Comenius Language project

Title: Promoting a learning-friendly school through an ecolinguophile approach

Project type: Comenius 1.2

Countries involved: England and France

Target groups: 13-15 year olds

Thematic area: Promoting plurilinguism through the topic of the protection of the environment.

Aims:

1. Increase pupils’ motivation in languages through the 2-week exchange and through the exchange of authentic materials via e-mails.

2. Create a language-friendly learning environment by involving French, English, Spanish, German, Italian? Greek? LWUTL? In the pluriligual translation of the environmental booklet.]

3. Work towards a multilingual booklet about environmental protection.

Methodology:

1. Collection of individual initial perceptions, through questionnaire on what the environment means to pupils.

2. Reveal and develop linguistic “hidden resources” (including partial competences) and human resources (other teachers, parents associations, ecological associations, environmental, professional and local authorities).

3. A plurilingual translation of an ecological booklet, the setting up of a mini-convention “Earth summit”, the attendance of citizenship lessons during the exchange visits, the setting up of multi-linguistic tandem parties (pupils and adults), creation of “Art Trash” exhibition in the partner schools, the creation of a plurilingual logo.

4. Self-assessment and Assessment in order to evaluate whether or not the initial perceptions have evolved throughout the course of the project.

Outcomes and Products:

1. Plurilingual ecological booklet to be published in France (including pictures, slogans, logo, texts in up to 5 different langauges) and CD-ROM?

2. Exhibition of pupil work (“Art Trash” exhibition, poetry, music).

3. Use of Blog? Websites?

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The project aims to find out about “hidden resources”, both human (contacts with organisations outside the classroom) and linguistic (make use of partial competences) in order to equip pupils to be able to face and build a language-friendly plurilingual and pluricultural Europe which is respectful of the environment.

This project will be carried out through:

1. The collection of individual “initial perceptions” (recueilles de representation) in the form of Personal Statements which take into consideration:

1. Individual linguistic competences.

2. Individual cultural competences.

“In my opinion, I can contribute to the protection of the environment by……/ In my view, the protection of the environment means….”

2. Overcoming inhibitions by exploring Linguistic and cultural competences:

• Pupils will communicate in a variety of ways and through different means, including questionnaires, e-mail, blog, mutual visits, exchanges of data, post and will share authentic resources such as images, visual stimulus, web-links, texts, photos, video-clips.

3. Hidden human resources:

• Tandem work, involving pupils and adults (teachers, parents associations, ecological associations, environmental professionals, local authorities) in order to discover what contacts exist with their European partners, what use they make of other languages, what countries are involved, what competences they have in the various languages (partial or proficient).

4) Culminating in the final outcomes:

- A plurilingual translation of an ecological booklet (“Le petit

livre pour la Terre” from www.defipourlaterre.org, Foundation

Nicholas Hulot pour la nature et l’homme).

- A mini-convention/ “Earth Summit” (possibly including older

pupils from partner schools of 17-18 yrs old as peer-mentors), who will lead, oversee and support the younger pupils with the multi-lingual workshops.

• Tandem parties.

• Exhibition of “Art Trash, campaign posters, poetry.

• Citizenship lessons attended during the exchange at each of the partner schools.

5) Self-Assessment:

- Carry out a survey to find out whether or not initial perceptions of pupils have evolved:

a) After the first visit.

B) After the second visit.

C) Project Content and Organisation:

1) Concrete Aims:

• To produce a multilingual booklet on the theme of the protection of the environment, which demonstrates the student’s cultural and linguistic development through the exploration of plurilinguism and pluriculturalism in the local and European communities of the partner schools?

Expected impact:

• Increased self-confidence in language-learning and cultural appreciation on the part of the pupils.

• Draw upon outside intervention from local environmental agencies.

• Giving pupils and teachers alike the opportunity to work in unfamiliar languages in order to gain partial competence.

2) Activities to be carried out:

• Questionnaires – collection of data.

• Exchange of materials via e-mail/post/visits.

• Exchange visits during which pupils will attend citizenship classes and take part in an “Earth Summit”, guided by the peer-mentors in older years.

• Contact adults and professionals outside the classroom in order to find out about the place of plurilinguism within their organisation.

• Tandem work (pupils and adults).

3) End products:

• Plurilingual booklet, containing the translation of an ecological text from French into English, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, other LWUTL.

• Exhibition of pupil work, demonstrating a range of pupils’ learning styles, including artistic (“Art Trash” sculpture), linguistic (poetry), musical (song lyrics).

• Video of mini “Earth Summit” and digital photos.

4. Evaluation of the progress of the project and its impact on the participants:

• Self-assessment and Teacher Assessment questionnaires to be carried out by the pupils at the beginning of the project, after the first visit and finally, after the second visit. This will enable staff and pupils alike to evaluate how their perception of plurilinguism and pluriculturalism has evolved throughout the project work.

5. Dissemination of results through:

• The pluriligual booklet.

• Exhibitions of artistic, linguistic and visual materials produced by pupils, to be displayed in the corridors/foyer of the partner schools.

• Open the schools to parent, other local schools and the local community.

6. Specific measures to be undertaken:

• SEN pupils will participate through the possibility of producing a variety of end-products (art/music/text/visuals) which is learning style-friendly.

• Equal opportunities will be assured through both partners schools being mixed schools and the projects will be carried out with mixed classes.

• Promotion of inter-cultural education will be achieved through pupils’ encountering different cultures during their stay with host families and through encountering other languages in the plurilingual booklet.

• Facilitate the participation of pupils and schools from disadvantaged areas through opening up the partner schools to the local communities during the exhibition of pupil work.

• Facilitate the participation of disabled pupils:

In the group of older pupils (to be used during the mini-convention) there will be at least one pupil from the British school who has cerebral palsy and would require the French partner school to arrange for easy-access, ground-floor classrooms and to arrange extra time for her to move around the corridors when they are less crowded.

• Enhance the participation of pupils from ethnic and other minority groups through allowing pupils to expand on the number of languages included in the booklet by translating the texts into their own languages (possibly Arabic, Polish, and Turkish?)

7. Role of participating institutions:

• Coordinating institution: Highlands School, London

• Organise the time-table for the French pupils on exchange visit, ensuring pupils have opportunities to attend Citizenship classes and assemblies.

• Book flights for pupil exchange from Britain to France.

• Liaise with the coordinating teacher in the partner school.

• Organise a group of IB pupils (17-28 yrs olds) who would become peer-mentors for the pupils during the mini-Earth Summit.

• Keep up the contacts with the partner school.

• Partner Institution:

• Organise the time-table for the English pupils on exchange visit, ensuring pupils have opportunities to attend Citizenship lessons.

• Coordinate the publication of the plurilingual booklet, which the pupils will produce during the project.

8. Use of ICT:

• Use of e-mail/internet for exchange of data and authentic materials/visuals/photos/video-clips.

• Publication of plurilingual ecological booklet (use of word/excel/publisher software).

• Production of a CD-ROM of pupils work during the project.

• Use of BLOG to share resources across the partner schools.

9. How the project will ensure the active participation of pupils throughout:

• 2/3 self-evaluations be carried out during the project work in order to inform pupils and teacher of evolution in thinking regarding pluriliguism and the ecology.

10. How the project will be integrated into the curriculum:

• Pupils will study the theme of the environment in the curriculum and the project will complement this study with a cultural and linguistic-awareness slant.

11. Preparation for pupils:

• Number of hours: Minimum of 3hrs in lessons.

• Who will provide the preparation: Languages teachers in both partner schools, lead by the English teacher in the French partner School and the French teacher in the British School.

• Methods to be used: role plays on the topics of “finding the way”, “shopping”, “currency”, “cultural aspects”, “socialising”, “agreeing and disagreeing”.

• Authentic materials to be shared and used in lessons across the partner schools.

• Expected proficiency level: Linguistic structures and vocabulary required in order to be able to tackle the various tasks during the project (spans from partial competence to A2/B1 level in the European Portfolio and A-C grade in British GCSE standards).

12. How the pupils will collaborate during the visit to their partner school:

• Pupils will attend Citizenship classes during the exchange visits to both partner schools.

• During VISIT 1, the mini-convention will take place – “Earth Summit” debate.

• During VISIT 2, there will be a meeting during which, the documents will be selected for publication in the plurilingual ecological booklet.

• Day to day contact with the host families.

• Exhibitions of “Art Trash”/ poetry/ logos in both partner schools.

D) Comenius Plan

My institution, Highlands School in London is a mixed state school, situated in a relatively well-off area in the suburbs of North London. The institution has pupils on role which range from SEN, due to physical and cognitive special needs, to Gifted and Talented pupils. The school is multi-racial and multi-cultural. This school is relatively new (established in 2000) and hence, has not yet taken part in any Comenius Projects. However, the school currently holds an international evening every year in November in order to celebrate the diversity of the languages, cultures and traditions which belong to the pupils’ backgrounds. The school has participated in a French Exchange in 2004-2005, with a school in Courbevoie. This was organised through the LEA, due to the twinning link which Enfield has with Courbevoie.

Pupils and staff at Highlands School would benefit from carrying out a Comenius Project 1.2 since this will help pupils to overcome inhibitions by exploring their linguistic and cultural competence. They will be encouraged to communicate in a variety of ways and through different means, including questionnaires, e-mail, internet, mutual visits, exchanges of data, post and will share authentic resources such as images, visual stimulus, web-links, texts, photos, video-clips. The school and local community would also benefit from identifying the “hidden human resources”. These will be exploited by carrying out tandem work, involving pupils and adults (teachers, parents associations, ecological associations, environmental professionals, local authorities) in order to discover what contacts exist with their European partners, what use they make of other languages, what countries are involved, what competences they have in the various languages (partial or proficient).

The expected outcomes of such a project would be the production of a plurilingual ecological booklet, the participation in a mini-convention/ “Earth Summit”, the organisation of an exhibition of “Art Trash, campaign posters and poetry produced by the pupils and the attendance of Citizenship lessons during the exchange at each of the partner schools.

As a whole the School aims to achieve multi-cultural and international links which overcome the boundaries of language, race and cultural heritage by interpreting these very elements as positive ways to enrich our existence.

The teachers of languages would be mainly responsible for defining and carrying out activities which aim to achieve the project objectives. The Head of the School will clarify the support given by the institution itself to support this languages project so that it can have cross-curricular effect on the school as a whole. This will also involve discussion with the Assistant Head, who is responsible for overseeing international links.