Corpora for Content & Language Integrated Learning


Corpora for Content & Language Integrated Learning [BACKBONE]
143502-LLP-1-2008-1-DE-KA2-KA2MP

Backbone, a European Lifelong Learning project (Transversal Programme, Languages), is coordinated by the Chair of Applied English Linguistics at the University of Tübingen and involves 8 partners from 7 European countries: France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Turkey and UK.

The project addresses language learning needs with regard to pedagogically neglected languages including lesser taught languages, regional & socio-cultural varieties of more frequently taught languages, and non-native speaker varieties of lingua franca languages. It proposes a pedagogically motivated corpus approach that enables teachers to collect and pedagogically exploit spoken discourse resources. Based on the communicative principles of learner and teacher autonomy, authenticated learning and collaboration, the Backbone approach combines corpus resources for linguistically and thematically specialised CLIL purposes with e-learning-enhanced language practice and communicative interaction in blended language learning courses.

Backbone develops pedagogically motivated tools for corpus management, annotation, enrichment and search. 7 language subcorpora of interviews, presentations and conversations are compiled and enriched with learning materials: Polish and Turkish, regional & socio-cultural varieties of German, French, Spanish and English as well as European varieties of English as a lingua franca. Pedagogic piloting is carried out in CLIL settings in secondary, higher and vocational education.

Based on the Minerva project SACODEYL, Backbone will develop pedagogic corpus tools including distributed XML file management, multi-tier annotation, pedagogic enrichment and a web-based pedagogic search interface. 7 corpora of interviews, presentations and conversations representing pedagogically neglected languages and varieties will be compiled: Polish and Turkish, regional & socio-cultural varieties of German, French, Spanish and English as well as European varieties of English as a lingua franca. Themes and subjects will be determined through a needs analysis of language teaching settings in secondary, higher and vocational education. The corpora will be pedagogically enriched with learning materials and piloted in 24 language courses of different CLIL orientation.
To ensure validation, a final European dissemination workshop will be combined with a online exploitation service and exploitation events in 6 countries.

Corpora for Content & Language Integrated Learning


Corpora for Content & Language Integrated Learning [BACKBONE]
143502-LLP-1-2008-1-DE-KA2-KA2MP

Backbone, a European Lifelong Learning project (Transversal Programme, Languages), is coordinated by the Chair of Applied English Linguistics at the University of Tübingen and involves 8 partners from 7 European countries: France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Turkey and UK.

The project addresses language learning needs with regard to pedagogically neglected languages including lesser taught languages, regional & socio-cultural varieties of more frequently taught languages, and non-native speaker varieties of lingua franca languages. It proposes a pedagogically motivated corpus approach that enables teachers to collect and pedagogically exploit spoken discourse resources. Based on the communicative principles of learner and teacher autonomy, authenticated learning and collaboration, the Backbone approach combines corpus resources for linguistically and thematically specialised CLIL purposes with e-learning-enhanced language practice and communicative interaction in blended language learning courses.

Backbone develops pedagogically motivated tools for corpus management, annotation, enrichment and search. 7 language subcorpora of interviews, presentations and conversations are compiled and enriched with learning materials: Polish and Turkish, regional & socio-cultural varieties of German, French, Spanish and English as well as European varieties of English as a lingua franca. Pedagogic piloting is carried out in CLIL settings in secondary, higher and vocational education.

Based on the Minerva project SACODEYL, Backbone will develop pedagogic corpus tools including distributed XML file management, multi-tier annotation, pedagogic enrichment and a web-based pedagogic search interface. 7 corpora of interviews, presentations and conversations representing pedagogically neglected languages and varieties will be compiled: Polish and Turkish, regional & socio-cultural varieties of German, French, Spanish and English as well as European varieties of English as a lingua franca. Themes and subjects will be determined through a needs analysis of language teaching settings in secondary, higher and vocational education. The corpora will be pedagogically enriched with learning materials and piloted in 24 language courses of different CLIL orientation.
To ensure validation, a final European dissemination workshop will be combined with a online exploitation service and exploitation events in 6 countries.

Writing as a process and as a product in Computer-mediated Communication (CMC)

La escritura como proceso y como producto final en Computer-mediated Communication (CMC): aspectos lingüísticos, pragmáticos e interculturales

This two-year project has been recently funded by the University of Jaén (Spain) after undergoing external revision by a Spanish external evaluation agency. The main objective of this interdisciplinary project is to analyse from an interdisciplinary point of view (linguistic, pragmatic and intercultural) the written production by Spanish learners of English at University level taking a BA in English + Tourism when describing a piece of art in the foreign language in a tourist brochure format.

We are interested in considering both writing as a process and as a product in a collaborative environment with native speakers of the foreign language, since we want to examine the role played by peer correction. The final aim of this project is to design and pilot materials that may help the students in our degree to improve their writing skill and familiarize them with the most important aspects of the tourist brochure as a genre.

Interested?

We would like to contact an English-speaking university which offers a BA degree with courses on Spanish and Tourism, so that the L1 English and L1 Spanish students share the interest for tourism and can describe a piece of art of their liking.

The tasks that your students will be required to do in autumn this year are as follows:

a) contact one of our Spanish university students (third-year students) by email so that the Spanish and the English /American students get in touch
b) use a collaborative-learning environment to help his/her peer to write his/her description in English on a piece of art by in a collaborative way by means of a platform which will be developed for such a purpose. We expect students to exchange feedback on various occasions until they reach a final version of the description
c) provide feedback on the errors found in the production by his/her Spanish peer.

If your students are interested or if you think this is a good opportunity for them to meet a Spanish student and get feedback from him / her in a friendly environment, your students are also encouraged to benefit from this experience and to do this writing task in their foreign/second language, i.e. Spanish. Consequently, they will also use the communicative-learning environment to write a description of a piece of art in their foreign/second language and receive feedback from so that his/her peer in an attempt to improve his/her competence in the foreign or second language.

Further information and contact:
Maria Belen Diez-Bedmar
Departamento de Filologia Inglesa
Universidad de Jaen
Paraje las Lagunillas
Edificio D-2
23071 Jaen
España
Tel: 953211818
http://www.ujaen.es/dep/filing/web_departamento/proferores/diez_belen.htm

Writing as a process and as a product in Computer-mediated Communication (CMC)

La escritura como proceso y como producto final en Computer-mediated Communication (CMC): aspectos lingüísticos, pragmáticos e interculturales

This two-year project has been recently funded by the University of Jaén (Spain) after undergoing external revision by a Spanish external evaluation agency. The main objective of this interdisciplinary project is to analyse from an interdisciplinary point of view (linguistic, pragmatic and intercultural) the written production by Spanish learners of English at University level taking a BA in English + Tourism when describing a piece of art in the foreign language in a tourist brochure format.

We are interested in considering both writing as a process and as a product in a collaborative environment with native speakers of the foreign language, since we want to examine the role played by peer correction. The final aim of this project is to design and pilot materials that may help the students in our degree to improve their writing skill and familiarize them with the most important aspects of the tourist brochure as a genre.

Interested?

We would like to contact an English-speaking university which offers a BA degree with courses on Spanish and Tourism, so that the L1 English and L1 Spanish students share the interest for tourism and can describe a piece of art of their liking.

The tasks that your students will be required to do in autumn this year are as follows:

a) contact one of our Spanish university students (third-year students) by email so that the Spanish and the English /American students get in touch
b) use a collaborative-learning environment to help his/her peer to write his/her description in English on a piece of art by in a collaborative way by means of a platform which will be developed for such a purpose. We expect students to exchange feedback on various occasions until they reach a final version of the description
c) provide feedback on the errors found in the production by his/her Spanish peer.

If your students are interested or if you think this is a good opportunity for them to meet a Spanish student and get feedback from him / her in a friendly environment, your students are also encouraged to benefit from this experience and to do this writing task in their foreign/second language, i.e. Spanish. Consequently, they will also use the communicative-learning environment to write a description of a piece of art in their foreign/second language and receive feedback from so that his/her peer in an attempt to improve his/her competence in the foreign or second language.

Further information and contact:
Maria Belen Diez-Bedmar
Departamento de Filologia Inglesa
Universidad de Jaen
Paraje las Lagunillas
Edificio D-2
23071 Jaen
España
Tel: 953211818
http://www.ujaen.es/dep/filing/web_departamento/proferores/diez_belen.htm