Launching a solidarity campaign: technology-enhanced project-based language learning to promote entrepreneurial education and social awareness

To promote social consciousness and a sense of responsibility, educational proposals organised around the principles of technology-enhanced project-based language learning (Dooly & Sadler, 2016) should engage students in a process of reflecting upon and responding to crucial social issues. Thus,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Dooly, Melinda, Masats Viladoms, Dolors, Mont Algamasilla, Maria
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/357145
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/357145
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.1224
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Language and languages -- Study and teaching
21st century skills
Cross-disciplinary learning approach
Integrated learning
English as a foreign language
Plurilingual practices
Primary education
Social relevant problems
Llenguatge i llengües -- Ensenyament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Aprenentatge de llengües
Descripción
Sumario:To promote social consciousness and a sense of responsibility, educational proposals organised around the principles of technology-enhanced project-based language learning (Dooly & Sadler, 2016) should engage students in a process of reflecting upon and responding to crucial social issues. Thus, in this paper we will present a project carried out by two groups of primary education students who launched a solidarity campaign to collect money for four Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Greece. The project was implemented in a cross-disciplinary Arts and Crafts class taught through English and resulted in significant outputs in English (those addressed to the Syrian children) and in Catalan (those targeted at the local community). First, we outline the student-led project and then we analyse some fragments of student plurilingual practices during the project development that demonstrate their learning gains. Our findings reveal that our meaningful contextualised cross-disciplinary project favoured the natural integration of multiple skills, competences, and field knowledge form various disciplines while promoting a sense of social consciousness and empathy. First, it enabled children to put their plurilingual competence into play and take decisions regarding language choices to meet particular communicative objectives. Second, it contributed to the acquisition of 21st century knowledge, competence, and skills, while helping the learners gain social values. Third, it engaged learners in processes of problem solving, decision making and creative thinking that lead to the development of entrepreneurial competencies. To conclude we argue that when young learners are given responsibilities and opportunities to take up socially relevant challenges learning becomes meaningful for them and those around them