Exploring Second Life for Effective English as a Foreign Language and Culture Learning(Special Issue Dedicated to Professor TAKENAKA Teruo)

Learning a foreign language and culture successfully requires a process that does not feel artificial. If teachers can incorporate authentic materials and provide the opportunity for students to communicate directly with speakers of a foreign culture, learning can feel like a real and meaningful experience. However, learning English in classrooms and campuses in Japan is a process that often remains foreign and therefore far-reaching and possibly unattainable until one has the opportunity to go abroad. Affordances of the internet and real-time communication tools, however, can help bridge the gap to learning a foreign language and culture, as well as bring a sense of immediacy and relevancy to learning without having to leave the country. Live multi-user social sites such as Second Life allow a participant to explore and communicate in the target language and culture with users from around the world. In addition to being able to practice English reading, writing, listening and speaking, learners are exposed to cultural concepts and artifacts in the form of an animated simulation of real life. This virtual reality space allows for not only passive exposure to language forms and cultural mannerisms, but encourages learners to be active and creative in using their own knowledge and skills in a collaborative manner to learn, acquire and share new information. This is ideal for preparation to go abroad in real life on one\u27s own. The following paper will discuss how Second Life can be effective in increasing learners\u27 fluency in the English language and how the site, although a simulation of reality, can provide useful cultural information through visual and social interaction. It will also discuss how the site, in addition to traditional forms of literacy, can also help to improve learners\u27 digital literacy and general computing skills in the target language. Gaining mobility in a virtual environment such as Second Life may be a suitable and effective learning program for young adults because it can be entertaining, engaging and motivating on a personal level