LOTEHAT 2 Project Investigation Showcase 2012

1. LOTEHAT 2 ProjectInvestigation Showcase 2012 Name: Sonia O’Donnell School Name: Koo Wee Rup S.C. Investigation Title: Using “Realia” in the classroom to increase student exposure and awareness of the Italian language

2. What I did: • I chose a Year 7 Italian class which has Italian 3x 58 minute lessons per week. • The class was divided into 4 groups, each group doing a different activity which focused on a different skill. Each group rotated through the activities until all were completed. • The four activities were: 1. Singing 2. Being an ‘off-the-beaten-track’ tourist in Italy 3. Gold, Gold, Gold! (The Olympics) 4. Quiz Master • I used a class set of I-Pads together with booking a small section of the library for the students to use the computers for printing, researching, etc • Each activity had a different assessment rubric as each activity focused on a different skill. For example, the students in the first activity “Singing” had to listen to a song “Ho visto un prato..” and jot down any words they recognised. They then wrote a short paragraph on what they thought each verse was about. Once they did this, they were shown a power point of the song and its content. They compared their own findings with the actual meaning. Every group, with little teacher involvement learnt the verses of the song. They each developed their own way of learning. Each group is then filmed (yet to be completed).

3. What I learnt: • Time restrictions are a nightmare! There were a lot of interruptions therefore I had to plan this four week activity over six weeks to ensure all groups were exposed to every activity. • Some activities worked better than others. For example, the more interactive activities were most successful. • Because of the variety of tasks, most students were engaged for most of the time. Some students preferred the more traditional activities of finding out/reading/translating/understanding and some preferred the more ‘hands-on’ approach. Each student, however, benefitted greatly from the experience and it is intended that the group-work activities in this form (where groups are autonomous and self driven) will continue to be included in the framework of the course. • The use of technology in the classroom was an excellent tool for language learning. • I learnt students are more motivated when they are ‘in charge’ of their own learning.

4. Where to from here: • Continue using “Realia” in the classroom • Increase the use of Italian in the classroom • Explore avenues for funding for permanent class set of I-pads exclusive to the Language Department • Develop networks with other Language teachers and find out about other techniques and methods used in using “Realia” in the classroom • Become more familiar with using different technologies within the classroom. For example, asking the IT department for any tips on using the flip cameras etc