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Database of Teaching Sources

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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At the bank

Date of Publication

-

Target Group

Lecturers
Students

Domain Area

Accounting
Business & Communication

Learning Scenario

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Target Language

Romanian

Language of Instruction

English

CEFR level

A2
B1

Type of Material

Activity/task
Audio
Test

Linguistic Features

Vocabulary
Pragmatics

Skills

Listening
Speaking
Writing
Mediation

Description

The lesson provides a set of 18 short sentences related to bank transactions and specific vocabulary in English and their gapped transcript in Romanian, where the students should fill in the gaps with the related vocabulary; the key to the fill-in exercise is available, which makes it useful in terms of progress assessment. The texts in Romanian are associated with the audio version. The model is easily adaptable to other topics and, depending on the content, to other levels. The interactive type of activity (fill in the gaps, coordination between written and audio form) are expected to enhance student motivation.

Case study

The resource Las banca/At the bank was used during a 60 minutes unit with the students in the preparatory year at the Petroleum Gas University of Ploiesti – many of them had only just started learning Romanian at the beginning of November, so had less than 2 months’ instruction. However, the audio material for the listening comprehension section was adequate for an A2 level, as stated, and raised no problems for the students and they managed the fill-in the gaps exercise quite successfully. According to the questionnaire in word print format they answered on-site was considered to be pleasant and interesting in terms of the vocabulary that a foreign student needs to acquire to manage in a new cultural and linguistic environment. Although the vocabulary belongs to the specialized vocabulary that students only start acquiring from the 2nd semester (spring), the standard banking vocabulary used allowed analogies and also encouraged oral communication and stimulated active interaction. Assoc. Professor Cristina Iridon, Petroleum and Gas University of Ploiesti

Guidelines

1. Warm-up activitiy: elicit from students specialised vocabulary related to banking transactions: objects (carte de credit/card, ATM/cashpoint), processes (a depune/to deposit, a semna/to sign in) etc.
2. Provide extra vocabulary from the sentences and clarify mneaning, if necessary (funcţionar/operator, clerk, e-banking, împrumut/loan etc.)
3. students transfer/translate the sentences into Romanian.
4. students do the fill in exercise.
5. students check their answers with the audio.
Possible follow up activities:
1. Speaking: students narrate their own experience at a bank, using the phrases and terms from the sentences.
2. Conversation: students’ role-play -they work in pairs (customer & clerk), creating a dialogue related to banking operations (e.g. opening an account)
3. Writing: (possibly using other resources) students write instructions on how to react in various situations (they want to transfer money, their card has been stolen etc.)
Possible auxiliary resource:
- English Romanian online free dictionary containing various terms and phrases where further banking terms can be looked up: http://www.engleza-online.ro/dictionar-englez-roman.php

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

4

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

4

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

4

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

4

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

4

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

5

Comments:
The resource provides a set of topical terms in the domain (banking transactions) in contextualized form (sentences similar to those in conversation guides). The immediate association of the gapped written and the audio version makes interactive; the audio material can be used for modelling to improve pronunciation and prosody through repetition. The fact that the sentences are not connected between them (do not create a conversation) and that the equivalent sentences are not detailed by word or phrase can hinder transfer of grammar patterns to other situations.
The resource can successfully be used and expanded for developing all skills
Risks
- The sentences are not connected to form a coherent unit (such as a dialogue in a bank)
- The language is rather formal, not unsuitable, however, to use in a bank environment
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