teaching english in a multicultural society
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TRANSCRIPT
TEACHING LANGUAGES IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY: ACTIVITIES, PROJECTS AND
STRATEGIES
Maria Goretti Blanch [email protected]
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:
http://blocs.xtec.cat/englishamistat
http://twitter.com/goretti75
• To know more about it:
Apac magazine, October 09, number 67
http://www.utopiadream.info