Use of CLIL in Geography

Tato diplomová práce pojednává o užití CLILu v geografii. Cílem bylo zkoumat šest hodin zeměpisu, rozebrat je z hlediska kritérií typických pro CLIL a zjistit do jaké míry se kritéria vyskytují v těchto hodinách. Dále odhalit, jaké slabé stránky se objevují ve vyučování zeměpisu a co je třeba změnit, aby bylo možné zavést CLIL do českého školského systému. Výsledky prokázaly, že CLIL není možné zavést bez patřičného zaškolení pedagogů. Hlavní potíže byly nalezeny ve struktuře hodiny, aktivitách, metodách, organizačních formách použitých v hodinách společně s jednosměrnou interakcí.Katedra anglického jazykaObhájenoThe thesis deals with the use of CLIL in geography. The aim was to observe six geography lessons, analyze them through criteria specific for CLIL and find out to which degree criteria of CLIL occur in the lessons, which weaknesses in the geography teaching appear and what needs to be changed to possibly implement CLIL in the Czech school system. The results proved that CLIL is not possible to implement without proper teacher training. The main difficulties were found in the lesson framework, activities, methods and organizational forms used in the lessons, and in the one-way interaction

La práctica de la escritura en la lengua inglesa en una comunidad de aprendizaje a través de un blog educativo

En esta investigación, combinamos la competencia digital, en este caso el uso de un blog y la competencia cultural con el fin de practicar las habilidades de escritura. A través del blog queremos cuestionar losmétodos tradicionales de enseñanza como la teoría del desarrollo social de Vygotsky y se propone un cambio de roles. Los estudiantes ya no escriben sólo para el profesor, sino también para sus compañeros de clase e incluso para cualquier persona que lee el blog. Además, no sólo el profesor da retroalimentación a ellos, sino también sus compañeros de clase. Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes disfrutaron de este cambio de roles. Esta investigación se divide en una introducción de la interacción social de blogs educativos para comprender mejor lo que significa, el método con la explicación de la unidad didáctica y del blog, los resultados y la discusión indican que los estudiantes prefieren trabajar con el blog que con los materiales tradicionales, eluso del blog de practicar las habilidades de escritura motiva a los estudiantes a aprender y la eficacia de la utilización del blog en el aula para crear una comunidad de aprendizaje.In this research, we combine digital competence, in this case the use of a blog and cultural competence in order to practice the writing skills. Through the blog we want to challenge the traditional teaching methods as Vygotsky’ social development theory and we propose a change of roles. Students do not write anymore only for the teacher, but also for their classmates and even for anyone who reads the blog. In addition, not only the teacher gives feedback to them as well as their classmates. Results show that students enjoyed this change of roles and find it interesting and motivating. This research is divided in an introduction from social interaction to Edublogs to understand better what it means. In the method section, we explain the didactic unit and the blog. The results and discussion indicate that students prefer not only working with the blog than with traditional materials, but using the blog to practice the writing skills motivates students to learn. Finally, we show the efficacy of using the blog in the classroom to create a community of learning

A capability approach to language education in the Gaza Strip: “To plant hope in a land of despair”

This article proposes a shift away from competence models (Byram 1997) toward a more holistic approach in language education. Drawing on original critical participatory action research with English teachers in the Gaza Strip (Palestine), Imperiale argues that the capability approach (Sen 1985; Nussbaum 2000) offers a potential framework for understanding and co-constructing language education in precarious circumstances such as those in Gaza. The participants in this study are followed through their process of nourishing what Nussbaum (2006) considers the three capabilities in education: affiliation, narrative imagination and critical examination. Their work also nurtured the further capability of voice and agency, which, in the specific context of Gaza, intersects with acts of aesthetic, cultural and linguistic resistance

From Culture Shock to Cultural Adaptation: A Workbook for International Students

San Francisco’s complex communal tapestry can lead to cultural disorientation, dislocation, and unfamiliarity for recently arrived F-1 and M-1 international students, a series of events that when related to problematic adaptation issues and negative adjustment implementations is known as culture shock. Easing the adaptation process for this population is considered to be of academic importance from a progressive, economic, sociocultural, and intercultural perspective. Thus, the organizing purpose and principle of the project is to enable cultural adaptation for students who reside in San Francisco by instilling in them proximal, behavioral, and situational safety awareness. The project takes the form of a visually oriented workbook structured around the notion of authentic learning materials that have been designed to establish sociocultural adaptation skills and acculturation strategies for students that are based upon culturally specific tasks. In practice, these behavioral and intercultural learning tasks are derived from the Multiple Intelligences learning model of variable learning styles and modalities, and incorporate real-life scenarios such as the logistics involved in living within an urban environment, methods of traveling via various modes of public transportation, and the importance of the establishment of friendship networks for international students. It is to be hoped that by effectively utilizing the project, students will become equipped with the essential skill sets necessary to participate productively in socio-emotional and multicultural interactions, and be able to navigate the daunting task of learning a non-native language and a new culture simultaneously, thereby improving their chance at cultural adjustment and adaptation at the personal, academic, and sociocultural level

Using children’s literature in ELT: A story-based approach

There has been a growing interest in the role of children’s literature in language teaching since the 80s, when the communicative approach made it possible to bring stories into the classroom (Garvie, 1990). It is undeniable that storytelling has many benefits. Not only are children naturally drawn to stories, but they are also an effective and enjoyable way to teach and learn. This article presents the findings of a MA project on using stories with children. It shows the importance of stories on language acquisition and concludes with some practical suggestions based on my teaching experience with young learners

DIGITAL LITERACIES AND INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA-ENHANCED TOOLS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING

The primary aim of the paper is to introduce digital literacies and the utilization of interactive and multimedia-enhancedtools for language learning purposes in and out of institutional settings. The topics covered in this paper include what digital literacy means in language education contexts and utilization of social media, online gaming, tagging, picture, voice, and video editing tools, mixing tools, interactive HTML5 contents, translation tools, search engines and (visual) thesauruses to evaluate, contribute, and create the information rather than being a mere consumer. Bearing in mind the nature of interaction and collaboration of the digital tools, suggested ways to integrate these tools to teaching and learning of languages are also presented. The paper also identifies common concerns and challenges in regard to motivation to use digital tools, judging the validity of a source, prohibitions due to country policies, plagiarism, filtering in search engines, and insensitivity with online language, which hinders the effective use of digital tools