| Body | by Carla Consolini, UO Graduate Student
The purpose of this activity is to help learners think about the ways that language learning is relevant to their lives. It is ideal to complete this activity at the beginning of a school year, term, or program to reorient learners toward a purpose. For beginning learners, this activity is best completed in the L1.
Learning Outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Articulate at least two ways that language learning is relevant to their lives
Mode(s): Interpersonal
Materials: Butcher paper/posters and markers of various colors (face-to-face), Google Jamboard (online), why learn a language? video
Procedure:
- Create a physical space for writing (e.g., poster) or a digital space for writing (e.g. Google Jamboard with various slides) and write a single concept in the center of each space: Community, Change, Creativity, Culture, Communication, Identity, and Relationships. Make sure to leave enough space for a brainweb around each word.
- Round 1 of Museum/Gallery Walk: In groups of 3-4, ask learners to brainstorm what each word means to them. Provide one minute per poster/Jamboard slide, and ask that each group use a distinct assigned color. As they complete the activity, they may add new ideas or build off the ideas of other groups, but they may not repeat ideas. However, they may circle the ideas that are already written that they have as well. They may draw images or write words as they complete this step.
- Hold a brief (less than 5 minutes) discussion about learners’ answers. Ask for clarification and highlight the common threads and most unique points.
- Round 2 of Museum/Gallery Walk: In the same groups, ask learners to think about how each word relates to what they learn in school. They should consider each subject area.
- Debrief as a group. Ask learners to highlight their favorite ideas from the second round of the gallery walk. Debrief by discussing the connections among disciplines that learners considered.
- As a group, create a final brainweb about language learning. Ask learners to consider all the ways that it is relevant to their lives. Remind them that learning is about process, so they should not consider content alone, but rather skills they might develop along the way.
- Finally, ask learners to predict three ways in which language learning will help them in all domains of their lives. Then watch the why learn a language? video.
- To close, have learners write an exit ticket in which they identify the benefit of language learning that is most exciting to them.
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