Didactic Materials to Foster the Use of Online Dictionaries in the English Classroom

Abstract

The present Final Master Dissertation belongs to Modality 6 in the Master’s Degree for Compulsory Secondary Education, Upper Secondary Education, Vocational Training and Language Teaching according to article 3 called “definition, organisation and elaboration” included in the rules established by Jaume I University, and it consists in creating didactic materials. The materials created for this project are not thought to be taught at a specific educational centre, they can be implemented in any centre that has access to ICT classrooms and Internet connection in order to carry out the activities properly. In this project we can find a series of materials created in order to promote the use of online dictionaries in the EFL classroom. Dictionaries are an essential tool for language students, but nowadays it is very difficult to see students using a dictionary in most of the EFL classrooms, and one reason is that dictionary skills cannot be found in most of the high school syllabuses. For this reason, as it is explained by Chan (2014), the students do not know how to make a correct use of dictionaries and they do not make the most out of them. The main aim of this project is to reinforce dictionary skills of English students in order to help them to learn how to use online dictionaries by means of a series of exercises and activities. It is also intended that the student’s use of Communication and Information Technologies (ICTs) improves since they have to use technological equipment and online tools in order to carry out the activities properly and thus develop their digital competences. In this particular case, we will find a total of nine activities in which students will work with the MacMillan Dictionary Online, the Cambridge Dictionary Online and the Visual Dictionary Online. There are two introductory activities, seven main activities and one final activity that consists in creating some dictionary entries. Regarding task evaluation, 50% of the final mark of unit 6 will be assigned to dictionary tasks, and the other 50% will be destined to the activities of this unit. The dictionary activities will correspond to the following percentages in the final mark: each dictionary activity will receive 5% of the final grade except the final activity, which will receive 10% of the final grade. In the same way, different tools will be used in order to assess the activities: three rubrics, notes taken by the teacher through observation and the direct correction of the tasks.