Exchanges on primary schools
Part 2 - Monsters

Last week we introduced the primary schools in Spain and France and shared the frist activity these students did. This week, we will share their second activity that, despite the name, was not daunting at all!

The second task students prepared was about MONSTERS (and their bodyparts)!! The aim was to familiarise the students with colours and body parts and to practice conversation skills.

As preparation both teachers explained the task to their students and had already decided which body parts to include in the task. The students then got to thing of a monster and decided which body parts their monster had (two heads, seven arms, a tail...) and which color these body parts had (red, blue, white,...). They not only thought of the body part and the color, but also of the size (big, small,...) and the order of these sentence components (three big red noses).
The teachers then introduced the conversation management strategies (e.g. I think our monster should have...) and devided the class into groups of four leaners, based on their langauge levels.

During the actual interactions, students drew their own monster mascots so they could check for understanding and show them to the rest of the class.

What do you think of the monsters they drew! Scary, right?!

Exchanges on primary schools!

Based on our previous messages about the exchanges that were carried out last year, you would get the impression that only secondary school are part of the project. Those who have been following us, know that this is not true at all!

That is why this week we share part of an exchange that took place between two primary schools: one in France (St. Genes) and one in Spain (Badajoz)! The teachers of these two schools decided to do synchronous exchanges using the target language English. They were matched based on the age and language level (A1) of their students and did several tasks between September 2022 and June 2023.

In total students did three exciting tasks to practice their conversation skills. The first task was a guessing game via video chat. Students were attributed a school item (on a card), in a specific color. Their peers had to question them to try to guess what the card was displaying. 

As a preparation the teachers on both schools explained the tasks and prepared the students for the exchanges by introducing language structures (e.g., Is your school item … + colour?), conversation management structure (e.g., I did not understand…), and conversation management structures specific to the game (e.g., you are getting warmer!). The pupils first practiced at school in groups of four, before they interacted with the remote class.

Curious to find out what other tasks they preformed? Keep following us for more!

Multiplier Event in Valencia: 18 October

We have some great news which will give you some perspective for after the summer: on the 18th of October we will host a Multiplier Event in Valencia, and you are invited! Read our flyer below to find out more and to register via the QR-codes!

News: French is still a Lingua Franca (exchange)

This week we have another great example of a language exchange between two schools – one in the Basque country and one in the Netherlands. Read more below and get inspired!

From a Dutch perspective, many adolescents leave high school after having had up to six years of French language education. Despite all those hours of French, students frequently complain that they have a hard time speaking French. In this exchange, French teachers Jouke from Nuborgh College (the Netherlands) and Lore from Antoniano Ikastexea (the Basque country) decided to listen to their students and give them the chance to use the language in authentic language environments to collaborate with peers with a different cultural background using the common language they are learning: French. 

To establish communication different tools and tasks were selected. Students, having A2 to B1 levels first wrote and introduced themselves using a picture meaningful to them in Padlet – an online interactive wall –. They were asked to read the messages written by the learners from the partner school and react to at least two peers. After that exciting first asynchronous contact, students met in small groups in BigBlueButton – a video communication tool –to present their school and their city to their peers. 

According to the teachers, the exchanges were successful and their initial objectives (to have their students communicate in the target language and to learn something about their peers and their culture) were met! They are thrilled with the idea of continuing next school year with more virtual exchange activities.

News: Virtual exchanges

Hi everyone!

Now that the school year is ending, and summer is approaching, we would like to share some of the exchanges we have coached during the past half year. In these series we hope to inspire you and provide some examples of the virtual intercultural languages exchanges we have organized. 

As always, in education, it has been a busy school year, so we are very grateful for the teachers in our project, giving language learners the opportunity to participate in intercultural and authentic language communication beside their normal tasks. 

Get inspired for next school year by the tasks students (and their teachers) from Lek en Linge – a Dutch secondary education school and Antoniano Ikastetxea – a Basque secondary education school - did!

In collaboration with the teachers from the two schools, we have created various tasks in different virtual environments. The 4th year students of English (B1 level) and Spanish (A2 level) first got to know each other via a quiz guided questions in Padlet where they introduced themselves and chose a picture they identified with. Then, they commented on their peers’ texts. They used both languages to communicate and learned from their ‘expert’ peers.
After that, they did a task in the virtual environment (FrameVR) where they discussed cultural stereotypes and preconceptions to then dismantle them.

On a third task, conducted in Spanish in the video-communication environment of BigBlueButton, they discussed everyday cultural rituals. After these VE tasks, students evaluated and reflected on the exchanges with their teachers and talked about their feelings, and possibly changed their perception of the other culture!

The experience was also evaluated with the participating students in a general survey and focus group interviews. The survey responses indicate that students enjoyed the opportunity to connect with new people, learn about different cultures, and explore new experiences, although some of them experienced problems with Wi-Fi, computer connections, and platform issues. The interaction with people from other countries and the exchange of ideas and customs were particularly valued. While there were a few respondents who did not express strong preferences, the majority found value in meeting new people and broadening their cultural understanding through this project. 

Workshops & Webinars

In the past academic year we have held several E-LIVE experts webinars and workshops. A list of the recorded webinars can be found at the right on this page.