Abstract:

According to Recommendation 2006/962/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning [Official Journal L 394 of 30.12.2006]*, communication in foreign languages, is one such competence that should be pursued. It involves, “the ability to understand, express and interpret concepts, thoughts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written form […] in an appropriate range of societal and cultural contexts […] according to one's wants or needs. Communication in foreign languages also calls for skills such as mediation and intercultural understanding. An individual's level of proficiency will vary between the four dimensions (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and between the different languages, and according to that individual's social and cultural background, environment, needs and/or interests” (p. 14). Essential knowledge, skills and attitudes related to this competence include “knowledge of vocabulary and functional grammar and an awareness of the main types of verbal interaction and registers of language. Knowledge of societal conventions, and the cultural aspect and variability of languages is important. Essential skills for communication in foreign languages consist of the ability to understand spoken messages, to initiate, sustain and conclude conversations and to read, understand and produce texts appropriate to the individual's needs. Individuals should also be able to use aids appropriately, and learn languages also informally as part of lifelong learning. A positive attitude involves the appreciation of cultural diversity, and an interest and curiosity in languages and intercultural communication” (p. 15).

Bearing these recommendations in mind, this paper explores the benefits of implementing a Digital Storytelling project in higher education geared towards aiding learners to acquire the above mentioned key competence. The project involves a clearly defined procedure and is divided into the following stages: completing a pre- and a post-project survey, learning about digital storytelling by completing a WebQuest, making decisions about the digital stories (topic, plot, software and media), sharing stories with classmates through a Learning Management System (LMS), watching fellow classmates’ digital stories and posting comments about them in a forum, keeping a log and preparing and presenting their “making of” to the whole class, and finally assessing both the digital stories and the oral presentations. The results from a 3-year study based on the pre- and post-surveys will be presented. The overall results are encouraging as the students report that this approach not only helps them develop linguistics skills but also a number of non-linguistic skills such as digital literacy, collaborative team work, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

* http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006H0962&from=EN

Keywords:

Key competence for lifelong-learning, communicative competence, digital storytelling, higher education.