Integrating Linguacultural knowledge through EBL projects

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Integrating Linguacultural knowledge through EBL
projects

• Theresa Oliver
• Durham University

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Overview

• Background
• Process writing
• Example from Beginner level course
• Example from Advanced level course

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Background

• Collaboration lecturers / language teachers
• Creation of new post A-level strand
• Integrated approaches
• Research interests

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On writing skills

• Writing requires
• A high degree of organisation in the development
  of ideas and information
• a high degree of accuracy so that there is no
  ambiguity of meaning
• the use of complex grammatical devices for focus
  and emphasis
• and a careful choice of vocabulary, grammatical
  patterns, and sentence structures to create a
  style which is appropriate to the subject matter
  and the eventual readers
• Tricia Hedge, Writing, Oxford Oxford University
  Press, 1988

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A process approach to learning

• Allows writing to become a key component of a
  communicative language classroom
• Enables students to develop independent learning
  skills and transferable skills
• Students work out their own solutions to the
  problems they set themselves (White Arndt)

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Key phases in a process approach
A model of writing, White and Arndt, Process
Writing, London and New York Longman 1991
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Enquiry-Based and process driven

• Students are presented with scenarios
• Role of the teacher is as facilitator to provide
  guidance and support where needed
• Students placed at the centre of the learning
  process
• Students work collaboratively to generate ideas
  and discuss courses of action
• Students develop transferable skills and
  professional skills
• Skills are developed in a realistic context
• Students develop a sense of creating reader-based
  texts
• Students develop a sense of responsibility
  towards their final outcome

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Responsibility

• Final outcome is the result of a non-linear
  strategy
• Re-reading, checking, proof-reading, assessing
  are an integral part of authorship
• These activities are carried out throughout the
  writing process at word, sentence, structural and
  content level
• Lexical and grammatical accuracy are an essential
  part of the process but not the only outcome

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Readership

• Gives students a sense of a genuine readership
• Not writing just for the teacher/marker
• Students question readership knowledge,
  culture-bound language, levels of interest
• Successful communication covers such language
  skills as style, register and genre-specific
  writing

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Heuristic approach to learning

• Generating ideas with mind-maps, concept maps and
  question words
• Evaluating work with heuristic approaches
• Using heuristic activities to create a
  collaborative learning environment to complement
  individual learning outcomes

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Leggi le domande qui di seguito per stimolare le
tue idee, poi scrivi le tue opinioni in forma di
appunti.
Come? Come cambiano la vita dei utenti? Come
potrebbe essere la situazione nel futuro? In
quale modo potrebbe essere possibile cambiare le
idee degli utenti / dei detrattori dei
gadget? Come influenzeranno il futuro di internet?
Perché? Perché questi gadget sono diventati così
popolari? Perché è importante parlare di questi
gadget?
Quando? Quando è iniziato il fenomeno? Quando è
diventato importante in Italia?
Chi? Chi usa questi gadget? Chi è a favore dei
gadget? Chi è contrario ai gadget? Chi teme luso
dei gadget?
Che cosa? Che cosa sai dellattenzione parziale
continua Che cosa devono sapere i lettori?
Adattata da unattività di Ann Raimes
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Mini cycle of process writing
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Assessment

• Facilitator offers guidance but not correction
• Students assess their own work and reflect on
  their own assessment
• Concept of genuine readership is enhanced by
  collaborative groups of peer reviewers
• Facilitator assessment is not centred on a grade
  but on action points
• Checklists address the issue of teacher marking
  time

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Checklist for self assessment

• I have checked my work for spelling errors
• I have checked my punctuation throughout
• I have checked my work for grammatical accuracy
• I have checked for verb/noun agreements
• I have checked the sequencing of my tenses
• I have checked that my sentence structure is
  clear and logical
• I have used a range of structures
• I have used a range of vocabulary
• I have checked that my vocabulary is appropriate
  to the task
• I have checked that I have used idiomatic phrases
  appropriately
• I have used an appropriate register throughout
• I have used a consistent register throughout
• I have used an appropriate style of writing for
  the task

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Checklist for self assessment

• The strong points of my first draft are
• Teachers comment
• The area/s I think I can improve on are
• Teachers comment
• For my next draft I will
• Teachers comment

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Peer response

• This piece of writing has a good structure
• Arguments/events are presented in a logical
  sequence
• Vocabulary is appropriate and understandable
• The context for this piece of writing is clear
• The introduction / opening is well structured
• The conclusion / end is well structured
• Strong points of work
• Could the work be made more interesting?
• What is most memorable about the work
• Authors action points

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Facilitator response

• Response scale 0-5 corresponding to criteria of
  assessment
• Responses and comment given on
• (V) Vocabulary
• (S) Syntax
• (GR) Grammar
• (Sp) Spelling
• (P) Punctuation
• (C) Content
• (RS) Register and Style
• (O) Organisation
• Overall Performance with comment but no grade

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Process writing and Enquiry-Based Learning

• Collaborative learning ethos
• Emphasis on self-assessment and editing
• Different sources of feedback
• Independent learning skills
• Transferable skills
• Process by which the end product is created is as
  important as the end product

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Project work ab initio learners of Italian

• Rationale
• Ab initio students are curious to learn more
  about Italy
• Many students only take the language modules and
  not the 1st year culture module
• Authentic material is a key element of reading
  and listening comprehension courses
• Engaging students at a level of personal interest
  increases motivation

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Ab initio scenario

• The Italian tourist board are renewing their
  website and have asked for contributions on items
  to include on their site. The contribution needs
  to be in both a written form and in the form of
  an oral presentation. In your contribution please
  specify your personal interest in your chosen
  item and why you feel it would appeal to others

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Project outline

• Week 7 1st project lesson
• Generating ideas, focusing ideas, organising
  groups
• Week 9 2nd project lesson
• Presenting and evaluating ideas, reviewing
• Week 10 3rd project lesson
• 1st written draft submission, feedback
• Weeks 12-14 project presentations
• Summative outcomes oral examination

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Benefits to student

• Language skills
• Motivation
• Challenge
• Freedom
• Interest
• Applied
• Integrated learning
• Process of elimination, finding topic
• Independent research
• Confidence with Italian resources
• Increased knowledge of Italy through own research
• Increased knowledge of Italy through QA

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Project work 2nd year Advanced Italian

• Background
• 1st year advanced Italian course elements
• Current affairs and culture
• Writing course creative writing taught with a
  process approach and assessed with checklists
• Reading course Mare delle verità with dual
  outcomes
• motivation from reading a complete novel
• novel used as a source for scenarios

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Scenario

• Rai are making a new television series entitled
  Italiani, spaghetti e mandolino LItalia vista
  da fuori. This series aims to investigate the
  nature of Italian stereotypes as perceived from
  outside and over time
• Rai requires learners of Italian to submit a
  (max.) 2000 word project proposal for an episode
  in this series

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Project class

• Lesson 1 Discussion on scenario and topics,
  introduction to course
• Lesson 2 Justification of direction,
  introduction to using primary and secondary
  sources
• Lesson 3 Presentation of primary and secondary
  sources, introduction to structure

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Project class

• Lesson 4 Poster presentations, introduction to
  writing introductions and conclusions
• Lesson 5 Group work on introductions and
  conclusions, introduction to paragraph writing
• Lesson 6 Presentation of redrafted outline,
  schematic overview of essay, introduction to
  abstracts

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Project class

• Lesson 7 Working groups on abstract,
  preparation for debate
• Lesson 8 Debate on paths taken to address
  scenario
• Summative outcomes
• Final project submission
• oral examination discussion

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Outcomes

• Students actively involved in creating their
  learning process
• Sense of achievement and empowerment
• Core language skills developed
• Transferable and professional skills

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Integrated Outcomes

• To encourage students to use language to learn
  something new about topics of interest
• To prepare students to learn subject matter
  through English
• To expose students to content from a variety of
  informational sources to help them improve their
  academic language and study skills
• To provide students with contextualized resources
  for understanding language and content
• To simulate the rigors of academic courses
• To promote students self-reliance and engagement
  with learning
• Stoller, Project Work in Methodology in
  Language Teaching, Cambridge CUP, 2002