Wednesday 30 October 2013

Learning French Vocabulary using Digital Story Telling

How does one make learning french vocabulary fun, engaging, interesting and effective? 

A group of Grade 8 boys used technology to assist them in learning their french vocabulary. The focus was on the process of learning and not the final product, the latter being a movie created using either movie maker or photostory.

The boys were divided into groups and were given a list of french words relating to the theme "My Daily Routine"


The process involved a number of steps and check points. They first had to construct a number of french sentences using the words provided in the vocabulary list. 

Secondly these sentences had to be checked by their teacher for accuracy, construction and grammar and corrected where necessary.

The next step required their french teacher to narrate the sentences that each group had constructed, while being recorded by the boys using cellphones, or their laptops. This meant that when the boys themselves narrated and recorded their own sentences into their movies, their pronunciation was spot on.

The boys then went off to film themselves or to take photographs that would form the backdrop for their dialogue. The movies were then put together using windows movie maker or photostory. The boys were encouraged to be engaging and creative in the making of their movies so that they would not only appeal to their audience but would produce a product that could be used as a learning tool for other french students.


On reflection, the process itself went well but further fine-tuning would be necessary should this exercise be repeated in the future. The active engagement and the enjoyment of learning  was clearly evident among the boys.

Here are some of the activities that took place that facilitated and added value to the learning:


  •  hands-on, active learning
  •  being able to integrate multiple activities (writingresearchingcomputing, presenting)
  •  collaborating and sharing
  •  discussing and reflecting
  •  being able to receive immediate support as and when required
  •  accommodating multiple learning styles
  •  being able to revisit a ‘lesson’
  •  authentic learning – not just an assessment


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