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Humanising Language Teaching Catalan resources for language learning on the netPrimary, secondary and adult ( a lot primary sites in the last part of the article ) Núria Brichs nbrichs@pangea.org Foreign language teaching, and specially English teaching, have always taken advantage of the fact that most of the contents on the internet are in English, thus providing a never-ending source of authentic, visually attractive and motivating materials. The fact that the Catalan Department of Education launched a project to promote foreign languages in schools just a few years ago, in combination with the increasing relevance of ICT and its inclusion in the curricula, contributed to a rise in the number of websites with educational content. Nowadays, two sections of the Catalan Education Department provide materials for schools: the SGTI (ICT in Education Programme) and the CRLE (Resource Centre for Foreign Languages), and more and more teachers and students are using them in their everyday practice. Since ICT is a sign of modern times, so private schools and companies are also offering online courses as added value to their ordinary courses. Below you will find an overview of the resources available to learn and practice a foreign language in Catalonia nowadays. It is by no means a complete list, but it gives an idea of the variety on offer. In the first place, the SGTI has a Virtual School developed by International House Net Languages www.xtec.es/aulanet/virtualschool/. There are three classrooms at secondary and pre-university level in this school. Each contains 10 interactive units which deal with reading, vocabulary, grammar, listening, pronunciation, writing, and there is also a net search exercise and a test. Like all schools, it also has a library with additional reference material to practice English; a café to relax, chat with other students, browse a magazine or play games; and a teacher's room with teaching guide and notes. Unfortunately, the access to this site through this address is only accessible to registered students. Edu365 www.edu35.com, is a portal for students. Both in the primary www.edu365.com/primaria/muds/angles/, www.edu365.com/primaria/muds/frances/ and secondary sections www.edu365.com/eso/muds/angles/, www.edu365.com/eso/muds/frances/ we find the MUDs (mini didactic units). They are short Flash films which explain difficult points of the language – or at least the ones most students have problems with – and are complemented with interactive exercises in the sections Avalúa't and Practica. The ask-a-teacher online service provides a further opportunity to sort out pupils' questions. The CRLE www.xtec.es/crle offers materials and support for teachers of English, French and German, both at primary and secondary levels. In their web we find
The students facing the university entrance exam may prepare at Posa't a prova www10.gencat.net/dursi/AppJava/posat.jsp. Among other subjects, they practice reading, vocabulary and writing skills in English, French and German. At University level we find a virtual language school: the EVIU www.eviu.com/ . The virtual campus contains a 3-level course, which is easily adaptable to each student's needs thanks to a personalized learning plan. Since it is self-access, students work at their own pace. They may choose among several varieties of learning plans. In each there are grammar explanations, interactive multimedia exercises in multiple formats, self-assessment tests and other internet resources. A management tool allows students to control their progress in each of the activities and tests. International House offers a General English Course on the net created by Santillana Net Languages www.netlanguages.com/home/home.htm The course is divided into six levels. Each level contains 10 units with 15 sections which cover the basic skills, including a test halfway through the unit, a review, and a couple of tutorials to comment on the student's work with the tutor. There are all the sections that may be found in a school: a reception to find information on the courses and do the registration; the classrooms where to do the course; a study room to meet with other students, a library with reference material; a café to do other kind of more relaxing activities and a teacher's room to contact the tutor. Cambridge School has a very attractive web page made with Flash, www.anglesonline.net The four doors lead you to different sections: cinema, music, TV room and games, with several activities each. They all include sound and video. It is also worth mentioning It's online www.its-online.com/ the online version of the magazine for teachers of English. The web contains six different websites. Its-english, its-myworld and its-magazines are oriented to students, with interactive exercises, audios and reading texts, whereas teachers may download lesson plans and find methodology ideas at its-teachers or go to the 3sixty5 section for teaching activities for each day of the year. The print magazines and other materials are on sale at its-open. The contents of the web are available to subscribers only. But the most important part of the resources for language learning comes from teachers. APAC www.apac.es/, the Association of English Teachers, provides a collection of links to teaching materials, courses and a discussion forum, similarly to the Assocation de Professeurs de Français de Catalogne www.xtec.es/entitats/apfc/index.htm Other teachers, on an individual basis, create their own materials and put them on the net for their students. Below is a selection of the most interesting websites classified according to language. English
French
Italian La pagina dell'italiano www.geocities.com/angelsb.geo/ A collection of links to practice Italian and learn about Italy. In the section Inpariamo italiano there are some interactive exercises. German Josep M. Moreno-Calvo's |