Using Technology to Create Authentic

Task-based Curriculum

Liz MillerRoxana Han

HOW do we change?And WHY?

PastPresentFuture

Q & A

Where we were…Old School

“I took 4 years of Spanish in high school. Don’t remember any of it!”

--??

Lessons: vocabulary practicegrammar notesmaterials created for learners (“Communicative” activities)

Testing: grammatical knowledgevocabulary recall

"If we always do what we've always done, we

will get what we've always got." -Adam Urbanski

Where we are now…Current state

I liked the hotel project where we emailed an actual hotel manager about rooms during our festival month. I felt that it was really cool to use Spanish in a real life situation and prove

that my Spanish was indeed improving. It was especially cool that I received an email back

in Spanish.

--Current student

Lessons: vocabulary practicegrammar discoverymaterials created for native speakers

communicative tasks

Testing: real-world tasks w/rubric

A form of assessment in which students are asked to

perform real-world tasks that demonstrate

meaningful application of essential knowledge and

skills. -- Jon Mueller

The tasks are either replicas of or analogous to the kinds of

problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals

in the field." -- Grant Wiggins

Authentic Assessment

1. A school's mission is to develop productive citizens.2. To be a productive citizen, an individual must be capable of performing meaningful tasks in the real world.3. Therefore, schools must help students become proficient at performing the tasks they will encounter when they graduate.4. To determine if it is successful, the school must then ask students to perform meaningful tasks that replicate real world challenges to see if students are capable of doing so. (Mueller)

Thus, in AA, assessment drives the curriculum.  That is, teachers first determine the tasks that students will perform to demonstrate their mastery, and then a curriculum is developed that will enable students to perform those tasks well, which would include the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills.  This has been referred to as planning backwards. (Mueller)

•ACTFL•MI WL Standards•Common Core•IB•AP

Where we want to be…Future state

We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a

manufacturing model, which is based on linearity and conformity and

batching people.

― Ken Robinson

Changing Education Paradigms

Lessons:learner centered inquiry or project-based lessons

Testing: proficiency & standards-based periodic assessment of progress

How can we use technology to revolutionize our curriculum

and our practice

1 Choose task2 How to assess3 Find authentic resources4 Tools needed 5 Guide learner

Task: Make a reservation for lodging in the target culture

1 Hotel reservation2 Call or email3 Hotel websites, travel review sites,

guidebooks, etc.4 Inquiries & polite requests5 Practice w/resources

www.huilohuilo.comHotel in Chilean Patagonia

Ideas:

-Explore and identify cognates

-Explore & choose which lodge you prefer and explain why

-Compare & contrast 2 of the lodging types described on the site

-Compare & contrast with a hotel you’ve been to in the U.S.

-Call your teacher’s Google Voice & leave a message for the hotel manager requesting more information

What kind of curriculum is relevant for our learners?

• Real world tasks• Interdisciplinary connections• ACTFL 21st Century Skills

http://youtu.be/CXurDF0IbuQ• Authentic audience• Globalcultural issues

(even at Novice Level!!)

Connect w/the target cultureAsk yourself where you’d find the task in real life

& look there…• Youtube• Twitter• Facebook• Infographics• Mobile apps• Pinterest• Yelp• Wikipedia• Company websites

Sources of authentic material

Sources of authentic material

Songs

Introducing yourself to others

Sources of authentic material

EXAMPLE

Sources of authentic material

Sources of authentic material

Weather forecast

Sources of authentic materialNews

Sources of authentic material

Kiosko.net

Sources of authentic material

www.languageguide.org

Sources of authentic material

www.quick.fr

Sources of authentic material

EXAMPLE

Sources of authentic material

Sources of authentic material

EXAMPLE

Connect w/other classrooms

• Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com

• Epals http://www.epals.com

• Skype https://education.skype.com

Authentic audience!!

Connect w/other educators

• This is not new!! Remember FLTEACH??• Twitter (#Langchat, #flteach)• Blogs • Edmodo groups• Pinterest• International organization of teachers of your

language (ELE)

Blogueros unite!

Click Here To Add Text. Create your own:

-Pinterest board for language teaching sites and resources

-Edmodo support group

-Twitter account for language teacher networking

-Blog

Blogueros unite!

Click Here To Add Text. Create your own:

-Pinterest board for language teaching sites and resources

-Edmodo support group

-Twitter account for language teacher networking

-Blog

https://sites.google.comsitetaskbasedspanishresource/

Click Here To Add Text.

Training needs

• How to use authentic sources w/novice learners

http://lauraterrill.wikispaces.com/Presentations

• How to add cultural depth w/novice learners

http://wendybrownell.wikispaces.com/Conference+Presentation+Handouts

Training needs

• Project/inquiry-based design

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/world-language-project-based-learning-education-curriculum-don-doehla

http://lisalilley.wikispaces.com

• Proficiency assessment

http://larc.sdsu.edu/malonewebinar/

Training needs

• Task design

http://books.google.com/books/about/Designing_Tasks_for_the_Communicative_Cl.html?id=NSlMZp9XkHoC

• Webinars (ACTFL, Edmodo, etc.)

Additional resources

Language Resource Centers (LRCs)

• CARLA http://www.carla.umn.edu/about/lrc/index.html

Curriculum: Deciding on the tasks

•Many already available online

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=28f7c805d5a3213d&id=28F7C805D5A3213D%21154

http://www2.ku.edu/~spanish/acceso/•Use your traditional textbook’s themes as a guide•Ask the learners!•Create as a department

What does this change entail?

•Desire to do what’s best for the learner

•Vision

•Fearlessness

•TIME!!!!!

BibliographyAmerican Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012. Pdf. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf>

 

Brownell, Wendy. Conference Presentation Handouts. Wiki. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://wendybrownell.wikispaces.com/Conference+Presentation+Handouts>

 

Cottrell, Sara-Elizabeth. Musicuentos. Website. 26 Jan. 2013. <musicuentos.com>

Doehla, Don. Using Project-based Learning to Teach World Languages. Online article. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.edutopia.org/blog/world-language-project-based-learning-education-curriculum-don-doehla>

 

Johnston, Megan. The Creative Language Class. Blog. 26 Jan. 2013. <creativelanguageclass.wordpress.com>

 

Miller, Elizabeth. Task-based Spanish Resource. Wiki. 26 Jan. 2103. <https://sites.google.com/site/

taskbasedspanishresource/>

 

Mueller, Jon. Authentic Assessment. North Central College. Website. 26 Jan. 2013.<http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm>

 

Terrill, Laura. Presentations. Wiki. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://lauraterrill.wikispaces.com/Presentations>

Contact information:

Liz Miller

Harrison High School

elizabeth.miller@farmington.k12.mi.us

Roxana Han

North Farmington High School

roxana.han@farmington.k12.mi.us