Speaker
Description
The classroom can be an exciting place to work with students on developing foreign language skills. Sending students out into the real world to do communicative tasks in the local community can reinforce classroom learning, build social awareness, foster student engagement and promote personal growth. This presentation will demonstrate creative ways to design out-of-class homework assignments that engage students with the local community, promote interpersonal interactions, increase motivation and improve language proficiency.
Short summary
The classroom can be an exciting place to work with students on developing foreign language skills. Sending students out into the real world to do communicative tasks in the local community can reinforce classroom learning, build social awareness, foster student engagement and promote personal growth. This presentation will demonstrate creative ways to design out-of-class homework assignments that engage students with the local community, promote interpersonal interactions, increase motivation and improve language proficiency.
Keywords
community tasks
student engagement
personal growth
social awareness
Abstract
This presentation will highlight the value of sending language learners into the real world to do communicative tasks in the local community. It will use concrete examples to demonstrate how community tasks can reinforce classroom learning, build social awareness, foster student engagement and promote personal growth.
The session will start with a short literature review. Numerous scholars engaged in humanistic education, task-based learning and language teaching have documented the educational benefits of real-world tasks. The presenter will refer specifically to work on community engagement (Jacobs & Crookes, 2022), personal growth (Moskowitz, 1978), interactive language teaching (Rivers, 1987) and experiential language learning (Jerald and Clark, 1983).
The presenter will then describe the design and objectives of four EFL homework tasks that engage students with the local community. The first task has students study “small talk” in class, then go into the community, talk with a stranger and write a report. The second task has students design and administer public opinion surveys, then present their results in class. The third task has students study about “giving compliments,” then compliment people in the community and write a report. The fourth task has students conduct and write up a structured interview with a self-chosen member of society (doctor, firefighter, police officer…).
Participants will discuss each task and gain an appreciation of how community language tasks can promote linguistic skills, increase motivation, stimulate student initiative, build community awareness and lead to personal growth.
References
Jacobs, G. & Crookes, G. (Eds.) (2022) Becoming Community-Engaged Educators. Springer.
Jerald, M. & Clark, R. (1983) Experiential Language Teaching Techniques. Pro Lingua.
Moskowitz. G. (1978) Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Class. Newbury House.
Rivers, W. (1987) Interactive Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Community Tasks for Personal Growth and Student Engagement |