This project presents a learning experience between students from two Latin American countries, Peru and Brazil, which consisted in producing a five-minute movie addressing social, political or environmental issues that are part of the context where they live. Apart from enhancing group work, oral and writing skills, the project also gives the students the chance to develop and elaborate on their technological skills and creativity.
Initially, this project has been carried out at Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC), a technical and technological institution in south Brazil, with the aim to offer secondary students attending the English subject the opportunity to practice in a fun, collaborative and meaningful way the content they had learned along the academic semester as proposed by the syllabus. After a few successful experiences, where students expressed in a feedback questionnaire the pleasure they had felt producing the movies at the same time they could improve vocabulary and practice speaking skills, the group of four English teachers who work at IFSC realized the potential of this project in building partnership with other educational institutions. It was then that one of the teachers involved, Fernanda, got in touch with teacher Roxana Perca from Peru, who became automatically interested in the project.
The main objectives of this project were to offer the students the opportunity to: a) develop autonomy over their learning process in a fun and meaningful way; b) extend the learning of English beyond the limits of the classroom; c) think critically about social/political/environmental issues that are part of their context; d) develop soft skills, such as effective communication, empathy, open-mindedness, creativity and teamwork and e) practice writing and oral skills.
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