Intermediate Swahili
Intermediate Swahili (S201 and S202) is a continuation of Elementary
Swahili. S201 is the first part of the Swahili intermediate course
designed to reinforce further listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills
in Swahili. The course is also designed to meet the 5Cs of the national foreign
language learning standards: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons,
and Communities (http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3392).
Vocabulary and grammar exercises are introduced and reinforced in cultural
contexts. To reinforce speaking, students role play in complicated situations.
Students get the opportunity to learn from each other when they present the
role plays in class. They also work on group projects to be presented at the
end of the semester. To reinforce reading and writing, each student is assigned
a wiki page where s/he is able to write daily journals or other topics of
interest. Students are expected to read and comment on each other's wikis. Students
also collaborate using their wiki pages to prepare their group projects. To reinforce listening
and speaking, students talk about news of the world and listen to podcasts created
by advanced learners, and to news broadcasts on the internet. They also record
their own podcasts of news and stories. The activities are used in S202. The
goal for S201 is for learners to achieve a proficiency level between
Intermediate Mid and Intermediate High according to the American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) (www.actfl.org).
For S202, the goal is to achieve the ACTFL Advanced Mid level.
Other contributors to the course are the staff from Teaching and Learning
Technologies Center for help in the use of Wikis, Podcasts,iTunes, and
the Raptivity software. The TLTC staff provides demonstrations to the students
on how to post their work on wiki pages using texts and visuals. They provide
training to the language instructor on how to develop Podcasts and iTunes, and
how to use the Raptitvity software to develop interactive exercises for learners
to reinforce different aspects of their language learning.
The course is delivered following the Backward Design model as
discussed in Wiggins and McTighe (2005). The syllabus, posted on Oncourse,
provides the learning goals of the course, and how these goals will be achieved
following the National Foreign Language Standards. Activities to assess
learners' performance are also outlined in the syllabus. In the Resources
section of Oncourse, daily handouts are posted. Lessons are delivered mainly in
the target language using student-centered activities.
The main goal of the course is to reinforce the communicative skills of the learners.
Communication is the first C of the National Foreign Language Standards. It is
divided into 3 parts: Interpretive (reading, listening and comprehending), Interpersonal
(interacting with each other orally or in written format, like online chat), and
presentational (giving presentations). Using the Sakai tools of Wiki, Podcasts,
and iTunes in the course have enabled the implementation of all these three parts
of Communication. Cultural practices and products are also integrated with these
communicative skills. The C of Connection is also an important factor in the course
development. One of the course requirements is for learners to write a term paper
connecting the target language with their areas of interest and fields of study.
They do research on these topics, post their papers on Wiki together with relevant
images and do presentations. Other learners can ask questions after presentations
and can also post their comments on the Wiki.
At the beginning of the S201 semester, a TLTC staff is invited to the class to
provide a demonstration on how to use the Wiki tool to post texts and images.
Individual pages are created for each learner to post journal entries at least
three times a week. The instructor visits learners' wiki pages and provides feedback.
Learners are encouraged to visit each other's pages to provide comments. The instructor
also creates a page for herself and posts entries for learners to read and respond to.
The wiki is also used for collaborative work. At the beginning of the semester,
learners are divided into groups to work on a term paper that is linked to their
areas of interest. They post their papers on Oncourse together with accompanying
images and resources that they have used. Towards the end of the semester, each
group presents their work followed by a question-and-answer session. Comments are
also posted on the group's wiki page. Learners listen to podcasts of news and stories
developed by advanced learners and then produce their own podcasts. The podcasts are
about news that they have heard and also on individual stories. Similar projects are
repeated in S202.
The use of the Wiki tool is an excellent resource that allows
learners to communicate with each other in and outside of the classroom. Under
each wiki posting there is a section for comments. Instruction focuses on
student-centered activities and building a community of learners who interact
and share their learning experience. Students are encouraged to provide
feedback on what works well and what does not and how the use of Oncourse
resources can be improved.
The instructor uses authentic written and audio materials as
well as visuals to demonstrate what learners are expected to do and the goals
they are expected to achieve. The syllabus posted on the syllabus section of
Oncourse provides students with weekly and daily requirements. Handouts and
relevant teaching and learning materials are posted on the Resources section.
Students who struggle with the use of the Sakai tools are given additional help
by the instructor through face-to-face help sessions.
This is a student-centered language course that follows the Seven
Principles of Good Practices described by Chickering and Gamson:
1. Through Oncourse tools there is continuous interaction between learners and their
instructor. For example, the instructor provides regular feedback on learners'
journal entries;
2. Learners collaborate on their group projects by using their wiki pages;
3. Students create activities to connect to their areas of interest
instead of having topics given to them by the instructor;
4. Instructor-provided feedback on the wiki pages as well as in class;
5. Students are given deadlines for submission of the activities assigned to them
such as at the end of each week they need to have at least three journal entries
posted, etc.;
6. Students know of the goals they are expected to achieve at the end of the course
and are encouraged to work hard to achieve these goals - they can work in groups
or meet with the instructor or an assigned tutor;
7. Not all learners work at the same pace, so the instructor works with individual
learners and provide help to those who need it.
The course look is learner friendly. Learners can navigate the
different pages without problems. The main Oncourse links that are used are:
Home, Syllabus, Resources, iTunes, Podcasts, Email Archive, Chat Room, and
wiki. Links to relevant web pages and audio resources are also provided.
The Home page provides important information that learners
need: 1. Instructor's contact information and office hours; 2. Availability of
tutorial assistance; 3. Opportunity for conversation sessions with other
speakers of the language; 4. Announcement of important deadlines for assigned
activities
The use of Sakai has enabled learners to take language learning outside the classroom
and create a learning community. Students can interact with each other and with their
instructor anywhere, anytime, through the use of Wikis, Chat Rooms, Email and Announcements.
These tools facilitate peer to peer collaboration. They have 24-hour access to learning
materials. They can explore the web for cultural artifacts linked to the language and they
can post these products on their wiki pages. They can create a community of learners who
share experiences, stories, news, their fields of study, and topics of interest. Students
create their own materials and they have access to model materials developed by advanced
level learners and by their instructor.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| s201 Course Introduction S201 INTERMEDIATE SWAHILI 1.doc | 28 KB |
| S201 Syllabus fall 2009.doc | 48 KB |
| student_journal_wiki.pdf | 374.71 KB |
| wiki_group_project.pdf | 203.63 KB |
| student_story_wiki.pdf | 35.96 KB |
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