PROJECT-BASED LANGUAGE

LEARNING AND eTWINNING

Araceli García Fuentes

agfuentes@edu.xunta.es

CEIP Pérez Viondi – A Estrada

Do you find this to be true in your teaching practice?

INDEX

1. Project-Based Language LearningAimsProcedureProductsAssessment

2. eTwinning Ideas for projectsUseful web 2.0 appsMy eTwinning Projects

My tasks My Assessment tools

Conclusions

PROJECT-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING (PBLL)

Collaboration/cooperation. Meaningful learning (aim: to build a

product). Authenticity (real situations to use the

foreign language). Alternative assessment instruments. Pupils’ interests and motivation. Interculturality.

PROJECT-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING

Why to use PBLL? It increases self-esteem (Stoller, 2006). It increases autonomy (Skehan, 1998). It develops cooperative skills (Coleman, 1992). It increases engagement and enjoyment (Lee, 2002). It enhances cognitive strategies (Moon, 2005). It enhances meta-cognitive strategies (Nikolov,

2009). Advantages of project-work according to

Fried-Booth (2002): Authenticity of language input. Authenticity of task. Authenticity of event. Authenticity of learner-experience.

AIMS

What do we want our students to learn?Language skills, communication skills.Vocabulary and structures (notions,

functions).Cultural aspects.Learning strategies.Key competencies.

Start from our pupils’ interests and motivations. Initial evaluation to check students’

previous knowledge. Learner-centred approach (let students

involve in the teaching and learning process).

PROCEDURE

How are we going to work?Student groupings.Methodology; course-book?Tasks, roles, …

Which instruments or materials are we going to use?ComputersVideo camerasWeb applicationseTwinning, ...

PRODUCTS

What have our students done and shared?Voice recordings.Slide presentations.Videos.Google docs.eBooks/magazines/blogs/... Mini Books/Board games for the

classroom.Posters to display, etc.

All products are shared with the educational community (and uploaded to the twinspace of an etwinning project).

ASSESSMENT

How are we going to assess students’ progress and work? Pre-tests and Post-tests.Daily observation (process).Analysis of project work (products).Teacher’s diary.Students’ diaries and portfolios.Rubrics.Questionnaires and interviews with

students to know their opinions.Tests.

eTWINNING

Free virtual educational community of European schools.

Allows teachers to share ideas and create collaborative projects.

eTwinning course materials

eTwinning portals: Servicio Nacional de Apoyo (National

Support Service): http://ww.etwinning.esServicio Central de Apoyo (Central Support

Service): http://www.etwining.net Ideas:

Project KitsModulesProject search engineAwards and outstanding projectsTeacher’s guide for collaborative projects

eTWINNING USEFUL LINKS

CREATING AN eTWINNING PROJECT

Register on www.etwinning.net.

Look for a contact/etwinning partner.

Design a project or join an existing one.

Register the project and wait for the approval of the SNA.

Implement it.

REGISTER AT eTWINNING

LOOKING FOR PARTNERS

LOOKING FOR PARTNERS

LOOK AT OTHER PROJECTS

DESIGN AND CREATE A PROJECT

IDEAS FOR PROJECTS

Create a tale/magazine together (travelling book). Create materials for the classroom (a board game,

posters, mini books, comic strips, etc.). Label the school dependencies in all the school

languages. Make a film/short movie/advert/radio

programme/podcast. Organise an event (fashion show, party, exposition, a

school trip...). Design a tourist brochure to promote our town. Make a fruit salad/pizza/sandwich. Plant and cultivate vegetables. Investigate about an animal. And many more! eTwinning modules, project kits.

USEFUL WEB 2.O APPS

Voki Vocaroo Mailvu Loopster Google drive Calameo Zooburst And many others!

MY eTWINNING PROJECTS

Let’s Talk Me and My Planet Earth We Love Animals Let’s know about your class, sch

ool and village.

Knowing each other: etwinning posters

MY TASKS

MY TASKS (ASYNCHRONOUS CMC)

Introducing ourselves

Slide presentations:Galician prezi, Poland ppt, Italy odp.

Greetings: My Class saying hello (video).Polish Class saying hello(video).

Students’ video introductions:Hugo and Clara (Galicia).Simone and Diego (Italy).

My class slides: Group A, Group B Polish students’ vocaroos: Oliwia, Natalia.

Plurilingual Christmas greetings: Google docs slide presentation. Polish vocaroo. Italian:

MY TASKS (ASYNCHRONOUS CMC)

Food Likes and dislikes – Vocaroo recordings:Noa Natalia Samuel Sara Rodrigo Alejandra

Polish students:Daria Jakub

MY TASKS (ASYNCHRONOUS CMC)

Our animals

MY TASKS (ASYNCHRONOUS CMC)

VideoConferencing meetings.

MY TASKS (SYNCHRONOUS CMC)

First VC with Italy

MY TASKS (SYNCHRONOUS CMC)

Videoconference with Italy.

MY TASKS (SYNCHRONOUS CMC)

Asynchronous CMC (voice recordings):Analysis of the students’ fluency, accuracy,

range, coherence and interaction. (One table per student)

MY ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Student’s Name

Task Accuracy Fluency Range Coherence Interaction

Greetings and self introductions

Correct grammatical control

Good capacity to deliver information quickly

Good repertoire of words and idiomatic expressions

Doesn’t use connectors; coherent and cohesive discourse

No interaction required for this task

Food likes and dislikes

Correct grammatical control

Thinks a lot before speaking

Good repertoire of words and idiomatic expressions

Uses connectors; coherent and cohesive discourse

No interaction required for this task

Synchronous CMC (Videoconferencing meetings)Analysis of students’ performances:

Student’s Name

Task Accuracy Fluency Range Coherence Interaction

Greetings and self introductions

Correct grammatical control

Good capacity to deliver information quickly

Good repertoire of words and idiomatic expressions

Doesn’t use connectors; coherent and cohesive discourse

Able to communicate with others; respects speaking turns

Food likes and dislikes

Correct grammatical control

Thinks a lot before speaking

Good repertoire of words and idiomatic expressions

Uses connectors; coherent and cohesive discourse

Able to communicate with others, listens to the other partner and asnwers.

MY ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Student’s opinion questionaire. Rubrics for each unit:

Rubric 1Rubric 2 Rubric 3 Rubric 4 Rubric 5

ASSESSMENT AND OPINIONS

CONCLUSIONS

With eTwinning projects teachers can: Collaborate with other professionals. Exchange ideas with other teachers. Learn about other teaching practices, cultures and

ways of living. Learn about useful tools for teaching and learning

collaboratively online. With eTwinning projects students:

Are more motivated. Can use the language with a real purpose. Can interact with other EFL learners like them. Can develop their intercultural communicative

competence. And so on and so forth.

CONCLUSIONS

“Los proyectos no son una fórmula, ni una metodología concreta, ni tienen un protocolo de actuación, son mucho más. Los proyectos de trabajo son un posicionamento personal y profesional del maestro ante la vida y la escuela” (Ferrer, Algás y Matos, 2007:11).

¿Cuál es tu posicionamiento personal y profesional ante tu trabajo y la vida?¿Seguimos enseñando como siempre para obtener los resultados de siempre o prefieres renovar tu aula con una ilusión y un proyecto?

CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

agfuentes@edu.xunta.es

CEIP Pérez Viondi – A Estrada.