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Designing a CPD courseonline:

Spanish for PrimaryteachingTita Beaven,

Department of Languages, The OpenUniversity

April 2009

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The challenge:

Our challenge in this CPD course was in designingan online course to introduce primary schoolpractitioners to the Spanish language. Thisinvolved:

Designing a basic curriculum to introduce schoolpractitioners to basic Spanish vocabulary andstructures, but at the same time designing acourse that would also be relevant to their

classroom context Training participants in learning how to learn a

language

Providing substantial interactive practice online

Providing support for the course participants

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Overall course content

All out CPD courses a 30-hours long, so in terms ofthe language covered the aims of the course arenecessarily modest:

Overall course content

This short course gives you some basicknowledge of Spanish as well as introducinglanguage and language learning activitiessuitable for children at Key Stages 1 and 2. Theaim of the course is to enable Primary Schoolpractitioners to introduce basic Spanish phrasesto their class and to engage children in simple but nevertheless lively and varied interactionsin the target language.

(Extract from the introduction to the course)

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Key contentThis is an introductory course, but there is an

emphasis on pronunciation, vocabulary, and anunderstanding of basic grammar, i.e. the buildingblocks of the language.

The course also provides an insight into everyday

life in Spanish speaking countries.

What is the key content?

The core content of the course is the developmentof your own linguistic skills. The activities aredesigned to help you develop excellentpronunciation, equip you with useful vocabularyand phrases, and give you an understanding ofthe fundamentals of Spanish grammar as well asinsights into aspects of culture and everyday lifein contemporary Spanish-speaking societies.

(Extract from the introduction to the course)

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Language functionscovered

The language covered in the course enablesteachers to communicate in predictable everydaysituations in the target language:

Tema 1: En contactois about greetings,introductions and giving some personalinformation.Tema 2: Descripcionesintroduces you to languageto talk about places, objects and people.

Tema 3: Informacinenables you to find your wayaround in Spanish-speaking countries.

Tema 4: Preferenciasgives you the opportunity to

talk about your likes and dislikes.

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Clear learning outcomes

The learningoutcomes areclearly statedat the start of

each newtopic.

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Learning how to learn

Language learningstrategies areintroducedthroughout thecourse, to ensurethe participants

think about how tolearn a language,both forthemselves andfor the childrenthey will be

teaching.

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Collaboration

The courseprovidesstudents with anumber ofcollaborativetools such as aforum, a courseblog and a wikiso they canengage withothers courseparticipants.

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Learning support

Students also have

access to a Learningadviser, an experiencedistance teachers oflanguages, who cansupport studentsindividually via e-mail

or collectively throughthe forum

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Situate learning in relevantcontexts

Theintroductionto eachsectionsituates thelearning in

a contextthat courseparticipantscanunderstandand relate

to.

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Focus on pronunciation

It is essentialthatclassroompractitionersare able tooffer thechildren theyteach a goodenough modelwhenspeaking theforeign

language, sothere is a lot

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Focus on grammar

Rather than just

presenting languagefor the courseparticipants to learn,we feel its importantthat they understandthe grammar, so that

they can generatetheir own language. Abasic understandingof how the languageworks will also enableteachers to teach the

language to thechildren better.

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Focus on listening

The course includesregular listeningactivities, that rangefrom listening forgist to morefocussed listening.In this example,after listening to therecording focussingon the meaning,course participants

listen again andfocus on thelanguage bydeciding if thequestion is in theformal or informal

mode of address.

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Focus on speaking

In an onlinecourse it isvery importantto give the

learner plentyof opportunityto speak.Interactivespeakingactivities likethis onesimulate realinteraction byproviding apromptstudents haveto respond to.

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Interactive practice

Because itsan onlinecourse thatlearners studymostly ontheir own,there areregularinteractive

activities.This helpsmaintaininterest andmotivation inthe learner.

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Relevance to the primarycontextIn the design of the course it was important to

include examples of the language used in theprimary school context:

Throughout the course there areactivities labelled En la clase deespaol (In the Spanish classroom).Here you find examples of how to

teach the language youve justlearnt yourself. There may also be

additional linguistic content, whichis particularly relevant to Primary

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Classroom language

Some of theactivities in thissection providelearners with thesort ofclassroom

language theycan easilytransfer to theirown setting. Thislistening activity,for instance, isabout a teacher

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The course alsoincludes practicalsuggestions

about how topresent thelanguage to thechildren in class.

Practical suggestions for theclassroom

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