georgia and UT Austin.
In terms of their language gains, students’ average score on the presentational writing portion of their integrated performance assessments increased from 90% prior to the project to 98% in the post-project performance assessment. Furthermore, learners were able to develop other key success skills. Collaboration proved to be an important aspect of this project; in response to a questionnaire 78% of students agreed that working together allowed them to complete a complex task and 83% of students indicated that they felt they were able to share their talents and contribute to their respective groups.
Turning to the dimensions of social justice in the project, in their qualitative responses, one student highlighted how the project spoke to her identity, affirming, “As a Black woman, it was really special for me to participate in building this important and meaningful project, since we need to think about representation so that we all may be antiracist.” Another student mentioned the sense of action and doing something meaningful that the project brought, writing, “this project was great because it helped us really apply our skills to something that will make an impact on others.” Building these empathetic connections to help learners better understand the struggles, history, and lived experiences of others is a fundamental component of teaching with social justice.
The main challenges of PBL or PBLL are the time and planning it takes to create a well-designed project. Other potential challenges when working with international partners include scheduling/time conflicts, miscommunication, and challenges with group dynamics. This said, the benefits outweigh the challenges. PBLL allows learners to demonstrate their learning in tangible ways and make meaningful contributions and impact beyond the classroom. This project not only fostered significant language development but also equipped students with essential collaborative skills and a deeper sense of intercultural competence, demonstrating the transformative power of educational innovation.