Wait, so TikTok is GOOD for my English language learners?

What to expect this week:

4 min read

We continue to look at creative ideas and research behind empowering our English language learners, this time using mobile technology and yes, even social media - but not in the usual way, we promise. 🤨 📚

• Sing me a song (or maybe just the lyrics)

• Doom scrolling is increasing language learning (maybe)

• Are libraries unpopular?

Tech Talk

A song and dance (literally)

This week, we're diving into LingoClip, a mobile-only EdTech gem that's more game than classroom tool. But don't be fooled—its impact on your ELLs is solid. With the dominance of music in students' lives, evidenced by TikTok and Reels - so much so that the entire music industry has changed as a result - LingoClip taps into this trend by teaching languages through chart-topping songs. 🎶

The app's concept is simple: learn languages through popular songs. Music, as a universal language, transcends borders and ages. Your ELLs might already know the lyrics of English hits, even if they're still mastering the grammar. LingoClip fills this gap by gamifying language learning, challenging learners to fill in song lyrics as fast as possible for high scores and rewards.

What can this lead to? Well, LingoClip claims that persistent use of their game can:

• Enhance learner listening skills, especially when it comes to accents, leading to better pronunciation

• Boost grammar in both formal and informal sentences

• Expand learner vocabulary by exposing them to more, easily memorizable, words and phrases

• Speed up the language learning process by making more neural connections between words, games, and music

Using LingoClip in class? We strongly suggest treating it as a supplementary tool rather than the core of your lesson. While games like this are engaging, they can also be distracting (and if using it in a classroom, definitely make sure students have headphones!). Encourage learners to use it for creative language practice both inside and outside the classroom, enhancing their language connections. It's a win-win-win for your ELLs, connecting language, gaming, and music.

With over 1 million downloads and rave reviews, LingoClip is a must-have for middle schoolers and up. We’re not endorsed by them - they don’t even know who we are - and so the usual warnings of downloading any app apply. Also, just a heads-up: keep an eye out for any potential issues like explicit lyrics in certain songs. And for all the other language teachers out there - yes, it works for more than just English songs. Rock on teachers, rock on! 🎶

Brainy Bits

Social media and language learning - the marriage we never expected

Has social media actually impacted second language learning? How about its impact on cultural learning that usually comes along with learning a language? To find out, this week we dive into a literature review study conducted by Natasha Ita MacDonald (2023). This author’s work reviewed 47 different studies related to language learning, intercultural communication, and social media. Trying to find the intersection between all of these, the paper concentrated on authentic interaction, indigenous identity, language revitalization, and maintenance of it all. So what did they find?

Social media has accidently facilitated intercultural communication, thereby enhancing a want of language learning. This connectivity fosters a desire to explore other cultures, often leading to increased engagement in language acquisition tools (why else would Duolingo have 88.4 million monthly users?). However, it's crucial to recognize that language is only one aspect of culture.

Classroom practices should avoid exclusively associating language with specific cultures or countries. Instead, educators should introduce a variety of cultural perspectives, leveraging social media as a tool for exploration. This immersion in diverse cultures not only enhances language skills but also fosters intercultural competencies, enabling students to identify differences and similarities between their first language (L1) and second language (L2).

Their research indicates that classrooms integrating social media for intercultural interactions yield better language learning outcomes compared to traditional methods. Social media offers exposure to a broad spectrum of linguistic and cultural norms, enhancing unintentional language practice through various forms of communication, including oral and visual (yes, even TikTok can count).

Despite its benefits, social media's impact varies depending on cultural representation. Communities less present on social media may experience diminished effects. For example, the main community focus of this paper was on Inuit communities as an L1 - which don’t have a huge social media presence compared to the English and French L1s they are surrounded with. Nevertheless, social media provides unprecedented access to minority languages and cultures, thereby contributing to language diversity preservation.

So how does this study impact my ELLs? Social media can positively influence language learning by stimulating curiosity about unfamiliar cultures. However, educators should exercise caution when integrating social media into classroom activities to avoid distractions while harnessing its potential. Bonne chance! 📚👩‍🏫

Surplus Scoop

• Guess how many Australian students still take out a real library book each week!

• Are pupils more violent than ever before? This may be the case in England.

• Phone bans are becoming more popular than TikTok - at least in Europe (full disclosure - we’re exaggerating, but only a little!).

Tell your friends about us!

Like what you’ve seen? Forward us to your friends and colleagues so y’all have something to talk about next week. 😎

Have an idea for some classroom tech, strategies, or research that you think is valuable for the community? Hit reply on this email and let us know.

Join us on social media for extra goodies, chats, and a bunch of extra resources!

References

This week’s issue adapts information from the following sources:

Tech Talk:

Dan Whateley. (December 22 2023). How TikTok is changing the music industry and the way we discover new, popular songs. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-tiktok-is-changing-music-industry#:~:text=The%20industry's%20attention%20on%20TikTok,100%20or%20Spotify%20Viral%2050.

LingoClip. (2024). Enjoy learning languages with music. Retrieved from https://https://lingoclip.com/

Brainy Bits:

MacDonald, N. I. (2023). Intercultural communication in second-language (L2) learning via social media within the Inuit context: a scoping literature review. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 19(4), 784-793. https://doi.org/10.1177/11771801231196147

Laura Ceci. (March 1 2024). Number of monthly active Duolingo users worldwide from 3rd quarter 2020 to 4th quarter 2023. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1309610/duolingo-quarterly-mau/#:~:text=During%20the%20fourth%20quarter%20of,the%20third%20quarter%20of%202022.