Advising in Language Learning 3: Advanced Course
Next course: September 21 and 28, and October 5 (2025) [Registration opens in August 2025]
This course is only open to participants who have successfully completed Course 1
- Course description, objectives, structure and schedule (scroll down)
- Communication tools and protocol
- Eligibility, fees and application procedure
- Equipment, textbooks and assessment
Instructors
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- Satoko Kato
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- Amelia Yarwood
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- Jo Mynard
Course description
This is the third course in the online Advising Certificate Program offered by RILAE which consists of five courses. In Course 1 (Getting Started), we covered the origins of learner autonomy and introduced the definitions of advising in language learning (ALL) and its theoretical underpinnings. The participants learned the concept of transformational advising (Kato & Mynard, 2016) where an advisor supports a learner in going beyond improving language proficiency in order to make a fundamental change in the nature of learning. The instructors introduced 12 basic advising strategies and 6 techniques to promote reflective dialogue with hands-on online activities.
In Course 2, we focussed on supporting learners to broaden their perspectives by guiding them to reflect deeply. We paid increasing attention to structuring the intentional reflective dialogue (IRD) in order to guide learners into a deeper level of awareness, and at the same time, guiding course participants to develop further as professional advisors. We also developed an awareness of emotion in learning and in advising sessions, and got started with case study research.
In Course 3, we explore the meaning of “becoming aware” by considering when and how to give input to learners and the degree of directiveness we might adopt, how we induce and support aha moments, draw on creativity, and consider critical moments in advising sessions. In addition, we introduce ethnography as a research approach for understanding learners’ experiences
Course objectives
At the end of course 3, students should be able to:
- apply familiar strategies to more complex cases.
- acquire advanced strategies.
- induce turning points in learning.
- notice critical moments in advising sessions.
- conduct ethnographic research in order to help learners to translate their awareness into action.
Course structure
- This course consists of three hours of online live, real-time lectures per week (for the first three weeks) and some recorded lectures.
- Students are asked to watch Video 1, Introduction to the course (recorded lecture), before attending the first online class and read some introductory texts.
- The online live lectures are designed to be interactive and intentionally facilitate different kinds of interactions.
- Participants are expected to view recorded lectures and read some materials each week as part of the course requirements.
- Students are also required to participate in online text discussions via Padlet in order to discuss ideas related to the issues raised in the class and in the recorded/written materials.
- Practice and reflection activities will also form part of the weekly assignments.
Draft Schedule (subject to change)
Pre-course assignment
- Re-read your assignment from Course 2:
- Were there any aha moments for the learner?
- Were there any aha moments for the advisor?
- Is there anything you would have done differently?
- What advice would you like from others?
- Watch the introduction video
- Post a response to the introductory online discussion question
Week 1:
Live class: 14:00 to 16:00 Tokyo time (2 hours). Post-class group discussions (optional but highly recommended): 16:00 to 17:00 (1 hour).
Lead instructor (week 1): Amelia Yarwood.
Week 1 content.
- Review of the content so far
- Review a recorded session (e.g. the final assignment for Course 2)
- What do we mean by “becoming aware”
- What is ‘aha moment’?
- How can we induce an ‘aha moment’ in advising sessions?
- What do we do when we face learners’ aha moments?
Week 2:
Live class: 14:00 to 16:00 Tokyo time (2 hours). Post-class group discussions (optional but highly recommended): 16:00 to 17:00 (1 hour).
Lead instructor (week 2): Satoko Kato
Week 2 content
- Using imagination in advising.
- What is imagination?
- Why imagination in advising?
- How can we develop our imagination skills?
- Exploring your ‘best-self.’
- The L2 motivational self-system in advising.
- Using imagination training in the classroom.
Week 3:
Live class: 14:00 to 16:00 Tokyo time (2 hours). Post-class group discussions (optional but highly recommended): 16:00 to 17:00 (1 hour).
Lead instructor (week 3): Jo Mynard
Week 3 content:
- What are critical moments?
- Degrees of directiveness in advising
- Helping learners to take action
- How to translate learner’s/advisor’s awareness into action
- Ethnographic research in advising
- Reflecting on the entire course
Week 4
Optional group discussions: from 14:00 JST. No class. Work on the assignment.
Final assignment
- Conduct an advising session (preferably not with a new advisee) and record the session (with permission)
- Reflect on the session
- Analyse a portion of the session
- Write a 1,500-word paper including some excerpts from the session
- Submit your paper within one week after the course finishes.