TEACHING LANGUAGES IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY: ACTIVITIES, PROJECTS AND

STRATEGIES

Maria Goretti Blanch Llosamblanch3@xtec.cat

ESC AMISTAT COMUNITAT D’APRENENTATGE, Figueres

ESC AMISTAT, A LEARNING COMMUNITY

“The absolute master doesn’t exist. We are students and teachers at the same time. The master teaches his pupils, but learns with them at the same time.” Dogon tribe chief, África

“In order to teach a child a whole tribe is needed.” African thought

WHERE DO OUR STUDENTS COME FROM? (2009)

TEACHING LANGUAGES IN AN INTEGRATED WAY

CATALAN SPANISH

ENGLISH FRENCH

OTHER

PROJECTS

ACTIVITIES

STRATEGIES

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

• Working in interactive groups is a learning strategy to cope with diversity having the same opportunities.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Spanish 5th graders Catalan P5

English 6th graders French 5th graders

Diversity in the English classroom, inclusive model

• Heterogeneous groups:

Boys and girls, different levels and learning speed, different cultural origin.

+ instrumental learning

+ solidarity

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

• Individual and group learning.• Students interaction.• Motivation: creativity and participation.• Time and space flexibility .• Open classroom: teachers, family and

volunteers.• Learning community involvement in the

teaching and learning process.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

• To encourage critical thinking, respect towards diversity: multiple speeches and opinions.

• Student direct monitoring.• To optimize resources.• To increase learning through

interactions.

English classroom organizationWORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English classroom organization

• 4 groups

• 5/6 students / group

• 4 topics

• 2 one hour session

• 2 changes/activities per session

• ½ session time per activity

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English classroom organization

• Interactive group 1:

ACTIVITY: Classroom language domino game.

AIM:

To acquire classroom instructions.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English classroom organization

• Interactive group 2:

ACTIVITY:

Crossword

AIM:

To review vocabulary and grammar.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English classroom organization

• Interactive group 3:ACTIVITY:Activity book. Revision activities.AIM: To review unit contents.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English classroom organization

• Interactive group 4:ACTIVITY:Activity book. Revision activities.AIM: To review unit contents.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

More examples of classroom organization

• Finding electrical appliances in the school:

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

More examples of classroom organization

• Speaking activity:

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Assessment

• The teacher completes a chart every session.

• The volunteer or group tutor completes a chart every session.

• The group work (students) completes a booklet every session.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

English teacher’s work

• To prepare the activities and the materials for every group work.

• To organize students in groups.• Timing.• To help volunteers and students when

necessary.• To follow up group and individual work.• To assess children.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Volunteer’s work

• To explain activities.

• To help students while working.

• To help students to work cooperatively.

• To promote self-esteem.

• To help the teacher with the individual and group assessment.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Our volunteers or group tutors

• English teachers (we are 2 English teachers working in the CEIP Amistat).

• Parents.• Secondary school students.• Special needs classroom assistant.• Native speakers • EOI students.• University students.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Our volunteers or group tutors

• Denise Latino, our native speaker volunteer.

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Results

• - ratio

• + motivation

• + interchange

• + reinforcement

• + individual monitoring

• + good classroom atmosphere

• + expectations

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

Results

• + communicative skills• + social skills (team work, initiative, self-esteem)

• + cooperation and solidarity

• + respect towards diversity

WORKING IN INTERACTIVE GROUPS

PELE 2006-2009

Teaching English to very young learners (P5)

Oral communication

CLIL: Arts and Crafts C.S.

PELE 2009-2012

Teaching French in CS through interactive groups.

NEWCOMERS CLASSROOM

Temporary help for newcomers in order to accelerate the learning of Catalan.

INTERCULTURAL PROJECTS

Families participation in the school’s projects.

Intercultural party to celebrate the end of the intercultural project.

ASSEMBLIES

Students’ assembly. Parents, teachers, volunteers, students’ assembly.

LITERARY GATHERINGSLiterary Gatherings with parents and other members from our community.

Literary gatherings with our primary school students.

PARENTS SCHOOL

Catalan lessons for parents.

English lessons for parents and volunteers.

“Coffee at three o’clock”.

BENEFITS• More family participation in the learning

process.• Less school conflicts.• An improvement in the basic competences

results (98% and 96% in English, 4th Primary).• A good linguistic competence in Spanish and

Catalan.• Good academic results in ESO (no scholars

drop out on the way from Primary to ESO, even among the gypsy community).

• You can find me on:

mblanch3@xtec.cat

http://blocs.xtec.cat/englishamistat

http://twitter.com/goretti75

• To know more about it:

Apac magazine, October 09, number 67

http://www.utopiadream.info