Cada Dia Spanish Eight Week Session
Cada Dia Spanish is a learning community, with opportunities to chat with native language facilitators in daily web meetings. Our sessions are conducted in Spanish, however the instructions for new participants are in English. The large group web classes are conducted by native Spanish speakers who will encourage you to participate each day..."cada dia." This course is designed as a Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience. We will ask you to complete seven daily conversation activities and then we will invite you to present your activities during one of our daily Webcasts.
Daily Online Task-based Social Language Learning
The DOTS method is a dynamic approach to teaching second languages in which participants explore common real-world language tasks and challenges, focused on daily events. Using this type of active and engaged social learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying, by sharing their work with others. Daily web-based meetings are employed to promote sharing and feedback. DOTS is the principal method of learning conversational Spanish in the Cada Dia Spanish Demonstration Project. Students learn from each other and native language facilitators who provide feedback and support to participants.
While there are many effective language learning methods, DOTS combines proven classroom teaching strategies and delivers learning online in a new way. The DOTS method includes:
- Daily online practice sessions
- Task-based challenges
- Social learning
- Choice Theory strategies
- Blended Asynchronous and Synchronous strategies
- Native language facilitators
- Peer-to-peer teaching and learning
The foundation for this method of teaching and learning is broad and deep. In many respects, DOTS has its roots in the Socratic Method. Education technology and online learning environments may improve individual mastery of self-paced challenges and social learning opportunities. The DOTS method draws significantly from a constructivist perspective, by building knowledge through practical experiences, sharing task with peers and shared feedback from facilitators. Tasks in this method are related to varying levels of language development. While it is possible for a novice to participate and share simpler tasks, more advanced speakers may share at a much higher level of language development in the same web meeting. Meetings are recorded and available for self-criticism, and self-paced review.
Cada Día Spanish is produced by Point-Productions and Online2Learn, with support from several academic institutions. For more information, contact the project facilitator, Michael Henry [henrymp@umkc.edu].