About
On this page you will find information about our
team, the concept behind our portal, as well as an overview of its
contents.
For the latest updates and developmental reports
about our portal, please visit our blog.
Our team
To create a web-based learning portal, knowledge
of different areas is required. The following people have brought their
expertise to the project:
- Planning, concept and development of learning materials, webdesign
- Concept
- Teacher of English
- Concept and development of learning materials
- Student of English and American Studies at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg
Our project is supported by many people (from
teachers to native speakers) who have worked together with us, e.g. on
the audio recordings and evaluation of learning materials. To see who
has contributed to this project, visit <Contributor.< /div>
In the future, further teachers will be involved
in increasing the range and number of learning materials.
The concept
The concept behind our learning portal has been
based in part on a scientific thesis entitled "The Conception of an
Online Language Learning Portal". Research into teaching and
foreign language didactics helped conceptualise and develop the key
requirements of the language learning portal. The goal of this portal
has been to put these theoretical requirements into practice.
Please find below examples of the didactic
requirements and their realization in the portal:
Tapping the full potential of the internet
The internet offers multiple possibilities and advantages of designing learning materials. Our priority has been to take advantage of this. One example is the valuable evaluation of learners' data input into the system. In addition to being presented with a solution, the learner is also presented with feedback that analyzes their errors. Despite the many possibilities that the internet offers, we have also taken into consideration its didactic borders and limitations.
Hierarchies of learning goals
The structure of the language course is based on the curriculum of the Bavarian and Baden-Württemberg Ministries of Education.
Learning in context
An important condition for learning success is the
design of learning materials in real-life contexts. These conditions
have guided the development of the portal. Thus the vocabulary database
has been organized into topical categories. In addition to single words,
chunks can also be learned. Furthermore, single vocabulary are enriched
by definitions and examplary sentences.
Differential learning
The goal of this project has been the consideration
of different learner types and their requirements.
As a result, inductive and deductive learning is possible. A range of
configuration possibilities allow the flexible presentation of learning
materials. For example, the learners can individually choose which word
list contents they want to be displayed.
Some of the exercises can also be customized by the learner. When using the vocabulary trainer, the learners can choose which information (word, definition, image, audio, …) will be presented and which information they want to type in (word, translation).
We understand that the portal is not a
replacement for a traditional learning environment, but rather a
supplement. Many different linguistic areas and skills can be learned
and strengthened in our portal. The learner is given the opportunity to
dive into the language through the help of authentic learning material.
The contents
The language course
The language course is a guided online programme, which the learner uses to learn step-by-step the foundation of the target language through the help of an interesting serial story. It is especially suitable for beginners as well as all learners who prefer guided learning.
A feature of each unit is the similar organization and design which support the student's orientation in the following way: After exposure to the language and the focus on language structures, what has been learned is applied and tested.
The organization of the language course is based on proven hierarchies of learning goals to assure that the learning materials are presented in a meaningful order.
The linguistic areas
In this part of the website, the learning materials are topically organized. Learners can choose which specific areas and aspects of the foreign language they want to learn. The various exercises support the transfer of passive learning into active application. Through the use of different multimedia, the requirements of the learner types are met.
The linguistic skills
This part of the learning portal offers various possibilities to train the learners' communicative skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The learners can dive into the foreign language (eg through audio books) and at the same time train their language production.
The learner's role
Not only does the portal present helpful learning
materials to the learners but visitors are cordially invited to
participate in the development of the project. At the moment, this is
limited to rating the contents, as well as suggesting improvements and
new subjects. In the future, further possibilities to contribute will be
given.
Acknowledgements
Many different people have supported and
contributed to the development of this portal. We thank all of you! Our
thanks include the Ministries of Education of Bavaria and
Baden-Württemberg for allowing us to use the curricula. Furthermore, we
thank the recording
studio of the University of Education Freiburg for letting us use
their facilities.
We look forward to your interest in our learning
portal and welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
The team of Learning English Online