"La Fin" [The End]

To conclude this Language Learning Challenge, I would like to write a post discussing the outcome of my challenge and consequently the effectiveness of the technologies used. I will analyse the results of my six implementations graphically and reflect on goals and strategies set in my proposal.

Results

Online Verb Conjugator 
I have put my results from the weekly verb conjugator test in a graph in order to be able to analyse the results more easily. For the first two tenses - where I didn't do an initial test at the start of the week - I actually did two tests and used the result from the first as my initial score. On the chart I have allocated the benchmark of 80% I set in the proposal. The numerical scores are also listed.

As can be seen on this chart, my scores improved dramatically from the start to the end of the week - a weekly average of 19.2%! All final results were (well) above the goal of 80% I set, showing my learning challenge was effective in terms of identifying, learning, and practicing the tenses focused on. With this result, I can continue to use the same learning strategies in order to further optimise my ability and become confident that I know and am able to use the appropriate tenses.

Paragraph Conjugation
The paragraph writing activity performed ultimately demonstrates evidence of proficiency in use. For example, using the right verb and tense in the right context. After this challenge, I feel much more confident in this area, and I undoubtedly feel as though my French abilities have increased as a result.

As seen on the chart, overall there is an upwards trend in the results. However, this type of test is not really a continuous one that builds off the previous week, as a new tense was learnt every week. Another important point to note is that for all tests, the number of verbs assessed was between 9 and 13 - a number so small that one error shows a significant percentage change. 

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Further to my results analysis, in this post I will reflect on whether the implementation of the challenge aligned with and achieved the goals set in my proposal.

What was my challenge and did I succeed in this challenge?

1. To identify, learn, and practice several different tenses and ultimately become proficient and confident in using these
2. This was to be achieved by the following steps:
1. Writing down the tense and its rules and conjugations
2. Using colour/visual aids to make it more memorable
3. Doing simple conjugation exercises on an iPhone app ('Très Bien')
4. Practicing conjugation further using an online French Verb Conjugation Trainer
5. Finishing the week by writing a paragraph using predominantly that tense and asking my dad, who speaks fluent French, to correct it.

Discussion: I definitely achieved the first point of this challenge. As discussed in my results above, after doing the challenge I feel much more confident in my knowledge of tenses and conjugations. I am definitely much further on the way to using these fluently. The second point however, was not executed as successfully. For points 1 and 2 I ended up just briefly looking these up at the start and then learning on the go. With regards to 'Très Bien', I think I did not completely succeed with this as a lot of information actually was not present on the app, discouraging use. The online verb conjugator was extremely beneficial and used repetitively. Therefore, overall I believe I succeeded in achieving my goal, yet some aspects such as app usage and time allocation could have been further investigated and optimised. 

What were my Learning Goals and did I fulfil the requirements?

• To achieve a score of above 80% in online verb conjugator tests
• To become proficient in using the tenses in writing
• To spend 1 hour each week on different activities related to each tense

Discussion: I consistently achieved a score of over 80%, satisfying and exceeding my set goal. In doing so, I feel like I have become more proficient in using the tenses in writing. From now on, I would like to focus on using the tenses more spontaneously and rapidly in speaking. The only aspect of my challenge that failed was meeting the time allocation. Some weeks I completed all activities on their respectful day as outlined in my schedule, but often I found myself falling behind and not spending sufficient time practicing. Upon improvement, my scores could further increase. 

Favourite and least favourite challenge activities:

Using an online verb conjugator as a way of constantly practicing and being exposed to verb conjugations was fantastic! The website allowed you to keep trying to correct wrong answers until they were wrong, allowing more thought being given into why what is right and why what is wrong. The most unfortunate thing was that the website broke down!

'Très Bien' was unfortunately not able to be successfully incorporated into my learning challenge as it lacked many of the tenses I was using. When I did utilise this technology, I enjoyed the reward of getting a gold star when achieving 100%. The app in itself is not badly designed, it just didn't prove to be suitable to the occasion. The use of another app - or even the development of a tense and conjugation practice specific app - is highly recommended!

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So this is it...

In my Symposia Presentation next Monday, I will discuss more in depth whether the activities in my challenge were effectively supported by my own learning styles and strategies. I will also include some recommendations for further Language Learning Challenge development. That is it for now. Thank you for paying attention to this blog, and until next time!

P.S. In case you have been wondering what the trees in the background of my blog represent - it's actually a photo I took of the Eiffel Tower! Unfortunately the content of the blog posts are slightly more important and therefore the picture stayed hidden behind!