Abstract
This short-term, student-focused course was developed to enrich the English Language curriculum by introducing key aspects of the American culture and history such as the significance of Liberty, contributions of African-American personalities, an overview of the Native American history, and insights into the impact of immigration. It was created in an attempt to address a gap in the 6th-grade English curriculum of Greek primary schools, which predominantly focuses on British culture. It derives inspiration from the Study of the U.S. Institute for Scholars and Secondary Educators (SUSI) Fulbright program entitled “Liberty, Equality, and the American Dream-Democracy and Citizenship”, which took place in Montana University in June 2022. Moreover, it employs an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating student-centered methods (e.g. the Task-Based Approach, the transformative learning theory, the technology-based learning, the project learning, and the group learning) and integrating Web 2.0 Tools to encourage students’ critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. It involves varied tasks and independent reflective activities aiming to increase students’ awareness of the American culture encouraging critical reflection on resources and fostering students’ own interpretations of the facts.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
American Culture/History, English Language Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Approach, Young Learners
