Using Hypothesis to Teach about Employment and Work in the Francophone World
This project seeks to introduce students to employment and work in France and in other French-speaking countries/regions. Students interact with this topic via collaborative annotation of texts using the Hypothesis platform. While opening up students’ horizons to the variety of perspectives on and approaches to work that exist within the francophone world, this multi-step project also aims to engage all three ACTFL modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.
Lesson Overview:
- French
- Intermediate (High)
- Multiple class sessions
- Creative Tool: Hypothesis
- No costs involved
Lesson Plan:
Project Description:
This project seeks to introduce students to employment and work in France and in other French-speaking countries/regions. Students interact with this topic via collaborative annotation of texts using the Hypothesis platform. While opening up students’ horizons to the variety of perspectives on and approaches to work that exist within the francophone world, this multi-step project also aims to engage all three ACTFL modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Although the language level for the project has been judged to be Intermediate-High, according to the ACTFL Standards, it can be adjusted for a more or less advanced class setting. The project consists of two phases and can be spread across two or three weeks. The first phase involves a basic introduction to the concept of work and how it has evolved throughout time in the French context, with students reading texts and taking in other media. Much of what takes place in class during this phase is instructor-led in the form of discussions and presentations. However, students do use Hypothesis in the last step of this phase to annotate a text, working together to make meaning from it. Here we have both the interpersonal and interpretive modes at work. In the second phase, students are divided into groups and perform the same process of collaborative annotation and interpretation within those smaller units, each group sharing its findings at the end of each step with the larger class. This phase narrows the temporal focus, looking at work in the contemporary context, while also widening the geographical focus, comparing and contrasting work as it is perceived and practiced in various countries and regions throughout the French-speaking world. The final portion of this phase involves each group taking a different country or region, reading an article on this topic within that particular sociocultural context, and recording a presentation of findings to be posted in a class discussion forum. This phase thus continues with the interpersonal and interpretive modes, but also emphasizes the presentational mode. Ultimately, this project endeavors to open up dialogue among students that compares and contrasts differing visions of work around the globe, instilling an attitude of openness to diverse perspectives, while also teaching topic-related concepts, vocabulary, and expressions in the target language. For a thorough step-by-step outline of the project, please consult the WORD document found on this page. Links to project materials can be found in the document as well as on this project page.
Students will work on the following ACTFL communication modes:
Interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational
Students will work on the following language skills:
Reading, writing, listening, and speaking
COPYRIGHT & CREDIT
Bryant White
Vanderbilt University