ERIC Number: EJ1318054
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2014-5349
EISSN: N/A
Launching a Solidarity Campaign: Technology-Enhanced Project-Based Language Learning to Promote Entrepreneurial Education and Social Awareness
Journal of Technology and Science Education, v11 n2 p260-269 2021
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.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Consciousness Raising, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Student Projects, Achievement Gains, Interdisciplinary Approach, Social Responsibility, Information Technology, Elementary School Students, Refugees, Art Education, Handicrafts, English (Second Language), Romance Languages, Multilingualism, Language Usage, Decision Making, 21st Century Skills, Social Values, Creative Thinking, Outcomes of Education, Economics Education, Foreign Countries, Empathy, Entrepreneurship, Fund Raising
Journal of Technology and Science Education. ESEIAAT, Department of Projectes d'Enginyeria c/Colom 11, 08222 Terrassa, Spain. e-mail: info@jotse.org; e-mail: info@omniascience.com; Web site: http://www.jotse.org/index.php/jotse
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain; Syria; Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A