Teaching English through Social Issues and Digital Storytelling

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to design a course for intermediate English learners at Armenian high schools. The course is technology-based, which aims to enhance students’ social awareness and motivate them to take part in social activities held in Armenia. This course also aims to enhance the students’ language skills, with emphasis on speaking. The course consists of five different topics and various activities for assessing students’ language skills and understanding of the topics. The course was piloted at Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex. The class met once a week for three academic hours. At the end of the course, the class created a digital movie based on the topics covered and on the trip to one of the boarding schools in Armenia during the course. The final results of the video and the course evaluation showed that the students quite successfully met the goals and objectives of the course. In addition to the course description, materials and assessment rubrics, the paper includes reflections based on the piloting experience and recommendations for teachers and lecturers who want to adopt the materials or repeat the course.

Keywords: social issues, digital storytelling, Armenia, technology, four language skills.