English in the real world what classroom pedagogy has not taught

Accelerat ing t he world's research English in the real world: what classroom pedagogy has not taught Dat Bao Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration - Special Issue by Bao, D., Phan, LH & Barnawi, O (Eds.) Cite this paper Downloaded from Academia.edu  Get the citation in MLA, APA, or Chicago styles Related papers Download a PDF Pack of t he best relat ed papers  Informal English Learning Models for Japanese: Collaborat ive Experience wit h Aust ralia.pdf Dat Bao KOT ESOL-Proceeds2011web.pdf Harry F Carley, Bruce Lander Edit orial "Mobilit ies, immobilit ies and inequalit ies: int errogat ing 't ravelling' ideas in English language ed… PHAN LE HA, Dat Bao Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration Volume Number © 2019 Intellect Ltd Article English language doi: 10.1386/tjtm_00002_1 dat Bao Monash University english in the real world: what classroom pedagogy has not taught aBstraCt Keywords This article narrates the experiences of eight Japanese individuals who travelled to Melbourne, Australia, not to study English in a formal classroom, but to activate their language skills in a genuine social context Speakers were willing to take risk in the social process to acquire fluency and develop confidence Based on data generated from two years’ observation of and interviews with the participants, the author documented the pleasure and the challenges that occur in their unique experience The project reveals a range of preferences, strategies and tension in the languageusing environment Educational implications are drawn from several key characteristics of this self-motivated experiential model that may be absent in the current academic discourse in English-language teaching practice informal learning language exchange individual experience social authenticity self-motivation self-directed strategies How tHe ProJeCt tooK sHaPe It was in Melbourne, where I have taught TESOL over the past twelve years, that I observed a phenomenon that stays beyond my academic experience and that is yet to be documented in the TESOL research literature It was a spontaneous movement of travellers from Japan to Australia with a passion for developing English communication skills on their own accord 109 In the previous educational experiences of these individuals, English simply could not be developed in the classroom and in schools Frustrated by the system, the participants decided to take English into their own hands and build proficiency by themselves Most of these Japanese arrived in Australia alone and independently, neither in a group nor within any programme They neither know about one another; nor they have clear strategies about how to build language skills For each of them, developing English seems to be an unknown adventure of their own choice Inspired by this phenomenon, the project investigated eight Japanese individuals’ experience of building language competence in the social setting of multicultural urban Melbourne researCH desIGN The study was developed with a phenomenological and ethnographic design in mind It was phenomenological in the sense that participants’ experience was portrayed in the first-person point of view It was ethnographic for following the same group of participants over an extended period of time with an open mind in search of fresh reality Instruments of documentation comprise observation notes in the form of a journal and face-to-face follow-up interviews in public settings In-depth data analysis is characterized by an interpretivist stance through a thematic inquiry process whereby both journal and interview notes merge to bring out leading sub-themes in relation to the topic FoCUs oF tHe stUdy The study spotlights individual experiences through a range of learning behaviour including personal resources, choices, conditions strategies, interaction styles, self-control, reflection, emotion, struggle and the kind of support that participants might seek These constructs, however, are not pre-determined but they mainly serve as a flexible checklist to help keep track of various aspects of communication for target language development The project pays particular attention to how learners exercise autonomy and demonstrate their quest for new ways of language development that are social-oriented and that bear some features of immersion language learning It also examines the nature of learning experienced by Japanese learners of English with respect to positive conditions and hindrance in the communication process As far as research on linguistic and cultural immersion is concerned, although there has been tremendous acknowledgement of the social dimension of second-language development, little research has paid attention to how language learners build and acquire skills through the use of public networking (Kurata 2010) CoNteXt aNd researCH sIte Although a large proportion of the Japanese population live in a largely monolingual society without the urge for English language skills (Yuasa 2010), a humble percentage of Japanese are inclined to look beyond the contented environment of home (Asaoka and Yano 2009) The visitors’ interest in Australia has to not only with the living affordability and proximity to their home but also with the pleasant lifestyle in Melbourne, a city that has become famous worldwide for its livability over the past several years The Working Holiday Program established in 1975 for cultural exchange between British and Australian youth has seen significant expansion and has now included Japan, among several 110 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration other countries (Clarke 2004) Apart from the 360,000 Japanese arriving on a student visa in 2017 (Department of Education and Training 2017), the number of Japanese visitors to Australia has made up Australia’s fifth largest inbound market for visitor arrivals (Tourism Australia 2017) The broad location of the project is the central area of Melbourne city The study particularly zooms in on particular landmarks where verbal interaction among participants and their newly acquainted peers actually takes place Such places, which include cafes, bars and libraries situated in the most attractive vicinity of the city, serve as informal language-exchange hubs although they were not originally designed for language purposes Two locations where I gathered most of my data are Gloria Jeans café and Mangakan How-How library Once or twice a week, users of English and Japanese would come here to socialize and converse in these languages Although there is no accurate documentation with respect to when the above locations started to attract language exchangers, most participants are aware that 2008 was the year when many Japanese, international and local people were getting together on a casual basis to socialize Over time, such meetings gradually turned into a fixed routine on designated dates as they went through local advertising channels such as social applications, public bulletins and by word of mouth The whole idea of such socialization is not so much about making friends but more importantly, it arose from the pressing need among many Japanese for exposure to natural English input from native and international speakers Local and international residents with interest in learning Japanese then took the opportunity to practise the language in exchange with their verbal English resources that they can offer PartICIPaNts I first had the opportunity to get to know a few Japanese individuals when I went to a Mangakan How-How library in Melbourne to practise my Japanese with native-Japanese visitors at this location My recruitment of the participants came mainly from my personal network with language-exchange partners at the above-mentioned location In this process, I approached individuals at the language-exchange setting to express my interest in interviewing them and invite their participation on a voluntary basis Neiko and Eiji, both aged 20, came for one semester as exchange students in an undergraduate study programme at two different universities Four others, Keiko, Madoka, Tetsushi and Naoki, aged between 21 and 30 years, took time off from their university study in Japan to come to Australia for the cultural and linguistic exposure, simply out of the impulse to see the world The remaining two, Yumi, aged 30, and Toyama, age 50, connected the visit with their careers in tourism and international relations, respectively, both of which require rather intensive use of English By the time this study concluded, the participants had stayed in Australia between six months and two years, an extended time sufficient to share with me their complex set of experiences with English communication in the real world How PartICIPaNts PraCtIse LaNGUaGe Mangakan How-How library welcomes language-exchange members every Monday and Thursday from to p.m The designated room that hosts language-exchange visitors is called Pera-Pera Kai Interaction happens by way of two or three partners sitting down together to converse for fifteen minutes www.intellectbooks.com 111 in English, followed by the subsequent fifteen minutes in Japanese With the help of a facilitator, every twenty minutes each person is organized to sit with a new partner so that no one works with anyone for too long This working pattern allows each individual to engage in verbal exchange with a variety of interlocutors to increase the variety of communication styles, partnerships, proficiencies and interpersonal compatibilities According to Edasawa and Kabata (2007), this form of mutual, open exchange is a type of tandem development that plays the role of benefiting both learning parties A second location was Gloria Jeans Café, which receives languageexchange public every Saturday from to p.m However, the café only provides space without organizing any activities, bearing in mind that participants also serve as customers who might order coffee and soft drinks if they wish Due to the lack of arrangement, visitors tend to sit in groups and make their own choices regarding who they team with, how long they stay and how they wish to exchange languages There are no rules whatsoever with respect to what style of communication is encouraged or discouraged The operating styles, ways of interaction and the climates of these two locations are vastly different, which affects how one learns to develop social and language skills, as will be discussed in the data analysis Since the project investigates learning that happens in a real social setting, not the formal classroom, by people who improvise their own ways of learning, it will be useful to connect that naturalistic model to the literature of informal, experiential education dIsCoUrse oN INForMaL LaNGUaGe edUCatIoN I would like to begin this discussion by clarifying that I not identify this phenomenon with language-immersion programmes, simply because in such a programme, the dual role of classroom instruction and mentor guidance would be essential (Brault 2001; Cheng 2012; Qiang and Siegel 2012) whereas in this case study, these two features are non-existent I also not connect my case study with what is commonly known as key-pal language exchange as the latter would embrace the choice of digital media for communication for main learning benefits (Bower and Kawaguchi 2011; Edasawa and Kabaya 2007; Schwienhorst 2004) while the nature of the case study happens on a face-to-face basis Another model that one might think of is a countrybased exchange programme, which involves students living with host families, building social capital with the help of this family network, develop skills through attending classes and being subject to the management of schools (see, e.g., Schmidt-Rinehart and Knight 2004; Portes 2000) The present study, however, does not contain these elements In brief, although this project is about language users helping each other and exchanging such support, it has its own distinctive features that not reflect the key features of language immersion, key-pal language exchange and in-country exchange programmes, which are commonly recognized models in the discourse In a word, the nature of language-exchange activities in this project is unique and has not been documented in the literature Having said this, the closest concept that I could relate to, which to some degree might reflect the philosophy of this case study, could be naturalistic learning or informal education Informal learning is self-directed erudition so embedded into our everyday lives that we often not recognize it as learning and probably underestimate the amount of time that we devote to it (Livingstone 2001) A second feature of this type of learning is that individuals obtain most of 112 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration the second-language knowledge informally through conversation, observation or trial-and-error A third characteristic has to with what Livingstone (2001: 4) observes as ‘any activity involving the pursuit of understanding, knowledge or skill which occurs without the presence of externally imposed curricular criteria’ A fourth quality is that this learning is often of an accidental and unpredictable nature, a concept that Kukulska-Hulme (2006: 5) describes as ‘stumble and learn’ Comas-Quinn and Mardomingo (2009) add that it is the knowledge and skills that learners have not set out to acquire but chance upon in conversation, listening to the radio or web surfing, among other activities In short, informal learning has been perceived as being self-directed, embedded, observational, trial-and-error, externally imposed, accidental and unpredictable Informal learning has a self-driven nature According to Elsie (2013), research has demonstrated that self-initiated learning represents a stronger route to academic success, which might allow individuals to even outdo their counterparts with higher IQ or higher marks in schools Such learning has an element of risk in it, in the sense that learners are willing to try out new ideas, become involved in new experiences and not live in fear of making mistakes, instead drawing lessons from them By and large, the topic of self-initiated learning in a naturalistic social setting remains under-researched This is because self-education often bears such an unpredictable nature that it becomes a challenge to look at the outcome, while it remains more realistic to examine learner beliefs, attitudes and experiences One case in point is an ethnographic study conducted by Edasawa and Kabata (2007) in which language learning is viewed through bilingual communication as mediated by online technologies The project was conducted between Japanese university students learning English and Canadian university students learning Japanese According to Nielson (2011), there is hardly any empirical research into the outcome of self-learning as far as computer-assisted modes are concerned This is again due to the irregularity of learners’ success, which depends largely on individual effort and skilful selection of learning resources data dIsCUssIoN aNd MaIN FINdINGs The naturalistic but conscious nature of learning Although an informal study is often connected with subconsciousness (Livingstone 2001), participants’ experiences tell a different story It was observed that most participants did not merely socialize but made mindful attempts to occasionally take their own notes as a way of keeping track of their own learning The notes include individual words and clusters of speech The role of learner attention to salient features of the target language is a factor that pushes language development (see, e.g., Bialystok 1978; Rutherford and Sharwood Smith 1985) The role of consciousness versus subconsciousness, also known as intentional versus incidental learning, for decades has been a topic of controversy in the field of second-language acquisition (Hulstijn 2008; Schmidt 1990) In fact, the Japanese in the study seem satisfied with the harmony between informal and intentional learning conditions, manifested by the social nature of interaction and the academic effort of notetaking This compromise is not unique to this case study but has been recognized in a document known as Communication of European Commission in 2001, in which the compromise between formal and informal learning www.intellectbooks.com 113 is referred to as non-formal learning According to Pettenati and Ranieri (2006), non-formal educational experience has a socially implicit nature not assigned as learning and an intentional nature from the learner’s perspective Furthermore, discourse related to second-language acquisition has often highlighted both subconscious and conscious learning modes as the two lanes of the same route that boost up learners’ language development (Ellis 2012) The importance of a positive social climate The current discourse in TESOL does not seem to connect the role of learners’ cultural traits to informal learning Without this recognition, it appears that all learners from all cultural backgrounds who are involved in informal education would tend to behave in the same way In fact, the participants in this project not only express interest in external learning situations but also reflect on their own individual and cultural needs Neko shares her preference towards the learning climate, which denotes the need for a secure speaking zone that many Japanese yearn for: ‘I have been to several other language exchange hubs in Melbourne, such as Japaneasy, Meetup and JASE, but I prefer Pera-Pera, the reason being that we can talk in a small group in Pera-Pera Kai’ Similar views have been expressed by other participants: When I was staying in Brisbane, there were some language exchange centres, but they are all like JASE – we sit in a pub or cafe, it is too noisy and there are no special rules That’s why I was pleased to discover a new kind of language exchange in Melbourne (Madoka) I am a regular client of another language exchange as well Its weak point is that it is difficult to catch what other guests talk about because many people speak at the same time in one room Pera-Pera Kai is different from that one It features the way of face to face talk I suppose it has an advantage in developing language skills, especially for beginners (Toyama) The cultural value that comes into play in this scenario is the fact that the Japanese participants come here to seek a safe, quiet and pleasant climate – unlike other language-exchange settings that often involve multiple activities (drinking, eating, talking, dating), sounds (music, chat, traffic on the main road) and movement (people come and go as they please without logistic arrangements such as pairing or grouping) It has been acknowledged that the broader social context often exerts a powerful impact on second-language development (Walqui 2000), which often refers to the important relationship between classroom learning and the need for such learning to be socially applicable (see, e.g., Herrington et al 2010; Perkins 1999; Pugh and Bergin 2005) Awareness of social authenticity It has been emphasized in the current discourse that for second-language learning to be productive, it should be constantly linked to real-world social settings (Herrington et al 2010; Perkins 1999; Pugh and Bergin 2005) A deep sense of authentic communication is recognized when participants feel that 114 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration it is unnatural for a Japanese person to speak English to a Japanese partner, simply because this pattern of pairing does not reflect authentic conversation Data show that when a homogenous Japanese group is mutually involved in a conversation in English, that is, among themselves rather than with nonJapanese partners, several problems arise that are related to hierarchy in L2 proficiency, the cultural silent norm, the need for intensive observation and the lack of spontaneous talk Such challenges are expressed in the following quotes: When I speak English with other Japanese, I have to consider their level With native speakers, I can use any words and phrases that I’ve learnt, including difficult ones, but with Japanese, I should consider whether they can understand me or not That means I sometimes need to speak in a simpler way than I would like to (Neko) I don’t feel comfortable when there are other Japanese in the group There are often people who stay silent most of the time because they are shy, nervous or care too much about things Many Japanese prefer to engage in ningen-kansatsu (which means watching people) They prefer to observe and listen to what others say, and they never join in This puts pressure on other people in the group (Tetsushi) It may be useful to note that authenticity means more than simply using authentic materials, but the nature of interaction must also have an authentic quality to it, in the sense that reason or motive for communication must be natural, reflecting real-world exchange of meaning, rather than purely pedagogical According to Brown et al (1989a, 1989b), learning is a process of enculturation where the authentic activity and social interaction are the central components of learning When socialization is unreal, true negotiation of meaning is unlikely to take place and that would impede development (Blake 2000; Blake and Zyzik 2003; Kötter 2003) The reluctance to work with fellow Japanese, however, does not necessarily mean that the participants strongly prefer to speak English with native speakers Although it is sometimes highlighted in the discourse that linguistic benefits can be earned from maximizing contact with native speakers (Cadd 2012), alternative views have been recognized in this respect: for instance, Varonis and Gass (1983) highlight non-native – non-native communication as the scene where negotiation of meanings takes place in earnest, bringing with it substantial linguistic and sociocultural benefits Freed (1998) also points out contact with ethnic minorities and international residents within the target community as a valuable resource for practising language skills under realworld conditions As it turns out, the unfaltering exposure to native English does not seem to be important to the participants, who feel contented learning from both native and non-native speakers Furthermore, some even express the favour for nonnative international partners because in many cases non-native accents and syntax are easier to understand and the power relationship tends to remain more balanced when participants speak with someone not much more fluent in English than themselves This understanding is shown through Neko’s explanation of her comfort in working with a non-native conversational www.intellectbooks.com 115 partner: ‘I am more comfortable speaking with non-native English speakers, because they are usually accepting of my broken English and can guess what I mean when I don’t make sense But this really depends on a person’ This view, however, was not held by most participants in this project For example, Naoki strictly prefers native English speakers as his conversation partners: ‘I would like to speak with only native speakers, because it’s very good practice’ Eiji, likewise, feels that native speakers will enable him to practise his English in the most effective manner, although he does not mind communicating with non-native speakers: ‘I prefer the people who speak English as their first language, so it will be helpful for me to train my English effectively But of course, it would be fine to speak to other foreigners in English, too’ Tetsushi, by the same token, reflects: ‘It is difficult for me to talk with native speakers, but I think it is the best way to learn English quickly, so I prefer to speak with them as much as possible’ These participants prefer to jump straight into the deep end and take on a challenge of conversing with local native speakers Arguably, this is a significant attempt that means a great deal in the learning process According to Ellis (2012), when learners struggle to push their output beyond their existing ability, language development is highly likely to occur The two quite different, yet reasonable in their own way, viewpoints on the native/non-native partner preference that have been expressed by PeraPera Kai participants can be neatly brought together by considering Dobao’s (2012) research Dobao’s study investigated language learners seeking help from both native and non-native collaborators, and has shown that learners’ own goals and enthusiasm transcend the native-speaker status of their learning partner, with those most eagerly involved in a task producing the most collaborative learning climate, irrespective of whether they are paired with a native or a non-native speaker The logistic aspect of learning The Japanese library, Pera-Pera Kai, not only offers its space to language exchange to take place but also organizes such communication with politeness and hospitality There is a facilitator who provides seats and pairs people up, changing conversation partners every ten minutes to increase fluency practice, putting people in small groups for variety This learning situation takes on the following positive qualities that might not be the case in a classroom setting: Social authenticity – the context of conversation is realistic as the two partners exchange real information and talk about their real living world They not make up information or try to serve the content of a textbook This is a natural process that is different from many formal language classrooms where learners are constantly confronted with the need to practice realworld communication skills through the support of authentic materials, such as restaurant menus, travel adverts, news items and so on Unfortunately, the use of such ‘authentic materials’ does not necessarily make language use authentic Minimal disruption – the language-exchange situation demonstrates the most effective use of the time as all kinds of distraction not exist: there is no need to worry about teacher control, peer assessment, learning focus, exam requirement, classroom regulation, textbook topic, syllabus implementation and school disciplines, among many other distractions that might interfere 116 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration with learning They also not worry about filling in class time because each partner has the right to leave the learning scene if he or she is busy and needs to be somewhere else Self-directed learning strategies – language-exchange partners invent ways of learning and using languages as they help each other perform actions such as self-selecting conversation topics, writing down words, explaining the use, guessing meaning, asking questions, giving examples, translating, imitating each other’s pronunciation, drawing pictures, making jokes, exchanging cultural knowledge, sharing experiences, expressing enjoyment and relating content to their real world Such strategies are situation-based, personalized, self-controlled and mutually helpful They are autonomously generated from the actual learning circumstances, which are different from the strategies directed by the teacher or by textbook exercises, whereby students need to conform with classroom pedagogy Power balance – there is no hierarchy in the language exchange because the distinction between native versus non-native speakers is not an issue Within ten minutes of English conversation, the Australian is a native speaker, but in the subsequent ten minutes of Japanese conversation, the Japanese switches roles to being native In short, the characteristics of language-exchange activities in this project include being authentic, undisrupted, self-directed and power-free Some participants express their appreciation of such a climate Neko shares her feeling: ‘It is easier to talk to people in Pera-Pera – because I know they came to Pera-Pera to talk so I don’t need to be afraid People aren’t always nice to us outside’ I particularly pay attention to the feeling of ‘being nice’, which I believe is a very important feature of a learning space that sometimes seems to be absent from both the classroom and the society By making the experience more positive, we would be able to help learners feel most at ease to maximize their language skill development As Neko comments: ‘The atmosphere of Pera-Pera Kai is very comfortable, I feel at home’ This feeling is not only generated by the organizers of Pera-Pera Kai but also brought together by the participants who come here by choice and share the same learning interest Their mutual behaviour is often friendly, accommodating and courteous, as Neko remarks: ‘People who come to Pera-Pera are usually social, talkative, and nice Not all people are like that outside’ Kawamori also shares the same feeling: ‘Other Japanese guests complimented me on my English skills, I feel very pleased about that’ Arguably, the combination between leadership and self-initiated participation in the Pera-Pera Kai learning model contributes to a vibrant learning climate in this context In fact, it is highlighted in the relevant discourse that the role of mediators is of great importance Both management of learning, such as class management in formal settings, and behavioural management in informal learning are an indispensable part of education (see, e.g., Armstrong and Frith 1984; Koziol and Burns 1985) Reflecting on why he does not enjoy poorly-organized language-exchange settings, Toyama comments on his previous experience: ‘There were two big tables for chatting, but I thought it was not well facilitated by the organiser That’s why I stopped going there’ Most participants view the management style at Pera-Pera Kai as a highly positive aspect of the model in which they feel relaxed in a formal setting – a combination that is not extremely common in many language learning contexts In addition, most participants acknowledge www.intellectbooks.com 117 the importance of the role of the organizer not only in facilitating mutual exchange of language but also in respecting the autonomy and freedom of participants As Neko points out, ‘the organisers rarely interfere with our conversation’ Yumi further adds that the facilitators manage to divide the groups quite well, so that participants not always speak with the same people She elaborates: On average, each person is organised to work with at least three different partners in one session Being able to speak to both new and the same people is important If you always sit with the same folks you would run out of things to talk about; however, if you always sit with new partners, things easily become boring as you have to conduct small talk all over again Such need for social support is highlighted by Sale and Carey (1995) as an important factor for academic achievement Learners who not feel socially welcome will lose motivation and the ability to perform effectively Moeller and Ishii-Jordan (1996) also suggest reaching out to individual needs by providing support such as a consistent structure, explicit rules of behaviour, a variety of teaching approaches, trust and a good learning rapport It is worth noticing that the exchange has an ideal combination between management and relaxation In a formal classroom situation, when the teacher makes effort to manage the learning process, this sometimes might happen to create tension rather than comfort From my observation, the main difference between the facilitator in this project and many classroom teachers is that while the former offers a learning space with autonomy and respect, the former tends to provide learning guidance with some judgement and control Genuine interest in conversation content Arguably, language learners often need to be able to make the connection between new skills and their own experience The value of a compatible, familiar subject matter of conversation plays a significant role in effective communication and enjoyment Since language-exchange members are interested in each other’s cultures, the quality of conversational content stretches beyond linguistic gains and takes on a sense of cultural appreciation As Naoki acknowledges: ‘I can choose the topics to talk about, such as hobbies and the things interesting to me’ Toyama also comments: ‘Some of the popular topics at Pera-Pera Kai seem to be Japanese manga and anime Luckily, I like this stuff, so it is enjoyable for me to discuss’ Tetsushi elaborates further: The kind of English speakers who come to Pera-Pera Kai are those who are interested in Japan and Japanese culture, so there are many topics to discuss, and it is easier to talk about familiar things, because we already know a lot of vocabulary Toyama goes on to show further signs of strongly prioritizing the topic of discussion as a determining factor of the quality of the language-exchange experience: ‘My concern does not depend on personality [of my conversation partner] but on whether we have a common topic or not’ 118 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration Conflict and tension Tension sometimes occur both between the two parties to language exchange, which arises from two characteristics that define the Pera-Pera Kai practice: the language-learning need and the socializing need While the combination of these intentions, arguably, constitutes a major strength of the model, it also happens to create a sense of conflict during conversation experiences Almost all the participants admitted both social and linguistic factors being of value to them at Pera-Pera Kai The relative importance that participants attribute to each factor, however, may not be the same Tetsushi, for example, holds the need for improving his English competence as his utmost concern Madoka, on the other hand, has already become comfortable communicating in English during her stay in Brisbane, and views Pera-Pera Kai as primarily a place to make friends and socialize in the new city Keiko, in the meantime, admits to transitioning through a number of phases during her six months of attending Pera-Pera Kai Whereas making friends and becoming comfortable in an unfamiliar location have been the foremost priorities at the beginning, she later began to view advanced language practice as the more important reason for attending It is evident that many extraneous factors influence Japanese students’ preferences regarding the balance between socialization and learning Kubota (2011) identities intrinsic inclinations of the learners as a highly significant motive: while some people view the process as an investment to gain social capital, others treat it in a more hedonistic manner, where language practice denotes a pleasurable nature rather than a means of achieving academic goals Social tension occurs when one partner might focus mainly on language skills development while another partner, in the same pair, seems to care more about socializing For example, some participants recollected uncomfortable incidents when their partner shows a great degree of diligence in focusing explicitly on the language-learning process, while they themselves have not prepared for any activity apart from social conversation Such breakdown of priorities could manifest in one partner pulling out a pen and a notebook filled with prior notes, while the other did not bring anything of the sort, or one person generously offering to answer any study-related questions, while their partner is at a loss for not having prepared any language-learning agenda for the session Another kind of tension has to with the agenda that each individual brings into the conversational setting For example, a few local males tend to come to Pera-Pera Kai to seek out Japanese females for dating Toyama identifies lack of serious language-learning engagement, and small talk of a repetitive kind as barriers to learning that he often encounters at Pera-Pera Kai – ‘I often felt I was stuck in a rut’ – he concludes I am convinced that learning Japanese is completely divided into two spheres; business world and hobby world I know there are many who are interested in Japanese culture especially Japanese pop-culture, manga and anime In addition, there are some who come to find Japanese women for dating (Toyama) www.intellectbooks.com 119 The reality of such motivation is ‘very obvious’, in Yumi’s words She mentions regular episodes of realization that her local male conversation partner was evidently more interested in dating a Japanese girl rather than practising the Japanese language As suggested by Appleby, the English learning scene is where ‘the professional and personal, the educational and commercial, the pedagogical and the sexual coexist’ (2013a: 122) According to Appleby (2013a, 2013b), the desire for learning English by the Japanese (predominantly, females) is often coupled with the general fascination with the western lifestyle, and the preference for a western dating partner Similarly, Piller and Takahashi (2006) have indicated that, in the context of Australia, local males are often attracted to Japanese females, and for many this translates into strong motivation for learning Japanese; the language, in this set-up, often simply remains instrumental to achieving the original goal Arguably, the communication environment of Pera-Pera Kai is well suited for making acquaintances that could later develop into inter-racial romantic relationships Despite this, none of the female participants have voiced intentions for finding a dating partner at Pera-Pera Kai, and yet all have acknowledged the reality of dealing with the advances of Australian suitors Strategies to handle such conflicts include accepting, tolerating, being flirtatious, not giving their phone number to strangers and being careful on Facebook At the end of the day, Yumi does not see this particular clash of priorities as a serious barrier to learning: ‘That’s simple – if you don’t want to go dating, just say “No”, that’s it Just be clever, then no problem’ She further speculates that not all Japanese women may in fact see it as a nuisance: ‘I think some girls look for boys, too So, give and take!’ Male participants, such as Toyama and Tetsushi, also admit being aware of this actuality, but have little comment on the issue; the interactions between Japanese males and Australian females, in turn, could not be explored within this study, as the latter are infrequent visitors at Pera-Pera Kai Negotiation happens when some Japanese female partners, who are approached by male counterparts for developing a romantic relationship, try to avoid anything more than language exchange In other words, the Japanese would resist dating and keep interaction with their Australian male partners within English language practice It is interesting to notice that in this scenario, proactive learning can be viewed as a process of exchange and negotiation of meaning without which learners end up playing a passive role Arguably, language development in the real world can be a site of complex social negotiation filled with tension, conflict and responsive strategies, which is in many cases very different from classroom settings where language is taught in an isolated, peaceful and well-managed manner In a study on similar tension, Piller and Takahashi (2006) examine the context of a couple where the Japanese girlfriend suffered from English practice deficit because her Australian boyfriend turned out to be an ardent learner of Japanese who refused to talk in English in favour of his own learning benefit The relationship was described as relatively brief and filled with dissatisfaction 120 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration wHat CLassrooM PedaGoGy Has yet to Several lessons to be drawn from the project might help scholars think about confronting the restriction of TESOL pedagogy to a small extent Among these would be the awareness of the social dynamics of language practice, the need for constant adaptation during real-world communication and the process of utilizing personal resources that have substituted all kinds of formal materials often found in the conventional classroom Below are some explanations of how these areas have worked among participants Divergent modes of performance – the first major element that constitutes the satisfaction of these language users is that they can rehearse language use based on their personal learning styles and preferences While some tend to learn more through regular interaction, others benefit equally well from observation, note-taking and reflection While some improve quickly through conversing with native speakers of the target language, others find it helpful to practice L2 with both native and non-natives These differences are what formal classroom teaching would have difficulty in accommodating: what if some students not wish to stay by the desk and inside the room? How would the teacher be pleased if several students not take notes? What if some ask for a native speaker while others prefer non-natives? What if some enjoy talking while others keep to themselves and take a break from classroom activities? Would the teacher identify such students as being uncooperative? After all, rational responses to such diversity in learners’ idiosyncratic dispositions might require fundamental reconsideration of classroom philosophy and perhaps more than one teacher would be required in every classroom to cater for the assortment of learning types Persistent social adaptation – a second feature that might not be easily achieved through formal instruction is how to monitor learners’ personal choice that is constantly changing as a result of social adaptation among language users For instance, the same participant might at times be discouraged or self-encouraged, consciously outgoing or withdrawn, eager to learn and taking a break from learning, struggle to find their own way and overcome the fear of taking risks during communication All of these moments would vary in every participant depending on how each individual would cope with the learning environment In most language-exchange situations, participants not need guidance on how to behave since many seem to perform well in their learning adaption Arguably, it would be hard for classrooms to replicate all the social conditions that the participants have been exposed to Real-world communication demands a great deal of self-selected initiative from every individual Participants’ willingness to communicate and the need to lower anxiety and increase proficiency are important qualities of every language learner Learning, furthermore, becomes associated with social values and lifestyles (Appleby 2013a), and these dimensions, together with the absence of control by an external programme, have stretched education far beyond formal education to constitute a liberated alternative dimension to the whole learning experience The use of personal belongings and talents – some examples to show how classroom learning might restrain the social use of personal tools and talents in boosting social practice are the use of mobile phones and that of learners’ unique skills In my observation, during language exchange sometimes one partner offers to draw a cartoon portrait for the other partner In doing www.intellectbooks.com 121 this, they learn so many things: new vocabulary of facial features, making comments on appearance, observing similarity and difference, expressing likes and dislikes, sharing interests and enjoying the learning process In many cases, I could see how mobile phones become useful in the communication process when one person shows the other some pictures that they took, places of interest, pets, family members, information and so on Data in the phone can be a great resource for an amusing conversation that makes learning more expressive and natural IMPLICatIoN: How Ideas traVeL Having presented some authentic evidence of the real-world learning dynamics, I hope to provoke thoughts about how pedagogy can benefit from the findings of the study Research findings, however, not have to be confined within one specific case of learners but might inspire creative ideas and policies for language-exchange programmes For example, there may be the need to provide flexible space for learners to struggle and learn through risk taking rather than through well-organized guidance all the time In this respect, an innovative balance between unstructured emergence and guided scaffolding would be worth considering Another principle to be contemplated would be the need for more unpredictable scenarios of classroom communication whereby learners are given conflicting roles to play The idea is for everyone to experience more demanding negotiation than harmony during interaction events For example, one student might enter into the discussion with a learning-oriented agenda in mind while the other peer may focus on developing a social relationship Without being pre-informed of each other’s roles, the two partners could be exposed to tension and confusion that would require them to develop ways of resolving expectation mismatch Such tasks would stimulate authentic moments of high-order thinking and unpredictable communication outcomes In particular, activity designers might wish to consider playing with a more diverse range of discussion scenarios, social roles and communicative strategies These areas are lessons drawn from the Japanese participants’ experience in the study, which can be explained as follows: •฀ New scenarios: it is usual for many Japanese who wish to practice their English to communicate with English-speaking visitors in Japan The project participants, however, refuse to this but have actively sought language use beyond their home context Such practice, as discussed in this study, is a reverse picture from what is commonly known •฀ New roles: participants not wish to work with a teacher but takeover the teaching role They challenge existing education convention by practising English independently from formal education •฀ New resources and strategies: Participants not only relocate their learning context but also re-establish resources and develop their own intervention strategies for a totally new learning experience in an internally driven and self-monitored process Now and then, students can inspire educators to come up with new approaches to task design As can be drawn from the study, what participants have done to stretch their learning repertoire can become lessons for pedagogical improvement Teachers, policy-makers, materials designers and curriculum developers can 122 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration review features of events in this study to strengthen their language programmes Whether such programmes may have an overseas setting or even a domestic context, communication can take on a more open-ended approach as characterized by less predictability and more surprise in problem-solving situations CoNCLUdING reMarKs Much of academic discourse as constructed by the intellectual brain is often adorned by ideology and imagination rather than characterized by what is really happening out there Instead of looking into how the mind learns, it might be more useful to investigate how the mind responds to the everyday changeable social environment Such less known but well-documented scenarios should be brought into the classroom to rethink and improve task design For example, one strategy that is often left undiscussed in language education is the competence to negotiate elements such as time, space, power, goal and social rule – rather than always negotiating content of communication Among all these, it might be helpful to encourage learners to socialize outside of the classroom such as organizing a party, celebrating a cultural event, going to a concert, visiting an English-speaking community or any public activity that might allow conversation in the target language Once this is organized, learners can also be encouraged to take notes of the event and share such notes in the classroom as a follow-up activity After all, there is the need to seek new scenarios for communication practice Classroom pedagogy needs to consider developing more helpful strategies by further documenting complex communication situations from the real world rather than always relying on scholarly discourse that might not be true to life In many cases, classroom activities often seem too consistent, taking away learners’ right to decide on what is most enjoyable to learn One way to reduce such dominance could be to have a few options for students to choose from Every practice activity might offer more than one topic and those who select the same topic can form into a group so that each student can chat with peers of a similar interest rather than everyone talking about the same thing I would like to refer to such ability as social management competence, which at the present moment seems to be largely neglected in TESOL pedagogy The mobility of the Japanese visitors in Melbourne in the study signifies a self-conscious shift away from the conventional learning context and involvement in the 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14:1, pp 147–58 sUGGested CItatIoN Bao, D (2019), ‘English in the real world: What classroom pedagogy has not taught’, Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration, 3:2, pp 109–26, doi: 10.1386/tjtm_00002_1 CoNtrIBUtor detaILs Dat Bao is a senior lecturer in education at Monash University, Australia He has previously worked with Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom, Cornell University in the United States, the National University of Singapore, and the Assumption University of Thailand His expertise includes curriculum design, intercultural communication, materials development, literacies, creative pedagogy and visual pedagogy in language education He is the author of Understanding Silence and Reticence: Ways of participating in Second Language Acquisition (Bloomsbury, 2014); Poetry for Education: Classroom Ideas that Inspire Creativity (Xlibris, 2017); Creativity and Innovations in ELT Material Development: Looking beyond the Current Design (Multilingual Matters, 2018) Contact: Monash University, Faculty of Education, Clayton Campus, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia E-mail: dat.bao@monash.edu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4143-4951 Dat Bao has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work in the format that was submitted to Intellect Ltd 126 Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration ... discussed in the data analysis Since the project investigates learning that happens in a real social setting, not the formal classroom, by people who improvise their own ways of learning, it will... a loss for not having prepared any language-learning agenda for the session Another kind of tension has to with the agenda that each individual brings into the conversational setting For example,... and interview notes merge to bring out leading sub-themes in relation to the topic FoCUs oF tHe stUdy The study spotlights individual experiences through a range of learning behaviour including