21st-Century Language Skills

Wikis: A Knowledge Platformfor Collaborative Learning in

ESL Reading

CYNTHIA S. WISEMANJOSHUA P. BELKNAP

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Wikis provide an effective technological tool to meet the peda-gogical goals outlined in the new TESOL Technology Standards(Healey et al., 2009). A wiki, a cross between a website and aword document, is an interactive webpage that allows studentsto read, generate, and publish content online in an environmentof collaboration. The flexibility and simplicity of wikis thus pro-vides an open, user-friendly, and efficient interface for studentinteraction and collaboration, particularly through virtual Eng-lish as a second language (ESL) reading groups. This article pre-sents the pedagogical rationale for wikis as a technological toolto foster second language (L2) reading proficiency through com-munities of practice in virtual ESL reading groups. It includessuggested activities and a consideration of challenges associatedwith wikis as a pedagogical tool.doi: 10.1002/tesj.83

Learners of English as a second language (ESL) and Englishas a foreign language (EFL) are wired and plugged into theInternet and all that it offers for learning a language. Our studentscome to class with a rich online experience and a wealth ofknowledge of the Internet that sometimes far exceeds the expertiseof teachers. Taking into account the digital expertise of today’syounger generation of ELLs and the advantages that advances intechnological pedagogical tools offer, the TESOL Board approvedthe TESOL Technology Standards, outlining how English languageteachers, teacher educators, and administrators can and should usetechnology in the classroom (Healey et al., 2009). The overarching

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goal of the Standards is to integrate pedagogical knowledgeand skills with technology to enhance language teaching andlearning. Teachers of today’s digital natives are indeed exploringtechnology as a way to foster language acquisition by improvingcommunication, collaboration, and efficiency in instruction. Wikisare one of those technological tools that can contribute to languagelearning.

Wikis can serve in the design and management of language-learning activities to meet curricular goals and objectives (Goal 2,Standard 3). Language acquisition, the primary curricular objectiveof any ESL course, occurs when learners use language in ameaningful communicative context, often involving collaboration.Research suggests that a wiki, a “collection of hyperlinked Webpages that are assembled with wiki software” (Mindel & Verma,2006, p. 2), is indeed an excellent interactive tool for onlinecollaboration among any number of students in an educationalcontext (Vassell, Amin, & Winch, 2008). Indeed, the flexibilityand simplicity of this technology provides an open, user-friendly,and efficient interface for student interaction and collaboration(see Figure 1).

As an instructional tool in English language learning, wikishave been used in myriad ways (Parker & Chao, 2007), including

Figure 1. Wiki for ESL 094 class

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online collaborative writing, as a knowledge repository, as apresentation tool, and as a distance-learning tool. Su andBeaumont (2010) noted that wikis provide a dynamic environmentthat embodies social-constructivist principles (Vygotsky, 1978). Inthe collaborative construction of a wiki, learners are active in theconstruction of knowledge (Boulos, Maramba, & Wheeler, 2006) inunprecedented ways through open discussion and exchange ofideas and opinions. The particular and powerful configuration ofthis virtual team leads to peer interaction, collaborative skills, andpositive interdependence of group members (Schaffert, Gruber, &Westenthaler, 2006) and individual accountability to the team.Wikis can thus serve as a knowledge platform where learners forma community in which they share their knowledge with a group,discuss issues, post interesting pieces of information, and worktogether.

From a Vygotskian perspective, reading comprehension andwritten expression are developed through social events thatinvolve functional, relevant, and meaningful uses of the (target)language. Reading instruction is not teaching discrete skills butengaging in “. . . a basic activity . . . [in which] . . . the basic [reading]skills . . . take on meaning . . .” (Cole & Griffin, 1983, p. 73).Language classrooms must thus be environments in which manylanguage experiences take place (Moll, 1990, p. 8). The creation ofa wiki is a basic activity that is functional, relevant, andmeaningful. Students can electronically research, write about, andpublish on topics that are relevant to them and to their studies;they can communicate their questions and responses regardingthese topics to each other. Learners simultaneously learn aboutthe topic, develop reading/writing skills for the purposes ofcommunication, and develop competencies in technology.

Broadly speaking, a sociohistorical pedagogical approach tolearning, nested in a Vygotskian framework, supports theco-construction of knowledge and learning, particularly amongEnglish language learners (ELLs) whose task it is to makemeaning out of a new language system. Nunan (1999) identifiedsix features of the “good reading task” that reflect thesesociocultural and interpersonal dimensions critical to secondlanguage acquisition (see Table 1). Wikis satisfy these

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requirements. First, wikis provide a repository of authenticreading passages and materials that support language learning(e.g., links to relevant websites and e-books). Wikis also providea rhetorical framework (i.e., the wiki page) and a topicalframework (i.e., focused reading). That is, the wiki format hasrhetorical constraints that require the learner to process andanalyze the text—for example, captions must accompanygraphics, headings introduce entire passages, and subheadingsintroduce different subsections of information. A criticalrequirement of collaborative wiki projects is intense interactionwith texts, both individually and independently and collectivelyand collaboratively. Tasks such as monitoring posts, fact-checking information, and editing texts require student-to-student collaboration and student-to-text engagement and

TABLE 1. The Role of Wikis in Creating the Good Reading Task(adapted from Nunan, 1999)

Features of the good reading task The role of wikis in reading tasks

Makes use of authentic andchallenging texts

Repository of authentic reading passagesand materials, e.g., links to relevantwebsites and e-books

Frequently involves an oralreading of the text by theteacher or a student followedby silent reading and rereadingof the text

Collaborative writing/reading projectsrequire reading and rereading of texts,individually and independently andcollectively and collaboratively

Provides students with arhetorical or topical frameworkfor processing and analyzingthe text

Wiki format has certain rhetoricalcharacteristics that require that thelearner process and analyze the text

Involves the student interactingwith the text and with each other

Wiki projects require student-to-studentcollaboration and student-to-textengagement and analysis

Involves students in directanalysis of the text instead ofindirect question answering

Wiki content requires analytical and higherorder critical thinking tasks, such asmonitoring posts, fact-checkinginformation, and editing

Frequently involves the transferof information from text to avisual or diagrammaticrepresentation

The presentation of content in the wikimedium involves the transfer ofinformation from text to a visual ordiagrammatic representation

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analysis. The wiki medium is also visual, and the presentationof content involves the transfer of information from text to avisual or diagrammatic representation.

In ESL reading groups, shared readings of best-selling novelsengage students in academic activities that are social in nature(see Figure 2). For example, groups collectively respond tocomprehension questions that focus on both the micro and macrodimensions of the novel. The class can create and develop onlineglossaries to define challenging vocabulary in the novel, andstudents can increase their own active vocabulary with thedevelopment of word attack activities and crossword puzzles.Readers can collaboratively create timelines to trace the plot of thenovel or critique the book. With additional technologies such asblogs, podcasts, and wikis, traditional reading group activities canbe transformed into a highly interactive Vygotskian social eventthat requires extensive reading and writing, and supports thedevelopment of literacy.

To provide vocabulary support for reading, wikis are ideal (seeFigure 3). Hyperlinks to definitions and etymology, as well assynonyms and antonyms of new vocabulary items, created by thestudents, can serve as a learning resource. Links to ESL

Figure 2. Comprehension questions for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

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dictionaries or websites can be posted to facilitate reading andwriting in English. Crosswords can be developed using freesoftware, such as www.eclipsecrossword.com, and uploaded onthe wiki for additional practice using new words from the novels.

The virtual reading group can also collaboratively createstudent wikis for their book selection, modeled on Wikipedia (seeFigure 4). Reading groups research the author, and explorethemes, characters, and other elements of the book, eventuallyposting a comprehensive overview and critical analysis. Groupsalso develop and publish FAQs about the book, student bookcritiques, literary synopses, and other student-created materials fortheir selected novel (e.g., the sociohistorical setting of the story orthe author’s bio, complete with links to other websites). The groupcan also develop PowerPoint presentations by transcribing thewiki texts into slides. Students develop technology skills andwriting literacies relative to format and genre.

In the coordination and maintenance of these virtual readinggroups, however, there are challenges related to the medium. First,there are usability issues. Different wiki hosts have differentfeatures, like anchoring links within pages. WetPaint does nothave an anchoring function, but Wikispaces does, so a navigabletable of contents is possible on Wikispaces but problematic onWetPaint. Also, there are constraints on importing data forms

Figure 3. Vocabulary development: Suffixes

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other than text (e.g., graphics or multimedia), which makesstandardizing graphic or multimedia formats for the wiki difficult.Thus, to standardize directions for wiki creation is problematic.Perhaps of greatest concern is the possibility of plagiarism. Whenwriting, some students could aggregate information rather thanwrite original content. It is much easier to Google a key word in atopic or go to Wikipedia, find a peripherally relevant paragraph,and copy and paste the entire selection or an excerpt onto the wikithan for students to read, research, write, revise, and edit,particularly when it’s necessary to coordinate efforts in a smallgroup. There is thus a negative perception among some educatorsthat such platforms encourage plagiarism and discourage thereflection and thoughtfulness required in sustained reading-and-writing tasks. Indeed, professors and students alike may questionthe usefulness of wikis in achieving learning outcomes,particularly students who face standardized tests and want testpreparation. There is also the question of privacy, and the fear thata teacher might incur liability for some act or indiscretion withregard to a student’s work. Finally, the ongoing maintenance of awiki, as with any website, can potentially present enormouslylabor-intensive challenges.

Figure 4. Student wiki on The Kite Runner

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But these challenges have workable solutions (see Table 2).Regarding usability, we can solve formatting issues by interfacingdifferent wiki host sites. The instructor can standardize directionsand training, and post step-by-step directions on the wiki site. Tocontend with challenges in collaborating on tasks, a wiki projectcan be structured with clearly articulated increments, specificroles, and accountability measures. Faculty and studentperceptions of wikis can be shaped through consistent and timelygrades, clearly developed and publicized rubrics, and peerfeedback. To gain student commitment to the task, competitionsfor the best wiki based on evaluations by faculty/student panelsprovide incentive. Privacy issues are solved with settings torestrict access, requiring a teacher’s permission to join the wiki.Pages can also be locked, requiring the teacher’s approval for

TABLE 2. Using Wikis: Challenges and Solutions

Challenges Solutions

Usability (Easeof use)

Importing data forms otherthan text (e.g., graphics,multimedia)

Interfacing WetPaint &Wikispaces pages

Formatting: Standardizingand compatibility (e.g.,anchoring in WetPaint vs.Wikispaces)

Standardizing directions andtraining

Unclear directions andtraining faculty/students

Step-by-step how-to pages onwiki

Aggregationnotcollaboration

Students tend to aggregateor collect informationrather than criticallyanalyze and synthesizeand collaborate

Structure and scaffold groupprojects with increments,specific roles, and accountability

Faculty andstudentperceptionsof wikis

• Usefulness in achieving

learning outcomes

• Privacy

• Grades, rubrics, peer feedback,

competition

• Privacy options: public vs. private,

parameters of content, locking

pages, anonymous posts

Maintenance Keeping informationup-to-date

• Shared, collective faculty and/or

student site maintenance

• Regularly scheduled

monitoring of wiki

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administrative/writing privileges. Pages with course content, forexample, can be locked and anonymous posts prohibited. Toaddress the tendency for students to aggregate information orsimply copy and paste excerpts or avoid collaboration, guidelinescan be crafted to scaffold tasks in increments and assign specificroles for group projects. Grading rubrics can assess performanceand ensure accountability. Regarding maintenance of the wiki,administrative responsibilities can be clearly delegated andbecome a collaborative effort.

As sanctioned by the TESOL Technology Standards, languageeducators must embrace new technologies and pedagogies toreach youthful digital natives. Wikis are knowledge-creatingplatforms that serve as sites for dynamic communities of practicethat support language learning. In these cooperative virtuallearning environments, students engage in collaborative endeavorslike a virtual reading group’s creation of a wiki page for a novel.These social events make second language reading and writingcourses the meaning-filled experience that is necessary for learningto occur.

The AuthorsCynthia S. Wiseman has been teaching ESL/EFL for more than30 years and has been using wikis and technology in theclassroom for the last decade. She currently teaches in theDevelopmental Skills Department at Borough of ManhattanCommunity College of the City University of New York.

Joshua P. Belknap, has been the coordinator of the Borough ofManhattan Community College ESL lab since 2002 and oversees astaff of ESL tutors. He has created and maintains a wiki foradministrative and instructional support for teaching and learning.He is a frequent presenter on administrative and pedagogicalapplications of technology.

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