WeCWI: The Fourth Keynote

The fourth keynote address entitled WeCWI Integrated Formula: Empowering Teachers through Adaptive Learning Technology was presented by Dr Mah Boon Yih in ICELD 2016: International Conference on Education, Learning and Development on 1-2 December 2016 at Bayview Hotel Georgetown, Farquhar Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.

The abstract of the keynote is shown as follows:

Web-based Cognitive Writing Instruction (WeCWI) is a theoretical-and-pedagogical multidisciplinary hybrid e-framework formulated to empower teachers through the adaptive learning technology particularly the internet. WeCWI Integrated Formula is the first framework synthesising the principles of language acquisition, cognitive theories, composition studies, and e-learning to construct a hybrid digital framework for developing and designing a web-based instruction (WBI) based on learners’ information processing preferences. The four main theoretical rationales—language acquisition, composition studies, cognitive theories, and e-learning—are seamlessly integrated as the core of WeCWI, which can be summarised into a formula as: (Language Acquisition + Composition Studies + Cognitive Theories) e-Learning = WeCWI. This integrated formula of WeCWI is represented by a Venn diagram. To promote adaptive learning, teachers are encouraged to develop their web-based instructional tools using the web 2.0 platform such as blog based on their students’ preferred interface designs that correspond to different perceptual learning styles. The process of WBI construction through the four stages (acquaint, develop, integrate, and design) in four different types of discoveries (instructional, technological, pedagogical, and theoretical) can empower the teachers to plan and manage the entire instructional process. Besides, WeCWI Integrated Formula also provides a remedy of second language (L2) writing barriers in English faced by the students by fostering their writing performance and critical thinking. This is achievable through the integration among the four WeCWI’s theoretical rationales that promotes literacy, language, cognitive, and psychological developments. These four areas are equally essential to tackle the issues of complexity of writing skill and low literacy skills, interlanguage errors and low language proficiency, lack of critical thinking and low information literacy, and L2 writing anxiety. Therefore, language teachers are encouraged to develop and design their WBIs to improve the students’ writing process and product.