Page 106 - LanGuide Project: Research and Professional Insights
P. 106
a Pavletić, Klara Šumenjak, and Jana Volk
rience in teaching homo- and heterogeneous language groups also
plays an important role.
9. The principles of sustainable knowledge and continuous autonomous
learning require that the knowledge acquired be permanent and use-
ful. This can only be achieved through practice and recycling (Ivanuš
Grmek & Mithans, 2021, p. 39). When learning a foreign language on
an app, the fulfilment of this principle predominantly depends on
users and their decision about what to consolidate and repeat besides
the exercises on the app and to what extent.
In terms of content, the intercultural component, which brings knowl-
edge of the Slovenian culture, customs, literature, etiquette, etc., should
also be considered when designing an app, in addition to the didactic prin-
ciples. It has been very demanding to combine all these components, in-
cluding the intercultural component, with the numerous limitations of the
LanGuide app in such a short period of time. Therefore, in what follows, the
authors present the exercises included in the LanGuide app, their short-
comings and the inadequacies of the app, and most importantly the pos-
sibilities for upgrading and improving the app.
Design and Presentation of Exercises
The Slovenian language exercises were created between February and
September 2021. They are divided into four fields and designed to acquire
language knowledge at three c e f r levels, i.e. a 1, a 2, and a 3. At the be-
ginning of the project, we were not aware of future limitations and created
numerous exercises, which were not included in the app due to technical
restrictions. Each author prepared exercises for one of the levels, but for
the exercises to complement and gradually raise difficulty levels, we first
prepared the exercises at the level a1, followed by those at the level a2 and
finally at the level b1. The expected achievements of students at different
levels of c efr are as follows (Ministrstvo r s za šolstvo in šport, Urad za
razvoj šolstva, 2011, p. 46):
– Level a1 speakers can understand and use frequent everyday expres-
sions and very basic phrases to meet concrete needs; can introduce
themselves and others as well as ask and answer questions about per-
sonal details, such as where they live, about people they know and
things they have; can interact in a simple way provided the other
speaker talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
106
rience in teaching homo- and heterogeneous language groups also
plays an important role.
9. The principles of sustainable knowledge and continuous autonomous
learning require that the knowledge acquired be permanent and use-
ful. This can only be achieved through practice and recycling (Ivanuš
Grmek & Mithans, 2021, p. 39). When learning a foreign language on
an app, the fulfilment of this principle predominantly depends on
users and their decision about what to consolidate and repeat besides
the exercises on the app and to what extent.
In terms of content, the intercultural component, which brings knowl-
edge of the Slovenian culture, customs, literature, etiquette, etc., should
also be considered when designing an app, in addition to the didactic prin-
ciples. It has been very demanding to combine all these components, in-
cluding the intercultural component, with the numerous limitations of the
LanGuide app in such a short period of time. Therefore, in what follows, the
authors present the exercises included in the LanGuide app, their short-
comings and the inadequacies of the app, and most importantly the pos-
sibilities for upgrading and improving the app.
Design and Presentation of Exercises
The Slovenian language exercises were created between February and
September 2021. They are divided into four fields and designed to acquire
language knowledge at three c e f r levels, i.e. a 1, a 2, and a 3. At the be-
ginning of the project, we were not aware of future limitations and created
numerous exercises, which were not included in the app due to technical
restrictions. Each author prepared exercises for one of the levels, but for
the exercises to complement and gradually raise difficulty levels, we first
prepared the exercises at the level a1, followed by those at the level a2 and
finally at the level b1. The expected achievements of students at different
levels of c efr are as follows (Ministrstvo r s za šolstvo in šport, Urad za
razvoj šolstva, 2011, p. 46):
– Level a1 speakers can understand and use frequent everyday expres-
sions and very basic phrases to meet concrete needs; can introduce
themselves and others as well as ask and answer questions about per-
sonal details, such as where they live, about people they know and
things they have; can interact in a simple way provided the other
speaker talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
106
