VRL

VIRTUAL RESIDENCE LANGUAGE™

For Any Language

A Method Created & Developed by Sue Fenton, M Ed

ARE YOUR STUDENTS BORED? ARE YOU BORED?

DOES YOUR COURSE NEED A MAKE-OVER?

DO YOU WANT TO GET RE-ENERGIZED?

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LANGUAGE MORE REAL FOR EACH STUDENT?

CAN YOUR STUDENTS TELL YOUR WHAT THE GOAL OF YOUR COURSE IS?

ARE YOU ENGAGING EVERY SINGLE STUDENT?

Virtual Residence Language™ is a context-based method of teaching world

languages which may be used with any textbook. It’s being adopted more & more

around the country and getting teachers and students excited.

Four characteristics are:

1. The course is taught "on location" for the year virtually using Internet resources

and a SMART Board in the classroom. (No lab is needed!)

2. All language taught is based on real-world situations and contexts.

3. Speaking is a priority; Students SAY all language taught via real-life

social & commercial contexts in the city in paired conversations.

4. Every single student is engaged and has his or her own reality show!

5. The "illusion" of "living" there is the mantra and permeates all aspects of

the course. It's easy once you start, and it leads to fantastic activities!

The basic book for Virtual Residence Language™ with the set-up and 100's

of ideas to perpetuate it all year is:

Move Your Students to a World City by Sue Fenton

• Students “move” to a world city for the year to learn the language “on location.” If you can’t

actually move students to Paris, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Tokyo, etc., then the next best thing is to

simulate "living” there. The Internet, projectors, and SMART Boards transport a class to the city.

• The students take the flight, stay in a hotel, learn the layout of the city, choose addresses, and

“move” into their apartments. They create neighbors, explore their neighborhoods, and learn city

skills. Just moving in takes care of a Level 1 curriculum.

Where VRL really takes off is in how the text material and the students' "residence" experience

work together. They can do all the things residents do while learning & practicing the language.

do errands. visit places. have appointments. take classes.

consult schedules. make plans. socialize. do leisure activities.

SCHEDULE A VRL WORKSHOP

WHY VIRTUAL RESIDENCE LANGUAGE?

TWO-WEEK VACATION SYNDROME: The proverbial two-week trip to France, Spain, or another world destination

that is used in language courses has some merit; but can also be very harmful to students'

impressions and attitudes and be very limiting. It promotes a "tourist" mentality and implies a cursory

stereotypical view of the country or city. I can also send the wrong message... that language study is only good for learning travel phrases…IF you go on a vacation there some day. Students wonder why

they should invest 2 to 4 years memorizing words, endings, and rules...so they can order a hamburger

and fries or find a rest room? The concept of the "two-week vacation" confines students with a low

ceiling and limits the vast potential & possibilities of language study goals.

LIVING THERE: Language study should be an opportunity to open minds, expand horizons, and open doors to a

world of opportunities and enrichment. People study for whole semesters or years abroad; they work at

subsidiaries of companies. They make world friends and even marry people they meet in other

countries. A course based on "living" there - even virtually" sends a far better message and promotes

increased awarenss, understanding, tolerance and appreciation of other cultures and people. If a teacher

"moves" his or her students to a world city to spend the year, that in itself increase

Students will gain world skills. They will gain an intimate view and understanding of a world city and

make the city a "second home. This truly makes them feel like global citizens, plants seeds,

and increases the chances that the students will go "there" to spend some time.

CULTURE: Language was born from culture. It should be taught via culture....where it's spoken. VRL has them feeling

the pulse of the city. Culture should never be only for a lazy Friday. All text material is taught in the city.

Students love to see and hear about other places, cultures, and are very curious.

PURPOSE: All aspects of a course now have a solid framework or purpose. This goal is very clear to the students.

It's no longer about charts, endings, isolated grammar rules, and going from chapter to chapter. It's far

more exciting than that. Everything is connected to & has a purpose in the CITY! The course is more visual.

MOTIVATION: Every student is engaged and has his or her own reality! They see far more value in language study than

with a text-based or "mass class" approach. Plus, they have needs "met" as they conduct their lives in