Task 4: Comment on a Teaching Idea
ThinkQuest.org
Nowadays the internet is full of teaching ideas using new media sources as a basis for single lessons or whole teaching units. As teachers we can use software, worksheets, presentations and all sorts of other teaching material provided online by companies. Furthermore, we have access to all different types of teaching material from other teachers who put online their specially developed teaching material or comment on what they have tested.
In the following I am going to comment on a teaching idea which I found very interesting. This teaching idea was presented and explained on the website of “teachers online”:
http://lehrer-online.de/schulpartnerschaft-think.php?sid=54298483782961631830824072407870.
It is often really complicated to connect the things you learned in the foreign language classroom to daily usage. But establishing the link between the classroom and present day life is really important in my point of view. If the pupils get the impression that they can use the things they learned, it has a motivating and, therefore, a really positive impact on their learning behavior and their interest in learning more.
To establish such a connection we can use, for example, the website http://www.thinkquest.org.
In the following I am going to comment on a teaching idea which I found very interesting. This teaching idea was presented and explained on the website of “teachers online”:
http://lehrer-online.de/schulpartnerschaft-think.php?sid=54298483782961631830824072407870.
It is often really complicated to connect the things you learned in the foreign language classroom to daily usage. But establishing the link between the classroom and present day life is really important in my point of view. If the pupils get the impression that they can use the things they learned, it has a motivating and, therefore, a really positive impact on their learning behavior and their interest in learning more.
To establish such a connection we can use, for example, the website http://www.thinkquest.org.
This website offers the possibility to establish a multimedia partnership with other schools or school classes all over the world and, therefore, it provides the possibility to establish binational contact exchanges between your own pupils and pupils of a school in America, Australia, Great Britain, etc.
The following web link leads you to a video which provides all the necessary information how to get started and how to use thinkquest.com. It easily explains all the functions and possibilities of the web site. I think that every teacher with just a basic knowledge of computers is able to use the website with these instructions. http://www.thinkquest.org/ui/flash/public_demo.html?1.
The following web link leads you to a video which provides all the necessary information how to get started and how to use thinkquest.com. It easily explains all the functions and possibilities of the web site. I think that every teacher with just a basic knowledge of computers is able to use the website with these instructions. http://www.thinkquest.org/ui/flash/public_demo.html?1.
For using thinkquest.org especially in the beginning you need some time to develop your own page with a nice starting page, with maybe an explanation of the project, with introducing the class and a selection of topics you want to deal with and which you want to discuss with the (in this case) Australian partner class.
For establishing these basic things you can either use a lesson following an introductory lesson where you maybe introduced the pupils with some basic information on Australia, or you could even start right away in the computer lab of your school where the pupils would be able to search the web for these information, collecting important data and images or videos which are characteristic for Australia.
After you discussed their findings you could establish and arrange the starting page with your pupils.
The two examples on the right hand side give two different variants for the use of ThinkQuest in different grades.
For establishing these basic things you can either use a lesson following an introductory lesson where you maybe introduced the pupils with some basic information on Australia, or you could even start right away in the computer lab of your school where the pupils would be able to search the web for these information, collecting important data and images or videos which are characteristic for Australia.
After you discussed their findings you could establish and arrange the starting page with your pupils.
The two examples on the right hand side give two different variants for the use of ThinkQuest in different grades.
The first one would be an example for a higher grade who already learned something about Australians history, culture and maybe the lifestyle and its inhabitants. Using ThinkQuest the pupils could start discussing different topics online with the partnership students, where they could ask different questions and get to know the perspectives on things from an Australian point of view. Possible topics shown in the example could be history, culture, politics, lifestyle, people, hobbies and there are so much more.
The second example could be a possibility for younger pupils. By getting in touch with native English speakers they have the possibility to extend and secure their vocabulary knowledge in introducing themselves and talking about simple daily life topics.
Using ThinkQuest it is really important that the teacher ensures that the topics, images and questions used are appropriate. After the teacher invited his students for joining the page they are free to develop new topics, to put new texts, etc. online.
The second example could be a possibility for younger pupils. By getting in touch with native English speakers they have the possibility to extend and secure their vocabulary knowledge in introducing themselves and talking about simple daily life topics.
Using ThinkQuest it is really important that the teacher ensures that the topics, images and questions used are appropriate. After the teacher invited his students for joining the page they are free to develop new topics, to put new texts, etc. online.
The teacher should make sure that all these contributions are suitable and adequate. But since the teacher administrates the page it shouldn´t be a problem to do so.
I chose this example because I think that it is a great example how to cover different teaching and learning methods to ensure to achieve a maximal learning target. The contact with native speakers, communicating in English, creating texts in English, choosing the right images and maybe videos and, therefore, the variety of areas of responsibility, challenges all different areas of language learning skills. Thus, this method ensures a diversified way of learning. Additionally in my opinion for pupils actually getting in touch with native speakers is highly motivating for them. And who knows, maybe they are even able to develop friendships which could even hold the possibility for going abroad for some time.
I chose this example because I think that it is a great example how to cover different teaching and learning methods to ensure to achieve a maximal learning target. The contact with native speakers, communicating in English, creating texts in English, choosing the right images and maybe videos and, therefore, the variety of areas of responsibility, challenges all different areas of language learning skills. Thus, this method ensures a diversified way of learning. Additionally in my opinion for pupils actually getting in touch with native speakers is highly motivating for them. And who knows, maybe they are even able to develop friendships which could even hold the possibility for going abroad for some time.
