Integrating Recent CALL Innovations into Flipped Instruction

Background And Pedagogical Foundations

Among the many cognitive theories and approaches to flipped instruction in technology-enabled language learning, Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory has potentially had the greatest impact on the field of second language acquisition. The idea that development occurs within the learner's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) through the mediation of scaffolding provided by teachers or more proficient learners, offered a rationale for employing pair and group work in the language classroom to apply content learned through technology-based activities outside of the classroom. The concept of scaffolded learning led to the development of pedagogies which have the goal of helping learners grow into autonomous language learners who can benefit greatly from the flipped learning practices. Communicative language learning (CLL) (Canale & Swain, 1980) placed the focus on enabling students to communicate in their second language (L2). Flipped language instruction teaches students how to self-direct their L2 learning outside of the classroom following the suggestions of Littlewood (1999) and Sakai, Takagi, and Chu (2010). This practice provides students with more opportunities to gain confidence in their communication skills during in-class practice activities.