Classroom Research

Three projects, two in the UK and one European, are involving teachers and their pupils in research into the use of technology in language learning.

Languages ICT Action Research is an initiative coordinated by CILT, the National Centre for Languages and the Association for Language Learning, designed to give teachers the opportunity to set up classroom-based, action research projects in an area of interest to them. This year over twenty projects explored the use of ICT use in language learning. Completed projects include:

Using digital photographs, and audio to promote creativity and independence
Using authoring software to improve performance and motivation
‘Wikimania’, using ‘wikis’ to encourage spontaneous and accurate creative writing
Creating a short film using digital video, to enhance speaking skills and increase motivation
Expectation, Motivation, Perception: assessing the value and effectiveness of using a Virtual Teaching and Learning Environment
The use of CPS (Classroom Performance Systems) to improve motivation at KS3
Keeping pace: Using the Interactive Whiteboard to maintain focus
Using foreign language podcasts to develop pupils’ independent listening skills

Summaries of the finished projects are available on the Partners in progress area of this website, which focuses on professional reflection and sharing practice. If you are interested in undertaking action research of your own and/or in sharing your practice with others, you will find guidance on the principles of Action research, suggestions for Getting involved in disseminating your work and information on Funding opportunities.

TeachNetUK is a Specialist Schools and Academies Trust scheme, which aims to give teachers the chance to create and share ICT resources with other like-minded colleagues. Each project must contain 4-5 hours of teaching material which has been su cce ssfully trialled in school. Contributors receive £450. The latest language projects which have been accepted for publication are:

French - the imperfect tense
Interactive PowerPoint
French - a website for NVQ Level 4
Spanish - a website for NVQ level 3

Earlier projects include:

Cultural Eating Habits
Bienvenue à Paris ... a virtual tour
Producing video in the classroom!

Web Journals in Language Education is a project funded by the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), based in Graz, Austria. Launched in 2004, the aim of the project is to research how weblogging can improve cultural awareness and boost writing skills in English and French, for secondary school age learners from countries across Europe. To date, 30 teachers and 600 students have taken part, publishing around 4000 postings and 9000 comments in total.

The students have reacted very positively to the experience and have felt that blogging has enabled them to:

communicate meaningfully in different contexts
develop their reading and writing skills
become more autonomous and creative learners
be more culturally aware of their European neighbours

Teachers involved in the experiment felt that blogs have:

allowed them to try out a fresh approach to language teaching
enabled them to reflect on their current practice
let them cater more easily for the needs of individual learners
created a range of writing opportunities

A project report was published in June 2006 in the Spring edition of the European Language Gazette.

ECML will be publishing a CD-Rom by July 2007. Contact Catherine Seewald for more details. The project is scheduled to continue until the end of 2007.

Why not read some of the ECML blogs yourself and see how they are helping language learners from countries around the whole of Europe to communicate and collaborate with each other? Or look at the possibilities for getting involved via Partners in progress or TeachNetUK.