As much as one may plan for future events, or wish for a kinder tomorrow, the fact is that we are often only living in the present. And what better time than the present to give learners the time and space for them to express what is relevant to them, giving them space and time to learn what is meaningful to them, instead of imposing learning materials which are often devoid of context and points of reference to learners?
For foreign language learners, this is especially significant, as so many foreign language learners struggle with the target language they are studying, and need to use that language in more meaningful ways, particularly when writing.
Writing is often the most challenging of skills, whether writing in a foreign language or even in one's mother tongue. What can be more interesting for learners than to write about what they know, what they dream of, what they imagine? And what can be more interesting than to read about your peers' writing?
Squibler is a digital space where learners may sign up and practice writing. After signing up, the learner will need to make a decision on how often he/she will write, what kind of writing he/she is interested in, and then the dashboard, with the different themes will appear.
Each theme has templates for the budding writer as well. These writing projects may be shared with others (via email or a shared link) and they may then read and/edit.
The last stage could be for learners to share their stories/writings on a
Padlet, where they could then read each other's work and add their comments.
Learner autonomy,
student agency and creativity are not only empty buzz words or edu-jargon - they can be practiced in different ways, according to teaching/learning context and with different age groups.
What better way to learn than with and through stories?
Stories.
You never know where they may lead to.
Further Suggestions
