Absolute Beginners Research Articles

Digital multimodal composing as a translanguaging space

Abstract Multimodality and translanguaging are groundbreaking concepts that researchers and teachers in second language education have increasingly embraced over the past decade. Despite their potential to transform traditional monolingual and monomodal approaches to assessment design, these concepts remain largely unexplored in Chinese language teaching, particularly as legitimate assessment strategies. This study was conducted with a large group of ab initio beginners of Chinese at a Western university. It first analyses students’ digital multimodal composing (DMC) projects, a video assessment designed to enable students to showcase their learning achievements multimodally and multilingually. It then discusses the challenges students encountered when engaging with this novel assessment approach for the first time. Findings demonstrate that in this DMC project students created a translanguaging space with rich trans-semiotic resources, actively engaging in communication through their newly acquired language despite being absolute beginners in their first few weeks of learning. Furthermore, due to the novelty of the assessment design, the study also found that some students encountered challenges such as uneven technical skills and the complexity of the assessment design. The study suggests that teachers should reconceptualise their approach to teaching Chinese in the digital age, focusing on empowering learners to apply their language skills in real-life communication contexts. Building ownership of their L2 learning can strengthen their motivation to learn Chinese more effectively and creatively.

“It’s Like Starting All Over”: 5th-Year Medical Students Approach Psychiatry Clerkships as Absolute Beginners

“It’s Like Starting All Over”: 5th-Year Medical Students Approach Psychiatry Clerkships as Absolute Beginners

Un repertorio di siti e risorse online per l’apprendimento/insegnamento del russo

Starting from the assumption of the added value of using information technology in language teaching, this work presents a vast inventory of sites and online resources for learning/teaching Russian. The resources have been divided into different sections according to the skills (phonetic, phonological, lexical, morphosyntactic, textual) that are intended to be practised and developed. In addition, a section is specifically dedicated to various tools, useful for inserting the graphic accent, for nominal and verbal inflection and for checking the declension of anthroponyms, toponyms and numerals, aspects that usually present difficulties for learners. The aim of the description and analysis of the resources is to put the user, teacher or learner, in a position in which they consciously and safely choose supports that are functional to the teaching objectives. Selected sites, resources and tools are aimed at learners of different levels of language proficiency, from absolute beginners to advanced learners.

Inclusive and accessible teaching of Russian L2 to absolute beginners

The current study aims at investigating to what extent different models are suitable for teaching L2 Russian to absolute beginners in an inclusive and accessible environment. Our research involved an Experimental Group, which received Task-based Learning (TBL) instruction, and a Control Group, which experienced a more traditional presentation-practice-production (PPP) approach; both groups included learners with special educational needs (SEN), among whom some were visually impaired. As most literature advocates for TBLT over traditional teaching, we hypothesised that the Experimental Group would have acquired a better command of the taught structures. We tested our hypothesis by conducting a post-test on speaking and writing abilities, as well as listening comprehension, and reading comprehension skills. Quantitative analysis on the results of the post-test reveals how both approaches were effective. Furthermore, the group that received TBLT had statistically significant better scores than the PPP-group with regard to writing skills.

Absolute beginners: Psychological, neural and immune effects of mindfulness in novice meditators

Absolute beginners: Psychological, neural and immune effects of mindfulness in novice meditators

The L2 proficiency level effect in L3 lexical learning: high-proficiency L2s do not transfer

In this case study we investigate the role of the proficiency level in an earlier formally learned L2 for the transfer source in L3 learning at the lexical level, by comparing two pairs of learners with different proficiency levels in their L2s English, French, Spanish and Italian. The data were gathered with a mirror design: L1 German/L3 Swedish and L1 Swedish/L3 German. The learners were absolute beginners of the L3. Both pairs were recorded over 6 months during conversation with a bilingual German/Swedish interlocutor. The recordings were conducted on a monthly basis. The proficiency levels of all L2s were tested in written tests, based on the CEFR scale. The results show that the proficiency level in the L2s has an impact on the transfer source. The L2s at C1+ level were not transferred, but L2s with lower proficiency levels were. These results confirm what is predicted by the L2 status factor (Bardel & Falk, 2012), namely that a high-proficiency L2 can lose its status as an L2, approaching L1 status, which makes it less susceptible to transfer. The study also confirms the value of case studies in L3 research.
 Keywords: lexical transfer, proficiency, L3 learning, oral production

Introducing R as a smart version of calculators enables beginners to explore it on their own.

Rapid technological advances in the past decades have enabled molecular biologists to generate large-scale and complex data with affordable resource investments, or obtain such data from public repositories. Yet, many graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and senior researchers in the biosciences find themselves ill-equipped to analyze large-scale data. Global surveys have revealed that active researchers prefer short training workshops to fill their skill gaps. In this article, we focus on the challenge of delivering a short data analysis workshop to absolute beginners in computer programming. We propose that introducing R or other programming languages for data analysis as smart versions of calculators can help lower the communication barrier with absolute beginners. We describe this comparison with a few analogies and hope that other instructors will find them useful. We utilized these in our four-hour long training workshops involving participatory live coding, which we delivered in person and via videoconferencing. Anecdotal evidence suggests that our exposition made R programming seem easy and enabled beginners to explore it on their own.

Introducing R as a smart version of calculators enables beginners to explore it on their own

Rapid technological advances in the past decades have enabled molecular biologists to generate large-scale and complex data with affordable resource investments, or obtain such data from public repositories. Yet, many graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and senior researchers in the biosciences find themselves ill-equipped to analyze large-scale data. Global surveys have revealed that active researchers prefer short training workshops to fill their skill gaps. In this article, we focus on the challenge of delivering a short data analysis workshop to absolute beginners in computer programming. We propose that introducing R or other programming languages for data analysis as smart versions of calculators can help lower the communication barrier with absolute beginners. We describe this comparison with a few analogies and hope that other instructors will find them useful. We utilized these in our four-hour long training workshops involving participatory live coding, which we delivered in person and via videoconferencing. Anecdotal evidence suggests that our exposition made R programming seem easy and enabled beginners to explore it on their own.

Oral production skills and pronunciation improvement in MOOCs for migrants and refugees: an unavoidable challenge

This article is focused on the challenges posed by the development of oral production skills (speaking, pronunciation) in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), a resource that is totally conditioned by the technologies and has very limited posibilities for individual adaptation. First of all, the difficulties that this goal poses are reviewed and confronted with some successful precedents that show how to deal with those challenges. Next, we present a case study in which some strategies and resources have been used to develop oral skills and improve pronunciation in technologically mediated environments, an Spanish L-MOOC for migrants and refugees, absolute beginners, developed at UNED (Spain).

Data parsing in mass spectrometry imaging using R Studio and Cardinal: A tutorial

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has emerged as a rapidly expanding field in the MS community. The analysis of large spectral data is further complicated by the added spatial dimension of MSI. A plethora of resources exist for expert users to begin parsing MSI data in R, but there is a critical lack of guidance for absolute beginners. This tutorial is designed to serve as a one-stop guide to start using R with MSI data and describe the possibilities that data science can bring to MSI analysis.

Introducing R as a smart version of calculators enables beginners to explore it on their own.

Rapid technological advances in the past decades have enabled molecular biologists to generate large-scale and complex data with affordable resource investments, or obtain such data from public repositories. Yet, many graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and senior researchers in the biosciences find themselves ill-equipped to analyze large-scale data. Global surveys have revealed that active researchers prefer short training workshops to fill their skill gaps. In this article, we focus on the challenge of delivering a short data analysis workshop to absolute beginners in computer programming. We propose that introducing R or other programming languages for data analysis as smart versions of calculators can help lower the communication barrier with absolute beginners. We describe this comparison with a few analogies and hope that other instructors will find them useful. We utilized these in our four-hour long training workshops involving participatory live coding, which we delivered in person and via videoconferencing. Anecdotal evidence suggests that our exposition made R programming seem easy and enabled beginners to explore it on their own.

Changes over time in language learning strategy use by foreign language learners

This study explores the reported changes over time of the use of language learning strategies based on periodic self-reports of undergraduates that studied Spanish as a foreign language for three years. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of how the use of particular strategies evolved and consolidated or disappeared as students became progressively more proficient in Spanish. By using Oxford’s taxonomy that differentiates and classifies language learning strategies according to their function, and employing a mixed-method approach that combined successive administrations of Oxford’s Strategy Inventory of Language Learning with in-depth interviews, this study found that the most frequently used strategies as reported by students who started as absolute beginners and continued studying Spanish for three consecutive years were metacognitive strategies in the first year, social strategies in the second year and cognitive strategies in the third year. This study analysed and discussed these findings.

Graph Neural Networks in TensorFlow and Keras with Spektral [Application Notes

Graph neural networks have -enabled the application of deep learning to problems that can be described by graphs, which are found throughout the different fields of sci-ence, from physics to biology, natural language processing, telecommunications or medicine. In this paper we present Spektral, an open-source Python library for building graph neural networks with TensorFlow and the Keras application programming interface. Spektral implements a large set of methods for deep learning on graphs, including message-passing and pooling operators, as well as utilities for processing graphs and loading popular benchmark datasets. The purpose of this library is to provide the essential building blocks for creating graph neural networks, focusing on the guiding principles of user-friendliness and quick prototyping on which Keras is based. Spektral is, therefore, suitable for absolute beginners and expert deep learning practitioners alike. In this work, we present an overview of Spektral's features and report the performance of the methods implemented by the library in scenarios of node classification, graph classification, and graph regression.

МАРКЕТИНГОВЕ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ РОЗВИТКУ СФЕРИ ІТ-ОСВІТИ В УКРАЇНІ НА ПРИКЛАДІ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ BEETROOT ACADEMY

IT industry is growing rapidly all around the globe, and it's not an exception in Ukraine. Its success is absolutely dependent on the workers and how many specialists are prepared for the work. As the market keeps on growing, more talents are needed. While there is no need for people to get the necessary knowledge by studying for years in universities, it can be supplemented with online IT courses that are in high demand and easily approachable by anyone interested in it. Beetroot Academy is an example of such an IT school. It’s hard for potential customers to choose the right IT school that gives quality and contemporary education because most of them offer similar products and the benefit from its usage is visible only after the studying is over. That’s why marketing and digital instruments play a crucial role for any company in this field. Most of them, as is described with the example of Beetroot Academy, use mostly the same channels of communication to approach their customers, such as websites, social networks, emails, internal and external events, partners, and blog articles. Most companies in this market have a similar target audience: absolute beginners in the IT field that want to switch their field or people at the beginning of their careers; and the second segment is IT specialists that want to take the next step in their careers. All the biggest companies on the market use mostly the same digital instruments to approach their audience through channels of communications, such as pay-per-click ads, SEO optimization, content marketing, email marketing, and event marketing. Even though, the instruments are the same, the main difference is in the professionalism of its usage that depends on the people that work for these companies. An additional way of differentiation comes with different visual styles and toneof-voice that may translate the company's values and mission. In this market, one of the main reasons for people to choose a particular company is their marketing strategy, its quality, and the usage of the right tools. Therefore, for companies such as Beetroot Academy, which has a social mission and puts the quality of education as the main principle of work, it is very important to monitor how marketing is being thought out and implemented.

书评 Van Norden (2019): Classical Chinese for everyone: A guide for absolute beginners

Abstract This article reviews Classical Chinese for everyone: A guide for absolute beginners 978-1-62466-821-0

London's Burning: Structuralist Readings of the Urban Inferno in the 1950's British Literature of Multi-culturalism

This article examines a literary triangle treating a modern re-imagining of the Dantean Inferno in Caribbean migrant experience. Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners advanced a stylistic and intellectual revolution in post-World War II British literature, inspiring Colin MacInnes’ Absolute Beginners in the founding literary texts of contemporary British multi-cultural society. It followed the template of Jean Rhys Voyage in the Dark. We must read these complex texts to understand the conflicted multi-cultural society that Britain has become today: they deal with identity and solidarity, atomisation and commodification, Empire and capitalism, while throwing light on the most recent advances in historical and theoretical scholarship by pioneers such as Olivette Otele and Reni Eddo-Lodge. Moreover, these texts throw new light on unanswered Structuralist and Post-Structuralist debates from Emile Durkheim to Martin Heidegger. This article examines the intersectionality of class, gender and race within both the national British framework of post-war capitalism and the wider colonial heritage of slavery and forced labour, highlighting voices who articulated an ideal of multi-cultural humanism that remains crucial today.

The relation between category compactness and L2 VOT learning

L1 and L2 category compactness have been reported to correlate with L2 vowel pronunciation accuracy in advanced intermediate learners (Kartushina and Frauenfelder, 2014). However, it is not clear whether category compactness is an effect of L2 learning, or whether it is an individual characteristic that might predict aspects of L2 learning. Holliday (2015) suggests that more variable VOT categories early in L2 learning may facilitate acquisition of new L2 VOT patterns. We tested relationships between L1 and L2 category compactness and L2 pronunciation progress for voiceless stops, in ten L1 English-L2 Spanish learners over the course of one semester of early Spanish courses. We found that lower L2 Spanish VOT correlated with higher voiceless VOT standard deviation at the end of the semester for all but the absolute beginners (R2 = 0.6256, F(1,5) = 37.75, p = 0.004). Thus, for early learners, as production improves, L2 categories may expand. In addition, L1 English voiceless stop VOT category compactness at beginning of term correlated with L2 Spanish VOT accuracy at end of term for all learners (R2 = 0.6798, F(1,9) = 17.0, p = 0.003), suggesting that L1 category compactness may reflect individual properties that influence progress in L2 learning.

Vite Et Bien 1: Méthode Rapide Pour Adultes by Claire Miguel

Reviewed by: Vite Et Bien 1: Méthode Rapide Pour Adultesby Claire Miguel Jessica L. Sturm and Randi L. Polk M iguel, C laire. Vite et bien 1: méthode rapide pour adultes. 2eéd. CLE International, 2018. 978-209-038523-6. Pp. 224. This complete program for the A1–A2 adult learner offers lessons on practical topics with exercises and supplements that will appeal to all types of learners. Units follow a similar structure, so learners will know what to expect as they progress through them. The volume is also similar to many of the CLE International texts for FLE, so instructors who use them will feel at ease. The first unit, for example, begins with four dialogues that take place in a café. This has become a common way to introduce students to situational French. The accompanying CD holds recordings of [End Page 190]each of these conversations and can be used in class or for student practice at home. The audio recordings allow students to hear spoken language and follow along with the textual support in the manual. Following the dialogues, students find key expressions and documents that relate to the subject of the dialogue. In the case of unit one, this is a menu. Additional vocabulary is then presented with images and thematic lists. Grammar presentations follow and include what one would expect within the situation of a café with the verb avoir, along with numbers and articles. Each unit concludes with activities that address vocabulary, civilization, and grammar. These varied activities include mechanical exercises with fill-ins, word searches, matching, and dialogue completion. The end of each unit provides an evaluation that assesses the skills and concepts introduced in the unit with point values. With built-in evaluations, instructors would have the option to use those for assessments or to allow students to self-test. With the audio CD and answer key, there are many ways for students to get feedback while working at home. This will allow more class time for practice and application of language. In all, twenty units cover the use of situational French that A1–A2 learners would expect if traveling to a French-speaking country. Tasks such as ordering food, telephone communication, seeking information, talking about health, family, and tourism are just some of the topics covered. The volume is visually appealing with modern images and diverse activities that allow students with all learning preferences to have input. This is an ideal volume for accelerated courses offered at the university level for students who had some exposure to French in high school or for a true FLE classroom. Absolute beginners in the American classroom may feel frustrated by the lack of English for definitions or grammar explanations at this introductory level. That said, the volume is great for a more immersive experience. Randi L. Polk Eastern Kentucky University Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

Classical Chinese for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners, by Bryan W. Van Norden

Classical Chinese for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners, by Bryan W. Van Norden

Representing Spaces, Performing Places: le strade di Londra nel romanzo Absolute Beginners (1958) di Colin MacInnes e nella sua versione cinematografica

This paper addresses life in London in the late 1950s portrayed by the musical film Absolute Beginners (1986) directed by Julien Temple and its fictional source, that is Colin MacInnes’ novel of the same name (1958). While the musical film has been criticized for its lack of character development and for its last-minute attack on racism, MacInnes’ Absolute Beginners was a successful novel. It tells the story about youth subcultures in postwar London and in this paper I will examine the way in which the City of London and its transformation is portrayed as a urban space/place where young people create and establish new places and spaces for themselves for their regular encounters. So, London as the setting becomes not just a background element but a driving force in the whole story. By seeking to understand London as a site of local encounter, global exchange, national significance, and social memory this paper aims at providing an analysis of the places and spaces both of the film musical and the novel which characters absorb the audience/reader and show the variety of human experience of the capital as seen through the eyes (and camera lens) of a nameless 18 year-old photographer.