WE SPEAK EUROPE TOO! (FINAL PLAN)

An eTwinning project about minority languages throughout Europe 

1.-INTRODUCTION: CONNECTING VOICES AND CULTURES AS A KEY PART OF EUROPEAN HERITAGE

There are approximately 60 regional or minority languages (RML), also referred to as lesser used languages (LUL) in Europe.

Most speakers are bilingual.

This eTwinning project has two different aims. On the one hand, we intend to connect minority languages and cultures throughout Europe. Teachers, students, families...we're not alone. Similar situation drive us to a similar solutions and possibilities. So let's work together!

Once connected, the main purpose of the project and the future outcome is to make visible our languages and cultures as a key part of the European diversity. This includes the problems involved in everyday life as a speakers, challenges we'll face in the future, our linguistic rights, etc.

2.-INVOLVING...

• 4/5 partners
• Students from 12 to 18
• Teachers of language, arts, history and maths
• Other institutions as local administration, and cultural institutions.

3.-OBJECTIVES & CURRICULUM INTEGRATION

General objectives:

Develop awareness of being critical and explore ways to defend common interests as Europeans citizens

Promote, protect and value both minority languages and english as a key to build opened and modern societies from our roots

Lead their own learning process, be creative and interact confidently using ICT and innovative tools and methods

Respect and value immigration languages and cultures as a part of Europe

Objectives according the subjects involved:

LANGUAGE:

Develop language skills and creativity (all languages).

Explore the possibilities of digital narrative

Take benefit from multilinguism to improve our English

Enrich the scope of European literature.

HISTORY: 

Enrich the scope of European history in a wider context.

Reflect about the differences between cultures, nations, and states

Understand internal European migration movements and relate them to the external ones

MATHS / ECONOMICS:

Develop mathematical skills throughout the elaboration of stats about the different languages in Europe (social use, speakers, etc.)

4.- FINAL PRODUCTS

THE FILM

It consists on shooting a documentary about minority languages social use throughout Europe using smart phones. The film is structured in four parts corresponding to the partners. Each of them will reflect a day in a student's life, trying to use a minority language in different situations. Common parts in English and stories in each minority language, subtitled in English.

RESEARCH

• • MATHS It consists on searching data about language's social use and other factors, as population and economic info from each partner, elaborate stats and compare them. Finally, publish the results.
  • HISTORY A vIdeo work about European migration movements and differences between nations, cultures and states for noticed that most countries in Europe are multilingual

THE MANIFESTO ABOUT LINGUISTIC RIGHTS

As a final task, students purpose, debate, and put to vote a manifesto about linguistic rights of minority languages users. Each student read a part and is recorded on video in his language, subtitled in English.

5.-ORGANIZATION & METHODOLOGY & ICT tools

Generally, an European student's team will be in charge of each one of the activities. Teams are formed by interests and different roles and tasks are assigned. Students take the lead and keep in touch with his European partners, using Twin Space's tools. Teachers use these spaces to meet, coordinate periodically and evaluate tasks in order to get a balanced work. All tasks, objectives and meetings are planned.

Organization is flexible. For shooting the documentary, European Team is the common group in charge of design, structure and decide about common parts of the film, but there's national teams too for creating and shooting each story. Anyway, specialists from each country team (coordinator, camera, producer) keep in touch to face and solve common situations.

In terms of methodology, students so collaborative and significant work. They debate and solve situations at different levels, both in the general forums and at the specialists group, according to the task assigned. Teachers just plan, guide and facilitate student's work and creativity.

ICT tools are a key part of the project. There are a few ones:

Search tools

Twin space tools (chat, video conference, pages, etc.)

Smart phone apps for shooting videos (an agreement in technical settings is required).

Edition software

Social networks

Graphic design software (for presentation, for subtitle videos, etc.).

6.-EVALUATION

Evaluation is planned as a part of every phase of the process. Each phase has its correlated rubrica and teachers share results in order to ensure a balanced and satisfactory work. Otherwise, teachers will modify the process according to the evaluation

Students evaluate themselves too mainly by questionnaires. They evaluate both individual work and as a team.

7.-DIFFUSION

We want to make our final products (the film, the research work, the manifesto) available for everybody interested in the subject by social network, mass media, educational community (schools, regional government) as well as seminars and universities. We're specially interested in collaborate with European charter for regional or minority languages promoted by European Council.

UNIT 4: COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY:

A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MINORITY LANGUAGES SOCIAL USE THROUGHOUT EUROPE

DESCRIPTION

This activity is based on the project “We speak Europe too!”. It consists on shooting a documentary about minority languages social use throughout Europe using smart phones. It's a complex task, so a few instructions are given to the students. The film is structured in four parts corresponding to the partners. Each of them will reflect a day in a student's life, trying to use a minority language in different situations.

Involving 4 partners, students from 15 to 16 (6-7 students per partner)

CONNECTING WITH THE CURRICULUM

Digital competence, interacting confidently with ICT tools in a collaborative way

Language skills in English and minority language

Lead and asses their own learning process

Develop creativity

Value both European and their own cultural heritage, as well as respect between cultures

Explore ways to defend common interests as a critical and active european citizens.

ICT TOOLS USED

For being connected	For shooting	For edition
Twin space Videoconference Chat Google drive	Smart phones	Biteable, Wondershare or similar,

EVALUATION

The whole process is evaluated by teachers and students. Each phase described in the next section has its correlated rubrica and teachers share results in order to ensure a balanced and satisfactory work. Otherwise, teachers will modify the process according to the evaluation.

COLLABORATION

Teachers

Design the activity in a collaborative way Plan different parts and elaborate a schedule Set European team up according to student's interests. Train the students in ICT tools (smart mobile apps, edition tools) and rudimentary rules for filmmaking. Teachers provide student's with some documentaries as an example. These documentary films will be chosen mainly according to the curriculum.

Students

COLLABORATIVE PART USING TWINSPACE COMMON PART (ENTIRE EUROPEAN TEAM) They share training in ICT tools and filmmaking in a on-line course designed by teachers. Students share doubts and comment on the documentaries given as an example by the teachers on chats. The European team debate and decide an introduction for the film, a common structure for the four stories and a final part. Different options can be put to the vote in survey using ICT tools, if necessary. Elaborate and approve a script and storyboard. Technical agreements about smartphones (settings) The European team design roles in filming units, driven by their teachers. Students put to vote the film tittle. PARTNER'S FILMING UNIT Once the structure of the film is established, students: 1.-Debate what kind of situation and context is the best option for describing the problems speakers have to face when using a minority language in their countries and communicate it to partners in next meeting. 2.-Each partner form a filming unit in which there are different roles. As an example: Coordinator: coordinating the team, spokesman. Producer: planning, permits, coordinating supplies with teachers Artistic assistant: deciding types of shoot and location Camera: shooting film. Editor: in charge of final edition Actor/Actress: playing the role Graphic designer: graphic resources (subtitles, schemes, etc) 3.-Throughout the process, filming units keep in touch and share their progress and doubts in on-line meetings. Different roles interact with his correlatives in specific meetings (cameras, producers, editors, etc.). These meetings coordinate shooting of introduction and final part as well. 4.-Finally, units put together different parts, and students in charge edit the different parts and transform them into a final product.

Discovering eTwinning..!

Throughout the #moocintef about eTwinning, I reasserted that we all have lacks in our every's day practise, especially as we are commonly used to teach individually, without any partner reference, unlike other jobs. In this sense, share experiences, apps, tools, doubts and projects with other colleagues from all over Europe could make the difference and ensure we work in a globalized learning for a globalized world. It's the only way to attend our student's needs, including a lot of factors involved.

Moreover, i think this is a great job in the measure innovation and illusion is present in our every day's life. There's no learning without innovation. Just for a simple reason: we can not demand from our students curiosity and initiative if we don't have any of them. 

In my case, needs are related with ICT, group dynamics, assessment and projects driven to a significant learning in the area of language and literature. 

As a teacher interested in developing strategies to inspire students to read and create, i paid attention to two different projects. "Literature and music. Why not?" explores the options to relate these two different arts in a creative and inspiring ways. 

On the other hand, "Reading together" is a good exemple of how the high expectations regarding eTwinning platform can get real by a structures project, allowing students from different countries to share a reading experience.