General Information

• Target language: English
• Skill to be practiced: Vocabulary Extension
• Target group: all learners

Short description

The tool consists of a set of exercises to practice Konjunktiv II (unreal conditions and wishes in the present). The exercises can be done one after the other or separately.

The exercises are aimed at all learners at B1 level. The exercises correspond to the material covered in the textbook Schritte plus 5 but could also be used by learners or teachers who work with other textbooks.

Development of the tool

Idea/Concept/why you choose to develop this tool

Learners at our school do not only attend traditional language classes. Part of the course is dedicated to working with Moodle. Our Moodle platform offers additional material to the chapters covered in the Schritte plus textbooks. The materials provided in Moodle include exercises for grammar topics, listening exercises through embedded videos, reading exercises through uploaded or linked texts, discussion forums as well as links to interesting websites related to artists, cultural or historical topics from Germany.

Our learners are familiar with the Moodle platform. In addition, Moodle is an ideal solution for practicing grammar and offering additional exercises. This is why we decided to develop grammar exercises for Moodle.

Tools and methods used for development

First, we looked at grammar topics covered in the textbook and identified which of these causes most problems for the learners and thus require more practice than others. Than we looked at the material we already had on our Moodle platform. We realized that what we needed most were exercises to practice Konjunktiv II.

In the next step, we developed the exercises themselves. While doing so, we also took care to provide different types of exercises from closed to semi-open and open exercises. In addition the exercises where chosen to address different types of learners.

In the last step, we added feedback for each exercise. Our experience shows that learners tend to stay more motivated if they receive feedback for their answers apart from the computer indicating the right and wrong answers. For this reason, we made sure to give feedback for the learner’s results – the positive results but even more importantly the negative results to encourage the learners to keep trying.

Resources involved in development (people, equipment etc)

The grammar topic was chosen by a German teacher who also created the exercises. Another teacher more familiar with the Moodle platform helped to find out how to create the exercises in Moodle.

In order to use Moodle, the software has to be installed. Once the software is installed, courses can be created and materials can be uploaded.

In terms of equipment, a computer and internet access are needed in order to access the Moodle platform, create activities, upload material, etc. We also used YouTube to find a video as a basis for one of the exercises. The videos can be viewed free of charge and can easily be embedded into Moodle.

Issues you faced during development

Moodle is a great tool to provide materials for learners and to give them an opportunity for additional practice or to provide information that is not mandatory but that some learners may be interested in anyway. However, from a teacher’s point of view, it is not that easy to put all the material on the platform. The platform is not intuitive and there is no user manual explaining the different types of activities and how to create them. For this reason, the process of creating the exercises takes a long time and is a trial-and-error process. It takes lots of time and effort to create courses and exercises. This can be very frustrating and may not be an ideal solution for every teacher.

Use of the tool

Didactic analysis of the tool

Introduction
The tool consists of six exercises to practice Konjunktiv II (unreal conditions and wishes in the present). The exercises can be done one after the other or separately.

The exercises are aimed at all learners at B1 level. The exercises correspond to the material covered in the textbook Schritte plus 5 but could also be used by learners or teachers who work with other textbooks. The exercises can be done in class as part of the grammar lesson. They could also be used for self-study or homework.

In order to complete the exercises the learners should be familiar with the concept of Konjunktiv II, its form and use to express unreal conditions and wishes in the present. The learners do not need to be familiar with the use in unreal conditions in the past.

Description of possible implementation situations in class:
The tool covers an important grammar topic that learners need to be familiar with in order to express unreal conditions or wishes in the present.

Teachers working with the Schritte plus 5 textbook can use the exercises immediately after introducing the subject and explaining the form and use of the Konjunktiv II (unit 4). They may use the exercises provided on Moodle before or in addition to the exercises provided by the textbook. Teachers working with a different textbook or with free materials should also be able to use the exercises directly after introducing the subject.

The exercises provided on Moodle consist of 6 different exercises starting with a listening exercises and getting more difficult with each exercise. In the first exercise, learners have to listen to a song and fill in blanks or choose the missing word from a variety of options. In the following exercises, they have to form correct sentences, choose the right verb in Konjunktiv II among three different options, fill in the gaps and complete sentences.

The exercises can be done in class if all learners have a computer of their own to go through the exercises at their own pace. If so, learners also need headphones to the listen to the YouTube video in the first exercise.

Alternatively, learners can also do the exercises as homework if they have a computer, wifi connection and speakers/headphones at home.

Users wishing to access iberika’s Moodle platform can log in as guests. Click “Als Gast anmelden” and type in the password: gast1 to get access to all exercises belonging to Schritte plus 5, unit 4.

Pros and cons:
The exercises can be used flexibly as suitable for each group of learners – either in class or as homework. Learners are free to choose if they do all exercises or just some and at what pace they want to work. They can also repeat the exercises as often as they want to.

However, teachers wishing to use the tool need to keep in mind that they still need to introduce the subject and explain its form and use before moving on to the exercises. Learners with little or no ICT skills or learners unfamiliar with Moodle platforms may need help accessing the exercises.

Conclusion:
The exercises cover an important topic in German grammar. They can be used either in class or as homework with very little effort on the teacher’s side. As all exercises can be completed separately and several times, learners can go through them at their own pace and as often as the wish to. However, learners with little ICT skills may need help when working with a Moodle platform to access the exercises.

Technical analysis of the tool

Moodle is an online learning management system that is used by many educational institutions all over the world. Thus, many learners will be familiar with the platform and be able to use it without great difficulty. Learners with little or no ICT skills or learners unfamiliar with Moodle may need some help in the beginning to access the platform and navigate the website.

In order to access the platform, learners need to register. In terms of hardware, a computer or laptop, internet connection and speakers or headphones are required. Using the Moodle platform requires no special software for the learners. However, in order for a teacher to work with Moodle, the software needs to be installed first and creating courses and activities needs some time at first.

Once, the software is installed and teachers are familiar with the features of the platform, Moodle is a great tool to provide exercises and materials. There is also a forum through which learners can communicate with each other or with the teacher. Only registered users can access the courses so all content uploaded to or posted on the platform remains confidential.