Postgraduate Program

«Language Education for Refugees and Migrants»

LRM 55: Language teaching for adult refugees and migrants

Tutor: EMMANOUIL FOKIDES

Short essay: Learning Greek with the myth of Europe

Student: Ioanna Lazarou 513201

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Table of contents
Brief descriptio

n…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Design rationale…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2

Learning objectives ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Educational environment, activity flow, educational material………………………………………5

Pedagogical value ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

Designed assessment techniques for evaluating designed activities……………………………..12

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13

References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15

Brief descriptionSOCIO-CONSTRUCTIVISM

The activities designed and presented are part of teaching Greek as a foreign language (level
A1+) for English section’s 3rd-grade Secondary School in a formal context (School of
European Education), (European Schools, 2010) based on the myth of Europe, using digital
means.

Design rationale

The design proposed is based on teaching Greek as L3(European Schools, 2010), within a
former context (3rd grade of Secondary European school, English section). 6 13-year-old boys
and girls beginners (A1 level), digitally advanced though) will be taught basic communication
(oral and written) in combination with digital tools (European Schools, 2018). The designed
activities (45’) based on an authentic text on the myth of Europe aim to introduce adjectives
(inflection and lexicon) as well as reading and writing skills, despite students’ diverse
linguistic and learning backgrounds (different origins and SEN).

e-class

The specific basis of the activities (https://eclass.sch.gr/) is selected as it is a multi-tooled

platform, officially provided by the national school network. Organising the class and

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portfolios are facilitated and a match-the-opposite exercise with immediate feedback while
the learning community practices. (Mayes and de Freitas, 2004).

Padlet

Padlet (https://el.padlet.com/dashboard) has a more pleasant, multimodal, interactive wall

and collaborative features for prompt answers on vocabulary, by encouraging students to
equally and playfully participate, while teachers and students can share and storage all kinds
of files (Waltemeyer et al., ). Interaction and communication are boosted (Bugawa and
Mirzal, 2018) and problem solving, critical thinking, and negotiation skills are enabled
(Ramachandiran and Mahmud 2018). Pupils can exchange ideas and negotiate their decision
on the vocabulary exercise.

Mentimeter

Mentimeter’s word cloud (https://www.mentimeter.com/) emerges reflection and synthesis

(Hamm, 2014) on grammatic and lexical elements, contributing to metacognitive procedures
on lexical acquisition. It supports follow-ups and immediate feedback on errors and good
practices that add to the students’ progress (Brooks et al., 2014).

Toonytool

Toonytool (https://www.toonytool.com/) is used here as a playful means of paraphrasing

and summarizing (Marzano, et al., 2001) as part of reading comprehension. A meaningful
output is produced while students collaboratively construct their understanding by relating
words to pictures, that they have created (Jackson, 2009) and phatic communication is
enhanced (Humphrey, 2016). 221

Learning objectives

The two activities designed are related thematically, stemming from an authentic text on the
myth of Europe, Bloom’s taxonomy is significant in this design (Anderson &Krathwhol, 2004)
(category and rank are in each objective’s bracket).

By the completion of the 1st activity, the students will be able:

 to identify adjectives ending in -ος,-η/-α, -ο in a short text ( task1- remembering, 1)

 to implement them into noun phrases (task 2- applying, 3)
 to associate them with their opposites (task 3- understanding, 2) and
 to illustrate the students’ lexical choices (analysing, 4). This activity requires all
members’ personal contributions.

The 2nd activity expects students:

 to summarise and paraphrase the original text (understanding, 1).

 to break down the text’s main themes (analysing, 4)
 to increase their reading, writing, and digital designing skills. 149

 Both activities include peers’ negotiation, thus aim to boost speaking and listening
skills.

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The objectives have been defined after taking into consideration of the subject’s syllabus
(European School, 2010), balancing between focus on form and focus on meaning (Swain,
1985, Krashen , 1988, 1989). The students’ needs, profiles and styles perplexed the design,
as the text’s length and instructions’ clarity should fit all pupils’ pace and promote equal
motivation and participation. 205

Educational environment , the activity flow and educational material

The specific digitised class intervention is designed respectively to Constructivism, a

student-based theory where the educator is facilitating the procedure, after clearly
organising it, providing necessary for the procedure feedback (Vygotsky,1978 ). Thus, online
learning enhances students’ autonomy, by promoting inquiry and reflection with time and
space flexibility time (Gazi, 2009). Due to the group’s small number, collaboration in
learning is successful (Brandl in Zhang, 2012).

More specifically, in e-class’ all the material is gathered, consisting the class portfolio
(Woodward &Nanlohy, 2011). It is simple, interactive, and controllable, provided by the
Ministry of Education. A matching exercise tool with automatic feedback enriches the
students’ vocabulary in an inquiring way.

Yet, Padlet is even more flexible, interactive, collaborative (Beltran, 2019) with a variety of
layouts where practically any kind of file can be uploaded (Waltemeyer et al., 2021). In this
case, it supports learners’ linguistic skills, with posts and negotiations on the identified
adjectives.

Next, Mentimeter’s word cloud is another task related to students’ noun phrases’
combination range through their visualization. It’s easy, synchronous and provokes
excitement, promoting positive learning conditions along with metacognitive skills
(Miley&Read, 2011) but also emerges reflection and synthesis (Hamm, 2014) on grammatic
and lexical features.

To end with, ToonyTool enables concise digital storytelling ,including the mainline of the
initial story. Apart from boosting reading and writing skills, it is multimodal (audio, visual,
spatial) (Cope and Kalantzis, 2015), ideal for editing, after follow-ups and on e.g.spelling or
morphosyntactic errors (Fisher&Frey, 2012).Besides, Piaget (2003) highlights art’s role in
education.

Activities’ description

The first activity is based on multi-user interactive design, with two-way information flow.
The students post their answers individually and then discuss on their results, compared to
the teacher’s annotations. Next, they combine adjectives and nouns on a word cloud.
Finally, they match the opposites, given automatic grading. Working at the same time and
activities offers multiple postings, ideas and information exchange, demanding constant
communication and argumentation in Greek. The solutions for the first and third task are
closed, but open for the second, allowing flexibility and variety. 439

Table 1, Template of Activity 1

Type/ information flow Outcome Contextual

1. Closed support/complexity

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 MUID/structured/ two-way 2. Open Textual cues/
3. Closed structured/low
convergent
Mode Groups Level
synchronous 7 students medium

Communicative demand Required interaction Discourse function

high high Questions/grammar/
vocabulary/providing
reasons

Activity 2

The second activity is based on multi-user interactive design, with two-way information flow.
Students can work collaboratively , produce one frame each, based on the initial text. Their
result is open and divergent. The activity is designed for synchronous mode as the 6 students
can see each other’s contribution, edit, check for their mistakes by advising the tutor and
edit their work, after highly interacting. Again, flexibility, variety and personal views are
valued. 77

Table 2, Template of Activity 2

Type/ information flow Outcome Contextual support/complexity

Textual cues/
MUID/unstructured/two- Open/ divergent unstructured/medium
way
Mode Groups Level
synchronous 7 students medium

Communicative demand Required interaction Discourse function

high high Questions/summary/
vocabulary/providing reasons/
negotiating

ACTIVITIES FLOW

ACTIVITY 1

All activities are uploaded on e-class’ wall, facilitating the materials’ management, by being
clearly divided to assist new cognitive load to be absorbed (Bodie et al., 2006)

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The first activity is based on grammar and vocabulary tasks.

Figure 1, The worksheet on e-class

Task 1. After the educator briefly presents the theory on adjectives, uploaded on padlet and
e-class,

Figure 2, The adjectives

students must read a text on the myth of Europe, posted on padlet.

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Figure 3, The Myth of Europe

Then, they must pinpoint the adjectives. They share their opinions on Padlet, discuss on
them

Figure 4, Posting adjectives

and compare their answers to the annotated text, provided by the teacher as immediate
feedback. Their personal involvement and inquiry is salient in acquiring new knowledge
(adjectives), as well as the cooperation with peers balances individual initiative and self-

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expression with communicative skills developed within the group in their L3 (application of
the new information and association of notions) (Swain et al. , 2002).

Figure 5, The adjectives solution

After clarifications they should form 3 noun phrases each, using the text’s adjectives and
post them on Mentimeter’s world cloud,

Figure 6, The noun phrases

examine the ones in common. Follow-ups will point out commonalities or errors, helping to
learn-how-to-learn strategies and linguistic improvements (Skehan, 1996)

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Figure 7, Word cloud

Then, they move to the e-class matching exercise, where two lists of adjectives are given.
Column A includes the text’s adjectives and their opposites in random order. By completing
this exercise, a score is given. They discuss on their scores and difficulties, moving from focus
on form to communication on academic issues (Ellis et al. 2001).

Figure 8, Match the opposite

ACTIVITY 2

As for the second activity, pupils must summarise and paraphrase the original text by
producing their own comic (or video/gif) on ToonyTool. They must equally contribute to the

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output with a frame containing illustration and wording, having first agreed on the layout
and scenario. By Toonytool, they can work separately on their frame and then discuss, edit
and put their parts together in a collaborative comic. The multi-user design assists work
within a real-life problem and advances both communicative and academic discourse
(Cummins, 2008).

Figure 9, A frame on Toony tool

Figure 10, Summarising with a comic

Pedagogical value

In this constructivist approach, technology helps integrating new knowledge (theory on

adjectives), cognitive and metacognitive skills, by respecting all students’ unique
background, experiences, learning profiles with a variety of tasks Isik (2018),and
multimodality (Cope&Kalantzis,2015 ). Collaborative and active learning are reified within a
safe, well-arranged, flexible and positive class environment with students that interact (by
comparing and discussing during each activity) integrating the procedure’s assessment (with
immediate teacher comments, automatic feedback and peer discussion).

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Designed assessment for evaluating designed activities

Both activities of the intervention will be assessed with a 2 minute paper. By the end of the
lesson, the students will be asked to write in a few lines how would our continent be if
Europe had rejected Zeus. They must choose to include 5 adjectives, minding the inflection.
Their texts will be uploaded to the school’s website, as part of the European Day project.

By this rapid evaluation, the pupils not only prove that they comprehended the lesson’s foci
(lexicon, grammar and reading comprehension) but they also opinionate on a real-life issue,
part of their school and social reality. Thus, they are more motivated and less stressed. The
pupils’ experience will be integrated within a specific context and communicative frame.
Thus, constructivist theory is applied. Moreover, the activity is again collaborative, so
interaction and negotiation facilitates the success of the procedure.

Formative assessment, as the above, aims to highlight the students’ strengths and
weaknesses, so the educators immediately intervene and readjust their teaching
during the process of learning (Clark, 2012). It is a continuous procedure,
contributing in differentiation and the class’ portfolio, which is a prerequisite by the
Curriculum and the school’s policy, as mentioned before. According to Wolf (1989),
the students can observe their progress through complete activities and become
more responsible.

Conclusion

In general, this design is student-oriented, emphasising on both language and content.

Digital tools promote their autonomy equally to collaboration in real and complex situations.
The educator is the facilitator of the activities, where responsibility of learning lies also at
students. Greek is acquired within a reassuring environment and a playful, interactive way,
adequate to the students’ level.

REFERENCES

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Beltrán-Martín, I. (2019). Using Padlet for collaborative learning. 5th International

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Bodie, G. D., Powers, W. G., & Fitch-Hauser, M. (January 01, 2006). Chunking, priming and
active learning: Toward an innovative and blended approach to teaching
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Brooks, B.J. ,Gilbuena, D., Krause, S. & Koretsky, M.D.. (2014). Using word clouds for fast,
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APPENDIX

1. THE ACTIVITIES

Activity 1

1. Read the text and identify its adjectives. Post your answers on Padlet’s wall. Discuss
on them and check the solutions, in comparison to the new, annotated text.
2. Choose 3 of the included adjectives and combine them with adequate nouns.
Mentimeter’s word cloud will show you the frequency and commonalities of your
choices. What are your observations? Share with the plenary.
3. Do the’ match the opposite’ exercise. Remember the meaning and the suffixes.
Automatic feedback is provided. Who had the better score? What troubled you the
most?

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Activity 2

Use ToonyTool to briefly present the story in your own words . Each member of the
group should add one frame and bubbles. Try to include all the important facts. 134

2. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

3. MORE SCREENSHOTS UPLOADED

i. The e-class layout

ii. The padlet layout

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 i. The Myth of Europe text

ii. The annotated text

εισ

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