Posted in 6th Grade, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Projects, Public Education

HOW ABOUT SHAKING THINGS UP A BIT IN CLASS?

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If you are a teacher, you have probably heard or read about the flipped classroom as a new instructional strategy, during which you may record the lesson and deliver it online for your learners to watch at home, you may allow learners to collaborate in online discussions and try to understand the content of the video and, while in class, you, the teacher, can exploit class time to engage learners in activities related to the content they have watched at home! If you are an EFL teacher in Magnesia, Greece, you have had the opportunity to learn about this method via in-service training by our school advisor and you have watched how it has been exploited in a secondary school in Volos!

On a personal note, flipping the classroom sounds so exciting! I’ve always meant to try it, but lack of time strikes as a flashing neon sign on a threatening dark cloud surrounded by thunders and lightnings above my head! I am sure my learners would welcome the idea of watching the lesson on a video at home and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss it online with their peers, without any written assignment as homework, but how can I organize and deliver a lesson like that without devoting an unimaginable amount of valuable hours planning, designing, editing and recording?

Well, in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we can shake things up a little bit in our class without spending many hours in front of a computer screen and devoiding (again!) our loved ones of our company, love and attention! Ms Andriani Rigoutsou has at our disposal 4 pre-designed, ready-to-use lesson plans with all the necessary video-recorded and printable materials and invites us to use them in our 6th grade classes … once, twice or for four teaching sessions …for free … with her help and support … allowing us to adapt them … or not … and helping her with her dissertation! How perfectly convenient is that? I know I am saying ‘yes’ to the challenge and inviting more public Primary School EFL educators to shake things a bit in their class as well and in our teaching methods and approaches, while helping a colleague complete the last and most demanding part of her academic pursuit at a time she mostly needs us (by the way, wishing you a safe delivery, Andriani, and nothing but precious and joyous times with your new baby!).

Here is her message with all the necessary information and related materials! If you are also replying positively to her invitation, please, send her an email and join us in this unknown, innovative, challenging and developing field:

Αγαπητές-οι συναδέλφισσες/-οι,

Oνομάζομαι Ανδριανή-Χριστίνα Ρηγούτσου, είμαι καθηγήτρια Αγγλικών στην Πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση και φέτος ασχολούμαι με τη συγγραφή της Διπλωματικής μου εργασίας στο πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακού του Τμήματος Ειδίκευσης Καθηγητών Αγγλικής στο Ελληνικό Ανοιχτό Πανεπιστήμιο. Tο θέμα της εργασίας μου είναι: “Implementing Flipped Classroom Approach in the 6th grade of Greek State Primary Schools: Effect on Teachers’ Professional Development and Students’ Active Learning”( «H εφαρμογή του μοντέλου της «Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης» σε μαθητές Στ’ Δημοτικού Ελληνικών Δημόσιων Σχολείων: επίδραση στην Επαγγελματική Εξέλιξη των Εκπαιδευτικών και την Ενεργό Μάθηση των Μαθητών».)

Παίρνω την πρωτοβουλία να ζητήσω την πολύτιμη βοήθειά σας και, συγκεκριμένα, των συναδέλφων που διδάσκουν στην 6η τάξη του Δημοτικού σχολείου, εξαιτίας του γεγονότος ότι φέτος απέχω από τα διδακτικά μου καθήκοντα λόγω εγκυμοσύνης/τοκετού και αδυνατώ να υλοποιήσω τα μαθήματα Flipped Classroom (Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης) που έχω σχεδιάσει για τις ανάγκες της διπλωματικής.

Συγκεκριμένα, οι ενδιαφερόμενοι εκπαιδευτικοί μπορούν να χρησιμοποιήσουν το σχεδιασμένο από μένα υποστηρικτικό υλικό που θα βρουν αναρτημένο εδώ για να διδάξουν από 1 έως και 4 μαθήματα ακολουθώντας τη μέθοδο της Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης (Flipped Classroom).

Σημειώνεται ότι μπορείτε να διδάξετε από 1 έως και 4 από τα προτεινόμενα μαθήματα, καθώς και ότι μπορείτε να τροποποιήσετε το υλικό ή να δημιουργήσετε ένα δικό σας μάθημα αντεστραμμένης τάξης. Για καθένα από τα μαθήματα, θα χρειαστείτε από τα επισυναπτόμενα έγγραφα:
1) Lesson Plan
2) Video Tasksheet
3) In-Class Taskheet

Συνοδευτικά, θα βρείτε συνημμένα:
-μία παρουσίαση σε αρχείο Powerpoint για τη δική σας ενημέρωση καθώς και
-ένα ενημερωτικό έντυπο που απευθύνεται στους γονείς των μαθητών σας.

Συνολικός αριθμός συνημμένων αρχείων:16

Επίσης, επειδή συμμερίζομαι το γεγονός ότι υπάρχει φόρτος εργασίας ήδη στα σχολεία και πολλοί παράγοντες που επηρεάζουν την πορεία των μαθημάτων, θα είμαι στη διάθεσή σας για περαιτέρω πληροφορίες και υποστήριξη.
Σας ευχαριστώ και πάλι για τον χρόνο σας. Όσον αφορά στην προθεσμία για τη διδασκαλία των μαθημάτων, καλό θα ήταν να έχει ολοκληρωθεί η διαδικασία έως τα τέλη Απριλίου.

Κατόπιν, οι συμμετέχοντες εκπαιδευτικοί θα συμπληρώσετε ένα ερωτηματολόγιο σχετικά με την εμπειρία σας από τη διδασκαλία αυτή δίνοντας έμφαση σε θέματα Επαγγελματικής Εξέλιξης και προώθησης της Ενεργής Μάθησης στους μαθητές.
Θα χαρώ ιδιαίτερα να έχω την ανταπόκρισή σας και σας ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων. Αρχικά, μπορείτε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μου στο email μου: arigoutsou@gmail.com

Με εκτίμηση,
Ανδριανή Ρηγούτσου

Posted in Miscellaneous

AN EFL COLLEAGUE’S RESEARCH

Ms Melissa Evangelidi is an EFL teacher conducting a research for her dissertation. All EFL colleagues, either working in the public or in the private sector, are kindly requested to assist. Here is her letter inviting us all to participate (it really does not take more than 10 minutes to fill the questionnaire in!):

Dear English Language Teacher,

I am conducting an Action Research study into the effects of implementing project-based learning with Greek young / teenage EFL learners for my dissertation for a Master’s degree in TESOL from Aston University, UK. As part of this research I am very interested in finding out about teachers’ views and experiences of project work in Greek ELT classrooms in both state and private (frontistiria) settings. (The term ‘project’ for this study is being used to refer to a number of activities related to a central topic and not a single task in a course book under the label ‘project’.)

I would like to invite you to complete this questionnaire, which should take you about 10 minutes.
Your answers are completely confidential and will only be used in summaries.

You will need to complete the following questionnaire electronically, save it temporarily on your PC and send as an email attachment to the following address: mevangelidi@yahoo.gr

To mark your answers for closed questions, please highlight the appropriate box as in the following example:

Do you use projects in your teaching practice?
Yes □ No

For open answers, type directly into the spaces provided in the document.

Your opinions and experiences are very important to me. Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Kind regards,
Melissa Evangelidi

Posted in Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Public Education

Dissertation: EXPLORING CALL IN THE GREEK PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Abstract

Greek public education is part of the social context and, in this age of rapid technological innovation, it should definitely not be inferior. More and more teachers and learners use computers on a daily basis and are gradually becoming more familiar with a variety of applications that can serve their needs. Using technology as a medium or a tool, English language teaching seems to have the potential to become more effective.

This dissertation aims at exploring the current employment of CALL in Greek public primary schools and investigating ways in which teachers can apply theory to practice. Beginning with the history and theoretical background of CALL worldwide, there has been an attempt to relate computer applications to the pedagogical benefits they can contribute to ELT, without though neglecting reference to potential barriers to the use of technology in schools. History of ELT and CALL in Greece is also explored with an eye to conducting a research on the available home and school equipment, school facilities, familiarity with and frequency of use of computer applications, teacher training and attitudes towards CALL.

This research that has been conducted by means of questionnaires will prove that, although English state primary school teachers are positively predisposed towards CALL and are familiar with most of the computer applications in question, they are in need of training on the use of educational technology, technological and building improvements at schools, supportive materials and a plethora of other reforms that are suggested in the end of this dissertation.

This dissertation / research was submitted in the Hellenic Open University as part of my Master’s education in the school year 2009 – 2010. To view the dissertation, click here: EXPLORING CALL IN THE GREEK PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

* This dissertation has been cited in: Proposal The Perception of Students towards the Effectiveness of the Usage of CALL Tools in Language Learning