Read the text: Socio-communicative activities

Computer-mediated communication Research and Communication Theory

Within Service-level agreement (SLA), understandings of "communication" are frequently bound to restrictively operationalizedconcepts (e.g., communicative competence and proficiency, negotiation of meaning). It is ironic that in a field like SLA, concerned with the development of communicative abilities, communication research (and its research methodologies) is infrequently used to describe and interpret the linguistic activity of foreign and second language learners. Communication theorists and experimental researchers have addressed computer-mediated communication since the early 1980s and over the years have produced a diversity of empirical claims and theoretical frameworks that attempt to explain how Internet communication tools affect language-based human interaction. One early and quite robust line of CMC research describes the medium as "not rich enough" for many task-related needs (Daft & Lengel, 1984, in Walther, 1996, p. 3), nor is CMC effective for interpersonal exchanges as there is "scant social information" available (Dubrovsky, Kiesler, & Sethna, 1991, p. 119). Prominent communication researcher (and CMCspecialist) Joseph Walther, making reference to both of the aforementioned studies, rhetorically asks, "if it's not good for tasks and not good for socializing, then just what is CMC good for and why would anyone use it at all?" (1996, p. 4).

Examining data from a number of experimental conditions, Walther (1992) has developed a hypothesis, based on principles of social cognition and interpersonal relationship development, that suggests CMC relationships are as deeply relational as those that occur F2F. His central claim is that in comparison to F2F communication, CMC interaction is not different in kind, but typically mediates a slower rate of social information exchange (Walther, 1996, p. 10). Termed the information processing perspective, it suggests that "as goes (F2F), so goes CMC, given the opportunity for message exchange and accompanying relational development". If, as Walther argues, relationships mediated by textual communication over the Internet are similar in kind to those built in F2F settings, what are the implications for intercultural foreign language education projects? The case study data and analyses to follow respond to this question and show that, though Walther's claims are highly relevant to intercultural education, they benefit from critique and a corrective expansion.

That the Internet can now be used to facilitate direct interaction with expert speaker3 age-peers over much of world holds great potential for foreign language students. But what forms of linguistic, cultural, and interpersonal relationship building can be experienced via the use of Internet communication and information tools? What is the nature of the production, consumption, and co-construction of meaning and intention when intercultural communication is mediated by such tools? The following three case studies illustrate that Internet communication tools are different cultural artifacts for different communities, precipitating consequential effects on the processes of communication, relationship building, and language development.

Children who have difficulties in this area may have problems with taking turns in a conversation or in gamesbe unable to change the style of conversation to suit the listenerbe unable to interpret tone of voice in othershave difficulty interpreting non-verbal communication (ie. facial expression, gestures) have difficulty keeping to the topic of a conversationhave problems with judging the amount of previous knowledge that the listener has when relating informationhave difficulty understanding other points of viewhave strengths in specific area of the curriculumhave a particular interest or hobby which can sometimes act as a stimulus to learninghave a good memory for rote learning.

Activities to develop social communication skills

Role play – adults and other children to model social situations at home, shopping, etc.Puppets – adults and children to model social situations through puppet plays and stories.Take part – chidlren with social commujnication difficulties to be encouraged to take an active part in both role play and puppet activities after watching modelled situations.Tell me – ask the children to talk about personal experiences to the class. Subtle adult questioning should ensure that a child keeps to the topic and gives relevant background information.Making faces – miming activities, specifically teaching children how to show feelings through facial expression. This could be part of miming scenes from well-known stories (e.g. the three little pigs being frightened of the wolf).Board games – these involve turn-taking.Parachute games –these involve collaboration and need to be introduced gradually until the children can work as a team.Circletime – gives opportunities to develop the ability to listen to other children's points of view, evenif they have dificulty in understanding them.Reactions – ask the children to chjoose a reaction, from a choice of three, to a particular social situation. Then talk about the possible consequences of each reaction.Speech bubbles – using well-known story characters. Read the children a scene from the story and then ask them to write, in the speech bubble, what the character might say at the end of the scene.Just a minute – ask the children to talk about a particular subject for one minute. This is good practice at keeping to the topic.Social stories – a well-researched and published approach to help children cope with certain social situations that they find difficult.Comic strip conversations – a well-researched and published approach to help children cope with making choices in certain social situations.

I. Answer the questions:

1. What does CMC research describe?

2. What can internet be used for?

3. Which problems may children have?

4. What activities to develop social communication skills do you know?

5. What are board games?

II. Write down the main idea of the text in 3-5 sentences.

Lesson 12