The field of Internationalism is focusing more and more on the importance of second language acquisition and bilingual education since primary years.
That is because social and cultural demands, together with the expansion of a multicultural society and mobility, are among the main objects of discussion within EU. It is furthermore clear that Europe is investing in supporting bilingualism/second language acquisition through different actions.Helping students to be bilingual is something we have to start when they are very young, that’s why the importance of bilingual education since primary years. By living the language in a full immersion, children act and re-act to it, and they live it in the most natural way. As teachers, we must do all in our power to strengthen the skills of teaching in a bilingual context: building the spaces, creating the conditions to make pupils feel the natural environment for living the language, support in all possible ways the second language acquisition.Not to be forgotten, we are living the impact of technology as a great help in education, too. Webtools, apps, gaming, they are all entering the field of school and education as a support for teachers and students. To such an extent, we have to consider digital and technology as a strong support for bilingual education too, and we must teach students to learn to live technology in a safe way, knowing how to use it (so reducing the risk of falling into the traps of the net and the potential risks connected to digital and internet).
BYOD and bilingual education in primary school: a 100% technoCLIL approachThe spread of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is giving a new appeal to language teaching and so are new technologies for teaching with webtools used for didactic aims. In such a context, the importance of digital devices, which are daily explored by our students, is reaching a new level of discussion. It is here that the philosophy of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is becoming more and more relevant, even in primary schools.Children are digital natives and they feel more motivated if they can experiment through tools which appear to them more appealing and at hand. And, of course, using digital devices as further means of education, allows our students to be more responsible and have more knowledge about eSafety and the risks surrounding the net.I speak based on experience. After years of teaching in upper secondary schools, I moved to primary school because of a project of bilingual education sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Education, together with the regional school office of Lombardy and British Council. Six national schools started the IBI-BEI project (7 hours per week in English per class, since year 1 of primary school, with three subjects taught entirely in English language).
The project came to an end but it was proposed to include the experience in the school curriculum. Each school chose its new educational offer: no less than 5 hours per week in English, since year one and switching to a CLIL approach more than just one or two subjects in English language. At the same time, new schools appeared to the horizon, looking for a similar experience and they were given the chance of starting new experimental projects of bilingual education with CLIL modules.The project therefore changed (once again) according to the needs and choices of the Board of Teachers (sometimes opposing the project because some teachers didn’t like to have their timetable changed to welcome ESL specialized teachers). I have completed the cycle of primary school with my students who in June finished primary school (grade 5) with great results: my students were observed by different European teachers, in the COMPANION Action Research, and they all achieved very high level of English (also supported by Cambridge Assessment).Even students with Special Education Needs, if compared to students in other contexts and if compared to other subjects too, proved to do better. And, in this, a great role was played by the digital support and gaming I organized.
A couple of years ago, thanks to eTwinning and TechnoCLIL courses (I am a CLIL teacher trainer, too), we were awarded the Quality Label and the eTwinning School Label. In a Padlet we cooperated with schools from different parts of Europe (this one was reopened this year for the “Democratic participation” spring campaign of eTwining). I also started proposing webtools in my classes, opening different “padlets” for the different modules in the bilingual education curriculum (Walk Like an Egyptian, The VIPs of the UK, William Shakespeare Rocks). The modules for this school year are: A Wonderful World, Englishman in New York, The Beautiful People and The Final Countdown.During last year, I experimented with BYOD classes. After asking my (former) principal and parents’ permission, I explained BYOD to my students – who reacted excitedly to the opportunity. For one hour a week they had the chance of using their own devices to study and revise in English. They could use the different tools I showed them, according to the activities I had arranged for them. This way, they could experience flipped classroom, too.
Digital devices were also used to be in touch with other schools, working in partnership and to take part in special events, such as EU CodeWeek, the Hour of Code, World Water Day, STEM Discovery Week, eSafety Day, Europe Day, eTwinning Day, etc. A striking result from this experience was represented by the percentage of students participating from home in online cooperative works and the percentage of students’ awareness in the responsible use of mobiles and other digital devices.Parents also confirmed that even at home, students preferred to use mobiles to create maps or digital works or game-based learning apps rather than to simply playing video games or mobile games. As a final result we can confirm that the linguistic competence was reinforced also due to the online interaction and the constant use of English.Apart from their visible works on the Padlet, students’ high level of English was confirmed by their excellent results in the COMPANION Action-Research, the YLE-Cambridge Examinations and also by scoring higher than the standard Italian students in INVALSI test. They use English as a tool for multiple purposes: studying different subjects (CLIL), applying technology to study (TechnoCLIL) and everyday life. Furthermore, they use ICT and technology as a tool to reinforce their language. So far, we can say that the BYOD method, combined with the TechnoCLIL experience in our classes had far-reaching positive impact and we hope other schools can start such a journey.
After this experience, I was asked to start a new project in another school, with a technoCLIL (CLIL through webtools and ICT) approach. I moved to “Padre Pino Puglisi” Comprehensive School, where the Headteacher Dr. Antonella Lacapra gave me (with this school year 2019/2020) four classes of grade 1 primary school, to start the bilingual education project. From 4 to 6 hours per week in English, with CLIL and technoCLIL approach. Why CLIL? CLIL allows students to live the language in an effective context. They really leave the language for the language. They can use the language for a specific and real need. And, of course, technoCLIL is a more appealing tool to engage and motivate the whole class, with the different needs of the different students.The Board of Teacher and the families gave a warm welcome to the project and 4 classes were formed with the explicit choice of all the actors of the school: the Headteacher, the Board of Teachers, the families and also the stakeholders showed great interest in the newborn project. I have just started with 3D AR too, also because this year I will be leading “U-STEAM” a nice eTwinning project I started when in Hammamet (I am one of the teachers engaged in the Multilateral Seminar about STEAM, which took place in Hammamet from 2nd to 4th May 2019) and writing two Erasmus Projects about STEAM and European citizenship.As a matter of fact, both second language acquisition (in term of multi linguistic competence) and Digital are two key proposals and fields of interest supported by the Council of Europe and it is importance to share the good and best practices to support bilingual education all over Italy (and Europe, too). One of my greatest dream, as a linguistic researcher, is to have all the Italian Peninsula engaged in projects of bilingual education since primary ages.This is a bet we have to win. We can do that. We must do that.
Angela Panzanella