Don't Give Up a European Union Language Project

Don't Give Up! Is a European Union language project that has written a book of 48 best practices for every level of language educators (schools, managers, teachers). The best practices will help improve the motivation and the results of language courses for adult learners.

The project spent 2 years researching and analyzing the problems of adult learners, language educators were asked their opinions and ideas, as well. The results of the research were combined with the project team's ideas and experience.

The best practices cover aspects of managing language schools and classes, enhancing lessons, engaging and motivating students and dealing with many aspects of the problems adult learners face to learn a language. This book can positively contribute to the results of your language courses.

The best practices are summarized on the project website with some examples.

Bp 48 Writing Process
Theme Learning to learn how to write
BP for Language teachers, Language students

Need
One of the most difficult tasks in language learning is to produce clear written text. The task is difficult even in your mother tongue, and clearly not everyone can produce clear text. Foreign language teachers, often face a situation where they need to teach how to produce a clear text, but the basic skills are not even present in the mother tongue of the student.

If we see writing as a process, with logical steps, we can then simplify the task. In addition, once the skill has been taught it can be transferred across all the languages being learnt.

Description
Writing is a process that involves at least four distinct steps

Prewriting
Drafting
Revising
Editing

It is a recursive process. While you are revising, you might have to return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas.

You can access open courseware materials that describe the technique www.ocw.usu.edu/English/english-1010/writing-process.html

Research has shown the benefits of this approach that has been extensively used in USA and now in Europe.

Extra Help

Writing centre at MIT
www.web.mit.edu/writing/Writing_Process/writingprocess.html
Interesting proposal at

MIT www.ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Writing-and-Humanistic-Studies/21W-784Fall-2005/CoursePedagogy/

The 138 page Don't Give Up! Book is available through the web site in English, Czech or Spanish. Link to the website: http://www.dontgiveup.eu