Dr. Alice Chik, Macquarie University

Language learning histories have brought to the fore the diversity in affordances, trajectories and contexts of learning, but most language learning histories take the form of written texts. In this talk, I will present an alternate way of knowing our learners: draw and tell. I will use visual narratives created by young, teenage and adult learners to demonstrate the advantages and versatility of visual narratives for understanding our learners and their learning in formal and informal learning contexts.
Dr Chik’s main research areas are language learning histories, English in popular music and popular culture in second language education. She is interested in the life-long experience of learning a second/foreign language, particularly in the areas of identity construction and out-of-class learning. She is collaborating with colleagues from Japan and Europe on the cross-cultural comparison of language learning histories and experiences. Other than narrative-based research, Dr. Chik is also engaged in research on popular culture. She is currently co-authoring a book which reports on a 3-year project exploring the historical and linguistic development of the Hong Kong pop music scene. Her passion for popular culture has also led her to explore the role of popular culture in second language learning and education. She was recently awarded a funded research project on video gaming and foreign language learning. This project looks at out-of-class English and foreign language learning through the eyes of Hong Kong video gamers. Dr. Chik’s current teaching includes multiliteracies studies, popular culture, and creative communication at undergraduate and graduate levels.