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Database of Teaching Sources

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A database of selected, reviewed, tested, assessed and validated e-learning based language teaching sources addressed to Higher education students for the learning of 18 different European languages.

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Slovak Online – Easy and Quick

Date of Publication

December, 2002

Target Group

Lecturers
Students

Domain Area

Teacher Education

Learning Scenario

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Target Language

Slovakian

Language of Instruction

English
French
German
Italian
Lithuanian
Polish
Romanian
Slovakian
Slovenian
Spanish

CEFR level

A1
A2
B1
B2

Type of Material

Activity/task

Linguistic Features

Vocabulary
Grammar
Prosody

Skills

Speaking
Writing
Reading

Description

The portal for teaching the Slovak language is a project supported by the European Commission under the KA2 - languages - lifelong learning program. E-learning Slovakian in the current use and advancement of information and communication technologies has been much simpler and easier to implement both technically and in terms of content. The online learning portal is suitable for both beginners and more advanced learners of Slovakian, as it provides a series of courses from level A1 to B2. Since the language of instruction is translated to several European languages, it is broadly accessible and easy to use. It is great for individual language learning, but can also be used for classroom teaching, where the teacher instructs students how to use the material and how to proceed with it. Although the emphasis is on vocabulary development, each course teaches some grammar and there is an additional material for learning grammar.

Case study

The material would be tested in classroom context. That course has to be chosen the level of which suits to students’ language knowledge. Since the courses gradually develop language abilities, setting the starting level is important, and then the courses should be learnt in order. A1 level course offers 16 units starting from the Slovakian alphabet and pronunciation to the topic of Shopping. A2 level contains 14 units, B1 and B2 levels offers five courses each. The structure of the courses is similar and logical. They start with teaching some vocabulary in the given topic, teach grammar and pronunciation, and summarize what was learnt.
With the help of a dictionary or the class teacher students can write the learnt words and expressions in their vocabulary, discuss what they learnt, and practise grammar and pronunciation. Learning the topics is the key to success because leaners can start communicating with each other and can be motivated to improve their vocabulary in order to be able to communicate in a more subtle way. As a follow-up exercise they could speak with each other, share their knowledge, add some more vocabulary to their list and can also summarize their knowledge in writing.

Guidelines

Lead-in activity/warmer: Eliciting information on learners’ knowledge of Slovakian vocabulary. They may come up with some words or expressions, or some international vocabulary that would motivate the group members to use Slovakian.
Step 1: Pre-watching activity. Tell the students that they are going to use online courses that teach Slovak language. The units allow students to learn and practise some useful topics in Slovakian. The level of students’ language knowledge is outlined first in order to choose the right course.
Step 2: Starting a course: Students get knowledge about the most useful vocabulary of each unit then based on this vocabulary they learn grammar and pronunciation and can proceed with oral and written communication based on the topic.
Step 3: Students give feedback on their success. At the end of each course there is a unit that summarizes what has been learnt. They are instructed to do some speaking and writing exercises and use their vocabulary and grammar.
Step 4: Learners can work in pairs. They can share their knowledge on each topic. As they develop their language knowledge by learning the units, they would be able to communicate meaningfully.

Review

Category
Rate
Comprehensive approach
Capacity to match the needs of lecturers and students

5

Added value
The provided tangible improvements

5

Motivation enhancement
The capacity to motivate students to improve their language skills

5

Innovation
Effectiveness in introducing innovative, creative and previously unknown approaches to LSP learning

3

Transferability
Measurement of the transferable potential and possibility to be a source of further capitalisation/application for other language projects in different countries

5

Skills assessment and validation
Availability of appropriate tools for lecturers to monitor students’ progress and for students to assess own progress and to reflect on learning

5

Adaptability
Flexibility of the contents and possibilities for the LSP lecturers to adapt the contents to their and to students’ need

5

Usability
Assess the technical usability from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Accessibility
Assess the accessibility from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Comments:
The material is useful and practical for both students and lecturers because students can work individually and with the help of the teacher who can provide them with supplementary material and creative tasks, and also can elicit information on their knowledge.
The instructional language of the material can be chosen, so it is easy to use. It motivates students to use their own foreign language learning skills.
Monitoring students’ own progress is provided by the material, since it summarizes what was learnt after each unit and on B1 and B2 level each unit ends with a test.
It is possible to adopt the contents to students’ need because the level of the courses and units are gradually increasing and the material can be supplemented or accompanied by other sources.
The material is intended to a larger audience, and it is useful for both individual and classroom use. It is a well-constructed site to learn Slovakian as a foreign language. The courses and units built on each other provide fast progress and motivates students to practise their knowledge as well.
The page is easily accessed for those who want to learn Slovakian with the help of the internet. It is easy to use because the language of instruction can be chosen. It is needed to sign in.
Website of the Teaching Source:
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