Vključevanje projekta iEARN learning circles pri pouku angleščine

iEARN Project Based English classes

Suzana Rehberger, Srednja elektro-računalniška šola Maribor, Maribor

Povzetek
Kako pouk angleščine pripraviti zanimivo in malo drugače od »odprite knjige na strani ….«? Kako vsem dijakom ponuditi možnost vključevanja v procesu izobraževanja, tudi tistim, ki ne znajo vzklikati »jaz vem, jaz vem«, ker enostavno niso dovolj hitri in pogumni? Z vključevanjem projektov iEARN lahko popestrimo pouk angleščine na več načinov.
Vključevanje projekta iEARN Learning Circles Places and Perspectives pri pouku angleščine vzpodbuja dijake k raziskovanju lokalne zgodovine, kulture, vlade ter geografskega področja. V projekt se prijavimo učitelji preko spletne strani: http://www.iearn.org/circles/. Koordinator projekta razporedi prijavljene učitelje različnih dežel s celega sveta v skupine. Projekt je časovno razdeljen v posamezne sklope, datumi in roki so objavljeni na zgoraj omenjenem spletnem naslovu. Pred začetkom posameznega sklopa koordinator razdeli navodila in vsebine sklopa, ki jih lahko po lastni želji oblikovno spreminjamo. Tako nastanejo za dijake delovni listi z navodili in vsebinami dela. Delovni listi so objavljeni v zanje posebej pripravljeni spletni učilnici. Dijaki rešujejo delovne liste doma in jih rešene oddajo v spletno učilnico. V času reševanja delovnih listov in nastajanja posameznih nalog dijaki sodelujejo z dijaki drugih držav preko forumov, e-pošte in blogov ter posredujejo zastavljena vprašanja iz delovnih listov dijakom drugih držav. Izmenjava informacij, komuniciranje v angleščini, spoznavanje nove kulture, načina življenja, geografske raznolikosti in še kaj je v projektu iEARN LC ključnega pomena.
Končni izdelek lahko izdelajo dijaki poljubno v eni od danih oblik. Koordinator projekta projektne naloge pregleda in jih objavi na spletnih straneh iEARN LC. Dijaki, ki so v projektu sodelovali, predstavijo nalogo tudi ostalim dijakom v razredu v obliki krajšega referata, seveda v angleščini. Naslov projektne naloge iz Slovenije, ki je nastal v letu 2007, je objavljen na naslovu: http://www.iearn.org/circles/2007session1/index.htm#placesPerspectives.

Abstract
How to make English classes interesting and different from usual: “open your books on page”? How to give an opportunity to all students to be involved in the educational process? iEARN project based English classes can help us.
We can enrol into the project Learning Circles Places and Perspectives through the web page: http://www.iearn.org/circles/. The coordinator of the project forms groups of teachers from different countries. The project has a definite number of stages with deadlines given at the very beginning of the project and can be found on the web page above. The instructions of how and what to include in our work is given by the coordinator himself. It is up to us now to decide about the final works of each stage. I prepare different worksheets, which students can find in the virtual classroom, which is prepared specially for this project. Students do their work at home and communicate with me and the other members of the team in the forum of the virtual classroom. While students do their work, they share their ideas with other students from foreign countries of our group. They send e-mails, chat in forums or blogs about the given topics using the prepared worksheets. Sharing information, communication in English, exploring the cultural, geographical diversity of their own country and the countries of the members of our group – these are the main ideas of the project iEARN Learning Circles Places and Perspectives.
The final work must be prepared in one of the given forms and sent to the coordinator of the project iEARN Learning Circles Places and Perspectives. Students of my team have to prepare their own individual presentations for their classmates during an English lesson. An example of one final work of my Slovenian group from 2007 can be found on the web page:
http://www.iearn.org/circles/2007session1/index.htm#placesPerspectives
The advantages of joining this project and being involved in it in English classes are:

students have the opportunity to communicate in English more intensively
through the project students explore cultural, geographical and other diversity of their country and the countries of our group
students use the knowledge and new information at other school subjects
students learn about the advantages of teamwork
the use IT at English classes – virtual classroom, e-mails, forums, blogs.

One of the goals of the project iEARN Learning Circles Places and Perspectives is to communicate in English with students all over the world by using the most interesting and desirable way of communication – the computer. The aim of the project is as well “to help students understand how local historical events and geographic conditions influenced the way of their lives so they try to understand themselves, their families and their society better and deeper.”- (Taken from: http://www.iearn.org/circles/)
With this project we give a great opportunity to all students to expand their basic knowledge and use it not only in English but also in other school subjects.