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Promoting Multilingualism: Europe ensemble

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Europe ensemble is a free multilingual website with activities and resources available in eight languages designed to encourage pupils to learn languages in an interactive and stimulating way. The resources are available in a variety of media, text, audio, images, animation and video.

 

 

Many teachers are interested in finding innovative ways of teaching a language, particularly when they teach a language that is not their mother tongue. This, of course, is an excellent reason for joining eTwinning, as partner schools may be able to help each other. Even then, teachers will look for exciting projects to do which will help their pupils learn alongside each other.
 
There are many websites that can help to foster multilingualism but many hours could be spent exploring a website only to find it doesn’t suit the need of the teacher. The following website ‘overview’ of Europe ensemble not only gives some background to the site but also give reasons and some possible ideas why and how a teacher may find the site useful within eTwinning partnerships.
 
 
 
 
Website introduction 
 
Europe ensemble is a free multilingual website with activities and resources available in 8 languages, ES, FR, IT, DE, PT, RO, EN, SE, designed to encourage pupils to learn languages in an interactive and stimulating way. It offers the possibilities for all level of pupils from beginners (Level1 A1) to more advanced levels, (Levels 2 & 3 A2, B1). Level 1 offers the ideal introduction to pupils involved in a project who are only beginning to learn the language of their partners. The resources are available in a variety of media, text, audio, images, animation and video.  There is a very comprehensive animated help section available in all languages.
 
 
Pedagogical Focus
 
In Europe ensemble, the focus is on providing a certain approach to culture and civilisation, which is adapted to young European learners’ interests. It provides the basis for language acquisition. 
 
The resources are structured on an action-oriented approach, in which the acquired language skills lead to the accomplishment of tasks in the language being studied: the learner must associate saying and doing. The learners are encouraged to develop an interest for their neighbours, their languages, culture and ways of life. The resource highlights what makes them different and what brings them together. Through its fun and action-oriented approach to discovering a new language the learner will be encouraged to experiment with linguistic diversity.
 
 
Technical requirements:
  • Free plugins required on computers, Shockwave, QuickTime, Flash, Adobe Reader
  • High-speed Internet connection (min 2 Mbs)
  • Sound card, headphones (or speakers) microphone
 
Using this in eTwinning
 
Although this site can just be used with a teacher and their class outside of any partnership, Europe ensemble could form the basis of an excellent collaborative project within eTwinning. 
 
Plan 1 - In its simplest format, teachers in the partnership can decide:
  • Which language they will choose (e.g., will it be a ‘new’ language for both partners?).
  • Work on one activity a day (or every few days).
  • Allow the pupils to set tests for each other or practice the phrases with each other using Skype or some other tool.
  • Introduce pupils to the TwinSpace and its Pupils' Corner, showing them the tools available.
  • Let the pupils (who could work in groups) come up with their own objectives and language acquisition targets. 
 

At the end of the project, pupils/groups should show that they:

  1. Can listen to and say most of the vocabulary and phrases that have been used throughout the level they are working on.
  2. Have understood and are able to explain the situations presented in the postcards (Level 1 or the activities (level 2 & 3).
  3. Understand the cultural context.
  4. Know some of the cultural sites of the country of  which they are studying the language.
  5. Show how they have shared this with or worked together with pupils from their partner school. 
 
Plan 2: Some further ‘more structured’ ideas to use within an eTwinning partnership (but teachers can of course develop their own ideas too!):
 
  1. At the end of each week, teachers allow pupils to complete the online interactive puzzles related to the Level. Pupils could do this as homework and compare how long it took them to complete, posting times in the TwinSpace forum.
  2. Using the vocabulary and phrases used in the Level, pupils can practice these phrases, record them as, for example, a podcast or Voki, post them in the TwinSpace and ask partner pupils to listen and write a comment to explain what they said (this will help develop their pronunciation and communication of the language). 
  3. The pupils choose a ‘cultural landmark’ in their area and ask their partners to find out more about that landmark.
  4. Pupils can find out about an historical event in their partners region or country, and make presentations to share with each other.
  5. Using such tools as Comic Life, pupils can create a visual presentation of either the landmark or historical event.
  6. Drama can be brought in to re-enact the historical event, using the appropriate language, which can be videoed and shared with partner schools.
 
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  • Web Editor: Christina Crawley
  • Published: 20.04.2011
  • Last changed: 04.11.2011
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Also in...

Modules
Bullet listSubtitling Tools: Great for eTwinning videos
Bullet listMYLO & Voki
Selected itemEurope ensemble
Bullet listMission Europe
Bullet listCreative Minds: Taking decisions
Bullet listMeet your partners and play a Wordsearch – live!
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