Project name: “Georgian
students are English speaking guides for volunteer foreign teachers in
Georgia”.
Main idea: This
project will give Georgian students a good chance to be English guides of their
country for their foreign teachers. While having an English excursion Georgian
high-graders will make English presentations about historical sights for
foreign volunteer teachers and will improve their communication skills. Guests
will learn a lot about Georgia and have their teaching experience in an outdoor
environment.
Importance: Students find listening
and speaking skills more difficult to develop, than reading and writing skills,
and this experience will be the best practice of communication skills. Besides,
English will be integrated with History and Geography, and students will
develop their knowledge in these subjects as well.
Project description and goals: Students from Kakheti, who are high graders
(will be allowed to be away from home
for three days) and are good at Georgian history and English language, will
visit one of the most amazing parts of Georgia – Svaneti with Peace Corps
Volunteer teachers and TLG program participants working in Gurjaani. The students will be English speaking guides
for their guest teachers. They’ll have to gather a lot of information (from
books, Internet) about different sights in Svaneti and will prepare speeches
about them in English language (using dictionaries, online translating
programs). Each of them will be supposed to make a presentation about at least
one historical sight. The presentation will be followed with English
discussions (They will practice to state, support their opinions and respect
others’ ideas). Svaneti is very far from Kakheti and only a few people have
visited it. Foreign teachers working in Kakheti also know many things about
East Georgia and wish to see other parts of our motherland. They will be
pleased with an English excursion and hopefully find it comfortable and
interesting. Students will feel a great responsibility to speak about the
historical and cultural flavor of Georgia in English for English-speaking
people. They will develop their listening and speaking skills (they find them
the most challenging skills) and will be encouraged to learn English better.
Teachers and students will do their job (teaching and learning) outside the
classroom and will enjoy the weekend. Both will learn a lot about the Georgian
history and culture, will become more active and eager to create or join
different other projects and make learning/teaching process more pleasant. A cameraman will record a video and an article
about this project will be published in a local newspaper. DVD discs will be
sent to different Gurjaani schools and many local teachers, foreign educators
and promising students will be encouraged to create new projects and plan
interesting extra-curricular activities, similar outdoor events. Students will make a PP-presentation for the
rest students and teachers at school, foreign guests will be interviewed after
the project. All advantages and disadvantages will be taken into consideration
for next projects.
Age of target group: High graders.
Project dates: 01.04. - 30.05. (Four
weeks for searching for information and preparing English presentations, 3 days
for an excursion, two weeks for getting ready to share gained experience with
the rest if kids at school, 10 days for ensuring organizational matters.)
Expected results: The project
will have benefits for both: teachers and students. Students will improve their
skills of making presentations, will have a really good practice in English
language, will learn a lot about Georgian history and let foreign guests also
know about it, teachers and learners will cooperate outside the classroom as a
group members and they will enjoy a blend of Georgian history and English
language and will have an unforgettable three days in Svaneti. An English excursion
will be a good example of cooperation with media representatives as well.
Necessary resources: Computers (Internet),
projector, history and geography course books, dictionaries, mobile phones,
camera. (Transport is to be organized and accommodation is to be booked.)
Project instructor: Tamar Kaladze – an EFL teacher in Gurjaani.
it's special idea for a reason... it gives benefits for teachers and students too.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteTamu I think this is excellent project. Wish you and your students good luck.
ReplyDeleteNino, thanks a lot.
ReplyDelete