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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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Podcasts on The International Workers’day in Portugal-Portuguese for International/Lusophone Relations

Date of Publication

May 2020

Target Group

Lecturers
Students

Domain Area

International Relations

Learning Scenario

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Target Language

Portuguese

Language of Instruction

Portuguese

CEFR level

B2
C1

Type of Material

Activity/task
Audio

Linguistic Features

Vocabulary
Grammar
Pragmatics
Prosody

Skills

Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Writing

Description

These two podcasts (https://soundcloud.com/user-666491985/1-comunicado-1-de-maio; https://soundcloud.com/user-666491985/2-comunicado-1-de-maio) focus on an interview apropos the International Workers’ day in Portugal and how the 1st May became so meaningful in 1974, after the end of a 41 year-dictatorship in Portugal. Podcasts are rather original and innovative resources. Easily reachable online, for both students and lecturers, these resources meet the needs of upper-intermediate, advanced students studying different areas, such as Portuguese for business, International/Lusophone Relations, and even for more academic purposes. The idea is to use these resources as a means to foster the development of listening, speaking and writing skills, as well as critical thinking. The podcasts delve into the vindication of workers’ rights and achievements from 1974 to 2020, comparing both periods. By listening to the podcasts students will also improve and expand technical vocabulary. This resource assists both the lecturer, as he can use this with his students in the classroom, and the students who, rather autonomously, can also explore it. If used by the lecturer, this resource can be used following a task-based approach, as suggested in the guidelines. If not, the learner can follow the steps clearly indicated on the site.

Case study

3. The students would be given a set of pictures connected with the 1st of May in Portugal and the dictatorship in general. People’s names and their influence in the Portuguese political environment at that time, places, news headlines, would also be explored in order to acquire as much information as possible about the topics. All the resources would be discussed orally by teacher and students and the arising ideas from the discussion would be written on a board in order to be seen and completed. Before the students hear the podcast, it would also be given a gap-filling text which should be read silently by each student. Those spaces would be completed while the students were hearing both podcasts.

Guidelines

These two podcasts can perfectly be used separately, but we suggest the use of both in the same lesson as it becomes more meaningful.
Introduction (warmer): brainstorm the pros and cons of the representations of the workers’ day/acknowledgment of the various jobs/professions in the current sociopolitical context of a democratic regime. Elicit from the class ideas, words, representations associated with the celebration of the 1st May in 1974, highlighting some of the main changes over the last 47 years in Portugal and in the world concerning the differences between dictatorial and democratic regimes. Need to contextualise the 1st May (how and when it came up and it is celebrated in different countries)
Step 1: Students listen to the first podcast, about the 1st May 1974 (duration of the 1st podcast: 5,38 minutes). While listening, students must take note of the reactions by the different interviewees, writing some keywords that define the 1st May 1974, the reasons for celebration and the symbols of the revolution (e.g. liberty vs fascism, Armed Forces, PIDE, revolution, indignation, carnations, the vindication of rights, People united shall never be defeated (“O Povo Unido jamais será vencido”).
Step 2: Contextualization of and reflection on the representation of the workers day.
Step 3: Students listen to the 2nd podcast, comparing the differences between the two moments described.
Etapa 4: Writing activity: the value of the 1st May/workers’ day for the new generation/career expectations.
Follow-up activity (or homework): in groups of 3/4, students prepare a podcast, based on what they’ve heard. One student will interview the other students about the importance of the 1st May in our society and in the context of International/Lusophone Relations; or about the workers’ conditions (labourers/working class) in different countries across the world.

Review

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

4

Added value
The provided tangible improvements

4

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

5

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

4

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

4

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

4

Comments:
Overall, this resource meets the needs of both students and lecturers, as students can use it rather autonomously, whilst lecturers can add this resource to their lesson plans and, based on the podcasts, they can create/adapt other activities/questions/tasks on the topic of the 1st of May not only at the national level but also internationally, by establishing comparisons between the workers’ situation in different countries and how the workers’ day is celebrated, among other meaningful exercises. It is also a motivational resource as the podcasts consist basically of interviews with several people, more specifically to a person who was able to attend the celebrations of May 1 in Lisbon in 1974 (as a child) and in 2020, at the age of 52. As such, the podcasts become engaging and surely able to catch the students’ attention. Both podcasts are not that long, and therefore, not distracting: around 5 minutes each. However, the idea is that students listen to them in different stages of the lesson, as suggested in the guidelines.
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