Alzati e cammina/Get up and walk

An Italian beginners course based on a Grundtvig course 'Italian for Beginners'

 

Introduction and course conceptualisation

The course described here is based on a two month pilot course run in SL from April 2009 to June 2009. Learner participation was on a voluntary basis only and all of the course participants except one had already taken part in the face-to-face one week Italian for beginners course prior to the first SL lesson. The course had ten teacher guided sessions/lessons and included homework or extra activities that students carried out either on their own or with their peers in pairs or groups.

 

Participants' background

There were 10 participants on the original face-to-face course: two from Poland, one from the Netherlands, two from Finland, one from Austria, two from Sweden and two from Germany. One real Italian beginner from the UK who had  not received a Grundtvig grant for the face-to-face course only joined the SL course. The participants were head of departments at a universities or colleges, heads of language departments or teachers of adult education associations, consultants and two of the participants had nothing to do with language teaching at all.

 

Participants' language skills

Although all participants who had applied for the face-to-face Grundtvig course claimed they were beginners of Italian, the majority already had some background knowledge in Italian. There was only one total beginner joining the SL course, the other participants regardless of their language level all had a week's learning experience gained in a Grundtvig funded course in Florence and their language skills ranged from A2 to B1 level.

 

The learners provided the input for the language content which was validated by the course instructor.

 

The main challenges we set ourselves in conducting the course were:

-  to increase awareness and a positive approach to SL as an educational tool amid a general feeling of skepticism and resistance of our prospective learners and

-  to use SL as the sole learning platform from beginning to end.

 

In other words, language input was provided via SL alone and no additional language material or 2D platforms were used. The only contact outside SL during the course were email notifications of lesson times, summaries of chat protocolls of the SL sessions and practical arrangements via doodle. This included possible topics and grammar areas to be discussed/ learned during the sessions. Skype was used for ongoing technical support prior to and during the course.

 

The learning group felt it was useful to list the vocabulary used under specific topic areas which would help each individual learner to complete according to their needs. One of the participants also provided an alphabetical wordlist of words used and noted during the course.

 

The big challenge was to accommodate a variety of learning needs and requirements for the course. The facilitators let the group decide what, when and how it wanted to proceed with the course with the idea that the learning community would have the technical means and motivation to outlive the course itself. The role of the two course facilitators was crucial in the process of encouraging learner self-determination. 

 

Samples of best practice

As with all courses, teachers and educational bodies may wish to adapt it to their specific teaching and learning environments and the description below is by no means prescriptive. The designers of this course actually would encourage fellow educators and material designers as sample of best practice . As such, the following course description is provided as a suggestion only. While drawing its conceptualisation from the pilot course in SL in the course description below, the course is presented so that it may run as smoothly and effectively as possible with learners who have had no introductory presentation to SL and who do not already form a community. This course description will, in line with current best practice in the field, incorporate first steps of getting acquainted with the SL software and basic features and functions to move around in SL. Of course individual teachers and institutions may have their own preferred means of SL induction and community establishment prior to commencement of the course.

The most important SL feature was the fact that we could save the chat protocols which were used not only as a record of lesson content but as study material by students.

 

 

Target audience:

This course has been created as a refresher course for Italian, i.e. students who have some basic knowledge of Italian and can be placed somewhere in the A1-A2 continuum of the CEFR and who are adult learners, teachers and trainers from a variety of organisations, such as local authorities, non-governmental organisations, charities, universities, community groups to name a few. The course is created for users with no or very limited knowledge of SL.

 

Course objectives:

The two main objectives of this course are to provide students with language practice and language knowledge appropriate for their learning level in order that they may progress in their language development and to provide them with the necessary technical knowledge of SL to make this language learning experience effective and meaningful for them as learners of a foreign language and to create an awareness of the potential SL for language education within the language education community. However, it is not a teacher training course as such. The each lesson listed below provides a combination of content teaching and the provision of technical information for learners using the environment. There is no general consensus on the exact order in which technical features of the environment should be introduced to learners. However, in accordance with the general models outlined in this workpackage, we have privileged the introduction of those features which promote socialisation, communication, reporting and documentation, the collecting and sharing of knowledge and artefacts. As will all task design, individual teacher or educational bodies may prefer certain environmental features over others so that the use of the environment is made more relevant to the specific learning needs of their students.

 

Course structure

The course is divided into 10 lessons or meetings in which the course instructor and course participants come together at the same time and place in SL. Each session is 90 mins long. Each session is divided into 4 main parts: a warm-up (10-15 mins); the main learning event (50 mins); debriefing and reflection (20 mins); closure and organisation of tasks for the following lesson (5 mins). The warm up sessions took up half of the lessons at the beginning of the course and slowly became less important as the course progressed and students became more familiar with the functions of SL. (i.e. they took up less time).

 

Overview of course content

Students are considered the primary source of content and the course is structured so that is may cater directly for their specific requests for language input. Language content is delivered via the students (eliciting, previous knowledge) or via the course instructor (expand, how is input provided, materials, etc). English is the lingua franca of instruction especially at the beginning. (It is felt that for each function of the virtual world there is a lesson to be created).

 

The language (Lexis and grammar) content areas covered during the course were:

 

Travel/ Transport

Time of the day

Weather

Numbers

Socialising

Countries/ Nationalities

In the city and outside the city

Giving instructions

Comparisons

Asking the way

Giving directions

Around the house

Animals

Grammar: Verb tenses/ imperative

adjectives / nouns

to be completed....

 

Language Can do statements....

 

SL Can do statements for avatars:

I can walk

I can fly

I can stop flying

I can operate voice chat

I can operate text chat

I can turn around

I can touch objects

I can pick up objects

I can open doors

I can teleport

I can save a location in landmarks for future reference

I can use the SL search engine

I can use several basic getures (i.e. clap, whistle, wave, etc.)

I can sit

I can stand up

I can save the text chat on my computer

I can adjust my volume

I can adjust the volume of avatars in my vicinity

I can take snapshots and save them in my inventory/save them on my computer

I can save objects in my inventory

I can change my appearance

I can accept or decline friendship

I can add friends

I can accept, read and save IMs

I can send IMs

I can help others achieve the above

 

Course location

The spaces which are recommended for the10 sessions/lessons described above are the Island of Kamimo and Avalon learning. Additional locations for individual and group work will be listed under the individual session descriptions.

Course material

As mentioned in the introduction above, no additional course material was provided to students outside their interaction and lessons in SL. However, educators and institutions who are considering using SL for the first time or over an extended period might also want to consider providing students with additional study or course material outside SL such as study sheets, a text book or a 2D learning platform.

SL most used functions

SL chat protocols

(to be completed)

End of course evaluation and testing

The final session or session of the course are devoted to learner evaluation which is based onlearner proficiency,  language development linked to course linguistic and technical content and individual learner objectives.

Each student is asked to perform a task or a series of tasks that is relevant to their individual course objectives and course experiences. Examples of end of course tasks are:

Individual 5 minute tasks which are initiated by an individual student but which allow for general interaction with other course members

1) carry out a gymnastics lesson for your group

2) lead your class to a specific location

3) present your favourite snapshots you have taken during the course

4) teach your peers how to use a new function in the environment

5) describe some of the differences between your avatar and your self

6) describe or share your favourite objects from your inventory

Tasks above can also be carried out in pairs (for pair work, the lesson will have to be structured so that the teacher can evaluate pair interaction one at a time. The tasks may also be designed so that they are deemed successfull upon completion and carried out by all students at the same time). 10 mins per task. Students may be given individual notecards with specific information or the tasks can be based on linguistic and environmental knowledge students can be expected to have learnt during the course. The following additional example tasks are also suggested:

1) Ask your partner where to find a specific location in SL and how to get there (giving and asking for directions)

2) take your partner to one of your favourite locations in SL and show them around (sharing and retrieving information)

The following evaluation tasks are suggested for group activities.

1) A treasure hunt A. The hunt is written by the course intructor and combines knowledge of how to use the environment and language content from the course. Students are divided into teams and each team is given a notecard. The team to finish first is the winner. Only the target language is to be used (this needs to be examined further LP).

2) Treasure hunt B. The hunt is written by a groups of students as a challenge for other students and validated by the course instructor. Student groups are provided with guidelines for designing the hunt. This group preparatory activity is carried out towards the end of the course. Students are then evaluated on the content they have provided as a group and on their success in completing the treasure hunt of another group.

How to use the following lesson string

The following course description has been created for a mini-course of 5 session sequence or as an extended course of up to 10 sessions. It is hoped that the descriptions are broad enough to enable each lesson also to be used as a one off learning event in its own right. Each session aims to introduce at least one new SL feature and incorporate it into the course design so that it is also a trigger for language learning according to the general models of learning descripbed in this workpackage.

NB

This course description does not provide target language content but samples of the type of language content that it would be feasible to teach/introduce in the specific task scenarios Language content decisions are left to the individual teachers or course providers. The following lesson descriptions are designed to be general enough to cater for the teaching of other languages.

 

Pre-course induction and training

See general recommendations for all avalon courses.

 

Session 1 A

See general reccommendations for all avalon courses for pre-course induction and training.

See general Avalon learning and teaching models for SL.

Main aim: socialising and familiarising with the environment

Technical learning aim: basic movement in the environment; volume and talk controls.

Welcome and greetings

Warm up Gymnastics: the basic avatar movements in Italian (imperative) in an open space (standing): walking, turning, sitting

(flying may be introduced here as it is a fun and easy thing to do, however, students sometimes get lost and this can be a frustrating experience for learner and teacher alike during the first lesson)

The main learning event: Introducing yourself and your avatar to the group; questions about each other sitting as a group (i.e around a campfire or in a traditional classroom). Discussion of course expectations and individual learning objectives. Generall reflection: how did this first session make you feel?

Language input: imperatives, the present simple, adjectives, describing oneself and daily routines, asking personal questions, expressing emotion and feelings (mi sento...insicura, agitato, frustrato, mi sto divertendo, sono comoda).

Follow up activity: students meet in pairs and explore the environment 

Teacher's flow sheet: Lesson one

 

Session 2 A

Now students know a bit more about each other from their first lesson and feel less awkward in the group, more time can be dedicated to familiarising themselves with the basic skills of moving within the environment. Socialising can pick up on the community building activity of the first lesson and take place spontaneously among students as they come into the environment as they would in a face-to-face classroom.

Main aim: exploring the environment

Technical learning aim: increased movement in the environment; offering and accepting friendship; receiving IMs from your teacher; sending IMs to friends; taking  snapshots and saving them.

Welcome and greetings and commenting on appearance

Warm up Gymnastics: the basic avatar movements in Italian (imperative) in an open space (standing); This session is initially led by the teacher but is an activity that can be taken over by students in turn as the course progresses: repetition of the warm-up activities of the first lesson plus the introduction of flying.

The main learning event: giving and asking for directions

Language input: imperative, directions, asking for help, the interrogative form, describing physical appearance and clothing.

Follow up activity: take a snapshot of your favourite place on your learning island and send it to your teacher for discussion in the next lesson.

Teacher's flow sheet: Lesson two

 

Session 3 A

Now students are becoming more familiar with the environment, they may start to take greater initiatives in socialising with other course members and time should be allocated within the lesson for this to take place.

 

Main aim: creating a personal connection with the environment

Technical learning aim:  teleporting friends

Welcome and greetings and social chit chat

The main learning event: teleporting friends to your favourite location on the learning island

Language input: social chit chat, giving and receiving instructions, travelling, describing an experience, present perfect, imperfetto.

Follow up activity: explore a SL location which you think might be interesting for your learning of the target language and culture together with a partner and report back about your experience during the next lesson.

Teacher's flow sheet: Lesson three

 

Session 4 A

As students become more comfortable in the environment and within their learning community, more complex language structures and technological features can be introduced.

Main aim: exploring the wider environment of SL

Technical learning aim:  using the search and teleport functions to explore

Welcome and greetings and social chit chat

The main learning event: using the search engine for travel

Language input: social chit chat, talking about the working week or day,  giving and receiving instructions, travelling, describing an experience, present perfect, imperfetto.

Follow up activity: explore a SL location which you think might be interesting for your learning of the target language and culture together with a partner and report back about your experience during the next lesson (optional snapshots to be sent to your teacher).

Teacher's flow sheet: Lesson four

 

Session 5 A

As students have become more and more familiar with the environment, they begin to develop critical skills and to make value judgements about how SL might be used for their individual learning aims

Main aim: consolodation of language content and evaluation of general SL sites for the learning of the target language

Technical learning aim: consolidation of all technical skills acquired so far

Welcome and greetings

The main learning event: Reporting on travel and evaluation of language potential of main grid SL locations

Language input: describing travel experiences, describing photos, expressing emotional reactions and expressing value judgements, talking about the learning experience.

Follow up activity: Prepare together with a partner from your course for your final evaluation task.

Teacher's flow sheet: Lesson five

 

 

Session 6 B

Session 7 B

Session 8 B

 

Session 9 A/B

The last two sessions are testing sessions in which the learners show what they can do technically and linguistically in SL either individually, in pairs or in a group.The course instructor can decide whether to split the group into two testing lessons or whether to use the second last session as a mock test for example. The number of course participants will determine how long the evaluation process will take.

 

Session 10 (Final) A

The final session is aimed at evaluating learner proficiency and language development based on course content and tasks. Each student is asked to perform a task or a series of tasks that is relevant to their individual course objectives and course experiences. See examples in the section above on Evaluation and end of course testing.

 

Teacher's flow sheet Final Lesson

 

See the call.