Innovation in Language Learning

This paper presents a project which involves the use of the e-learning platform Moodle in the teaching of English as a foreign language (among other subjects) in an intercultural primary school in Greece. The novelty of this project is that the school had never systematically used before, albeit in a pilot form, an e-learning platform for the teaching of a number of its curriculum subjects.

Besides the use of Web 2.0 tools, the approaches adopted in the project were the topic-based teaching approach, and, particularly, the influential and, according to the relevant research, beneficial [2,3], Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology [2]. The project’s topic is a cultural trip to the capitals of the European Union Member States, since it was realized within the framework and under the supervision of the Teachers4Europe programme of the Delegation of the European Commission in Greece. The end-product of the project was the design and the pilot implementation of an on-line course titled “European Capitals in the Mood (le): United in our Diversity” in the e-learning platform of the school with the active involvement of our students.

This paper reports on the (positive) assessment of the whole process for the teacher and students, on the extent to which the goals set (at a linguistic, context and ICT level) were achieved, as well as on the various problems encountered. Upon the completion of the programme and the evaluation procedure of the projects submitted by the Delegation of the European Commission in Greece, our project and the involved teachers and class received a national distinction prize.