O sitio web http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/library/Languages/ da unha visión da aprendizaxe das linguas ,(evidentemente dende a punto de vista dos centros educativos Ingléses) que nos pode ser interesante especialmente nos centros que intentan integra os departamentos de inglés e francés como seminario de linguas estranxeiras.
Ofrecenos uns exemplos de actividades e do que internet ofrecenos para desenvolver a nosa profesión.
A resaltar e o caso da páxina web da BBC The French Connection pois ofrecenos exemplos de Francés no mundo pero tamén coas referencias en inglés que poden servirnos de exemplo.
Moitas veces recurro a sitios en inglés que falan de España pois teñen a vantaxe de que son textos origiáis falando do mundo Español. Os famosos "lesson plans" poden ser adapatados ós nosos alumnos.
Presento aquí o artigo orixinal editado. (en inglés)
Modern Foreign Languages: harnessing the power of the Web
As the National Languages Strategy (NLS) emphasises, learning languages from an early age enhances the professional and personal opportunities of every child, as well as enriching the cultural and commercial life of the nation. However, as Education Secretary Charles Clarke noted when announcing it, the vast majority of students discontinue language learning in the later years of secondary school.
Beginning to involve children in language learning at a much earlier age and working as creatively as possible to maintain their interest once they reach secondary school have therefore been recognised as key to reversing this situation.
Language-learning for life
The teaching of languages gets a head start with children under the age of 10, who are naturally receptive, curious, attentive to novelty, have few inhibitions about making mistakes and can learn through the medium of simple, childish activities. When teachers use the Internet, even the youngest pupils can discover songs and games in French and German. As teenagers, with language skills acquired almost before they knew it, they will think nothing of emailing penpals in Verona, visiting the virtual Prado museum or chatting with fellow Inter Milan fans. Computer literacy and foreign language literacy are now both life skills designated in our school system. If schoolchildren are taught early language proficiency there is every hope that speaking Spanish or Italian will become as natural to them as surfing the Web.
What's on the Web and how do I find it?
The Internet provides an immense, sometimes daunting, amount of material that can be used in language teaching. You may be looking for activities for planning your own classes, some reassurance about contemporary teaching styles, a ready-made lesson plan or a special idea for a project. There are various ways of getting the information whether you are hunting specifically or just waiting to be inspired. All access to the Internet information highlighted in this article is free.
Where to click first
Teachernet's A to Z list of Useful Sites is a good place to start if you are new to resource-finding on the Internet (you will find the Useful Sites button on the left-hand panel of our homepage). Click and browse by running through the alphabetical list to find, say, the Association for Language Learning site, or put in a search term such as 'language' or 'resource' for results like The Teacher Network, or Schoolzone, which are general websites for teachers, including news, jobs and language teaching resources.
Some sites will offer links to other sites where language teaching resources can be found. The Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) is probably the first stop for these in the UK. It contains the Virtual Language Centre, Lingu@net, which has links to a huge selection of websites for languages teachers, plus information sheets, guidance for using ICT in teaching languages, an online forum and many other features. Another recommended site with material expressly tied in to the national curriculum is Modern Foreign Languages.
When searching independently, enter search terms like 'primary language learning', or 'German fairytales' in a search engine like Google. A broader range of information in other languages can be found by using the international versions of search engines, for example German Google, or Yahoo for France or Spain.
STRONG>Primary language teachers: Internet for information, support and ideas
The National Advisory Centre for Early Language Learning (NACELL) website states that 'one of the aims of foreign language teaching is to help children understand that their mother tongue is not the only means of human communication and the best way to do this is to make the foreign language taught an ordinary part of the child's life at school'.
- The NACELL site is designed to equip teachers to meet this challenge. Publishing the latest educational research in the area it provides an email forum for primary Modern Foreign Language teachers, a schools network with pilot schemes and a teaching resources section. It is currently offering links to sites with Christmas vocabulary, songs and traditions in many languages.
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Everyday and fun activities in a foreign language help to move the context of communication outside the classroom. Taking the register, and collecting dinner money can be conducted in Welsh or Arabic. Or you can learn, or even contact, about real schools in other countries through their websites. For French,
La Ronde des Ecoles de l'Ain sur le Net unites 40 schools of all shapes and sizes.
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The
Teachingideas site is good for practical activities and language-learning games, plus links to other useful sites.
Secondary language resources: bilingual learning
The Nuffield Enquiry recommended studying a curriculum subject through the medium of a foreign language. Called bilingual learning, this new methodology has been found to raise standards of attainment in curriculum subjects like History, Art or Music as well as improving and integrating a pupil's foreign language capability. From the dozens of wonderful international websites which would lend themselves to this, here are just a few ideas:
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Spring Day in Europe is a site which invites European schools to register and debate the construction of a European constitution. It can be used to engage with questions of Citizenship and Geography in the target language and also provides a huge database for contacting European school websites.
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In addition to the chance to visit at a distance, museum sites often contain educationally directed material. See what's on offer at the
Louvre and the
Munich Pinakothek.
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Music sites, which sometimes include audio clips, can range from the
Berlin Philharmonic to
Spanish MTV. Pupils could also send emails to sites which answer their questions about favourite artists.
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If you want to disguise a more serious debate about culture, cartoons in a foreign language will encourage the shyest teenager to share their opinions. Click here to see
The Simpsons in French.
Online lesson plans in foreign languages
As well as fuelling your own creativity, the Internet can supply structured language teaching material. Some places to look for ready-made online lesson plans are TeacherNet's Resource Materials area, and at the BBC Schools site as well as learn.co.uk.
Off to work
Last year the European Year of Languages showed that career information about languages is still geared towards the traditional areas of teaching, translating and interpreting. For pupils already thinking about university and vocational training, scanning a list of Careers Utilising Foreign Languages will challenge preconceived notions about what kind of jobs you can do in a language other than your mother tongue. The Languages National Training Organisation is a prime resource for detailed careers information and guidance; its information-packed website has case studies and downloadable factsheets. Now, when a young adult is confident and can communicate in a foreign language, they will have not just the Web but the world at their fingertips.
Brush up your own language skills
Finally, the Internet can be used for your own benefit too. The following two websites contain selected news articles to help you brush up on your language skills and learn something about the respective countries at the same time.
The BBC's French Connection looks at how French is spoken outside of France and what the language represents to the more than 50 francophone countries around the world. It allows you to download articles as text or audio files, as does the EducationGuardian's language learning section. Here, articles from Spain, France, Germany and Italy are all followed by a 
glossary to help broaden your vocabulary.
This article was commissioned by TeacherNet's editorial team, independently of DCSF policy teams.
Pode traducirla páxina a francés utilizando os servizos de http://babel.altavista.com/, simplemente, escolles a lingua orixinal o de destino, e listo. Moi útil, ainda que non sei en que medida servenos.
Lembrar que hoxe para todos os ingleses, Americanos e semellantes que se celebra o día dos santos inocentes.
