Learning 4 Content-(L4C)
Contents
Ort Gutman High School
Laboratory Sessions
The basic L4C courses began on September 18 and ended on October 7, 2008. The program involved 3 classes (1 grade 11 and 2 grade 12) The grade 11 class were in the computer lab on Sundays and Tuesdays: September 21, 23, and 28, and on October 5 and 7 for a total of 10 hours while the two grade 12 classes had 2 hour sessions each in the computer lab on September 18, 22, 25 and October 2 and 6.
Ongoing Writing Practice
The grade 11 (3-7)and 12 (3-8) students will continue learning and practicing their writing skills via Wikieducator once a week for the duration of the 2008-2009 school year.
International Projects
Literature Sharing Projects
Culture Sharing Project
Problem
One of the hardest tasks has been to facilitate and help students improve their writing. Israeli English as a foreign language learners seem to be making the same grammatical and vocabulary mistakes over and over again. The lessons on basic grammar and verb usage do not help beyond the actual grammar test. However, when it comes to writing sentences and essays, the mistakes turn up once again. Ongoing corrections and explanations do not seem to make a difference. Teachers are finding this very frustrating.
Solution
Computer-based learning
I decided to try and resolve the issue of making grammar and vocabulary mistakes by introducing computer-based learning into the classroom. I have been doing so since the mid 90s via emails, learning objects, WebQuests, audio, videos, social networks, and online discussions via Moodle. However, although students are now exposed to lots of authentic reading and listening material through the Internet and other media, their writing and speaking performance is far from perfect. Last year, I experimented with Moodle, the ning, and wikispaces at the same time. Students' writing showed signs of improvement. However, the process was not very engaging for some of the learners. Students only enjoyed social networking, not the Moodle or wikispaces.
Wikieducator
I decided to try Wikieducator and teach students about free source, collaborative sharing of information, and how to use the headings, subheadings, add files, create pages, and add internal and external links. Students loved the process and started helping each other in the computer lab. I began to see an increase in motivation and a social exchange I had never encountered in the computer lab before. The students became more relaxed and quiet as they began to focus on the wikicodes and their writing. Over 90 students from grade 11 and 12 are now using Wikieducator to organize their writing and work on the final national Bagrut project mandated by the Israeli Ministry of Education.
Guidelines
Action Research Project
Writing Practice is a two year blended learning workshop (online and face-to-face) for grades 11 and 12 high school students at Ort Gutman, Netanya, Israel. The course aims to help English as a foreign language students improve their writing skills via Wikieducator. Writing Practice will be documented as an action research project.
The course began in September 2008 and will continue until May 2010.
Gratitude
I am very proud of the progress my students are making in improving their English language skills. I would like to thank COL and Wikieducator for facilitating the process.
