If you are looking for the didactic treatment of new apps in the syllabus, don’t get downright pooled as you will not find even a single reference. However, current methodological trends drag us, as teachers, to get closer to our students. Forget the master class, even if it is well-rooted in your inner convictions, you will not get very far any more. The methodological approaches assumed by the new law, in all areas and in language teaching especially, see the figure of the teacher hand in hand with students. We all will learn by doing things together.
All this “active” methodology seems very attractive but the problem arises when it comes to application in class. I have always thought that the presentation-practice-production sequence should be present in any methodological approach, no matter how innovative it may be. If our students are to tackle real knowledge, they must learn: this is the real inclusive school. The organization of the discourse and the production of content must be monitored, especially in terms of vocabulary and grammar.
Take the use of Instagram in the classroom context, for example. The application has become a basic part of teenagers’ life in the course of the last five years. The projects thus are highly motivating if students receive input in the form of appealing samples. It is the starting point for students to write in English. It works because it is highly motivating and, at he same time, gets the primary objective: to practice the reading comprehension and written production skills present in the curriculum. Shall they finally publish classroom stories in their personal Instagram accounts? At least, they are sure to perceive the learning of English through Instragram as something completely new.
