Bridging the gap between language learning in the classroom and at the museum
Research on language learning beyond the classroom has certainly being growing in the last few years, with many studies reporting on its positive impact on both students’ language development and affective factors (Benson and Reinders 2011; Sundqvist 2009; Sylvén and Sundqvist 2012, 2015, 2017; Rodgers and Webb 2011; Turgut and Irgin 2009; Menegale 2013; Canuto 2016). Within this context, Reinders and Benson (2017, 516) claim that the true challenge for the contemporary researcher is not in demonstrating that language learning is ubiquitous in nature, but to describe what learning opportunities or affordances for language learning are specific to each setting, how they are/can be exploited by learners, and how teachers should be involved. Museums are innovative out-of-school settings as they offer rich multimodal and multisensorial stimuli, which can boost students’ language competence and motivation. However, they also present issues – such as the presence of other visitors and the need to build a strong museum educator-teacher’s collaboration – which can hinder students’ learning experience. Thus, in this presentation, we aim to i) discuss the affordances and issues of museums for language learning, and ii) present a pedagogical model to support the integration of formal (classroom) and non-formal (museum) lessons. The model is based on students, teachers, and museum educators’ perceptions, collected through different methods and instruments (i.e. interviews, diary, and observation) in two different contexts: a study abroad programme and an Italian L2 course for migrants.
