Chris Jacobs on Flow Theory
Going solo as a teacher? Start here.
Chris Jacobs joins Mike and Andrew to talk about flow theory. Chris is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska, teaching French, Italian, Spanish, and Linguistics. He is currently working on projects exploring learning optimization through flow - flow is a state of deep focus on an enjoyable activity that is at once challenging and accessible. Research on flow and language acquisition is increasing, and Chris is at the forefront of that.
In this episode, Chris dives into:
what flow is and how it leads to language acquisition
how the theory of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has been adapted to language learning
characteristics of flow experiences
how tasks and TBLT are innate elements of flow
activities that are more conducive to creating flow
why flow and tasks are possible with all proficiency levels
More on Chris Jacobs:
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About Chris Jacobs
A native of Pennsylvania, Chris (aka C.J.) is currently an Assistant Professor of French, Italian, Spanish & Linguistics at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). Since 2011, he has taught Spanish, French, Italian, ESL, and linguistics in many contexts ranging from primary school to university. Chris has studied Spanish, French, Italian, German, Catalan, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese, and in doing so, he has discovered that one must connect with the language and practice it in real-world ways to develop proficiency. In his experience, this is most likely to occur through authentic interactions with, and in, the target language.
At UNK, Chris teaches a variety of language, linguistics, and pedagogy courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In his teaching—no matter the language, level, or content area—Chris seeks to create meaningful, student-centered learning experiences that bridge disciplines and make connections to students’ non-academic lives. He describes his approach as task- and project-based. In pedagogy classes, Chris aims to help teachers and teachers-to-be to develop their own personal styles, to apply theory to practice, and to model effective teaching strategies. He also leads immersive summer study abroad programs to Lyon, France, and Milan, Italy.
Chris’s research, which is in direct dialogue with his teaching, seeks to determine how to render learning experiences more relevant and engaging in both face-to-face and online contexts. He is currently working on projects exploring the optimization of learning through flow, a state of deep focus on an enjoyable activity that is at once challenging and accessible; improving motivation in distance learning through task design; and increasing motivation (and learning) through contact with target-language speakers.
Additionally, he is collaborating with his colleague, Dr. Janet Eckerson, on a project that explores how the recognition of existing language skills, including those acquired in academic and non-academic contexts, can be used as a recruitment tool. Within this multifaceted project, he is particularly interested in strategies to increase enrollments in languages other than Spanish.
Outside the classroom yet still on campus, Chris coordinates weekly non-English conversation tables in 10+ language, as well as French and Italian conversation partner programs. He is the faculty advisor to the French Club, and with the help of the Office of International Education, he organizes a variety of language and cultural events, including World Languages Week and the International Food and Cultural Festival. Chris is also active in the state language teacher organization, NILA; its French teacher subsidiary, NATF; and the Alliance Française of Omaha.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Skool & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
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