遠隔授業システムを教員へのフィードバックや辞書学習調査に利用

「グローバル時代の母語プロジェクト」の柱となるのは、離島の学校における言語情報教育プロジェクトです。このプロジェクトは、遠隔授業システムの構築と導入が主なもので、生徒がリモートで授業を受けるという現在の学習法から発展させて、先生が行った授業を録画した映像を私たち研究者が分析し、先生に対してフィードバックする試みです。

図1：遠隔授業システムを利用している様子

離島の学校に限らず、現場の先生の中には自分の授業に自信が持てないまま進行しなければならないため、プレッシャーを感じている先生も多いと言われています。遠隔授業システムは、授業終了後すぐにフィードバックすることで現場の先生方のサポートができるうえ、私たちも現場のデータを入手できるため、双方ともに大きなメリットを享受できます。

 

遠隔授業システムを使って、子どもたちに紙の辞書と電子辞書で言葉を引いてもらう調査をしたところ、学力の低位者は、辞書を引く知識がないことや調べる語句の文節の区切りがわからないために紙の辞書が引けないこと、一方で電子辞書なら50音のキーボードで引けることが明らかになりました。この調査で、電子辞書は学力の低い児童や勉強の苦手な子どもに適していることが分かりました。

 

他分野と積極的に連携し、言語情報の産業化・社会実装を目指す

遠隔授業システムで子どもたちの授業や学習を調査・研究した言語情報のデータは、次世代の新しい学習ツールや教育プログラムの開発に活かされ、実装されることが期待できます。例えば、使用者の学力や言語能力、読むか書くかの目的に応じてサポートする個別対応型の電子辞典は、大人も子どもも使えるものです。私たちは、ハードメーカーや出版社、教育系の学会、学校現場などと積極的に連携して、こうした製品の実現化を目指しています。

図2：「ちょこっと科学教室」で使用したクロスワードパズルの資料

「小学校における電子辞書活用に関するプロジェクト」の一環で、2017年より3年間、電子辞書のメーカーと共に年に1回「ちょこっと科学教室」を実施しています。このイベントでは、電子辞書のワイルドカード機能を使ったクロスワードパズルの作成や、辞書からラジオ体操・音楽を流すなど、子どもたちに電子辞書が持つ機能や言葉の面白さを感じてもらう工夫をしています。子どもたちが幼少期から言語に興味を持つことは、彼らの言語能力を伸ばすだけでなく、将来的には言語研究の新たな担い手を増やすことにもつながると期待しています。

Until now, basic and logical studies have been the central part of linguistic research, and the accumulated findings and outcomes of these studies have not been shared beyond the field of linguistics. The Research Unit for Practical Applications of Linguistics is promoting several projects, represented by the <Project on Mother Tongues in the Global Age>, <Project for the Promotion of Electronic Dictionary Use in Elementary Schools>, and <Application of Linguistic Research Outcomes to Translation>, with the aim of efficiently providing the accumulated outcomes of linguistic research to practical settings, such as education, translation, and dictionary development.

Utilizing remote class systems to provide feedback for teachers and investigate dictionary use for learning

Figure 1: A view of learning using a remote class system

The <Project for the Promotion of Linguistic Information Education in Schools on Remote Islands> is the main pillar of the <Project on Mother Tongues in the Global Age>. The former mainly aims to develop and establish a remote class system based on the current learning method for students to remotely participate in class sessions. In the new system, we, researchers, will analyze video-recorded class sessions held by teachers, and feedback our findings back to them.

It is said that many teachers, not limited to those of remote schools, feel pressured due to the necessity of holding class sessions despite their lack of confidence. The remote class system that allows these teachers to be supported with immediate feedback and researchers to obtain data from actual settings will markedly benefit both parties.

In our survey using a remote class system, we asked children to draw words using paper-based and electronic dictionaries for comparison, and found that children with lower academic performance have difficulty using paper-based dictionaries, as they lack sufficient knowledge to draw words using dictionaries, and do not know how to divide target words into syllables. On the other hand, they were able to draw words using electronic dictionaries with a 50-syllable keyboard. The survey revealed that electronic dictionaries are suitable for children with low academic performance and those who are not good at studying.

Actively collaborating with people in other fields toward the industrialization and social use of language information

Linguistic data from surveys/studies on class sessions for children and their learning using remote class systems may be utilized to develop new learning tools and education programs for the next generation to put into use. For example, electronic dictionaries focusing on support for individual users according to their academic performance, linguistic ability, and purposes (reading/writing) are usable for both adults and children. We actively collaborate with hardware manufacturers, publishers, educational academic societies, and schools to realize such products.

Figure 2: A crossword puzzle used in the

As part of the <Project for the Promotion of Electronic Dictionary Use in Elementary Schools>, we launched a 3-year program called the <Simple Science Class> in 2017, and have held 1 class session a year through collaboration with an electronic dictionary manufacturer. This event consists of elaborate activities to learn about various function of electronic dictionaries, and know how interesting words are, such as creating crossword puzzles using the wildcard function of electronic dictionaries and playing music for radio exercise from these dictionaries. We expect that the development of interest in language from infancy will not only help children develop their linguistic ability, but also increase the number of future linguistic researchers.